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Superman: The Animated Series

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Superman: The Animated Series
Superman from the Superman opening sequence.
StarringTim Daly
Clancy Brown
Dana Delany
et al.
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes54 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkThe WB
ReleaseSeptember 6, 1996 –
February 12, 2000

Superman: The Animated Series is the unofficial title of a Warner Bros.' American animated television series that ran from 1996 to 2000. The official title of the series was simply Superman and starred the fictional character of the same name. Warner Bros. applied the same "more modern, more serious" animated treatment to DC Comics's flagship character in the same way they had successfully produced Batman: The Animated Series. Both shows had no logo. Slightly edited reruns can currently be seen weekday evenings at 7:00PM Eastern/6:00PM Central on Toon Disney. The show will also be on the new Disney XD (Toon Disney's successor) in February 2009.

Overview

Airing ten years after the 1986 reboot of the Superman comic book character, the animated series paid tribute to both the classic Superman of old and the newer "modern" Superman. Perhaps most significantly, Clark Kent displays the more aggressive personality used by John Byrne in his reboot of the comic book continuity. Elements of Superman from all eras of his history were included in the series. Notably, the evil computer Brainiac was not only now from Krypton, but was portrayed as responsible for preventing the knowledge of Krypton's imminent destruction from reaching its people. In a lesser innovation, the ship that carried the infant Kal-El to Earth was designed to land smoothly upon reaching its destination, rendering it in perfect working condition during Superman's adulthood and is used as his mode of long range transportation in space.

The "new" Lex Luthor featured prominently in the series as well, voiced by actor Clancy Brown. Superman was voiced by Tim Daly. The only villains not featured in the series are General Zod, Ursa and Non from the films Superman and Superman II.

While the series featured fresh re-creations of much of Superman's rogues gallery, the series' writers supplemented the supply of enemies by paying tribute to Jack Kirby's Fourth World creations which also introduced the villain Darkseid to the series as one of Superman's greatest enemies. Darkseid had been portrayed as a villain in Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians in the 1980s, but in the new Superman series, he was closer to the enormously powerful, evil cosmic emperor originally envisioned by Kirby. The tribute event extends to the supporting character, Dan "Terrible" Turpin, who is visually modelled on Jack Kirby himself.

On August 18, 1998, Warner Brothers released The Batman / Superman Movie on DVD and video. This movie was formed of three episodes from season 2 of Superman, "World's Finest" parts 1, 2 and 3. Mark Hamill again provided the voice for The Joker.

Midway through the series' run, it was combined with episodes of The New Batman Adventures to become The New Batman/Superman Adventures. The title for episodes airing under the title The New Batman Superman Adventures is The New Superman Adventures, as acknowledged by WB. The characters of Superman and Batman were then spun off into a new animated series, Justice League, which also featured other popular DC characters, such as Wonder Woman, Aquaman and the Flash.

Episode list

Main article: List of Superman: The Animated Series episodes

Cast

Actor Role
Tim Daly Superman / Clark Kent / Kal-El / Bizarro
Clancy Brown Lex Luthor
Dana Delany Lois Lane
Corey Burton Brainiac
Michael Ironside Darkseid
Gilbert Gottfried Mr. Mxyzptlk
Joseph Bologna SCU Lt. Daniel "Dan" Turpin
George Dzundza Perry White
David Kaufman James "Jimmy" Olsen
Lisa Edelstein Mercy Graves
Lauren Tom Angela Chen
Mike Farrell Jonathan Kent
Shelley Fabares Martha Kent
Joely Fisher Lana Lang
Victor Brandt Professor Emil Hamilton
Joanna Cassidy Inspector Maggie Sawyer

