DCAU's Evil Superman 

"I used to think that you were a guardian angel, come to answer our prayers... But Lucifer was an angel too, wasn't he?" That's such a fantastic line.

Heading Batman say "well it had to be done" is so haunting because you hear him go through the stages of grief and justification on one sentence.

The Justice Lords from the Justice League series where the main inspiration for the entire Injustice universe which really goes to show that without the DCAU, DC wouldn't be nearly as popular as it is today.

Yes, Superman says he's not the same person, but he also says he's felt the same temptations. That's what's so great about the DCAU Superman: He's not some flawless Messiah &, beneath the powers, he's a regular person with vices that he can fall into. I'm a firm believer that an evil version of a character is the opposite side of the coin from the good one. In other words, if Superman were to become evil, he would never even recognize it. He would see himself as protecting the world, but just doing a better job, when he's actually instituting totalitarian control. The primary Superman being confronted with this possibility, & with his own actions becoming ever more extreme, can then make the choice to not give into that temptation.

The Justice Lord Superman is honestly the best take on the "evil superman". Injustice may be more popular, but that's just not Superman anymore. Justice Lord Superman still follows his flawed mindset, while the Injustice one is just plain old evil.

I usually hate the evil Superman cliche, but a better world is one of the few stories that gets it right.

11:00 this is definitely a hilarious reference to how Bruce and Clark look similar in the comics and even disguised as each other on occasion

Looking at Superman as a saviour and thinking he can do no wrong or needs no guidance is just about the worst mistake humanity can make. He's just a guy, like any guy, he can be changed by the world around him

"Better World" does a better job exploring the theme of "heroes being corrupt" than stories like Injustice, mostly because the episode it actually focus on showing not just the negative side, but also the positives of the Justice Lords taking over the world. It's not just "Justice Lords are better because they just kill villains". The episodes shows how cities like Gotham are now more calm, the streets are clean and places like Arkham Asylum look pretty, with the criminals no longer having their obsession and desire for crime. Yes, this was all achived through questionable actions (like lobotomy), but all had results. This helps to show the Justice Lords perspective and undersand where their ideals come from and why they no longer see problem in taking people freedom. The fact that Lord Batman decide to help the League represents him realizing, much like the JL Batman, neither methods are perfect, nor the world they made using this methods because there's not clear answer into how to make perfect world. Every action and choice will have pros and cons, consequences positive and negative. For every birth of villain there will be the birth of hero and vice versa. If the Justice Lord world or the Justice League world was perfect there wouldn't be point for neither side (good or evil) to exist, not even super heroes, because, as Superman pointed out in Infinity Crisis "If Superman exists, Earth can''t be perfect, because perfect earth doesn't need a Superman"

I suppose the only way Superman can really become “evil” or corrupted naturally is if he simply lost his way and misguided from the core beliefs that keeps him himself

The DCAU writers and everyone else too were just so good. They made a beautifully aesthetic, wonderfully written and compelling story with heroes big and small getting not just the respect they deserve, but glory and love many never get and might never get again

As I'm growing older, I've sarted to enjoy this kind of essay, philosophical, deeper, content more...

When people say Superman is a "boring character", you know for a fact they are not talking about DCAU Superman. That's the version that felt the most human, both for better and for worse. He had a lot of conflictive emotions for every obstacle in his path, and even though he strived to put on a brave face for the people around him, there were moments where it became too much and he cracked. He genuinely did want to help people, but you could see that he was so tired of watching people get hurt that his anger made him feel like using his overpowered strength might be the only option. But he always came back and realized that would just make things worse in the long run. The best way to portray Superman in any media is to show a genuinely good person who strives to do good, and even if doing so comes with a price, it is still worth doing.

"Where metropolis looks like modern day UK" I'm not british and have never been there, but based on what my british friends and media are saying, that's devastatingly accurate 🤣

I love that the same episode of the Justice Lords showed Superman is the exact same man everywhere but its his friends and connections that keeps him sane. “I knew you weren’t going convince him. I’ve felt those same temptations, and they’re pretty strong.” Future Superman isn’t so different. He was callous to the little people, focusing purely on intergalactic threats, he lost a lot of the human side while he was away.

Captain Marvel's speech will always been one of my favorite "hero calling out other heroes going too far" moments, not just in the DCAU but throughout all of superhero media. EDIT: Also, one interesting note about the alternate villainous Supermen we see: they both go around wearing their costumes all the time-they have become Superman full time. You see this in the Lord Superman dinner with Lois where he was wearing the costume. Contrast this with that episode in STAS where Clark inadvertently had to pretend to be dead, and he bemoaned to his parents about how he doesn't want to be Superman all the time because he'd go insane if he was. Superman is both a responsibility and a legacy, but to properly carry out that responsibility and honor that legacy requires he remain humble, grounded Clark at his core.

