Superman: The Animated Series: Difference between revisions

Since Superman does not quite have the enormous A-list [[Rogues Gallery]] that Batman has, the creators chose to largely dispense with the stand-alone format of the previous series, instead focusing on three [[Myth Arc|Myth Arcs]]:

 

* The second arc concerned the character of [[Brainiac]]. [[Ret Canon|His origin was rewritten for the series]], tying his origin far more closely with that of Superman. Here he is the [[Deus Est Machina|computer system]] responsible for the upkeep of the entire planet of Krypton and he darn well knows in the pilot episode that the planet is doomed. However, he does not want the people to know because he is too busy making provisions to save himself. After the planet explodes he becomes an [[Omnicidal Maniac|Omnicidal]] [[Planet Looters|Planet Looter]], determined to repeat Krypton's fate ad infinitum: collect all the data in the universe, then destroy the originals to keep his collected info from becoming obsolete. His quest brings him into conflict with Superman a number of times <ref> Though, in practice, most of his schemes just involve trying to rebuild himself from the last time Superman destroyed him. Again, and again, and again...</ref>

* The third arc brought in the characters from [[Jack Kirby]]'s ''[[New Gods|Fourth World]]''. The [[Galactic Conqueror|intergalactic tyrant]] [[Darkseid]] (taking the role of the [[Big Bad]] for the overall series) sets his sights on Earth, and he wants Superman's help in conquering it. Darkseid is not the type to take "no" for an answer. This arc is usually regarded as the best of the series, as the drama and action were at its peak and the individual episodes collectively formed more of an ongoing story. This arc also brought in [[Supergirl]].

The series would be followed by ''[[Justice League]]'' and ''Justice League Unlimited'', which took a large amount of characters and designs from this series.

 

 

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* [[And Knowing Is Half the Battle]]: Played for laughs in "Identity Crisis", when the [[Cloning Blues|clone Superman]] gives a speech about dares and courage to a group of kids. Their reactions are mixed.

* [[Arms Dealer]]: Luthor apparently has numerous sources of income, since he claims to employ two-thirds of Metropolis whether they know it or not, but the only one that gets any screentime is his weapons manufacturing.

* [[Attack of the 50 Foot Whatever]]: Titano.

** [[Word of God]] said they wrote Lois as being attracted to Clark [[He Is Not My Boyfriend|but in denial.]]

* [[Bad Boss]]: Darkseid, unsurprisingly enough; servants are regularly abandoned once they are no longer useful, you are sent to the slave-pits for ''talking'', and with Kalibak he combines this trope with [[Abusive Parents|utter contempt for his son and his efforts to please him.]]

* [[Battle in The Center of The Mind]]: In "Two's a Crowd" Rudy and Earl Garver battle in order to take control of Parasite. {{spoiler|Garver wins}}.

* [[Battle Tops]]: Toyman unleashes a gigantic top that generates electric fields against Superman.

* [[Best Her to Bed Her]]: Maxima.

* [[Betty and Veronica]]: Lois and Lana can slip into this when they are in the same episode.

* [[Brought Down to Normal]]: Several episodes revolve around Superman losing his powers, either through the lack of a yellow sun or [[Powers As Programs|when they are stolen]].

* [[Brought to You By The Letter S]]: [[Trope Codifier|Obviously]]

* [[The Cape]]: The original, and most would say still the best.

* [[Canon Foreigner]]: Volcana, Luminus, the Preserver, Sgt. Corey Mills, General Hardcastle, Detective Kurt Bowman, Darci Mason, Angela Chen and Unity. Mala is a somewhat complex example; see her entry under [[Composite Character]].

** In "The Last Son of Krypton, Part 3," when Clark Kent and Lex Luthor meet for the first time Luthor, irritated by Clark, remarks that he will remember the name "Kent." Throughout the series he refers to Clark only as "Kent," never by his first or both his first and last name, despite routinely varying how he addresses other characters.

** After one final strong gust of wind in "Superman's Pal", Lois comments that [[Marilyn Maneuver|she needs to start wearing pants]]. In the next episode, "A Fish Story'", for the first time in the entire series (Except when she was undercover and in disguise) ''she wears pants''. In the same scene, Jimmy Olsen uses the signal watch he received in that same episode to call for help from Superman.

