Superman on Television
Superman's Appearances on "The Batman" Animated Series
Episode Guide
This guide only lists Superman's appearances on this cartoon series, and does not list airdates for repeat showings.
Episodes
Episode Guide by Barry Freiman
Summaries
"The Batman/Superman Story" (Parts 1 & 2)
Writer: Alan BurnettDirector: Vinton Heuck
Starring: Evan Sabara (Dick Grayson/Robin), Rino Romano (Bruce Wayne/Batman), George Newbern (Superman)
Guest Starring: Louis Gossett, Jr. (Lucius Fox), James Remar (Black Mask), Lex Lang (Clayface/Metallo), Dana Delany (Lois Lane), Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor), Gwendoline Yeo (Merci), Jack DeSena (Jimmy Olsen)
Aired in the U.S.A.: September 22, 2007 and September 29, 2007
Superman comes to Metropolis to present Gotham City with a check to rebuild from the alien invasion of last season's season finale.
Metallo attacks Superman.
Batman and Robin rescue Superman and take the Kryptonite away.
Superman uses his X-ray vision to look through Batman's mask and finds out he's Bruce Wayne.
Lex Luthor complains to his assistant Mercy that there are no more Metropolis villains he can use against Superman. He gets the idea to go to Gotham City.
Batman takes Robin to the new Tech-Lab Batcave. There, Lucius Fox is testing new technology like Bat-armor. Robin gets a jet pack. Batman tells Lucius to gift wrap the Kryptonite in lead.
Batman tracks supersonic disturbances in Metropolis and notes all of the lines that are from Superman emanate from either the Daily Planet or Clark Kent's apartment building (also where Lois Lane lives).
Bruce shows up at Clark's apartment and gives him the Kryptonite encased in lead. It turns out the Justice League invited Superman to join and he turned them down as he prefers to work alone.
Superman throws the lead lined Green K into the sun.
Working late at the Daily Planet, Lois is kidnapped by Clayface.
Superman flies to her rescue. Batman and Robin chase after Superman.
A bunch of Bat-rogues have Lois kidnapped. Black Mask fires a gun that envelops Superman in red solar radiation which saps his powers. Superman is attacked by Bane, Clayface, and Mr. Freeze.
Batman and Robin join the fight. The three heroes stop the bad guys. Lois tells them she overheard Black Mask saying that Lex is behind the kidnap. Superman flies off alone.
Superman confronts Luthor. Lex has kidnapped Poison Ivy and uses her mind-controlling spores laced with Kryptonite to take over Superman's mind.
End of Part 1.
Batman looks for Superman. He searches Lex's Gotham City office and finds a test tube in the trash. Back at the Batcave, the Batman's testing reveals traces of plant spores on the test tube and he surmises Ivy's involvement.
Batman and Robin go to Luthor's weapons plant because Lucius told Batman that the plant has been working overtime on some project.
Batman finds an army of robots and imprisoned Ivy.
Batman is attacked by Clayface but he stops him. Batman comes face-to-face with the mind-controlled Man of Steel. Superman is wearing a gas mask that keeps him constantly breathing a mix of Ivy's spores and Kryptonite. Batman blows up the mask with a batarang.
Lex explains to Batman that the robotic army is to ensure that humans remain in control of Earth's destiny should there ever be another alien invasion. The robots will give Lex total control over all armed forces on Earth. Lex orders Superman to destroy Batman.
Batman uses a sliver of Kryptonite against Superman. Superman crashes and two kids, who are unaware that Superman is mind-controlled, recognize the Kryptonite and get it away from Superman.
Superman breaks into the Batcave. Batman armors up in the bat-armor. Superman chases Batman through Gotham. Robin tries to slow Superman down. Superman beats the armor off of Batman.
Batman leads Superman to a factory and he douses Superman in a plant-killing chemical. Superman regains control of his own mind and thanks Batman and Robin.
The three heroes arrive at Lex's factor just as the robotic army flies into the sky. Superman chases the robots and destroys them. Batman and Robin break into the factory. Mercy shoots at the Caped Crusaders. Lex gets inside a giant robot and takes off inside of it. Batman stops Mercy. Batman throws a batarang at the giant robot's head. The batarang gives the robot a computer virus, which slows it down. Superman smashes Lex's robot. Lex is jailed.
Later, Superman meets Batman at the Justice League satellite. Batman shows Superman around. Batman offers to give Superman the Kryptonite for real this time (he kept it just in case he needed it to stop the Man of Steel). Superman tells Batman to keep the Kryptonite, that he'd rather it be with someone he can trust.