I swear the casting was just perfect for every DCAU character, Superman, Batman, The Flash, John Stewart JL, Wonder Woman, everyone has an iconic voice

I remember there being an old comic where Superman is attacked by like every villain and although he defeated them; he accidentally killed one. Because he believes no man can take the life of another, including Superman, he told Lois and the world he had to go away forever. However what that really meant was he faked his death and depowered himself, eventually Lois ran into him and they had a son.

Hamilton's words ring hollow when you know what he and his group have done. They grew soldiers from the teeth of dragons, and striped them of anything that could call them human(The Ultimamen). Worse? He stole Kara's genetic material, the woman that had just gotten so hurt defending the Earth from Darseid's forces that her survival was in question. And he kept that material viable for YEARS before Cadmus ever formed, simply waiting for the opportunity to use it. Then he made Galatea. He grew his own 'Kara', and she calls him Daddy. He raised her to kill, changing her into a weapon, and she killed. The Innocent? The Guilty? The inconvenient... And he knows about her crimes. He knows about the crimes of those around him, about the deaths they have tried to cause, of the wars they've nearly started, and the suffering the make regular business. And yet, he still pretends he's the righteous one. He still believes, even to himself, that he walks in the light, when his soul is black as pitch. At least Lex Luthor owns his sins. At least Waller knows she's damned. Hamilton, you made a child soldier and hid its crimes when you couldn't control it, or worse, did control it and decided to 'test' its capacity for murder. You are the worst villain of all. There's a special place in whatever Pit you wind up in, waiting for you, all nice and toasty.

"I wish to heaven I was the man who killed you" is such a human phrase. It's filled with phallacy and weakness, but sends the right message.

To this day the most human and relatable Superman, and believable Evil Superman, one who isn't presented as Dark or Edgy, just a villain.

The evil Superman and Justice Lord ideas were super cool, but I would've loved to see Ultraman as well. It could like the end goal of those two evil Supermen combined. His fear and hubris merged into one person, as well not only thinking that he's still a hero, but knowing that he's evil and not trying to change it.

This was Injustice before Injustice ever existed. And this along with the game is better than the animated Injustice film.

I think Lord Superman is what Superman would become. In Brand New Metropolis you saw he was basically there, just at a different point in the timeline before the JL was formed. Seeing who he can be is what made him keep himself on his toes

I see a lot of talk about the Justice Lords or Injustice here in the comments when talking about darker Superman stories, but none of Superman: Red Son. I still get chills when I think about the line that brings it all into perspective for him at the end of that story.

I think the coolest if not relatively subtle parts of brave new metropolis superman is his symbol. While his original S stood for hope, his new symbol is the German Sieg rune of victory. Showing that his goal of giving humanity the inspiration to be heroes has been replaced with his goal to win the seemingly endless war on crime. It also shows how far into tyranny he has sunk as the sieg rune was also made famous for it's use in the uniforms of the Nazi SS, who through their schutzpolizei and Gestapo units brought order through brutality, genocide, and subjugation across the Nazi territories.

I love drawing the parallels with BNM Superman. When A Better World came out, as much as I loved it, I also couldn’t help thinking the entire time, “didn’t they already do this story with Brave New Metropolis?”

The shazam superman fight was intense. It's cool that shazam realized before anyone else they needed to start acting like real heroes again.

It's like Lois says at the end of the Cadus Arc. Superman's only human. However due to his great power, his mistakes are a lot bigger than anyone else's.

Without the Justice Lords, we would have no Injustice franchise. I mean they brought back half the OG JL cast for those games

One of STRONGEST aspects of this entire series is the nuance it offers about "what it means to be a hero" which is something DC in the modern era has YET to capture (especially in the movies). Acknowledging the grays of superhumans being human (regardless of origin). This is the MOST adult DC has ever been on any screen and it makes me sad. Heroes don't "Only always do good things always with no fail or second thought!" it's a struggle and Cadmus and Waller (technically having a LEGIT concern) is amazing in just how well written this show is. Those concerns aren't ridiculous and manufactured (like most DC media now especially the films) they come from REAL concerns. This channel just KEEP coming with the HEAT! Thanks for posting.

The DCAU was just way too GREAT. I really wish Paul Dini and Bruce Timm ran the DCEU.

I'm surprised that you didn't discuss when Superman was brainwashed by Darkseid. That really had a large affect on the character and the worlds perception of him.

