After the excellent “Batman: The Animated Series”, we got the impressive take on Superman with “Superman: The Animated Series”. Here’s a list of my personal favourite episodes.
- Double Dose
Superman faces off against both Livewire and Parasite. Seeing the two villains working together is good and the final confrontation is pretty exciting.
- In Brightest Day…
Superman must help a new Green Lantern battle the evil Sinestro. This episode manages to fit in a lot of Green Lantern content and almost feels like a pilot for a “Green Lantern” series. It’s good to see Superman join forces with another big DC hero.
- The Main Man Parts I & II
After a fight with intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo, Superman is captured by an alien being that wants to keep the last specimen of various endangered species from across the universe. The idea is pretty interesting. Lobo is also a funny character and very enjoyable.
- Feeding Time
A terrible accident creates a new supervillain, Parasite. Just by touching someone, he can absorb their strength and their mind. This leads to an interesting situation where we have a villain that can take Superman’s powers and secrets while making Superman himself weaker. It’s pretty thrilling stuff.
- Stolen Memories
Brainiac comes to Earth and shows Superman his vast archives of the universe. However, it soon becomes clear that Brainiac has sinister motives for coming to Earth. The way in which Brainiac and Superman are connected is quite interesting as it relates to events from the first episodes of the series. Brainiac is also a challenging villain for Superman to deal with.
- Little Girl Lost Parts I & II
Our introduction to Supergirl is right here. This episode also expands on the storyline involving Apokolips with more of Darkseid’s minions sent to Earth. It’s a fun episode that shows why Supergirl is such a great character.
- Apokolips…Now Parts I & II
Superman discovers that the despotic Darkseid is coming to conquer the Earth. The best part is the ending where a recurring character is killed off… permanently. That’s a big deal in what many people dismiss as a goofy kids’ show.
- Brave New Metropolis
Lois Lane accidentally gets transported to an alternate universe where Metropolis has become a police state. It’s always interesting to see alternate universes. It’s got some good action and I like the look of the other universe too.
- Mxyzpixilated
This is easily the most amusing episode on the list. Superman is up against Mr. Mxyzptlk, a powerful being from another dimension that merely wants to mess with Superman. Instead of using his usual brawn, Superman will need to use his brains to outsmart his adversary. This is just a really funny episode from beginning to end and it’s so creative too.
- Legacy Parts I & II
The consensus seems to be that the series peaked with the excellent finale. “Legacy” sees Superman brainwashed by Darkseid and sent on a mission to conquer Earth. The stakes have never been higher for the world or for Superman himself. Like “Apokolips…Now”, the ending is very deep with a mix of both good and bad outcomes.
Honourable mentions:
Fun And Games, Solar Power and Knight Time