JLU Superman: don't be a jerk 

Honestly, what people fail to realize is that this is the first mainstream version of a darker Superman. Before Injustice or Snyder or even Smallville, this was the first animated or television version of Superman dealing with his own demons. AND IT WORKED because they let us get to know the happy go lucky Superman BEFORE he started getting angry and facing his demons.

This Superman is why I can never get behind newer “what if Superman was a stinky pop pop head” stories. Almost none do it as well as this because they take for granted/skip the build up to who Superman is. That and I never get why “what if Superman was evil” is a question that needs asking. We have that, in a large chunk of his villains

I'm just glad we're getting more positive Superman, I'm _so tired_ of the evil Superman cliche...

This is how you do a more mature story about superheroes. You don't have to make it dark or gritty or violent. You deal with complex themes about accountability, responsibility, transparency, how far you should take preemptive action, letting people choose at the risk of them making the wrong choices vs. controlling people to protect them, giving people a chance at redemption vs. eliminating the risk of former criminals going back to crime.

STAS episode "The Late Mr. Kent"; I always enjoyed the part where Superman exclaims "I can't just be Superman ALL the time, I'd go crazy!" Superman ENJOYS being a person, being human...being normal. I'm still waiting for a live film where they finally understand that crucial aspect of his character.

Still my favorite version of the character. I liked how he started off good willed and happy go lucky, but as STAS and Justice league went on, he became more angry, hopeful but a bit jaded along with causing more problems. However, he would atone for the problems he caused and owned up to when he was wrong.

That puts an interesting spin on the 'I never get to cut loose' scene from the finale. The ultimate catharsis of merging fun and responsibility in kicking Darkseid's ass.

You know, I never realized what the death of Flash actually had to do with Superman turning evil, until you spelled it out for us. It wasn't that Flash himself was a lynchpin, it could have honestly been any member of the league, it was because he had only just died that it left a gaping wound that pulled Superman's support system away from him, so he could take advantage of a moment of weakness and do something terrible. It's like Batman says, he doesn't kill because its hard, he doesn't kill because it would be too easy and then he might never stop. Once Superman could use his power and get what he wanted when previous he had to play by the rules, it changed something in him.

JLU's version of Superman was a very interesting development for the character. It showed how he had lots of flaws but eventually questioned himself everytime he was showned his own ubris and felt responsible for his mistakes, guilty, ready to face their consequences. He listens to others, to his friends, and this is the only thing stopping him from acting selfish and failing what he is fighting for.

This is why the DCAU is perfection where other attempts just fail. Build up and pacing for a character matters. Like we grew up with Dorky Supes in his show having Volcana flirt with him. Having Livewire being petty, Myxy trolling him. He was Super, he was fun he had his darker moments yet he was good and we saw he really didn't want to hurt people. Yet he realized he couldn't save everybody, that's what hurt and humbles him the most. The DCAU is just good

His accountability is what keeps him on the right path

See, what I love about this series is it acknowledges Superman’s good intentions but it doesn’t take his moral high ground at face value and does try to hold him accountable for some of his more stubborn actions. The most boring way you can write a “lawful good” character like Superman or Steve Rogers is to have them be unimpeachably right about everything 100 percent of the time. So I’m grateful this doesn’t fall into that trap while also respecting the character as we know him. In a way, it’s a lot better of a deconstruction of the character and his values than someone like Homelander or Omni Man, though I do like both of those.

DCAU Superman is what DCEU Superman was trying to be and failed. This showed a Superman who was hopeful and optimistic, but had flaws and demons he had to deal with. He was truly what all Superman writers should aspire to create. DCEU Superman was just an edgelord without an ounce of the heart the DCAU had, which is really sad because Henry Cavill seems like the perfect actor to play a DCAU-like Superman.

Fleicher, DCAU, and My Adventures. The Holy Trinity.

And that, folks, is why Injustice did Superman dirty.