Behind The Scenes

  • The character Dan "Terrible" Turpin was visually modeled after the character's creator, Jack Kirby. His first appearance in the episode "Tools of the Trade" also marks the first series appearance of "The Fourth World" characters and concepts that were Jack Kirby's major modern DC Comics creations.
  • Series producer Bruce Timm personally story-boarded Superman's climatic, final fight with Darkseid in the series finale, "Legacy", to ensure it would be done right and have as much impact as possible.[citation needed]
  • Lex Luthor's henchwoman, Mercy Graves, is a character created for the show. She was eventually added as a member of the cast in the comics.
  • Also created for the series and eventually added into comics continuity is the supervillainess Livewire, who can control and turn into electrical energy.
  • Clancy Brown, who provided the voice of Lex Luthor, originally auditioned for the lead role of Superman / Clark Kent, but when Bruce Timm heard his audition, he immediately offered Brown the part of Luthor.
  • Corey Burton's voice for Brainiac was done in the same cold, low-affect style as HAL 9000 in the Space Odyssey films.
  • Real-life married couple Mike Farrell and Shelley Fabares voice Jonathan and Martha Kent.
  • Adam Baldwin was considered for the role of Superman/Clark Kent, but he ultimtely proved unavailable, so the part went to Tim Daly instead. Baldwin later voiced Superman/Clark Kent for Superman: Doomsday (2007).

Notable regular guests

"Superman" The Animated Series merchandise

Video Games

Reception

In January 2009, IGN named Superman as the 36th best animated television series. Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page).

DVD

Much like Batman: The Animated Series and other Warner Brothers cartoons adapted from popular DC Comic books, Superman was released on DVD January 25, 2005, though it did not receive the same Disc Transfer as Batman did (Volume One's second disc was given the Side A/B treatment, as did Volume Two's and Volume Three's second disc). The DVDs present the series' episodes in their airing order along with special features. Volume Two was released on December 6, 2005 and Volume Three was released on June 20, 2006.

A Direct-To-DVD feature, Superman: Brainiac Attacks was also released on June 20, 2006.

The following is a list of Superman episodes released onto videos, DVDs and DVD Box Sets.

Superman: The Last Son of Krypton VHS/DVD Episodes:

  • The Last Son of Krypton, Part I
  • The Last Son of Krypton, Part II
  • The Last Son of Krypton, Part III

Superman: A Little Piece of Home VHS/DVD Episodes:

  • A Little Piece of Home
  • Speed Demons
  • The Late Mr. Kent
  • Where There's Smoke

The Batman/Superman Movie VHS/DVD Episodes:

  • World's Finest, Part I
  • World's Finest, Part II
  • World's Finest, Part III

Superman: The Animated Series: Volume One 2-Disc DVD set

1st disc episodes:

  • The Last Son of Krypton, Part I
  • The Last Son of Krypton, Part II
  • The Last Son of Krypton, Part III
  • Fun and Games
  • A Little Piece of Home
  • Feeding Time

2nd disc - side A episodes:

  • The Way of All Flesh
  • Stolen Memories
  • The Main Man, Part I
  • The Main Man, Part II
  • My Girl
  • Tools of the Trade
  • Two's A Crowd
  • The Prometheon

2nd disc - Side B episodes:

  • Blast from the Past, Part I
  • Blast from the Past, Part II
  • Livewire
  • Speed Demons

Superman: The Animated Series: Volume Two 2-Disc Set

1st disc episodes:

  • Identity Crisis
  • Target
  • Action Figures
  • Mxyzpixilated
  • Double Dose
  • Solar Power

2nd disc - side A episodes:

  • Monkey Fun
  • Brave New Metropolis
  • Ghost in the Machine
  • World's Finest, Part I
  • World's Finest, Part II
  • World's Finest, Part III

2nd disc - side B episodes:

  • Father's Day
  • The Hand of Fate
  • Bizarro's World
  • Prototype
  • The Late Mr. Kent
  • Heavy Metal

Superman: The Animated Series: Volume Three 2-Disc Set

1st disc episodes:

  • Warrior Queen
  • Apokolips...Now!, Part I
  • Apokolips...Now!, Part II
  • Little Girl Lost, Part I
  • Little Girl Lost, Part II
  • Where There's Smoke

2nd disc - side A episodes:

  • Knight Time
  • New Kids in Town
  • Obsession
  • Little Big Head Man
  • Absolute Power
  • In Brightest Day

2nd disc - side B episodes:

  • Superman's Pal
  • A Fish Story
  • Unity
  • The Demon Reborn
  • Legacy, Part I
  • Legacy, Part II

Deleted scene in DVD release

The original mourners attended at Dan Turpin's funeral.

