Superman: The Animated Series, Season 2, Episode 16-18: World's Finest
The original Batman/Superman movie! God, I watched this three-part TV movie so many times on VCD as a kid, and as such it's probably one of the pieces of media that I probably can't do an objective review about (which is why I haven't actually touched Batman: The Animated Series despite going through nearly all its sequels and spin-offs). I am genuinely surprised and happy to see that this two-parter is actually part of the series I'm reviewing and not one of those direct-to-DVD cartoon movies that I'll have to look up the continuity placement and the like.
But Batman-versus-Superman is a great, great concept. There are so many times that the Caped Crusader clashed against the Man of Tomorrow, it's really hard to choose. Is it the iconic, original post-apocalyptic Elseworlds story, The Dark Knight Returns? Is it the amazingly drawn Batman: Hush where Superman falls under control of a villain? Or their first battle in the rebooted New 52's Justice League titles, adapted lovingly in the direct-to-DVD Justice League: War? Or other alternate-universe storylines like Injustice: Gods Among Us and Superman: Red Son? Or, regardless of the quality of the movie as a whole, the live-action Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice?
Well, I'd argue that the reason Batman and Superman works so well together isn't because I want to see them fighting. I mean, yes, the intrinsic differences in methods of Superman and Batman's brand of superheroing puts them at odds -- Batman's a street-level detective who uses scare tactics and rougher interrogation to find information. Superman is a near-godlike being who inspires hope and finds himself plastered all over the front page of newspapers and flies with bright reds and blues over the skies of Metropolis. But one thing that makes the two characters popular is that they're both heroes. They do not kill, they fight for the same thing -- truth and justice -- and what the audience wants more than seeing Batman fight Superman is to see Batman and Superman fight together, united against a common threat.
The threat this time around, though, is a bit unconventional, because both card-carrying sidekicks are mere mortals. The Joker and Lex Luthor are both dangerous to humans, perhaps, but Superman's overconfidence and Luthor's dismissal of Joker does make sense -- Joker's a mere clown, a serial killer with laughing gas, hardly the type that will threaten the Man of Steel... of course, the opening quickly has Harley Quinn and the Joker show up and steal a gigantic dragon statue made entirely out of Kryptonite, setting up just how Joker could be dangerous. Joker then quickly strikes an alliance with Lex Luthor (through a hilariously convoluted plan of having Harley knock Mercy out, kidnap Lex, and then pick up Joker while he's hitchhiking... god, I really miss Mark Hamill's insane Joker, and the thought of seeing him again every episode is why I look forward to eventually doing Batman; The Animated Series).
Despite the new art direction nixing Joker's characteristic lips, the bubbly energy and insane psychopathy is shown amazingly well by Mark Hamill's amazingly impressive voice-acting chops, playing off the far more serious Clancy Brown's Luthor, who barely tolerates Joker's antics and throughout the first two parts of the three-parter, you get the impression that Luthor's just waiting for a chance to strangle the Joker.
But after we get the amazing re-introduction of Batman as he walks out of the shadows, and converses with James Gordon and Harvey Bullock (also Alfred, faithful old Alfred) we get Bruce Wayne visiting Metropolis, and it's amazing how the conflict between Superman and Batman are handled here, where they are both clear that the other is also a hero... but doesn't think much of the other's methods. Bruce Wayne shows up and puts the moves on Lois, giving our main heroine the most she gets to do in a while. It'd be remiss to simply dismiss Lois's role as a simple woman to be fought over by Bruce and Clark, but Lois easily gets all the best lines in the episode. From her trash-talking about Bruce Wayne until she's won over by her charms and her perfectly-delivered "let me check my planner oh right yes I'm available", she spends the first two parts as being doe-eyed about Bruce, giving Clark another reason to dislike Bruce. It's perhaps petty, but it's also very human and I do like how they had the love triangle squeezed in without over-milking it. I mean, okay, the first few scenes of Lois trying to flirt with Superman, who keeps being distracted by bank robberies and explosions, were a bit too on-the-nose. But it does set up Lois falling for Bruce -- someone who pays far more attention to her than the distant Superman or the nebbish Clark ever did.