I love how you deconstruct DCAU Superman. You're actually thorough with it instead of being like "eh eh Why is Pa Kent still alive"

8:13 when your secret identity is so secret you wear a mask in the shower

The mix of the halting, uber-significant video essay voiceover with the carefully-selected childish phasing ("dickface," "poo-poo head") is magnificent

And this is why I love DCAU Superman because he's not all perfect and squeaky clean or sunshine or rainbows; he’s always free to goof up and make the same mistakes as much as he wants, as long as he keeps it as long he doesn’t touch humanity!

The truth is that Superman goes through an interesting arc during the Cadmus arc of justice league unlimited, and it actually goes back to the series finale of Superman the animated series. Cadmus was already operating from the shadows before then, but the events of Superman being controlled by Darkseid to attack Earth planted the seeds of Cadmus viewing Superman as a potential threat. It also doesn't help that the events of the justice lords and what justice lord Superman did in particular on his Earth added to Cadmus' worries about the justice league. After all, in order to stop the justice lords, Superman needed Lex Luthor's help, and in order to get it, he had to get him a full pardon, and to get that pardon, Superman had to tell the government about what the justice lords did on their earth, including how justice lord Superman killed president Luthor. The Cadmus arc really tests Superman's morals with the concept of the slippery slope. Superman is ultimately a good person during the Cadmus arc, but he does make many mistakes and bad choices throughout the arc that shows the slippery slope, but at the end of the day, he can admit to his mistakes and continues to try to do the right thing, which makes him different than his justice lord counterpart, who sadly started out the same way as his justice league counterpart, but justice lord Superman made the wrong choice and continued down the path of the slippery slope. Superman can make mistakes, he can make bad decisions, and he can fail. It makes him human, but what makes him so special is that despite times when he's made bad decisions, he does tend to try to make it right, and that's why the Cadmus arc ends on a good note for Superman.

This is the best version of superman ever

I don't understand why writers would think that they should turn Superman evil because he lost someone loves. Kingdom come Superman lost Lois but he didn't decide to go crazy like Injustice Superman.

I've always prefer the superman who smiles when he saves people. Seeing The literal embodiment of all good things in the world. Smiling in the face of horror as he saves your life. It gives you a sense of understanding that even though I am in the depths of hell. I'm not alone. It gives a sensation of trust. He even said this to batman one time. Explaining that he smiles because it gives people hope. And batman doesn't because he wants to intimidate. But the purpose regardless of their intent is the same. To deter criminals And make the public feel safe. An innocent being saved by Superman Smiling feels the same as when batman beats up a criminal and the citizen is just watching. It gives a sense of protection. And it matches them both perfectly one is light brightness daytime smiling happiness and heroic. The other dark brooding angry merciless in a rainy City that's always Night time. Two sides of the same coin But that's why we love the Two of them Even though the joker has multiple occasions mentioned that they really should get a new tailor because the whole trunks over the Spandex look is just so Nineteen thirty five. But style aside. They are exactly what they are meant to be. In the light hero smile as they save lives. In the darkness hero scowl as they destroy criminals. It is often said that Superman is just a mask. And clark kent is the real man. Much like many say Bruce Wayne is a mask. And all that the really is under that, is batman. And frankly I wouldn't want it any other way. It's just the way that the world is meant to work. And when I think about that. It brings tears to my eyes. Because I know these icons of good will last far beyond even our own existence. One day millions of years from now. Alien life will come to a dead earth. And will find these stories of superheros. And they will think that we were a people who had some of us with the capability to become better than the gods themselves. And they will cry as they read about the evil and the mercy that we were capable of. And they will weep even harder when they realize. Where all the humans have gone. Because we will be long gone dead as a species extinct for almost thousands, if not millions of years. But the stories of these heroes will last the true test of time. And be the legacy that humanity will give to the galaxy. That once there was a planet filled with a race of godlike heros. Champions of justice. Magnates of hope. And it will inspire others to strive forth and continue our good works. And humanity will truly be immortal for we will never be forgotten. As the race of the last gods.

