Superman the Animated Series
I know that this is a Superman post, but I have to mention the passing of the one person who will always be Batman for a generation of people: Kevin Conroy. Conroy passed after a short cancer battle on November 10, 2022 at the age of 66. My heart is still broken. I really started to give this blog attention when I decided to re-watch "Batman: The Animated Series" and a lot of that had to do with wanting to hear the definitive Batman actor. I can't believe that Batman is dead. RIP, sir.
Dan Turpin: "Scram, Lane. This is a police matter."
Lois Lane: "Yeah, Turpin, like that really works with me."
Bizarro: "Lois."
Lois Lane: "Bizarro?"
Dan Turpin: "You know this guy? Figures. All the wackos come to you."
Bizarro is back. He survived the explosion at the LexCorps cloning facility and is now searching for purpose. When he learns about Superman's Fortress of Solitude, he heads there in search of answers. After learning about Krypton, Bizarro decides that he needs to recreate the destruction of the planet and Metropolis will be the surrogate unless Superman can stop him.
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| Oh, "Krypto." |
If you've been wondering what happened to Bizarro, well, you're in luck. I do feel like this kind of came out of nowhere. seeing as how the original Bizarro episode was like twelve episodes ago. So, seeing Lois seeding and careening around corners is kind of surprising right off the bat. And getting threatened by a security guard until Superman shows up. It's a little bananas that Lois is driving so recklessly. Like, what is so important that you're going to drive off this cliff road. She must just be really confident that Superman will save her. Then, when you find out they are at what remains of the LexCorp cloning facility, the urgency really doesn't make sense. I initially thought there was a bomb or something that was about to go off. When Superman shows up and confirms that there are no signs of any cloning, everything sort of clicks into place. But it also kind of deflates things.
All in all, I enjoyed this episode. I think that the animated series has a good take on Bizarro as a character. They sort of treat him as a tragic character a little bit, but they don't lose the comedy that is inherent when it comes with Bizarro. I mean, he busts through the walls of that ski lodge like he's Black Adam, or something. (A reference you will only understand if you've seen the Black Adam movie.) He busts through the floor of the Fortress and just starts letting the creatures out that Superman has collected, bonding with an ugly lizard creature that he names Krypto. Bizarro learns about the destruction of Krypton and decides he has to have his own Superman-style origin story.
It's kind of funny to me that there is a place in Metropolis that looks so much like the square in Krypton that the computer showed Bizarro. I think the plot of this episode is paper thin, but I still enjoyed it for the most part. The only negative thing about Bizarro as a villain is that just due to his personality, the stakes with him are always relatively low. I think we all knew that everything was going to be fine.
Things sort of slide into extra convenient territory when Superman shows up in his anti Kryptonite suit holding Kryptonite. Like, Superman is of course exposed to the Kryptonite because faux Krypto rips a hole in his suit. I thought it was kind of odd that Lois too wasn't more proactive. I feel like it makes more sense for Lois to try to get to Superman or attempt to save herself rather than yell for help from the sidelines. I'm curious what the air quality is like over Metropolis. Superman throws so many missiles to explode in the upper atmosphere. That can't be good for the ozone layer.
It's alls well that ends well with Superman taking Bizarro and "Krypto" to a deserted planet to "protect." Who knows if this will be the last we see of Bizarro.
Grade: B-
Kent Nelson: "This is my domain now, the metaphysical realm. I've moved beyond good and evil."
Superman: "But there are people trapped."
Kent Nelson: "I'm sorry. I truly am."
[Superman turns to leave.]
Kent Nelson: "Superman. You and I are alike, you know. We're masters of our destiny. Don't waste your life in an endless battle as I did, not when the universe beckons."
Superman: "You're wrong, Fate. We're nothing alike."
A museum robbery goes terribly wrong when the robber reads a tablet and ends up possessed by the spirt of the chaos god, Karkull. Superman attempts to battle Karkull but is defeated when Karkull puts up a force field around the Daily Planet trapping everyone inside, including Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. Superman visits Kent Nelson aka the sorcerer, Doctor Fate and attempts to enlist his help, but Fate has retired. He's tired of the endless cycle and sends Superman on his way. Can the Man of Steel stop Karkull without Fate's help?
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| Pierce Brosnan? |
I was really excited to watch this episode. The episodes of "Superman: The Animated Series" where Superman has met and teamed up with other DC heroes have been some of the best of the series. I mean, look at "World's Finest." Those three episodes were a high water mark for the series so far. Doctor Fate meeting Superman? How could things go wrong? Well, I'm sad to report that I was really disappointed in this episode.
It starts off well enough. A random Metropolis criminal looting the store room of a museum. He reads the inscription off of a stone tablet, never something you should do, and immediately his body starts to undergo a transformation that sound pretty painful. His body is taken over by the chaos god, Karkull. Karkull has a very interesting design. He looks like a cross between the Phantasm from "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" and cthulhu. That was one thing I really liked about the episode. The other thing I really liked was the designs of the demons when they'd possess the humans of the Daily Planet. Some of them were legit creepy af.
The rest of the episode is just kind of "meh." It's pretty well-known in the comics that Superman doesn't do great against magic. Magic is one of the only things outside of Kryptonite that can really hurt him. So, I would have liked for them to lean into that a little bit more. It would have added some layers to the opening battle between Superman and Karkull. Also, it feels like Superman was channeling Zack Snyder's version of Superman when he is fighting Karkull. He tosses a flaming car through the roof into the lobby of the Daily Planet. I feel like Superman would be more cognizant of where he's tossing things, because we've seen him be aware of it in the past in the series.
The whole thing with Doctor Fate is pretty half baked as well. The show tells us absolutely nothing about Kent Nelson, which I thought was weird. It's not like he'd have been a super well known character back then. Or even now. His reasoning for giving up being a hero is pretty generic. Oh you defeated this guy once and he's back again. If Batman stopped fighting his rogues because they escaped from Arkham more than once Gotham would be fucked. Even Fate's wife is disgusted with him and she gives Superman something that will allow him to breach the field that Karkull has put up. It doesn't matter in the end because Kent Nelson has the shortest crisis of faith I think I've ever seen. Seriously, what was the point of all this?
Then there is the poking fun of Doris aka Rainsong. A plump dark haired goth Wiccan who seems to enjoy D&D. I know that in the late '90's it was very "cool" to poke fun of nerds or folks who practiced Wicca, but this whole thing leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. These people you're dragging are the same people who watch this show. And the fact that it's a woman just makes it even worse. Even Superman is a dick to this poor woman. It's not a great look and just further sours an already not great episode.
Grade: C-
Next up, "Superman & Lois" isn't the only place you'll find John Henry Irons and someone is trying to kill Clark Kent.
What did you guys think? Was the Doctor Fate episode a let down for you? Is Bizarro kind of a non threat in S: TAS? Let me know in the comments.
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