The first Superman/Batman confrontation happens in a scene that seems to be taken straight out of Batman: The Animated Series. After discovering that local obster Carlini has been interred in a hospital, giggling non-stop and stuck in a rictus grin, Batman drops in on one of those underground nightclubs with bright flashing lights, loud music and girls dancing on cages, a stark contrast to the more... straightforward and bright-coloured thieves and aliens and robots we've been seeing in Superman: TAS before. Batman does his thing, beating up thugs and going for an interrogation... when Superman stops Batman. No vigilantes in Metropolis, he says, and he does not approve of Batman's roughhousing of thugs.
Batman judo-throws Superman away, Superman sees Batman's seccret identity instantly with his X-Ray vision, Batman warns Superman that the Joker does have a way to defeat the Man of Steel by showing him the sliver of kryptonite, and later Superman finds out that Batman has put a tracker and has figured out his secret identity. That's the most that Batman and Superman fight each other -- a brief tussling match as they argue over methods, and the little dick-waving contest as they figure out each other's identity. But never does Batman try to kill Superman, something that I'm not overly fond of in the Dark Knight Returns or Batman v. Superman. Hell, Batman's goal in the first place is to stop Joker from doing so with the kryptonite!
But whether it is because of them fighting over Lois's affections, or their disdain for each other's methods, they refuse to work together which comes back to bite Bruce in the ass. "Expect the unexpected", Bruce keeps telling Clark... but in trying to woo Lois, Bruce ends up facing up against the Joker and his thugs and ends up being forced to jump off a building to escape while Joker makes off with Lois. There's a bit of a suspension of disbelief that every single bullet that Joker's thugs fire are aimed at his feet where he can dance it off, but he's Batman so I won't begrudge him too much.
Lois is kidnapped by the Joker, and Superman berates Batman for overestimating himself. Superman takes Joker's bait and shows up with the anti-kryptonite suit, something that I actually find hilarious as the Joker is just 'buh-wha?' when he tries to take the Man of Steel down with the Kryptonite. But like Batman before, Superman also shows a fair amount of overconfidence because he does nothing to get rid of the Kryptonite, allowing Joker to go "oh wait, silly me! I forgot the acid!" and melt Superman's lead suit and let the kryptonite do its work. Batman arrives, but even then Harley and Joker simply lock them in and unleash Joker gas. It takes Batman working together with Superman, with Batman melting down the kryptonite and Superman using his brute strength to get the three of them to safety, that ends up saving the day. Batman's still being a dick to Superman, but it's clear that at this point they're less antagonistic. And it's wonderfully told.
Oh, and throughout all this, we have a little sub-plot of Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor working together on a joint venture, with the creation of these awesomely-animated spider-crab-robot-drone things, sommething that Luthor is intent to turn into weapons, but Bruce Wayne has anticipated this and quickly put a stop -- "call me unimaginative, but I don't like guns". It's an amazing moment that also foreshadows the spider-drones' appearance in the climax, as well as Luthor and Bruce's entanglement from the get-go.
Luthor wants nothing more than the Joker getting rid of Superman without his name being tied into it, but the Joker involves one of Luthor's facilities, and the already pissed-off Luthor has Mercy machinegun Joker's hideout and calls off the deal. Joker tries to charge double, because he has a second superhero to deal with... but Luthor doesn't give two shits about Batman, who he brushes off as a winged rodent that's a mere mortal. "There's nothing mere about this mortal!" Joker insists, but Luthor doesn't really care. And he shouldn't -- Luthor is used to dealing with the likes of Superman and Brainiac, it's hard to think that he would be intimidated by stories of a boogeyman dressed like a bat.
Oh, and I do love the little rivalry that the bodyguards -- Mercy and Harley Quinn -- have, as they just try and beat the shit out of each other. The meeting in Joker's hideout as the two just charge each other in the background going "BANZAIIII!" as Luthor and Joker talk business are hilarious, and Harley's antics, from bouncing around on a giant pogo stick to take out a room full of gangsters, or dressing up in worker's overalls to paint the LexWing into a giant smile... the TAS cartoons alternate between using Harley for drama and for comic relief, and here she's in full funny sidekick mode.