End of Part 2.
Read our review of this episode in the "The Batman: Episode Reviews".
"Lost Heroes" (Parts 1 & 2)
Writer: Stan Berkowitz & Alexx Van DyneDirector: John Fang & Vinton Heuck
Starring: Evan Sabara (Dick Grayson / Robin), Rino Romano (Bruce Wayne / Batman)
Guest Starring: George Newbern (Superman), Richard Green (Hugo Strange, Toyman), John Larroquette (Mirror Master), Chris Hardwick (Green Arrow), Dermot Mulroney (Green Lantern), Dorian Harewood (Martian Manhunter)
Aired in the U.S.A.: March 8, 2008
Batman and Superman are tracking the Toyman when mysterious bombs go off. When the smoke clears, Toyman's unconscious and Superman is gone.
Flash and Green Arrow track Mirror Master to the Central City Fairground House of Mirrors. The Flash finds canisters of gas that go off rendering them all unconscious.
Later, in the Batcave, Batman and Green Arrow discuss the similar circumstances under which Superman and the Flash have vanished. Green Lantern flies into the cave followed by J'onn. Green Arrow has a bit of a chip on his shoulder about not having powers. J'onn tells the heroes that Hawkman is missing as well. The heroes realize they're being picked off one at a time. Green Arrow wonders why they didn't take him or Batman. J'onn suggests that whoever is behind the kidnappings only wants heroes with super powers. Green Arrow thinks J'onn is saying that he and Batman can't cut it without special powers. Batman suggests they return to Central City to look for more clues. GL uses his ring to fly them there.
At the fairgrounds, J'onn senses something scrambling around him and goes to investigate. Meanwhile, in another part of the fairground, Batman examines the detonation device for the gas canisters. Suddenly the heroes hear an explosion and run to investigate. They see a huge wall of fire and J'onn weakened stumbling through the flames. GL is about to use his ring when he's attacked by an unknown yellow energy source and knocked unconscious. Batman and GA are separated from their fallen allies by a wall of fire.
Batman notices a nearby water tower and uses a batarang to knock it down. GA fires an arrow bursting the tank open. The water puts out the fire. When the smoke clears, J'onn and GL are both gone. Batman notices something slinking away on a roof across the street but they're too far away.
Back at the Batcave, Batman works nonstop trying to analyze the detonator they found in Central City. Batman is tired and almost falls asleep when GA radios him. GA is in the arrow-plane and he is still beating himself up over losing their allies. Batman tries to stay focused but, after days of nonstop investigating, he falls asleep. GA gets the message when Batman snores into the communicator.
While sleeping, Batman dreams, seeing the missing heroes in shackles with some weird energy being fired through them. They are in pain. Batman turns in his dream and sees J'onn who keeps saying over and over "Hugo Strange". The Martian disappears and suddenly Batman sees Robin. He's awaken by the sound of Dick's voice. Dick had a strange dream, he tells Batman, about the Martian. Batman realizes J'onn was telepathically reaching out to them in their sleep.
Batman, Robin, and GA go to Arkham to check out Hugo Strange. When they arrive at Strange's cell, Strange is docile at first but then he attacks them. It turns out this isn't Strange at all but a robot. The heroes fight and the robot is seemingly defeated - then, the robot Strange's body bursts open and out comes a huge and growing alien robot.
The robot makes its getaway as Robin helps the injured out of the asylum. Batman hurls a batarang and GA an arrow - both generate electrical current that shorts out the robot. GA is about to fire an arrow to destroy the robot when Batman tells him to wait so he can check something out. Batman pulls out a similar device to the one they found in Central City - both are radio controlled except the one he takes from the robot is still emitting a signal that they can trace. Batman realizes that the Joining has returned.
The trio of heroes tracks the radio signal to an air raid shelter. The heroes break in. There's a force field. The floor opens below the heroes and they're trapped in wires. Hugo Strange emerges. He explains that he joined forces with the Joining after he found some of their downed technology when Gotham was under siege during last year's attack. He agreed to help them get the Justice League members in exchange for "the vast knowledge of the universe."
Batman insists Hugo show them their missing allies. A wall rises and the heroes are shackled like in Batman's dream with some kind of hose pulling energy from their bodies.
Hugo thinks he's foiled an attempted escape by Batman when his robotic henchman finds an explosive in Batman's utility belt. However, it's meant only as a distraction - Batman has a gas pellet hidden in his mouth and spits it out. The smoke covers the room and the heroes escape from their bonds. Using the cover of the smoke, the heroes attack Strange's robotic creatures. They turn their attention to their heretofore missing allies and free them. Superman notes that something doesn't feel right.