“I thought you were a guardian Angel come to answer our prayers. But Lucifer was a angel too wasn’t he?” Damn that’s deep as shit.

I love the Justice Lords storyline.

When she says she wants to have a JL: Unlimited marathon and the theme song starts to play 0:19

It just dawned on me full circle, that President Luthor/Flash's death weren't the only branch off points. Based on dialogue/past episode comparisons, I have also concluded that.. 1) We never had a fight like "this" with Luthor. Meaning, that "Injustice For All" happened differently/not at all. 2) Luthor probably chose to run for president while NOT holding back his Kryptonite virus, so his increasing instability nearly caused ww3. 3) Lord Superman probably missed out on certain life humbling moments, such as not meeting a "Brave New Metropolis" Supes. 4) Darkseid probably killed not only Dan Turpin, but also probably harmed Lois and Jimmy during "Apokolypse Now" Etc

I remember this guy named myopinions333 said that nobody cares about Superman anymore I'm thinking okay watch the DC animated universe or read the comics.

Two major aspects I love about a better world: 1. They don’t the standard dystopia route for the evil/all controlling heroes. The world isn’t a dark skied, totalitarian cyberpunk city, but instead everything is very sunny and almost cheery looking. Even with music score they don’t try to do an obvious overblown music sting to show how bad something is, instead the music is light and almost uplifting whenever the Lords do their actions in the first half. It doesn’t beat you over the head showing just how bad things are but instead it just feels wrong, like a smile that just feels off for whatever reason (instead of cold totalitarianism it’s the cheeriness and brightness that makes things feel wrong). It’s like how some bad horror films refuse to have it be in anything besides dark greys because “how else will the audience know it’s a horror movie”. Like take the scene with poison ivy, it isn’t overly creepy and it’s tone is just a mundane conversation but it’s that we see the lobotomy marks and the fact it’s POISON IVY of all people nonchalantly cutting down roses that makes it so off putting 2. For the first episode we follow the justice lords so by all accounts they act as the protagonists. The audience is sorta forced to see things from their perspective despite how wrong the course they think is just is

i think this besides injustice is one of best evil superman stories

Honestly this and smallville is the reason Superman is my favorite hero. Besides growing up with them ofc, but they have shown us that he is more than just a guy with many super powers, he is conflicted, he is troubled, he is the most human out of all the members on the justice league despite not being actually human. Superman always was a hero that in my eyes embodied choice, for he choose to be who he is today, he could have become rich famous or even a villain but he choose to be a hero and do something good in many ways, from saving people from a burning building to stopping someone that wants to jump off a building.

Such a great take on the evil Superman trope done right.

"Power corrupts after all. And who has more power than Superman?"

It's ironic that "Evil Superman" is even a trope at all, yet, there are so many.

See, this is what bugs me about zach snyder's take on evil superman. He seems to think it was merely lois dying and he's like "Oh, guess I'm going evil now even if it means allying myself with the guy who killed her in the first place!" NO! It was more complicated than that! Losing a loved one may be what put him on this path, but it was him KILLING SOMEONE that set him on it, leading to the conclusion about control.

1:05 Danggg The Flash dying even made Batman cynical about protecting all life

Notice how Batman didn't join the evil Justice League when Lois and everyone in Metropolis died, but did join when only the Flash died.

I want to say that you do such a good job of defining and explaining the meaning behind these stories. Nailing it down to a point, man. Thank you

keep in mind.... superman and sephiroth both share the same voice actor. yes. THAT sephiroth. honestly imagine a superman who goes completely insane from a revelation about himself.

This is better than injustice, injustice an overrated copy.

The virgin edgy childkiller Injustice Superman. VS The chad coldheaded DCAU Superman. Btw that intro was damn amazing, goddamn the song makes it all great❤🗿

I think this was the best intro you’ve done, that was really well edited!

I love this channel absolutely so much, you have been encapsulating my nostalgia, and forcing me to review some of the finest pieces of media I have consumed. Thank you very much, and maybe I just haven’t seen this video but maybe talk about Christmas in this universe, I feel like they handle it so well

The JLU comic sequel Justice League Infinity had its own evil Superman called Overman who was raised in a Nazi-infested universe. He's more prone to anger and violence in general and it brings up the question of whether he's still the same Superman, just raised in a different environment. Also, non-DCAU, but Justice League: Gods and Monsters had my favorite "evil" Superman, who was an outlaw and a killer, but not necessarily evil or a despot.