* [[Cowboy Cop]]: Dan Turpin.

* [[Crazy Prepared]]: Creating typos that spelled Mr. Mxyzptlk's name backwards right before he re-appeared

* [[Death By Secret Identity]]: {{spoiler|Detective Bowman}} is executed mere ''seconds'' after figuring out Clark's secret.

* [[Death Trap]]: Not quite once-an-episode, but explored. The episode "Target" featured several unique traps all focused on killing Lois Lane that were set up at an awards reception, her car, her office and finally in the lab of the man plotting her death.

* [[Demonic Possession]]: "The Hand of Fate"

* [[Despair Event Horizon]]: As the series ends in ''Legacy'', with Darkseid finally defeated and tossed to the masses of Apokolips for judgement, the people he has long enslaved do not rebel against Darkseid, but instead carry him on their shoulders to his recovery. As he is carried off, he speaks one final line: "I am many things Kal-El, but here, I am God." Even after he has been crushed and beaten, ''Darkseid still wins''!

* [[Destination Defenestration]]: Clark Kent was tossed through a window by Bizarro, but thankfully Superman was able to save his life.

* [[Dirty Cop]]: {{spoiler|Detective Bowman}}. He made detective by framing a man for murder and "solving" the crime, then attempted to kill Clark Kent when he could prove the other man's innocence.

* [[Disney Villain Death]]: The Preserver, assuming he ''is'' dead.

* [[Distressed Damsel]]: Lois Lane is the traditional damsel, frequently being rescued by Superman, but the trope is discussed in the episode "Target." Despite a madman consistently attempting to murder her she remains unconcerned and defiant, continuing her own invesitgation against the advice of others. She points out that she remains in control of her life despite the danger she is in and, even if she needs Superman to physically save her, [[Will Not Be a Victim|she will never]] ''[[Will Not Be a Victim|let]]'' [[Will Not Be a Victim|herself become a damsel]].

* [[Does Not Know His Own Strength]]: When his powers first began to manifest, Clark Kent had a lot of trouble adjusting to his newfound strength. When engaging in a "friendly" game of basketball, he accidentally threw his opponent across the court and through a refreshment table.

* [[Do With Him As You Will]]: Superman attempts this with Darkseid. {{spoiler|It does not work.}}

* [[Do Not Taunt Cthulhu|Do Not Taunt Darkseid]]. {{spoiler|Nobody warned Dan Turpin, but [[Badass|he would do it even if he had been warned]].}}

* [[Drop the Hammer]]: [[Steel]] guest-stars towards the end of the series.

* [[Dystopia Justifies the Means]]: Darkseid. Apokolips is a nightmarish hellhole where he rules as a [[God Is Evil|God]], and he plans to conquer the Earth and enslave the human race purely [[For the Evulz]]. To say nothing of his ultimate goal of finding the Anti-Life Equation to eliminate [[The Evils of Free Will]], so that he may remake the universe in his own twisted image.

* [[El Cid Ploy]]:

** In "Knight Time"...as ''Batman!''

** In "Target," Lois Lane realizes the identity of her stalker when she is told to relax and watch some TV, [[Spotting the Thread|which makes her recognize the lie that she had been given earlier]].

** In "The Late Mr. Kent," Clark Kent is reaching for a slice of pizza when he realizes that the man on death-row could be exonerated if somebody could verify his alibi, that he was eating pizza when the murder was being committed.

* [[Evil Brit]]:

** Metallo, who is played by [[Malcolm McDowell]], the king of this trope.

* [[Executive Meddling]]: [[What Could Have Been|Originally]], Ma and Pa Kent were supposed to die in ''Apokolips...Now!'', but DC said that if they were killed they would need to be brought back to life later. Unwilling to [[Death Is Cheap|walk down that path]], the target was shifted to a different character.

