Drew Dietsch | Published
the Superman Apart from week and the dishonest dim-dark people doing their best to ruin the fun, I am revisiting some of my favourite Superman media.
One of the big blue cornerstones of my upbringing was Superman: Animated SeriesFollow up on game changes Batman: Animated Series. The series had a reputation for its darker, more tragic stories, but Superman: Animated Series Many exemplified the original superhero and the brightest and best of his world.
But Shaw was willing to soak his toes in dark material. Most people probably name the alternative future episode, “Brave New Metropolis,” the show’s darkest outing, but there’s one episode that goes to a place that’s even more frightening than the fascist Superman. And it reminds me of why Clark Kent is the most important part of Superman.
“The late Kent”
In “The Late Mr. Kent,” the episode begins at Clark Kent’s funeral. It turns out that Clark is investigating his death row alibi and found evidence of exoneration of him. On the way to convey evidence, a car bomb explodes, and Superman believes he is placed in a scenario where he cannot reappear as Clark Kent without giving him a secret identity.
This is a solid premise of the Superman story that can reflect why Clark Kent is such an important part of this world. Not only is he a legitimate investigative journalist trying to do the right thing, but his supposed death reveals just how much he means to his colleague, Lois Lane.
There are also small and important moments when Clark returns home with his parents. They begin to debate how they move forward. Pa Kent says Clark can’t become Clark anymore. “But I’m Clark! I have to be Clark. If I’m always Superman, I’ll be hooked!”
It is here that the episode really hit Clark Kent’s importance and need. He is not an act performed solely for the benefit of others. He’s not the outfit that Superman wears. Clark Kent is Clark Kent and he has to be him because Superman is the role he plays. If he had to play him forever, he would not actually be faithful to himself.
It’s all a good theme to chew on, but once the villain is revealed the darkness of the episode becomes much more ink.
Bad cop, no donuts
It turns out that Metropolis police detective Bowman is a real murderer and does everything with his power to cover his truck, including execution of an innocent man. The idea that animated series, primarily aimed at children, creates such a plot, is dark enough in itself. But it gets messy!
Not only do we have a corrupt murder cop as a villain, but his ultimate fate is one of the most shocking things in any superhero cartoon. As Superman stops the execution and saves the innocent man, the ending has Bowman on his way to his own execution.
I wouldn’t be the death penalty for this work, but even touching on this kind of subject would be a dark material for a child’s show.
“The Late Mr. Kent” is properly celebrated as one of the biggest episodes of Superman: Animated Series. It gives Clark more focus than usual instead of Superman, and insists on why there is no Superman without Clark Kent. Then it comes off the deep edge with the ending that needs to be seen as believed.