Anyway, back to the main plot. After Clark tells Bruce and Lois about the whole 'Luthor is maybe working with the Joker' angle, Batman pays a visit to Lex Luthor in his secure penthouse, paying absolutely no heed to Luthor's security systems and one-shots Mercy Graves out with one punch to the jaw. This puts the fear of god (well, fear of the Batman) into Luthor's heart, and decides to go team up with the Joker once more, setting up the climax of the second part... which involves distracting Superman with a distress call in the ocean, while Batman (with his fancy new jetpack) fights the Joker and the Wayne-Lex spider drone thing. The chase down the street as the Wayne-Lex spider just charges and clatters its way through the traffic and throws cars around is thrilling, and even moreso when Batman, of course, happens to bump into the Daily Planet where Lois is the only person left (with a dry quip, naturally), and while Batman manages to kill the spider-robot with the aid of a printing machine, this also causes his cowl to get pulled off, causing Lois to see Batman's secret identity. (Superman just landing and one-shotting the robot with a nonchalant shrug is amazingly awesome, too)
It's actually a very amazing moment for the career-driven Lois, who, while tending to Bruce's wounds as Superman watches, where Lois rants about how she is sitting on one of the biggest stories in the world, the real identity of Batman, but she cares enough for Bruce to bury the story. It's also a neat little character analysis on Batman's part as he tells Superman that Lois loves Superman and Bruce Wayne, but isn't too crazy about their alter-egos. Also love, always will love, the fact that once Lois and Superman find out his secret identity, even while in Bruce Wayne persona he's speaking in the Batman voice, highlighting once more that, unlike Superman, who juggles his dual life, Batman is Batman first and foremost, and Bruce Wayne second.
Which is why Batman leaves Lois behind without nary a word, heading off with Superman to take down Luthor and Joker. Where Batman and Superman have finally teamed up and put their differences aside, Luthor and Joker's alliance fell apart. Luthor straight-up wants to kill Joker and have him literally be the fall man and leave Luthor's hands clean. However, Joker pulls one up over Luthor, and in revenge for this betrayal, steals Luthor's gigantic Lex-Wing (painting it to resemble a giant smile first), duct-taping Mercy onto the side of one of the spider-tanks, beforre flying off and preparing to blow up every single building with Luthor's name on it. It's one of the more horrifying things Joker has ever done, his wanton manic plans to just destroy things for arbitary reasons, and refuses to take Luthor's money when he offers more, because, shit, he's crazy.
We get a pretty awesome bit as Superman and Batman fight a bunch of the spider-robots, rescuing Mercy while whooping robot ass in one of the more thrilling action sequences in this three-parter. Then Batman flies off on the Batwing to stop Joker directly, while Superman fights the biggest spider-drone of them all... which, as it happens, has the rest of the kryptonite taped onto it. Superman wins with the aid of LexCorps's lead doors, while Batman manages to infiltrate the Lexwing.
After a tussle, Joker accidentally drops his bag of super-duper-explosive marble grenades, causing Batman and Superman to bail with Harley and Luthor. It is a bit cold that none of them actually try going back for the Joker, with Batman making a hilarious black comedy joke about him. Harley: "PUDDIN'!" Batman: "At this point? He... probably is." Of course, they never found Joker's body, and while Angela Chen insists that there's no way Joker survives it, Alfred's knowing smile tells a different story.
But man, what an awesome 'death' scene for Joker it is. From the thrilling music (the soundtrack for the three-parter, while recycling some of the Superman and Batman themes, is consistently engaging and never repetitive) quickly snapping into a music-box-esque theme as the Joker goes from fumbling with parachutes, sees his impending doom and just laughs at it all, it's just well-done.
We get a pretty neat conclusion, with Harley being arrested, Luthor losing the Wayne deal and having to deal with a crapton of investigation, while Bruce parts ways with Lois and Clark on relatively good terms, also the ending of Bruce and Lois's short fling. It's a thrilling three-parter episode, an amazing movie that never fails to engage me even though I've seen it a gajillion times as a kid. It's got amazing lines, too, something that the second half of the second season finally got right. A lot of the earlier episodes falter in terms of scripting, with generic, bland lines of dialogue, but starting from... oh, Father's Day, I suppose, the quality of dialogue has been steadily improving.