* [[Exploding Calendar]]: Used as a gag in "Mxyzpixilated"

* [[Fantastic Nature Reserve]]: Supes and Lobo were put in one by a [[The Collector|collector]] of [[Last of His Kind]] species. Superman is forced to keep one in his Fortress of Solitude because some of the beings don't have homes.

* [[Fantastic Racism]]: Most of Superman's enemies hate him for personal and direct reasons, but General Hardcastle dislikes and distrusts him solely because he is an alien, with a history and motivation that can not be trusted.

* [[Five Episode Pilot]]: "The Last Son of Krypton"

* [[Forceful Kiss]]: During his fight with Superman after turning into Metallo, John Corben grabs Lois Lane and forces himself upon her, [[Sense Loss Sadness|only to recoil in horror when he realizes he can not even feel a kiss]].

* [[For the Evulz]]: In his second appearance, Edward Lytener becomes the villain Luminus, just to get back at Superman.

* [[For Want of a Nail]]: In "Brave New World," Jimmy explains that Superman was a split-second late when Intergang put a bomb in Lois Lane's car. Because of that Lois died and Superman decided to [[Knight Templar|take a more proactive role in running the city]].

* [[Freeze Frame Bonus]]: In the episode ''Mxyzpixilated'', Jimmy hands Clark a comic strip page featuring the titular Mr. Mxyzptlk. There are other comics on the page, Dini The Meany (parodying [[Calvin and Hobbes]] and [[Dennis the Menace]]), Gleen (parodying [[Peanuts]]), Dan Danger (parodying [[Dick Tracy]]) and Zub Street (Parodying ''Momma''). The Mxyzptlk strip itself is by Siegel and Shuster, [[Mythology Gag|the creators of Superman]]. [http://s852.photobucket.com/albums/ab85/dariaRTthread/Pan02.jpg Check out the screengrab!]

* [[From a Single Cell]]: Brainiac

* [[General Ripper]]: General Hardcastle

* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]

{{quote| '''Lois''': (While looking at a photo of Superman) Nice 's'.<br />

* [[Inferred Holocaust]]: In the episode "Bizarro's World" a nuclear missile detonates a few miles above Metropolis. A few months later, in "Apokolips...Now!, Part 1", a nuclear power plant melts down just off the coast. To put it mildly, the cancer rate in Metropolis is about to become...impressive.

* [[I Never Said It Was Poison]]: In "Target", Lois finds out it was her acquaintance Edward Lytener who is trying to kill her when he says he watched Lois's award on the TV while in his workshop. But he does not ''have'' a TV on his workshop.

{{quote| '''Clone!Superman:''' What... am... I?<br />

'''Mercy Graves:''' Bizarro is what you am? }}

* [[Killed Off for Real]]:

** {{spoiler|Daniel "Terrible" Turpin}} Earth's Greatest Hero. [[What Could Have Been|The original plan was for it to be Ma and Pa Kent]], but DC said [[Executive Meddling|they would have to bring them back to life]]. Bruce Timm is very adamant about averting [[Death Is Cheap]], so he chose someone else.

** {{spoiler|Bruno Mannheim}} was killed after [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|Darkseid was done using him]].

* [[Knight Templar]]: "Brave New Metropolis"

* [[The Lancer]]: Inspector Dan "Terrible" Turpin of the Special Crimes Unit serves as the lancer to Capain Maggie Sawyer, Superman's [[The Commissioner Gordon|contact on the police force]], and occasionally to Superman himself.

* [[Last of His Kind]]: It's revealed that Lobo is one of these, and seems at first that this would be a point that reveals why Lobo's as psychotic as he is...until he nostalgically reflects on how he destroyed his entire planet for a school science project.

* [[Limited Wardrobe]]: Except for two scenes, one where he is undercover with Lois Lane and once when he is attending a funeral, Jimmy Olsen wears the exact same outfit for literally ''every scene in the entire series''. Lois actually has a very varied wardrobe of different styles of clothing (Shorts, skirts, dresses, gowns, etc.) and Clark mixed his wardrobe up on occasion. It is mentioned on the commentary of "The World's Finest" that the creators tried very hard at averting this trope, but were limited by budget constraints, so instead of getting different outfits they would just change the color of their regular clothes to give them several different combinations

* [[Living Lie Detector]]: Clark Kent, using his super-human senses, can gauge heart-rate and eye-level to make a fairly accurate deduction of a person's honesty.