Something I want to note is that the paranoia of the Cadmus arc, both Clark’s and Waller’s, ultimately stems from the finale of Superman TAS. Everyone is still feeling the events of Darkseid’s first attack on Earth, and for the first time Clark really comes face to face with the idea that he’s a potential threat. Note that almost every time Clark snaps in JL and JLU, it’s either because of Darkseid or Justice Lord Superman in some fashion. The idea of being a threat terrifies him, because it brings up all the teenage angst that he felt about being an alien. Clark’s greatest fear, is that he is an “other”, and more importantly, that nobody will accept him because of it. High self esteem is something that needs to be built through confidence in the strength of one's relationships and mutual trust with the people around you. Something Clark spent YEARS doing to offset his alien heritage, only for it to be shattered when Darkseid turned him into a weapon. That’s why Clark despises Darkseid so much. Darkseid made him his worst nightmare. An enemy. An outsider. So when Justice Lord Superman shows everyone the possibility of a rogue Superman, this time of his own accord, everyone starts freaking out again. Humanity is once again faced with the fear that Superman is an almighty “other” that will never share their spirit. The fear that Darkseid implanted into them. Likewise, Clark is faced with the fear that humanity will shun and hate and ostracize him and that he will be alone. So he desperately tries to reject it. Which brings me to an important element about narcissism. A narcissist is a person with low self-esteem who pretends to have high self-esteem. Someone who acts as though they love themselves because nobody, including themselves, truly does. They think that if enough people respect them, maybe they'll finally be able to respect themselves. They DO want bonds. They DO want love and respect. It’s just that they act like they don’t. That’s why they keep demanding everybody listen to them. They're obsessed with the thought that maybe they can force others to love them. And having never known love, they believe that fear and love are the same thing. Because if they don’t lie to themselves about needing the attention of others, the crippling weight of loneliness will destroy them. Any attention is better than no attention. All publicity is good publicity, as they say. So they tell themselves that they’re the ones “winning” and that they have agency in ending the relationship. Because otherwise, they have to acknowledge that they're "losers" who have no control over the relationships in their life. So in that sense, you could argue that Justice Lord Superman snapped because of the mounting pressure of how humanity saw him. If everybody was going to see him as the villain anyways for something he didn’t do, then why not embrace it? If his friends were going to die because of his lack of control, then why not take control and make sure no one ever dies again? And that same fear and pressure starts crushing JLU Superman in the Cadmus arc. His friends at STAR labs betray him. Humanity sees him as a threat because of Darkseid and the other Superman, despite both factors being out of his control. The fear that Cadmus and Luthor will do something to kill his friends like in that other world, and that he will become like the other Superman is constantly looming over his shoulder. At the same time though, Clark manages to keep his wits not only because of his friends, but because he’s seen the other Superman. He's seen his demons, and they terrify him. Clark’s greatest fear is that he will be an alien. Alone and ostracized and a threat to his friends and family. A bitter, broken man who's desperate for control. To see that fear realized in another version of himself, of his own accord and not because of some brainwashing machination like Darkseid? It gives him the ability to doubt. To think about how and why he could do something like that. To fight the urge to give into his own fears and impulses. Because he knows where it will lead. A path of self-destruction that will corrupt him so thoroughly that he will becoming willing to kill his own friends in the end. And so he chooses to be better. Even when it looks like Flash is dead after Luthor and Brainiac’s rampage, Clark chooses not to give into his fears. He acknowledges that he has them. That he has a darkness in him that he shares with Justice Lord Superman. That to a degree, Cadmus and humanity’s fear of a rogue Superman is justified, and that it isn’t an attack on him as a person. Which is precisely why he chooses not to. He recognizes the rage within him, and he controls it. And by doing so, he becomes free. He becomes able to control when and where he unleashes his rage. The ability to control his destruction not only by holding back, but by letting loose when and where he wants. When Darkseid comes back, Clark shows him all the brutality of the other Superman, WITHOUT losing his humanity. Despite being at his lowest point in terms of self esteem, Clark shows Luthor and humanity that they’re wrong, and changes his fate. He learns to take his self-loathing and fear and turn it into humility. He takes down his walls and shows mercy, and asks for humanity to show him mercy in return. Trust is mutual. Someone has to be willing to sit down and talk. Somebody has to take the initiative. Clark pretty much finally learns to stop being the Boy Scout. Stop doing it for humanity’s approval, and to do it because it's the right thing. He needs to address their concerns if he wants them to address his, and he does.