I think the single best part of the DCAU is how it characterizes Superman not as a flawless Christ-figure, but as a normal emotional, frustrated, struggling person, dealing with the same loss, grief, rage, and philosophy that anyone else would if they went through what he did. And it’s terrifying because while he has the characterization of a normal human, he has the power of a super weapon, and that’s a very, VERY scary combo. Even if we didn’t see him get pushed to the dark side twice, seeing him act like a human with the power of a god is terrifying enough to make us as the audience understand Luther and Cadmus. We can see why everyone is terrified of him, who wouldn’t be if they knew how he acted?

The only times evil Supermen worked for me is with Ultraman (Superman evil counter part of earth 3) who is supposed to be his opposite, so it fits he is a cartoonishly evil superpowered psychopath that at his core is a coward constantly afraid someone may take his place in the food chain, thus kryptonite on his reality is like a mixture of meth and steroids to him that takes constantly as a drug. And the other time an evil analogue of Superman has worked is with the Plutonian in Irredemeable, in which put an alien being that tries to be human but is in the end something that tries to fit the role of Superman, but end up being broken by the contadictions of humanity and the fact that his humanity is vastly more fragile and less real than what Superman got with the Kents (sorry if i keep it vague but is huge spoilers and a big reason the Plutonian is more than just a deconstruction) , poses a far more interesting character than just the boring "what if Superman became evil, but we justified it poorly" (Injustice Superman being the worst example of this). As a bonus one I don't really consider Omniman an evil Superman, because 1, it was more of a job Nolan pretended for the sake of his mission, and considering the entirety of the comic run of Invincible, Nolan's both Superman facade and his violent reveal are such a small part of his character arc and the rest of the story, that if it wasn't for the cartoon bringing back the backstory to a more modern audience, I wouldn't had counted him at all, but yeah Nolan's character development after he leaves earth is huge and brings him to weird places but if anything it makes his analogy of Superman obsolete, hell if I had to compare Nolan to another fictional character, I feel he becomes more like Vegeta.

It's always a good day when you upload, man!!

These videos really hit home how many great voice talents were involved in this series.

I like your editing. It's really cool how you can quickly and seamlessly shift between your script and the shoe

this guy pumps out quality videos like a machine. every time i hope on youtube there’s something waiting for me haha

I gotta say I love your deep dives, you do a fantastic job and they're really enjoyable!

Whatever you do with your intros, I just can't get enough of it.

The dcau is absolutely magical. The journey, the characters, world building.

I’m so glad you’re talking about DCAU Superman. Whenever people say Superman isn’t interesting this is always the version I turn them to.

I just like how the Justice Lords aren't Evil-Evil like the Regime from Injustice. They went too far and just living with it, because you can see that some of them still has that regret to what happened. Even upon arriving at an alternate timeline, Lord Superman didn't took it by force, they just reestablished themselves and prevent the same events that befell their timeline.

I've been watching your DCAU videos for a few days now (thanks to YT algorithms not being trash for once) and i gotta say they're all great and well thought out. Congrats!

Your pre-essay edits are allways brilliant, though this one is particularly haunting

Gotta say Justice Lords Superman's suit is really rad

A much more believable version than injustice, I always thought the injustice supes was a bit over the top

Man, that character design for "Brave New Metropolis" Superman is so unsubtle that I don't think you could get away with it today... At least not in a compelling way that makes sense. Tailor: "Are you sure you want to go with a lightning bolt S Mr. Superman?" Superman: "Yeah, why? Is there a problem with it?" Tailor: "Oh, it's just that particular style of the letter S could be link to a historical atrocity that happened some 50 or so years ago. Just thought I would let you know."

You're channel is the most comforting thing on the planet. Keep making this videos, they make me happy

Superman’s greatest power is his humanity.

This is why the DCAU's superman is by far my favorite, they actually made him a fleshed out character by having him cooperating with others who may have a different approach to being a super hero. Thanks for the nostalgia of this excellent series from my youth

The problem with "Evil Superman" is that so many story creators are convinced he can have a Joker-like one bad day and he becomes terrible. How many stories go this way: Lois dies, Superman overreacts? That's why the best alternate Superman is from Gods and Monsters, Kal-el but what if Zod overwrote Jor-el's DNA? He's highly competent and not naive, he has a moral code but it's not comically over the top. Ironically, it was Bruce Timm's attempt to write a twist on Superman but ended up making his best ever interpretation of the character.

I love how you edit and put together these videos. 💗

Thanks for making these videos, they are really helping my mental state when I need it most. Cheers

I think one of Superman's greatest strengths/Weaknesses is his humanity. It leads him to his "boyscout" like attitude for doing the right thing and wanting to help which is one of his greatest personality traits but at the same time it also makes him just as emotionally and mentally vulnerable as an average joe. Thats why I never hated the "SUPERMAN TURNS EVIL!" Plot because it shows he has limits. For a normal human being, we like to think we are above hurting others and any harm we do was for a good reason. But that's what every bad person thinks, even when the reason was simply anger. Superman has limits. And although some of his biggest fanboys try to paint him as perfect and morally incorruptible, the idea that he can be pushed too far makes him an interesting character. For all his power, he isn't perfect. Just like us.

