Superman & Lois: Tayler Buck on Natalie's Big Hero Turn
The most recent episode of Superman & Lois, "All is Lost", saw the titular Man of Steel end up in what may have been his most dangerous and precarious position yet when Ally Allston begins siphoning Superman's powers. With the hero in dire straits, John Henry and Natalie have to suit up to save the hero. It's a big moment for Natalie and Tayler Buck says it's something that will change Natalie's dynamic, particularly with her father, going forward.
"It definitely changes their dynamic," Buck told EW. "The fact that he even allowed her to suit up already changes the dynamic. It goes from 'You're my little girl, you're my child. You can't do this. You can't put yourself in danger. I need to protect you,' to 'I guess you're not a little girl anymore. You're still my little girl, but maybe you've earned that responsibility. You've thought about this and you're old enough to take on that responsibility. And who am I to hold you back?'"
She continued, "She definitely put a lot of thought into it. [Making the suit indestructible was the backup plan. I think she knows him so well that she was like, 'No way is he going to go for this at first, so I'm just going to make sure he can't destroy the suit as a little bit of a backup plan that also doubles as protection for me.' So, it's win-win. She's come so far, and I think she'll only continue to grow as a person."
That growth is likely to include further outings in the suit. The end of "All is Lost" saw Superman still in serious condition and seemingly entirely stripped of his Kryptonian powers while previews for the upcoming "Worlds War Bizarre" have shown that while he survives, he's not going to be up to fighting speed anytime soon, if at all. As a result, everyone else will have to step up.
"At the end of the episode, everyone is being told to step up because we have to take on the weight of the world because that's what Superman has on his shoulders," Buck said. "And now that he's out of commission, the next person that goes to, the next superhero, is my father John Henry. So, Natalie of course is going to be even more worried about him because that is a lot to take on. Stubborn as she is, I'm sure she's going to try to help him. We'll have to find out. And the boys have a lot to do as they step up and even Lois has to step up."
She added, "Everyone has to take on more responsibility and we'll see how that plays out. I don't want to give too much away, but there's some really, really big things coming up for Natalie. Especially the last episode. That one is pretty crazy so I'm really, really excited to see how that turned out. The season is coming to an end, and so we jam-packed a lot of things in there. Things are heating up, so you definitely won't be disappointed.
Superman & Lois airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.