DC Easter Eggs Corner:
But Batman-versus-Superman is a great, great concept. There are so many times that the Caped Crusader clashed against the Man of Tomorrow, it's really hard to choose. Is it the iconic, original post-apocalyptic Elseworlds story, The Dark Knight Returns? Is it the amazingly drawn Batman: Hush where Superman falls under control of a villain? Or their first battle in the rebooted New 52's Justice League titles, adapted lovingly in the direct-to-DVD Justice League: War? Or other alternate-universe storylines like Injustice: Gods Among Us and Superman: Red Son? Or, regardless of the quality of the movie as a whole, the live-action Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice?
Well, I'd argue that the reason Batman and Superman works so well together isn't because I want to see them fighting. I mean, yes, the intrinsic differences in methods of Superman and Batman's brand of superheroing puts them at odds -- Batman's a street-level detective who uses scare tactics and rougher interrogation to find information. Superman is a near-godlike being who inspires hope and finds himself plastered all over the front page of newspapers and flies with bright reds and blues over the skies of Metropolis. But one thing that makes the two characters popular is that they're both heroes. They do not kill, they fight for the same thing -- truth and justice -- and what the audience wants more than seeing Batman fight Superman is to see Batman and Superman fight together, united against a common threat.The threat this time around, though, is a bit unconventional, because both card-carrying sidekicks are mere mortals. The Joker and Lex Luthor are both dangerous to humans, perhaps, but Superman's overconfidence and Luthor's dismissal of Joker does make sense -- Joker's a mere clown, a serial killer with laughing gas, hardly the type that will threaten the Man of Steel... of course, the opening quickly has Harley Quinn and the Joker show up and steal a gigantic dragon statue made entirely out of Kryptonite, setting up just how Joker could be dangerous. Joker then quickly strikes an alliance with Lex Luthor (through a hilariously convoluted plan of having Harley knock Mercy out, kidnap Lex, and then pick up Joker while he's hitchhiking... god, I really miss Mark Hamill's insane Joker, and the thought of seeing him again every episode is why I look forward to eventually doing Batman; The Animated Series).
Despite the new art direction nixing Joker's characteristic lips, the bubbly energy and insane psychopathy is shown amazingly well by Mark Hamill's amazingly impressive voice-acting chops, playing off the far more serious Clancy Brown's Luthor, who barely tolerates Joker's antics and throughout the first two parts of the three-parter, you get the impression that Luthor's just waiting for a chance to strangle the Joker.
But after we get the amazing re-introduction of Batman as he walks out of the shadows, and converses with James Gordon and Harvey Bullock (also Alfred, faithful old Alfred) we get Bruce Wayne visiting Metropolis, and it's amazing how the conflict between Superman and Batman are handled here, where they are both clear that the other is also a hero... but doesn't think much of the other's methods. Bruce Wayne shows up and puts the moves on Lois, giving our main heroine the most she gets to do in a while. It'd be remiss to simply dismiss Lois's role as a simple woman to be fought over by Bruce and Clark, but Lois easily gets all the best lines in the episode. From her trash-talking about Bruce Wayne until she's won over by her charms and her perfectly-delivered "let me check my planner oh right yes I'm available", she spends the first two parts as being doe-eyed about Bruce, giving Clark another reason to dislike Bruce. It's perhaps petty, but it's also very human and I do like how they had the love triangle squeezed in without over-milking it. I mean, okay, the first few scenes of Lois trying to flirt with Superman, who keeps being distracted by bank robberies and explosions, were a bit too on-the-nose. But it does set up Lois falling for Bruce -- someone who pays far more attention to her than the distant Superman or the nebbish Clark ever did.
The first Superman/Batman confrontation happens in a scene that seems to be taken straight out of Batman: The Animated Series. After discovering that local obster Carlini has been interred in a hospital, giggling non-stop and stuck in a rictus grin, Batman drops in on one of those underground nightclubs with bright flashing lights, loud music and girls dancing on cages, a stark contrast to the more... straightforward and bright-coloured thieves and aliens and robots we've been seeing in Superman: TAS before. Batman does his thing, beating up thugs and going for an interrogation... when Superman stops Batman. No vigilantes in Metropolis, he says, and he does not approve of Batman's roughhousing of thugs.