Apokolips...Now! Part II was later altered from its original airing on 7 February 1998. The funeral at the episode's end, in an homage to late New Gods creator Jack Kirby, featured several of his comic creations as attendees, including Nick Fury, Fantastic Four, Big Barda, Scott Free, Orion and others, alongside Kirby's friends and fans Mark Evanier, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Alex Ross and Stan Lee. These characters and persons were removed and the scene and soundtrack re-edited for subsequent airings and its release on DVD. The original sketches for this scene can be found at Michael Eury's book The Krypton Companion book published by TwoMorrow's Publishing (ISBN 1-893905-61-6).

The scene would released in its original form on Superman: The Animated Series Volume Three.

Differences from Batman: The Animated Series

  • The series was originally meant to have an opening montage similar to the one Batman had in his previous animated series, showcasing what Superman could do in an awe inspiring manner, but the animators were unable to finish it by the deadline, so a montage featuring clips of Superman in action alongside his supporting cast from the episodes was utilized instead. Part of the abandoned montage, which featured Superman flying in the night sky of Metropolis, made it into the opening. Another such shot was the final one in the opening; The classic visual of Clark Kent ripping open his shirt to reveal the big red "S."[citation needed]

References to the DCAU and DC Comics

  • In the episode "Heavy Metal", "Cousin Spunky" from the Batman animated series episode "Baby Doll" can be seen in the background along with the other men right after Steel's niece stops the car after running out of gas as well as when the crowd begins to gather around Metallo after he has been defeated. "Cousin Spunky" is also seen in the Justice League series.
  • In the episode "Father's Day", G. Carl Francis, from the Batman: The Animated Series episode "The Laughing Fish" (who was threatened by the Joker for not copyrighting his fish), appears as a restaurant employee.
  • The Prometheon rock creature, from the episode of the same name, actually made his first appearance in a Green Lantern comic as a servant of Gaia.
  • In the comics, Maggie Sawyer is a lesbian and is in a longterm relationship with another woman, a subject that Lex Luthor once tried to blackmail her for. While it is never stated in the animated series, there is an episode where a wounded Sawyer is visited by a woman in the hospital; the same woman later is seen consoling Sawyer at Turpin's funeral. Commentary on the DVD version of the episode (as well as the episode's voice credits) acknowledges the woman as being Toby Raines, Sawyer's long-time girlfriend from the comics, whose—albeit tamed—inclusion in the series was a nod to fans of the comics.
  • The episode "Obsession" opens with Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen covering a fashion show. Also clearly seen amongst the press is Billy Batson, who works for WHIZ-TV in the comics and is the alter ego of Captain Marvel.
  • In the episode "In Brightest Day...", Sinestro and Kyle Rayner briefly battle on an airstrip. One plane has the words "Col. Hal Jordan" on the side. Hal Jordan is the Silver Age Green Lantern. The thug who tries to mug Jimmy Olsen and Kyle Rayner at the beginning of the episode is not named, but he bears a resemblance to Guy Gardner, another Green Lantern.
  • The semi-truck in season 1 episode 8 "Stolen Memories" was directly patterned after the Batmobile from the Batman Series, as discussed in the audio commentary for that episode.
  • Miguel Ferrer who plays the voice of Aquaman in this series, played Weather Wizard in the 1997 Justice League of America pilot and went on to play Martian Manhunter in Justice League: The New Frontier.
  • Dana Delany (Lois Lane) and Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor) reprised their roles in The Batman season 5 episodes The Batman/Superman Stories I and II. Tim Daly, however, did not reprise his role as Superman; George Newbern, who assumed the role from Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, provided Superman's voice.
  • In the episode "The Main Man" part 2, one of the spaceships resembles the Batwing from the first Batman film

References to other versions of Superman

Animated Superman post-Legacy

  • When Superman is seen again at the beginning of Justice League, the human race appears to have forgiven him, but the events of Legacy would come back to haunt him in the second season of the series, as well as the first season of Justice League Unlimited (during the "Cadmus" storyline).
  • One of the creatures Superman brings back to the Fortress of Solitude after his battle with the Collector is Starro. In the Batman Beyond two-parter episode entitled, "The Call", the creature escaped and was controlling Superman for some time until Terry McGinnis (the future Batman) helped him overcome it.
  • In Static Shock episode Toys in the Hood, the story about Darcy the android and the Toyman comes to a conclusion.
  • Two straight-to-DVD animated Superman movies have been produced since the series was discontinued - Superman: Brainiac Attacks and Superman: Doomsday. However, although both films were heavily inspired by the look of Superman: The Animated Series neither is set within the same continuity as the series.
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