[8.4/10] We know Superman isn’t really dead. Maybe, maybe you could argue that as bold as the DCAU has been sometimes, the show’s creative team might have the stones to really do it. But truly killing off one of this universe’s most iconic characters is probably beyond the ken of this series.
That’s what’s so impressive about the first part of “Hereafter” though. Even when you know that Superman’s going to come back some way somehow, the loss is meaningful. Part of that is just the continuity. This episode feels momentous, and especially cool for fans of Superman: The Animated Series, given how many familiar faces from that show pop up.
You have a specific anti-Superman crew comprised of foes like Toyman, Kalibak (who’s slumming it with earthlings), Livewire, Weather Wizard, and Metallo. You have allies like Orion, Dr. Fate, and Aquaman stopping at the funeral. You have his parents, Supergirl, Lana, the Daily Planet crew, and even a confrontation between Lex and Lois. Hell, they even throw in Bibbo the sailor guy in the background! It all makes this feel like something beyond the ordinary.
But they also take the emotional impact of it seriously. Wonder Woman is angry. J’onn gives a stirring eulogy about the gift of what stood for and shared with the world. Flash talks about living up to his example. Hawkgirl tears up. Batman is in denial but speaks movingly about his respect for Superman and the lesson that Justice didn’t have to come from darkness. We see the crater left in the hearts and minds of the League, which makes this loss feel emotionally real, even as we know it’s destined to be undone. The inevitable reversal is mitigated by the fact that the show treats this as legitimate.
You also see that in the League trying to move on without him and the hole he leaves in what they do. They’re laughing and remembering the good times, only to have to struggle to figure out what comes next for their organization, and it makes for a good scene. It’s particularly strong when the show focuses on Batman, someone who’s not effusive with emotion, but who, as Diana notes, doesn’t do well with loss. His sense of denial and acceptance helps give this weight.
Lobo, on the other hand, helps bring the comedy! It’s a blast watching The Big Man and his rude attitude interact with the more staid members of the League, most of them for the first time. His sense of wanting to fill Superman’s spot in the organization is amusing, and the show gets a lot of laughs out of his rough-edged way with dealing with people and the League’s “we are not amused” response to him.
There’s also some good action and excitement here. Watching our heroes make short work of the original crop of Superman villains is entertaining (especially Batman’s interactions with Kalibak.) And the mix-and-match good guys vs. bad guys throwdown at the end of the episode, when the villains think they can run wild without the Man of Steel around, makes for some fun sequences as well.
Overall, this episode does a really nice job of wringing some emotional force out of a development that we know happens with crossed fingers, while also injecting some good comedy and action. It’s not an easy thing to do, which makes the success here all the more impressive.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-08-29T20:01:37Z
[8.4/10] We know Superman isn’t really dead. Maybe, maybe you could argue that as bold as the DCAU has been sometimes, the show’s creative team might have the stones to really do it. But truly killing off one of this universe’s most iconic characters is probably beyond the ken of this series.
That’s what’s so impressive about the first part of “Hereafter” though. Even when you know that Superman’s going to come back some way somehow, the loss is meaningful. Part of that is just the continuity. This episode feels momentous, and especially cool for fans of Superman: The Animated Series, given how many familiar faces from that show pop up.
You have a specific anti-Superman crew comprised of foes like Toyman, Kalibak (who’s slumming it with earthlings), Livewire, Weather Wizard, and Metallo. You have allies like Orion, Dr. Fate, and Aquaman stopping at the funeral. You have his parents, Supergirl, Lana, the Daily Planet crew, and even a confrontation between Lex and Lois. Hell, they even throw in Bibbo the sailor guy in the background! It all makes this feel like something beyond the ordinary.
But they also take the emotional impact of it seriously. Wonder Woman is angry. J’onn gives a stirring eulogy about the gift of what stood for and shared with the world. Flash talks about living up to his example. Hawkgirl tears up. Batman is in denial but speaks movingly about his respect for Superman and the lesson that Justice didn’t have to come from darkness. We see the crater left in the hearts and minds of the League, which makes this loss feel emotionally real, even as we know it’s destined to be undone. The inevitable reversal is mitigated by the fact that the show treats this as legitimate.
You also see that in the League trying to move on without him and the hole he leaves in what they do. They’re laughing and remembering the good times, only to have to struggle to figure out what comes next for their organization, and it makes for a good scene. It’s particularly strong when the show focuses on Batman, someone who’s not effusive with emotion, but who, as Diana notes, doesn’t do well with loss. His sense of denial and acceptance helps give this weight.
Lobo, on the other hand, helps bring the comedy! It’s a blast watching The Big Man and his rude attitude interact with the more staid members of the League, most of them for the first time. His sense of wanting to fill Superman’s spot in the organization is amusing, and the show gets a lot of laughs out of his rough-edged way with dealing with people and the League’s “we are not amused” response to him.
There’s also some good action and excitement here. Watching our heroes make short work of the original crop of Superman villains is entertaining (especially Batman’s interactions with Kalibak.) And the mix-and-match good guys vs. bad guys throwdown at the end of the episode, when the villains think they can run wild without the Man of Steel around, makes for some fun sequences as well.
Overall, this episode does a really nice job of wringing some emotional force out of a development that we know happens with crossed fingers, while also injecting some good comedy and action. It’s not an easy thing to do, which makes the success here all the more impressive.