I never thought I would cry because I am proud of superman, but it happened

Yooooo thanks for the shoutout at 10:14!!

I've never been a huge DC fan. I've always been more into marvel, especially Spiderman. Batman The Animated Series, Superman The Animated Series, and the whole Justice League cartoon though is just chef's kiss. Some of the best animated shows I've ever watched.

Good video, and since no one seems to have commented on it, really good new title card !

It was weird seeing Hamilton going eventually against Superman when I grew up with STAS

The evil versions of Superman in the DCAU were good because they are alternate versions of Superman that challenged who the character is, could have easily happened to the mainstream DCAU Superman, and the evil Superman trope wasn't as overused cliché at that point. I honestly don't like the trope of evil Superman other than to challenge Superman on a personal level, which the DCAU did right. Good Superman is just better.

I rewatched Justice League Unlimited earlier this year for the first time since childhood, so I'm extremely happy to see all this analysis and all these videos

I always hate in stuff like the Injustice games or the Flashpoint movie or the Snyderverse where it seems like Lois dying is all it takes for Superman to become a fascist. Like he's given a test of his commitment to the principles he believes in, and completely fails and that proves what he stands for doesn't hold up and the only reason the main Superman isn't evil is because things haven't gone wrong for him. So I'm glad that in the DCAU it's explicit that the main Superman isn't the same person as Justice Lord Superman and wouldn't make the same choices in the same circumstances. I also really hate how in the aforementioned games and movies it also seems like everyone else's morals get thrown out the window whenever Superman's does. Like Batman, Wonder Woman, and every other hero doesn't have their own unique reasons why they choose not to kill or overthrow democracy so they can run everything their way, independent of whatever Superman believes is right? Like, why would Wonder Woman with all her supposedly enlightened Amazon teachings ever sleep with a married man, murder his wife, and start a war where countless innocents end up collateral damage and why are so many other heroes just as amoral? Another reason why the DCAU version works. Because it wasn't Lois dying, but Flash, who everyone else on the team had a personal connection to. So it makes sense that they'd all be affected, rather than only Superman having trauma that actually explains his actions and everyone else following suit for no reason. It's even a plot point with Lord Batman that he does have actual personal motivations and that's why the main Batman is able to convince him to change his mind. Because the writers actually thought about him as his own unique character and not just an accessory to an Evil Superman story.

The power of a person to admit being wrong and want to do a right thing, go in the right direction, and be right. "I made a mistake and I know how to fix it. This is what I'm going to do." Those people are few and far between, and even mocked for 'messing up'.

Hey really appreciate the DC love thanks for reminding me and enlightening me on why i love this series so much 🙏

First (and don’t worry I love your videos very informative and inspirational about one my favorite cartoons)

Great as always, sir.

It's weird to me that a character meant to be an inspiring, paragon hero is the one most used for the "what if they were evil" trope 🤔

Wow another banger finna watch STAS right now keep up the good work IP

There are versions of Superman who stand for Hope, Justice, and Fairness. A Superman who will comfort a crying child and prevent a depressed patient from committing suicide. A Superman whom we all aspire to be. ....the DCAU Superman is *not* one of those versions.

Thank you for everything

Always Great Videos!

Finally found the intro song on spotify. Happiest ive ever been rn.

Better world is one my favorite evil superman takes and good vid

The worst part about Justice Lord Superman is that he still has louis batman and the league so he was more likely to overcome flashs death than any other version. It's gut wrenching dcau clark cpuldve also become that. And man that suit he wore be drippin.

Why is the animated DC stuff so much better then the live action? Its like just do this....JUST DO THIS!

Slowly realizing that series was *A LOT* deeper than I remember.

I'm not too sure about this as it's been years since I watched it, but for me, part of the reason Lord Superman came to be was him loving faith in the system as sure, Lex says he needs him to be a superhero but at the same time, Lux only got that that far because he could play the system. No matter how many crimes he committed, how many times he's locked up, he either broke out or won his criminal case, and despite all the red flags, he only gain more power such as somehow becoming US president. Lord Superman was a man that recognized that, saw that the system wasn't enough to actually handle Lux so he decided to act outside of it, to undermine it. He had seen people make so many mistakes that he decided that if we can't handle the worst, we don't deserve to handle anything.