Superman & Lois: Who Is Matteo & Is He Aware of Who Natalie Irons Is?
Superman & Lois doesn’t lack teenage drama, as some of the most prominent characters in the whole show are teenagers, but the case we have today is laced with some more sinister undertones. We know that Natalie Irons is not from this world like her father, John Henry Irons. She was forced to relocate to Earth-TUD22 due to the destruction of her world. She left everything behind and found herself in a strange new reality facing people who she used to know and yet were complete strangers to her. It would seem like things were starting to fall into place when Nat met Matteo, but Matteo turned out to be the son of her father’s enemy. So, who is Matteo & is he aware of who Natalie is?
Matteo is the only child of Peia and Bruno Manheim, the villainous crime boss of Hobb’s Bay. It’s likely that Matteo is not involved in his father’s business schemes and has no idea who Natalie Irons really is. The two met by accident, and his feelings seem to be genuine enough. That might change in the future when everything comes to light, but for now, Natalie’s and Matteo’s relationship is real enough.
Now that we’ve covered the gist of Matteo’s character, it’s time to focus on what we know. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading!
Matteo is connected to Bruno Manheim but likely doesn’t follow in his footsteps
The first time we met Matteo was in one of the early episodes of Superman & Lois Season 3. Natalie went with Sarah to a party in Metropolis randomly, and this is where she met Matteo, a stunning young man who showed a total and genuine interest in her.
The two got to know each other better, and after exchanging information, they apparently started dating. This was a welcome change for Natalie as she was stuck in melancholy, grieving from everyone she lost and trying to rebuild her life from scratch in this new reality.
We haven’t seen Matteo since then, but the latest few episodes showed us some more insight into how the relationship between the two was developing. Matteo met John Henry Irons and Natalie for dinner, and after John Henry gave him “the speech,” the two seemed to smoothen out their differences.
The real shock came to the viewers when by the end of the episode, Matteo returned home, and it was revealed that Bruno Manheim and Peia are his parents and Natalie Irons is coming to dinner at his place next week.
Is Matteo involved with the Intergang?
It seems unlikely that Matteo is in any way connected to Bruno Manheim’s criminal enterprise except by benefiting from it unknowingly. Bruno is not the type of character to ruin his son’s chances for a prosperous life. He would want his son to have the best possible life opportunities and education and connections. To do that, he needs to keep his record squeaky clean, and he would never allow him to grapple in the mud with the rest of the criminals of Hobb’s Bay.
Even if Matteo has some suspicions about what his father is up to, it was never revealed so far. But he most likely has no idea and is not connected to his father’s business at all so far. His feelings toward Natalie are genuine, and there doesn’t seem to be any kind of ulterior motive.
We can’t claim the same for Bruno. Bruno Manheim is not aware of who Matteo is bringing to dinner, but once he figures it out, he will be torn between keeping his son happy and using the opportunity to keep John Henry Irons in line through his daughter.
Bruno Manheim and John Henry Irons have a complicated history
There are several reasons why Bruno Manheim would be able to use Natalie Irons to blackmail John Henry. First, he is responsible for the death of John Henry Irons of Earth-TUD25. This John Henry Irons doppelganger got involved with Bruno Manheim and developed high-tech weapons for him until he ultimately paid for it with his life. He left a sister behind, and she got indirectly involved with Bruno Manheim’s schemes.
When Onomatopoeia goes to steal the flash drive containing secrets between the former Mayor of Smallville and Bruno Manheim, she accidentally discovers that John Henry is still alive, unaware that this is John Henry Irons from Earth-TUD22. She reports this to Bruno Manheim, and after some time, he has the opportunity to see the fact for himself.
He kidnapped John Henry’s doppelganger’s sister and tried to use her to strongarm John Henry into leaving him and his business alone.
John Henry managed to save his doppelganger’s sister in time but swore vengeance on Bruno.
Since John Henry is still on Bruno’s tail and is looking for ways to deal with him, it is likely that Bruno, when he realizes who Natalie is, will use her against him, just like what he did with his doppelganger’s sister.
Is Matteo aware of who Natalie Irons is?
It’s most likely that Matteo is not aware of the connection between Natalie, John Henry, and his father. Since he is unaware of his father’s criminal enterprise, he is most likely not aware of how many deaths his father is responsible for, including John Henry’s. At this point, Matteo has no reason to manipulate Natalie Irons, and he has no idea that she is not from this Earth. Further down the line, we can’t say, but for now, his feelings are real, and the relationship is simple and uncomplicated.