* [[Louis Cypher]]: Kanto.

* [[Love Cannot Overcome]]: Lois Lane breaks up with Bruce Wayne once she discovers his identity as Batman. Bruce and Clark lament together that she likes Bruce and she likes Superman, but not the other halves of their identities.

* [[Never Say Die]]: Averted. The word itself pops up with stunning regularity, and this is probably one of the only American cartoons to show a criminal being ''executed''.

* [[New Gods]]: [[Jack Kirby]]'s Fourth World becomes an integral part of the show with the introduction of the mythos in the season one episode ''Tools of the Trade''. Eventually both Apokolips and New Genesis would compete over the Earth and Darkseid would become a personal rival of Superman. This conflict would extend past the end of ''S:TAS'', the New Genesis/Apokolips rivalry would become a frequent issue in ''[[Justice League]]'' and Orion, introduced here in ''Apokolips...Now!'' would eventually joined the expanded League in ''Unlimited''.

* [[Ninja Maid]]: Mercy Graves for Lex.

* [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]]: Fictional character version - {{spoiler|Dan Turpin}}'s funeral is attended by Jack Kirby characters such as the [[Fantastic Four]] in their civilian identities; sadly, later versions of the episode remove these characters to avoid lawsuits. [[Word of God|Bruce Timm admitted]] that Dan Turpin was modeled on [[Jack Kirby]] himself.

* [[Noir Episode]]: "The Late Mr. Kent".

* [[Nosy Neighbor]]: A 50-year-old wife is watching Superman and Maxima fight at a construction site. Her husband, newspaper blocking his view, tells her to stop spying on the neighbors.

* [[Not So Different]]: Unusually, Superman gets this from an ''ally''. When he goes to [[Doctor Fate]] for help, Fate explains that he has retired from superheroics, weary from the endless battle. He tells Superman that the two of them are similar, both masters of their own fate, and Superman should join him and likewise leave behind the petty conflicts of humanity. Superman, of course, explains that they are ''nothing'' alike.

* [[Not So Harmless]]: In "World's Finest", when [[The Joker]] arrives in Metropolis, the mob, Luthor, and Superman all assume that he must be, at best, a minor irritant, just a powerless whackjob in a weird suit. By the end of the three-part series, he has taken over the Metropolis mob, blown up half the city, and nearly killed both Luthor and Superman. When [[Batman]] shows up, it's pretty clear that Superman and Luthor don't take him seriously either. At first.

* [[Not What I Signed On For]]: Weather Wizard's little brother abandons the weather control machine because, even though he always knew his brother would use it for a criminal scheme, he never thought it would involve murder and wholesale destruction.

* [[Obfuscating Disability]]: Clark Kent wore a sling around his "injured" arm after Superman saved him from falling to his death in "Target."

* [[Polluted Wasteland]]: Apokolips.

* [[Powers As Programs]]: Generally averted, if a villain seeks to remove Superman's powers they need to remove their source (the sun), but villain Parasite plays the trope perfectly straight. He can drain the powers of any character and then use them himself, leaving the other person powerless while he gains fantastic abilities. Ra's al Ghul also once attempted to drain Superman's powers and take them into himself, [[A Wizard Did It|but his methods were outside the ken of science]].

* [[Private Eye Monologue]]: Superman does one in "The Late Mr. Kent".

* [[The Professor]]: Professor Hamilton

* [[Smith Will Suffice]]: Variation; when Bruno Mannheim finds himself on Apokolips, he asks "Where in God's name are we?" to which Kanto replies "That depends. To which God are you referring?" right before introducing him to [[Big Bad|Darkseid]].

* [[Smug Super]]: "New Kids in Town" reveals that, as his powers began to manifest, Clark Kent became a jerk in high school. Even Lana Lang, his girlfriend and best friend, found him arrogant and hard to be around sometimes.