Those who think Superman is boring because he is so powerful that he doesn't face any real adversaries just don't understand he walks a very fine line between protecting us or oppressing us. Very much like an all powerful government. Fortunately Superman has an all powerful code that he lives by. Not what can I do but what I should never do.

I think the other lens to view this in is a warning about taking on too much responsibility. Superman took on too much of it, and the Justice League also took on too much of it. Clark only started with a single city, then it became the whole world, and then became a leader; and even though he can lift mountains, for for him the weight of so much responsibility is crushing.

Really cool detail starting with 4 shots of Supes back, as if we are accompanying him.

Oh NARCISSISM! I kept hearing it as "Gnosticism" and was VERY confused! That makes a LOT more sense!

High Self Esteem, in my family, is just called humility, and it comes from not thinking of yourself, but think about others and God more.

Chris Reeves Superman 1 movie gave the best upbringing for Clark and set the character of Superman perfectly. His father was proud of him for being a good young man when Clark was frustrated about not being allowed to use his powers to dominate football and garner fame and fortune that way. His dad encouraged him that he was meant for more than just using his powers for things like football. Moments later Jon Kent suffers a fatal heart attack right in front of Clark. The lesson in humility is driven home in the funeral scene where Clark laments to his mother that despite all his powers, he couldn't even save him. That is such a wonderful, bittersweet moment that pays tremendous respect to the childrearing done by Jon and Martha Kent, and it made Jon's death mean something profound and inspiring to Clark. Namely, that Clark is not a god, and he should always remain humble in that regard. Even near the end of the film, Superman gets angry with the loss of Lois, yet another cherished personal relationship lost (but this time to a villain) and changes the timeline with his powers out of sheer pain and grief. Seemingly accepting that he is not a god, but can sometimes do godly things, he does not go crazy with these powers. We never see this happen again in the movies series either. His upbringing in this movie enabled Clark to make difficult decisions as Superman, and it made him relatable - both with the loss of his father and when he changed history to save Lois. Christopher Reeves Superman is the GOAT for this reason, and of course that Reeves played the role so incredibly well portraying Superman/Clark as humble, fit but not absurdly muscular, and perfectly able to transition between the two personas. edit: oh yeah, music is too loud, fyi.

I think the real problem with Timverse's Superman is naivety. He had seen two alternate versions of himself becoming a dictator and has been mind controlled twice (one by Darkseid and another by Eclipse, and we've seen he'll be controlled in the future by Starr-o) and he still thinks people should trust him blindly. In Superman and Lois he had never face a situation where he could be anything but helpful to the world, but after he sees it can be different, he insist that someone has to be able to stop him. And don't make me start with the Supergirl version.

WOw Burce Tim's DCAU was really something and it is still ahead of todays' SH universe.

I hate the arguement "everything he does is on you."

I love the episode where Superman meets Captain Marvel and we can see the difference in his character.

One thing I loved about Man of Steel was the single line at the end: “I’m from Kansas.”

I noticed a distinction from this Superman and other versions that are considered proper. A lot are total dorks, gentle giants, but this Superman is a tease. He likes to banter and has a competitive side to him. He prone to angry and impulsive actions. Not unlike the others but like this video pointed out, he was becoming jaded and he needed his support network to correct him so he could continuously serve and have fun doing it.

In real life high self esteem mostly leads to high ego and narcissism. I’m not advocating low self esteem but a moderate amount of self esteem. Not thinking too highly or too lowly about yourself. I say mostly because I’m sure there are high self esteem people who aren’t narcissists with huge egos but many do end up that way. There are many criminals who have high self esteem yet commit violent crimes.

JLU Superman is my favorite version of the character. He’s angry, but rightfully so with all the betrayal and weight on his shoulders as being the leader of the Justice League. But he’s not full dictator like in injustice. He’s a human who’s frustrated from his career, and that makes him most relatable to me

Really excited to see you go back into academics! I’ve learned so much from your videos that take that approach so I can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for us

Super excited for this video and is going to be a blast watching the next one too. Thank you.

I just want you to know I really love your content and takes. They very much align with my special interests and opinions and I appreciate all you do.

This is my second favorite outro music you've used. The Sheung Chi montage was the absolute best of my number 1 favorite outro /intro you used equal to that was "I was out of town, to find myself " anyway I hope you keep this one for long time!

Your videos and choice with music is awesome!

JLU will always be my favorite cartoon for this and a few other reasons.

Great video! The music is on Point!

Superman is kinda’ve a tragic character when you think about it. He’s a nice normal guy, who, through no fault of his own, has the power of a god, and, simply because he’s a good person, knows he must use this power to help people, and accept the enormous responsibility of being the most powerful man on earth

Love the videos man, easily some of the best character alaysis I've seen and you make it feel like art with the unique editing. Keep doing what you're doing.

MAN I love your channel. superman is my favourite comic-book character of all time and I love to hear your takes on different heroes, seriously great work man

I really love all your videos!

You probably understand Superman more than current Hollywood.

Self-esteem: "I am awesome and want to remain awesome, therefore I work hard, learn, and even sacrifice." Narcisissm "I am awesome and will always remain awesome. Any contradictions will be... resolved."

This is my favorite television show I was kid back then

Can I have your playlist in music, unlike most RU-vidrs you have an amazing taste in music😂

Talking about flying, Astro City had a great issue with Samaritan (Superman stand in) counting how many seconds he flew in his day and how that was basically his only pleasure

My first exposure to Superman was Superman and Friends, and Superman the animated series. You know, it baffled me later in life in my teen years in highschool and youtube was created and became more of a thing when i was shocked by a few things: 1) how powerful Superman can be(born from the Goku vs Superman debate and when i started delved into more comics , then came death battle) 2) How quite a large number of DC fans find Superman either boring, unrelatable or just "too hard" to write. 3) the amount of SACK riding Batman gets.( I believe Dark Knight really shot up Batmans popularity even more) From the animated series being my very first portal to Superman, i fell in love with the character. I was annoyed when he got his ass kicked but when he improvised and used tactics i was always intrigued. Then there were times when he legit used more power than i ever imagined and was more impressed. (Justice league later making him even more powerful shocked me with delight). He wasnt perfect, easily solving shit, he was charming as Clark, was using his reporting skills to use, Lois and Jimmy then Luthor......love it. Seeing how his character evolved or hit rock bottom, it still amazes to this day people misunderstand how Superman really is but instead get their genitals wet because Injustice made Superman go bad......even though it's fuckin happened before in media long before Injustice 😑😑😑

So this was a great start to the discussion, but it never gets to the extent to where the actual superman goes, how his actions empower both cadmius and Lex, and the fact that his fight with Shazam was him literally fighting the joyful optimist he once was, breaking his trust... and that his fight with Capt. Atom was him fighting the cynic/narcissist he was becoming.

Hey, there's something I'd love to see in this channel, a really good review about Justice League Infinity, that comic its a very good continuation (and it's a canon) from JLU animated series ❤

Chad DCAU Superman vs Virgin DCEU Superman.

Miss this series..

Lore of JLU Superman: don't be a jerk momentum 100

imagine if the justice lords got the superhero army before the justice league arrived. that would have been so metal seeing the league fight off all those heroes

This is the best review of Disney's "Wish" that I've heard yet.

