DCAU Superman Problems

[Lexrules]

He was badly underpowered..I used to call him Kinda Powerful Man.

Amen.

He was a punching bag for the most part. Your better off watching the 60's Superman for a good take on the character. Also look up the Ruby/ Spears 80's Series and yes even The Superfriends for better versions IMO. Hell even the one episode of the Batman Brave and The Bold had a great Superman and much better them DCAU version.

[Auguste Dupin]

Amen.

He was a punching bag for the most part. Your better off watching the 60's Superman for a good take on the character. Also look up the Ruby/ Spears 80's Series and yes even The Superfriends for better versions IMO. Hell even the one episode of the Batman Brave and The Bold had a great Superman and much better them DCAU version.

There was two episodes of Brave and the Bold with Superman in it. The second one has him teams up with Batman and Wonder Woman. He gets his ass kicked by Cheetah (granted, she used Kryptonite AND magic at the same time to take him down).
But the way he tricks Luthor into telling him how his armor worked (so he could break it more easily), and the way he got rid of his piece of Kryptonie in 2 seconds when the episode starts was pretty cool.

[Whip Whirlwind]

Definitely one of my favorite versions of the character.

While I agree that he was at times a bit aggressive, for the most part I found him more decisive / assertive. Those are 2 qualities that I think comic superman could use more of.

[Mr. Holmes]

There was two episodes of Brave and the Bold with Superman in it. The second one has him teams up with Batman and Wonder Woman. He gets his ass kicked by Cheetah (granted, she used Kryptonite AND magic at the same time to take him down).
But the way he tricks Luthor into telling him how his armor worked (so he could break it more easily), and the way he got rid of his piece of Kryptonie in 2 seconds when the episode starts was pretty cool.

They need to do a Silver Age styled Superman cartoon.

[Daybreak_st]

Amen.

He was a punching bag for the most part. Your better off watching the 60's Superman for a good take on the character. Also look up the Ruby/ Spears 80's Series and yes even The Superfriends for better versions IMO. Hell even the one episode of the Batman Brave and The Bold had a great Superman and much better them DCAU version.

Um...no. At least on the Ruby Spears cartoon. I just picked it up a few years ago and it's not the amazing cartoon I remembered. Clark is a cardboard cutout not fleshed out or interesting in the least. Lois is boring/irritating. If your enjoyment of the DCAU began and ended with Superman's power levels then I feel sorry for you. The majority of fans were too busy enjoying the stories, characters, and development to be so overly concerned with his power level. If power level was the determining factor for the the quality of Superman stories then Superman Returns should rank pretty high up there along with Superman 4 since he pushed the whole moon in that one

[Lexrules]

Um...no. At least on the Ruby Spears cartoon. I just picked it up a few years ago and it's not the amazing cartoon I remembered. Clark is a cardboard cutout not fleshed out or interesting in the least. Lois is boring/irritating. If your enjoyment of the DCAU began and ended with Superman's power levels then I feel sorry for you. The majority of fans were too busy enjoying the stories, characters, and development to be so overly concerned with his power level. If power level was the determining factor for the the quality of Superman stories then Superman Returns should rank pretty high up there along with Superman 4 since he pushed the whole moon in that one

I found the Ruby/ Spears stories to be much better written especially the Smallville Chronicles as well as a much better take on Superman then STAS. Like I said when you make Superman a punching bag for every 2 bit villain like Livewire we have a problem.

[Mr. Holmes]

Yeah while Timm and co. nailed it with Batman, they got really unimaginative as to how to threaten Superman, so they decided to power him down and let him get jobbed a lot. It was a fine show and well done, but one of my least favorite interpretations of the character. But it had some really high points, especially the Darkseid moments.

I also hated how Superman became in asshole in JLU to Captain Marvel.

[Auguste Dupin]

They need to do a Silver Age styled Superman cartoon.

That would be cool, although I would somehow enjoy more a Doctor Who like tone than something too similar to Brave and The Bold, if only because well.....it's been done already.
That or a Golden Age T shirt wearing Superman. A man can dream.

[LoneNecromancer]

That would be cool, although I would somehow enjoy more a Doctor Who like tone than something too similar to Brave and The Bold, if only because well.....it's been done already.
That or a Golden Age T shirt wearing Superman. A man can dream.

Seriously, it would be fantasically easy to make a good quality cartoon or even a video game based of young t-shirt and jeans Superman.

[Kurosawa]

They need to do a Silver Age styled Superman cartoon.

They really do. Heck, they could have continued Batman: The Brave and the Bold as DC Comics Presents with Superman and I would have been happy.

Yeah while Timm and co. nailed it with Batman, they got really unimaginative as to how to threaten Superman, so they decided to power him down and let him get jobbed a lot. It was a fine show and well done, but one of my least favorite interpretations of the character. But it had some really high points, especially the Darkseid moments.

I also hated how Superman became in asshole in JLU to Captain Marvel.

Even the best Batman guys just can't be trusted with Superman.

[cactusmaac]

It wasn't bad by any means but I struggle to think of any episodes which really made you appreciate the character of Superman and make him seem interesting or compelling.

[DochaDocha]

I have a tendency to react negatively when people say Superman: the Animated Series was a good portrayal of Superman, but I admit much of that was because I thought his alarming, decreased power level was a big reason for that. Overall, I'd say the show was average, but that's because I think there were great episodes, really awful ones, and just about everything in between. I think Tim Daly, at times, sounded a little too lethargic to be someone I consider to be the most influential hero in that universe. I wanted more people, other than just Lois and Jimmy, to be really wowed by Superman up and down. I liked the episode "Knight Time," but it stung a little when Robin didn't seem to care at all that he had just met Superman. That doesn't compute in this fan's book.

Add a little "Wow" factor, and improve Superman's power level so that the action scenes aren't so dull, and this show would've been better regarded. As such, I think it's a big step below Batman: the Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited.

[Francisco]

The problem with DCAU Superman is that he wasn't the most influential hero in that universe. Timm highjacked that position and gave it to the bat-god.

[stk]

They really do. Heck, they could have continued Batman: The Brave and the Bold as DC Comics Presents with Superman and I would have been happy.

That would have been awesome, although I don't associate the Sprang-ish art style with Superman as much. It would be nice if they could go for something a little more DC Comics Presents-esque and try for a style more along the lines of Garcia-Lopez.

[Daybreak_st]

I found the Ruby/ Spears stories to be much better written especially the Smallville Chronicles as well as a much better take on Superman then STAS. Like I said when you make Superman a punching bag for every 2 bit villain like Livewire we have a problem.

While the Smallville Chronicles were really good the rest of the show wasn't very dynamic and the characters weren't really developed as far as I'm concerned.

I really don't understand the complaint about his power level in the DCU, it was similar to fleischer cartoon. In fact he was probably stronger from the outset. Fleischer Superman was closer to the original comic version. He wasn't crafted as some all-powerful demi-god that some seem to prefer but a bullet-proof action hero. In the Fleischer cartoon he was often knocked around and hurt by conventional means. That's essentially what DCU did but to a lesser degree. In fact they gave him a growth arc (lack of a better term) if you compare his powers at the beginning of the series to the end of Justice League he was far more powerful. I think that's a great handle on Superman, he starts out less powerful but as he gets older, faces more threats, and absorbs more sunlight he progressively gets stronger. Even the new 52 seems to use that idea.