Batman judo-throws Superman away, Superman sees Batman's seccret identity instantly with his X-Ray vision, Batman warns Superman that the Joker does have a way to defeat the Man of Steel by showing him the sliver of kryptonite, and later Superman finds out that Batman has put a tracker and has figured out his secret identity. That's the most that Batman and Superman fight each other -- a brief tussling match as they argue over methods, and the little dick-waving contest as they figure out each other's identity. But never does Batman try to kill Superman, something that I'm not overly fond of in the Dark Knight Returns or Batman v. Superman. Hell, Batman's goal in the first place is to stop Joker from doing so with the kryptonite!
But whether it is because of them fighting over Lois's affections, or their disdain for each other's methods, they refuse to work together which comes back to bite Bruce in the ass. "Expect the unexpected", Bruce keeps telling Clark... but in trying to woo Lois, Bruce ends up facing up against the Joker and his thugs and ends up being forced to jump off a building to escape while Joker makes off with Lois. There's a bit of a suspension of disbelief that every single bullet that Joker's thugs fire are aimed at his feet where he can dance it off, but he's Batman so I won't begrudge him too much.
Lois is kidnapped by the Joker, and Superman berates Batman for overestimating himself. Superman takes Joker's bait and shows up with the anti-kryptonite suit, something that I actually find hilarious as the Joker is just 'buh-wha?' when he tries to take the Man of Steel down with the Kryptonite. But like Batman before, Superman also shows a fair amount of overconfidence because he does nothing to get rid of the Kryptonite, allowing Joker to go "oh wait, silly me! I forgot the acid!" and melt Superman's lead suit and let the kryptonite do its work. Batman arrives, but even then Harley and Joker simply lock them in and unleash Joker gas. It takes Batman working together with Superman, with Batman melting down the kryptonite and Superman using his brute strength to get the three of them to safety, that ends up saving the day. Batman's still being a dick to Superman, but it's clear that at this point they're less antagonistic. And it's wonderfully told.
Oh, and throughout all this, we have a little sub-plot of Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor working together on a joint venture, with the creation of these awesomely-animated spider-crab-robot-drone things, sommething that Luthor is intent to turn into weapons, but Bruce Wayne has anticipated this and quickly put a stop -- "call me unimaginative, but I don't like guns". It's an amazing moment that also foreshadows the spider-drones' appearance in the climax, as well as Luthor and Bruce's entanglement from the get-go.
Luthor wants nothing more than the Joker getting rid of Superman without his name being tied into it, but the Joker involves one of Luthor's facilities, and the already pissed-off Luthor has Mercy machinegun Joker's hideout and calls off the deal. Joker tries to charge double, because he has a second superhero to deal with... but Luthor doesn't give two shits about Batman, who he brushes off as a winged rodent that's a mere mortal. "There's nothing mere about this mortal!" Joker insists, but Luthor doesn't really care. And he shouldn't -- Luthor is used to dealing with the likes of Superman and Brainiac, it's hard to think that he would be intimidated by stories of a boogeyman dressed like a bat.
Oh, and I do love the little rivalry that the bodyguards -- Mercy and Harley Quinn -- have, as they just try and beat the shit out of each other. The meeting in Joker's hideout as the two just charge each other in the background going "BANZAIIII!" as Luthor and Joker talk business are hilarious, and Harley's antics, from bouncing around on a giant pogo stick to take out a room full of gangsters, or dressing up in worker's overalls to paint the LexWing into a giant smile... the TAS cartoons alternate between using Harley for drama and for comic relief, and here she's in full funny sidekick mode.
Anyway, back to the main plot. After Clark tells Bruce and Lois about the whole 'Luthor is maybe working with the Joker' angle, Batman pays a visit to Lex Luthor in his secure penthouse, paying absolutely no heed to Luthor's security systems and one-shots Mercy Graves out with one punch to the jaw. This puts the fear of god (well, fear of the Batman) into Luthor's heart, and decides to go team up with the Joker once more, setting up the climax of the second part... which involves distracting Superman with a distress call in the ocean, while Batman (with his fancy new jetpack) fights the Joker and the Wayne-Lex spider drone thing. The chase down the street as the Wayne-Lex spider just charges and clatters its way through the traffic and throws cars around is thrilling, and even moreso when Batman, of course, happens to bump into the Daily Planet where Lois is the only person left (with a dry quip, naturally), and while Batman manages to kill the spider-robot with the aid of a printing machine, this also causes his cowl to get pulled off, causing Lois to see Batman's secret identity. (Superman just landing and one-shotting the robot with a nonchalant shrug is amazingly awesome, too)
It's actually a very amazing moment for the career-driven Lois, who, while tending to Bruce's wounds as Superman watches, where Lois rants about how she is sitting on one of the biggest stories in the world, the real identity of Batman, but she cares enough for Bruce to bury the story. It's also a neat little character analysis on Batman's part as he tells Superman that Lois loves Superman and Bruce Wayne, but isn't too crazy about their alter-egos. Also love, always will love, the fact that once Lois and Superman find out his secret identity, even while in Bruce Wayne persona he's speaking in the Batman voice, highlighting once more that, unlike Superman, who juggles his dual life, Batman is Batman first and foremost, and Bruce Wayne second.
Which is why Batman leaves Lois behind without nary a word, heading off with Superman to take down Luthor and Joker. Where Batman and Superman have finally teamed up and put their differences aside, Luthor and Joker's alliance fell apart. Luthor straight-up wants to kill Joker and have him literally be the fall man and leave Luthor's hands clean. However, Joker pulls one up over Luthor, and in revenge for this betrayal, steals Luthor's gigantic Lex-Wing (painting it to resemble a giant smile first), duct-taping Mercy onto the side of one of the spider-tanks, beforre flying off and preparing to blow up every single building with Luthor's name on it. It's one of the more horrifying things Joker has ever done, his wanton manic plans to just destroy things for arbitary reasons, and refuses to take Luthor's money when he offers more, because, shit, he's crazy.
We get a pretty awesome bit as Superman and Batman fight a bunch of the spider-robots, rescuing Mercy while whooping robot ass in one of the more thrilling action sequences in this three-parter. Then Batman flies off on the Batwing to stop Joker directly, while Superman fights the biggest spider-drone of them all... which, as it happens, has the rest of the kryptonite taped onto it. Superman wins with the aid of LexCorps's lead doors, while Batman manages to infiltrate the Lexwing.
After a tussle, Joker accidentally drops his bag of super-duper-explosive marble grenades, causing Batman and Superman to bail with Harley and Luthor. It is a bit cold that none of them actually try going back for the Joker, with Batman making a hilarious black comedy joke about him. Harley: "PUDDIN'!" Batman: "At this point? He... probably is." Of course, they never found Joker's body, and while Angela Chen insists that there's no way Joker survives it, Alfred's knowing smile tells a different story.
But man, what an awesome 'death' scene for Joker it is. From the thrilling music (the soundtrack for the three-parter, while recycling some of the Superman and Batman themes, is consistently engaging and never repetitive) quickly snapping into a music-box-esque theme as the Joker goes from fumbling with parachutes, sees his impending doom and just laughs at it all, it's just well-done.
DC Easter Eggs Corner:
- Joker survives this, next chronologically appearing in the The New Batman Adventures episode "Joker's Millions", where he explicitly refers to the events of this three-parter. Superman and Batman would have several more team-ups down the line, before eventually forming the Justice League.
- The throwaway line of how the dragon statue kills everyone that owned it is a reference to the Kryptonite radiation poisoning from the comics, something that would, far later down the line in Justice League, play a key part in moving the pieces that would lead to Justice League Unlimited.
- "World's Finest" is a reference to World's Finest Comics, an anthology comic published by DC comics that, naturally, often features Superman and Batman stories, or the two of them teaming up. (Appropriately enough, the very first Batman/Superman team-up ever happened in the pages of a Superman comic.)
- "The Death of Superman", the scoop that Joker tells Lois Lane she'll be able to write, is the title of the arc that killed off Superman at the hands of Doomsday, and also the title of the Daily Planet's headline, written by Lois, in that arc.
- Joker's constant references to Superman being more powerful than a locomotive is taken from the 1940's Fleischer cartoons.
- Despite "Mister L" being an obvious twist on Harley's "Mistah Jay" nickname for Joker, Luthor actually uses Mr. L as a pseudonym relatively often in the 80's and 90's comics.
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