* [[Space Jews]]: If Mxy and the High Council are anything to go by, the members of the 5th Dimension are apparently all stereotypically Jewish imps. Except for Gsptlsnz, Mxy's [[Shiksa Goddess]].

* [[Split Personality Takeover]]: Earl Garver takes control of Parasite after Parasite tries to absorb Garver's memories. Eventually, [[Battle in The Center of The Mind|the two of them duke it out for control of the body]].

* [[Swiss Cheese Security]]: Lampshaded by Lois after someone broke into her apartment for the second time in the same episode. "I need to get better locks."

* [[The Syndicate]]: Intergang.

* [[Take That]]: "[[Spider Man|Spider powers?]] Ew."

* [[Taking the Bullet]]: Superman dives in front of Bizarro to take a sonic cannon shot that probably would have killed the already-weakened Bizarro. When Bizarro asks why, especially when they had been fighting only moments ago, Superman explains that it is because he is Bizarro's friend, and he knows Mr. Mxyzptlk tricked him.

{{quote| '''Lobo:''' "If they drag us back into those cages, they'll probably strap our butts to the floor with razor wire. Not that it ain't a pleasurable way to perk up an otherwise ho-hum evening, but I do have me that prisoner to deliver."}}

* [[Turn in Your Badge]]: Inverted. Maggie Sawyer remarks that if she had a nickel for every time Dan Turpin turned in his badge of his own volition, she would be richer than Luthor.

* [[Undying Loyalty]]: The end of the series has probably the darkest version of this trope imaginable. Darkseid is about as evil as you can get and treats his slaves horribly. Yet even after Superman beats him and throws him down to the slaves' mercy, they pick him up to treat him. Why?

{{quote| Darkseid: "I am many things Kal-El, but here I am god."}}

* [[Villainesses Want Heroes]]: Maxima to Superman. And then she met [[All Girls Want Bad Boys|Lobo]].

* [[Villainous Breakdown]]: When Superman manages to stop his machine and return the sunlight to its normal hue, the usually [[Affably Evil]] Luminus goes into a full-on rage and tries to beat Supes to death with his bare hands before Superman's powers return. He is not fast enough.

** Livewire/Parasite, which laced their partnership with a lot of sexual innuendo and implied rape.

** Mr. Mxyzptlk/Bizarro, a team up that the creative team later came to regret, as they felt it did not quite live up to previous independent episodes with each character.

* [[Voice Changeling]]: Superman could mimic voices thanks to precise muscle control and a really good ear, which creeps the hell out of Robin when he demonstrates it.

* [[Voices Are Mental]]: When Parasite drains somebody's thoughts and memories he also gains their voice, although he can chose when to use their voice and when to use his own.

** Metallo, after falling into the ocean to his apparent death. He ''is'' made of metal, after all.

** The Prometheon lands in the waters of Metropolis bay and begins to walk towards land.

{{quote| '''Lois Lane:''' Bizarro?<br />

'''Dan Turpin:''' You know this guy? Figures. All the whackos come to you. }}

{{quote| '''Darkseid''': I can't believe he's blood. (After watching his son get one-shotted by a furious Superman)}}

* [[Western Terrorists]]: John Corben and crew, Luthor's buyers in "My Girl", and the hijackers in "World's Finest, Part 1".

* [[What Measure Is a Non Unique]]

* [[When All You Have Is a Hammer]]: Averted, despite public perception of Superman as a character who simply uses his [[New Powers As the Plot Demands|ever-evolving powers to solve his current problems]]. Nowhere is this more apparent than in ''Mxyzpixilated'' where Superman not only continually tricks Mr. Mxyzptlk back to his own dimension, but successfully gambits him into staying there permanently. What is more, he convinces him that he was simply toying with the annoying imp the entire time (and very well might have been).

* [[Will Not Be a Victim]]: Lois Lane is the traditional [[Damsel in Distress|damsel]], frequently being rescued by Superman, but she is also a competent and driven woman all on her own. In the episode "Target," despite a madman consistently attempting to murder her, she remains unconcerned and defiant. She points out that she will never ''let'' herself become a victim, and she actually beats up her assasin with her own hands before he catches her in one last [[Death Trap]].

* [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity]]: