Superman | Episode Synopsis (Season Two)

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14./15. Superman/Batman

14. Gotham By Moonlight Whisper and Abbot return home to Gotham to set up an Intergang sale for their old boss Thorne. Gotham's resident hero, a shadowy figure called the Batman, investigates the duo, unaware of Superman's arrival in his city.

15. World's Finest Superman and Batman reluctantly team up to take down Gotham's Intergang before it becomes widespread. In Metropolis, a meeting takes place between Luthor, Mannheim, and the true leader of Intergang, the enigmatic powerhouse Boss Dark Side.

This series introduces this universe's incarnation of the Batman. He's not a talkative person nor is he super-muscular with as big a barrel chest as Superman. He no milquetoast by any stretch, but he has embraced the darker side of the character, dressing in deep grays and blacks, thin slits on his cowl, and a deep voice not unlike Keith David or Dennis Haysbert, not gravelly like Christian Bale. Not quite Kevin Conroy either. He is more ninja-like than any incarnation of the Batman ever seen in Western animation.

He knows Superman largely by reputation and managed to figure out his secret identity through thorough research over the four years they have ran into each other. Superman knows about Batman's status as an urban legend, the creature of the night, the man in the shadows. He has also figured out Batman's identity through investigative methods and piecing together purchases and unraveling missing technology that fits the weapons and armor Batman uses. They keep both identities under wraps and work together, albeit reluctantly.

I felt season two should start with the Superman/Batman team-up just to get it out of the way because the media types and the fans expect it. But I don't want to make Batman a permanent part of the series. The franchise has had six shows and seven solo animated films in the last 20 years in addition to being a part of Justice League/Unlimited in comparison to Superman's one solo animated series and two solo movies.

I'm using Whisper A'Daire and Kyle Abbot as the primary villains in this episode because they actually are characters in the DCU linked to both the Superman and the Batman mythos. Whisper and Abbot were members of Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins and later became a duo intertwined with Intergang, which had always been associated with Superman. I'm not introducing the usual rogues on this series because I don't know what kind of plans are in store for Batman. Also, Superman has a lot of great villains on the show already, and I'm giving them a moment to shine. Whisper and Abbot aren't the first Batman rogues anybody thinks of when they think of the Dark Knight, but I would like to make them closely associated with the rogues gallery of Superman.

16: Infinite Losers

Team Infinity takes on a strange alien creature heading towards Metropolis. Clark and Lois are on an assignment for the Daily Planet about a mysterious crime kingpin who they think is connected to Intergang.

This episode fully introduces the doomsday creature, wearing the same green mask and harness as he did in his first comic appearance. He has one arm restrained and the other exposing his gray, muscular fist with jagged white extensions coming from it.

Team Infinity fights the creature and are completely decimated. They fight as hard as they could, but they will fail. It is their first public failure, and for Luthor, who has been monitoring the battle, it is a humiliating one as this was his dream project. He calls it a wash and abandons the team, wishing that Superman was in their place, not only because he'd wish his rival dead, but also because Superman could be the only one who could stop this creature. Team Infinity are hurt, broken, and for the most part, pissed.

17 - 18: Doomsday

Superman takes on the "doomsday creature" who nearly destroys Metropolis and take out Team Infinity and the SCU while Superman makes the ultimate sacrifice to save his friends, the citizens of Metropolis, and the woman he loves.

These will probably be the most emotional episodes in the course of the series. Superman will fight this creature, who reveals his true self, loses his restraints, and causes mass destruction on an epic scale across Metropolis. The SCU couldn't harm him. Even Intergang, a team whose core mission was to get rid of Superman, find themselves on Superman's side and still got beat. Superman is the only thing in the way of this creature's reign, and he fights harder than he ever had up to that point, shattering glass and metal with every punch.

The final punch is punctuated by silence, a quiet choral arrangement, and both fighters down. The creature is dead (no resurrection for this incarnation of Doomsday). Superman is dying, in pain, barely breathing. Lois holds on to him, as he whispers "I love you" before dying in her arms.

The world sees the whole act on television and on the internet. Martha is too shaken up and cries over the loss of her son. Matrix, who leaves the hospital to try to help, and the Guardian, who despite being in a sling, was ready to fight, are both devastated they didn't make it in time. Traci Thirteen, who's in another part of the country, is angry she wasn't there to prevent the creature's arrival in the first place.

John Irons is upset that he had to remain at the lab instead of help out in the battle. He solders and hammers a Superman shield on his Steel armor's chest in honor of the fallen hero. Luthor is taken aback by the result of the battle and quite shaken up about it, not just because Superman actually saved the city and possibly the world, but because his creation accomplished exactly what he was created to do.

While I am aware about the potential psychological situations that may arise in the hearts and minds of younger viewers, this story is essential for the direction of the series.

19: The World Reacts

The Man of Steel is dead. His harshest critics are lamenting his loss. His biggest fans mourn him. The three women in his life that know his secret quietly remember a son, a friend, a co-worker, and a loved one. Boss Dark Side orders Intergang to retrieve the body of the doomsday killer.

"Superman is dead." That's the chilling words that opens up this episode. This episode will the first of four episodes that deals with the death of Superman. A quiet public memorial begins the episode as the federal government handles the burial of the body, much to Luthor's displeasure. The three kids from "The Adventures of the Metropolis Kids" are watching the ceremonies in their classroom that day and mourning the loss of their hero. In Smallville, Lois, Martha, and Lana gather together to share their memories over Clark and Superman, and wondering if and how they're going to try to explain to the public they were one and the same.

Skyman confronts Luthor not only to blast him for his longtime jealousy over Superman but also to ask why he abandoned the team during the doomsday battle. Matrix also breaks up with Luthor in light of the whole situation, plus, she doesn't think she could trust Lex anymore. He takes a strand of her hair and a vial he had in his possession and smiles.

The SCU reaffirms its core mission amongst its members.

20: How Bizarre

Lex Luthor unveils Superman 2.0, a synthetic clone, to the public. The clone's molecular structure begins to break down twisting his mind and psyche and becoming a pale-skinned destructive force. How will the SCU, Guardian, Skyman, and Steel take down this "Bizarro" Superman?

The first and only appearance of Bizarro. Why? Because there's no need for Bizarro other than as a clone of Superman, and a reason why you can't duplicate the Man of Steel. Luthor blames this on the incompatibility of Superman and Matrix's DNA.

21: Dinner and a Duel

Superman's body is in an Arctic temple beneath the North Pole. A powerful orb from Krypton is determined to revive the lost planet's last son. Meanwhile, Nuklon and Parasite go to blows in an epic battle all because of Luthor's jealousy over the hero's first date with Matrix. Here's hoping it's not his last.

22: Catch

Through a series of sequences, memories (both real and false), and visions, we see Superman's life as his memories and life is restored.

23: Return

Sightings of a hero in black with a familiar shield flying around Metropolis are reported everywhere. Lois demands to see Superman's crypt only to find it empty. Could he really be back from the dead?

Superman wears an all-black outfit. No cape, no primary colors. It's a healing outfit and the one similar to the one he wore in the comics. Unlike the other reincarnated versions of the character in other media, he is at full power when he returns. He stops several crimes while wearing a black trench coat, an homage to "The Blur" persona of Clark Kent from Smallville. Superman finds and talks to Lois, who can't believe he's really back until he tells he something only they would know.

Meanwhile, Luthor hears about the so-called pretender and wants to lure him to LexCorp HQ. The genius sets a trap for the revived hero.

24: Confrontation

Lex Luthor, in an armored suit, takes on Superman and the truth behind the Doomsday monster is finally revealed. Turpin and Sawyer investigate strange lights seen throughout the night skies.

The first fight between Lex Luthor and Superman takes place in this episode. Luthor wears a Kryptonite-powered battlesuit and nearly takes out the hero. Fortunately for Superman, he has gained some resistance to Kryptonite poisoning and learns the truth about the creature that killed him the first time. Unable to do anything about it, Superman knocks out Luthor and shatters his armored suit.

Clark makes a call to the from Gotham, where he tells Perry he just flew in from Tokyo where he was covering a meeting with Wayne Industries' Bruce Wayne and investors about his latest acquisitions as well as the grand opening of his new international research lab and an interview with Wayne himself. This gives Clark an excuse to be back amongst the land of the living. Clark flies home to Smallville where he reunites with his mother, hoping to eat a hot stack of flapjacks and telling her everything.

25 - 26: Panic In The Sky

25: Part One: Stand Still

A comet is heading towards the United States. Or, at least that's what the people believe. The truth is that it is an alien craft. Calling himself Brainiac, the being recognizes Superman immediately and calls him by his birth name.

26: Part Two: Brainiac

The mechanical humanoid offers Lex Luthor and the world's leaders unlimited knowledge and technology. Superman learns Brainiac's true intentions, which is to destroy the Earth just as he destroyed Krypton. The two enemies are forced to work together to stop the threat.

Next: Episode Synopsis (Season Three)