Zack synders superman was about how hard it is to stand for anything. When everything can be corrupted. Even standing u for yourself is sometimes a moral conflict. And i respect that type of story. And all other superman stories. I could break down every charcter

The Justice Lord Supes is the ultimate expression of kill a murderer and the amount of murderers remains the same… except it is also a narcissistic death spiral of his ego taking over to prove he was right in killing Luthor and in doing so… he actually proved Lex was DEAD ON in his assessment of the Justice Lord Superman. The prime universe Superman, by not killing Luthor and in constantly asking for input of the people who the Justice Lord Superman would very likely ignore… proves he is the better man.

i love clark

For me superman in JLU is much better written than batman. Batman was cool, no real flaws. Superman went through an arc during the entirety of the whole show. The best stories revolved around him. Hopefully Gunn make superman the lead of all the justice league films. Justice league stories just work better with superman as the lead.

The last decade or so of media -especially superhero media-has show time and time again that Superman can't be subverted because he IS the subversion.

Great vid as always, here’s the real question tho: tim daily or George newbern Superman?

to be fair doomsday being lobotomized still didn't stop him so throwing it back at superman is kinda bullshit, like, what do you expect him to do? lmao

Honestly I grew up with Justice League cartoons, mostly Unlimited. So my first experiences with Superman were almost always as a well meaning, poo poo head. He's earned his spot on the team, but far from the best in any category to my childhood interpretation. So hearing his reputation as the best of the best always fell flat for me growing up.

I miss lighthearted Boy Scout Superman! He can be intense but still fun

I just watched silicon soul and it echoes back in the justice lords episode... Think there could be something there

The thumbnail, though

Superman honestly thought he was foing the right thing because of how lex proved to him and showed him and broken and rigged the system is to people in powerful positions. Time is money and money is power.

What is the song in the beginning intro

Dwayne McDuffie should have been writing Superman since Superman TAS

can anyone tell me the name of the song he played before the credits?

Jlu suerman is a friend not just a superhero. Hes a superfriend.

first time i ever notice poison ivy got marks of superman laser beam eyes

Can we talk about the fact superman made a lunch for Lois consisting of grapes, celery sticks and chicken? Just a bizarre combination.. bizarre... Bizarro... Oooh no!

Kid superman vs kid invincible

Too bad the last season did not measure up to the Cadmus arc.

HELPP,.. i need the intro song at 0:03

Injustice Superman is jokers philosophy of "One bad day". Other Superman versions is one bad decision after the next.

what's the intro song?

It makes me sad that people say My Adventures with Superman has the best versions of these characters when this show did them so much better.

The difference between HSE and narcissism specifically mentioning hierarchy is interesting to me as an Anarchist.

That song? What is the name?

"Ah, love." Injustice Batman is all of us.

comics are more complicated than TV

heck, only the movies can get things right.

"our" Superman diverged ONLY because he had the example of Justice Lord Superman to look at. Unprompted, he might have done the exact same thing.

Wait what was flash doing?

I just don’t think people get the power of the paragon. Just like Cap in Civil War, what if this charismatic leader is aimed in the wrong direction. It’s not about making Superman darker or cynical it’s about what if this character who fully believes he’s right is against what others believe is right? It made him more of a person imo. He doesn’t have omniscience to know exactly what he should do. What side he should be on(Hawkgirl even calls him out as always riding the fence). But once he makes up his mind this person whole heartedly believes he’s in the right with charisma to pull others to his side and the power to enforce his beliefs. Another fascinating character is Cyclops because he’s also a paragon but inverse his beliefs, as a mutant, aren’t universally considered right. Supes is the hardest to understand because it seems no one accepts he’s just some dude from Kansas trying to do what he believes is right.

comic book characters, am I right?

End song?

I hate that now Batman is the number 1 in the League when he would never do what Superman do and possibly leaving Superman without this big responsibility. In the latest DC movies Superman did nothing and the Bat family did everything. For example, Raven is Robins girl and her daddy now can take Darkseid.

As a person who once left a a comment on one of your videos try to distinguish Nietzschen egoism with Randian egoism... I very much approve of this video.

in my opinion.

it's still better than the comics.