All of a sudden, a wall of smoke clears and there appears robotic versions of Superman, Hawkman, GL, Flash, and J'onn. Superman lunges into action and hurts his hand on the Superman robot. The heroes have all lost their powers, or rather their powers are now in their android counterparts.
The heroes are able to use the fact that the androids are still learning to their advantage and they slip away from the robot JLA. The real JLA hijack a Joining spacecraft. Batman knows how to use the alien technology because Waynetech has five of them from the invasion - "spoils of war", Batman says. The robot JLA almost stop them from escaping but Batman flies the heroes out of Strange's stronghold.
Batman is able to prevent the Joining from locating their craft. However, because the robotic version of the Martian Manhunter has telepathy, Batman insists the heroes all close their eyes as he takes them someplace. Batman has electronic devices installed in his cowl intended to interfere with telepathy.
Batman takes them to Wayne Industries. As the spacecraft door opens, the heroes are fired on - by Batgirl. Batman told her to meet them. Batgirl is flabbergasted when the entire Justice League walks out.
Strange tells the Joining that he was right that Batman turned out to be the biggest threat to the Joining. The Joining want Strange to help deal with the League. But Strange says he's done his part and now he's entitled to what he was promised. A robot member of the Joining emerges and connects its tendrils to Strange's face. Strange has information overload. The Joining order the robot JLA to scour the city and find the League.
At the cave, Batman shares with his allies weapons designed to neutralize all their powers. The heroes express concern that Batman has weapons prepared to use against his allies. He explains it's only a precaution and Superman backs him up, explaining how his actions back in the fifth season premiere when Luthor made him go rogue make Batman's actions understandable. Superman looks at the Kryptonite and marvels how he can't even feel it.
Batgirl calls their attention to the monitor screen. The robot JLA are on TV - though the reporters incorrectly wonder why the Justice League is attacking Gotham City. Batman gives each hero a com-link and a power-tracking device that can pick up the power signatures of each hero's power. Robin and Batgirl put on their jet packs. The plan is to attack the robots but not destroy them - they need the robots to be intact so the stolen powers can be returned. Batman explains that he, Robin, Batgirl, and GA will provide distraction while the now powerless powered heroes use the weakness weapons against their robotic counterparts.
The heroes quickly subdue most of the robots though the Superman robot gives chase to Robin and Batgirl. Superman fires the Kryptonite weapon at his robot and stops the robot. The other heroes used weapons designed to take them down on their robot counterparts. The robots are only momentarily subdued.
Superman is about to fire the Kryptonite weapon again when the robot fires heat vision and busts a steam pipe. Superman is scalded and falls off the roof. He's saved by a jetpack-wearing Batgirl. Meanwhile, Robin attacks the Superman robot and realizes that their chests are a weak-spot that breaks through to their energy source. He radios Batman and tells him. Batman opens the Flash robot's "chest" and pushes the real Flash's hand inside. The energy flows back into the Flash. He has his speed back. The other heroes follow suit and get their powers back as well.
Batgirl flies Superman to the robot Superman and he jams his fist in the robot's chest. Superman gets his powers back and tosses the robot away.
The heroes return to Strange's hideout and find Strange in a catatonic state. J'onn tries to read his mind but he's overwhelmed and explains that Strange's brain couldn't take the strain of total knowledge. The heroes think the battle is over with Strange and the robot JLA taken care of. Strange murmurs that it isn't over. J'onn reads Strange's mind - the super robot JLA was intended as an advance force. Now comes the real invasion.
Superman and GL fly into outer space and engage the invading Joining fleet in battle. The Joining fire Kryptonite and yellow energy at Superman and GL. Some of the invaders get past Superman and GL. Hawkman flies to the upper atmosphere to stop as many as he can. Then Flash and GA join the fight on the ground.
J'onn is about to join the fight. Batman realizes that he can shut down the mother ship by hacking in through the Joining technology at Strange's hideout. J'onn reads Strange's mind to get the code for sending out the signal and talks Batgirl through the process of sending the code, while Batman and Robin fight a robot. The robot falls under the contraption used to depower the League. Some power ooze drips out into the robot and it suddenly gains the powers of the entire League, attacking and overpowering Batman and Robin. Batman and Robin fight on. The JLA-powered robot attacks J'onn who tells Batgirl to upload the code. The code renders the Joining inert. Depowered robots fall into Gotham Harbor. GL pushes the mothership into the sun.
The heroes have won and reconvene at the Watchtower/Hall of Justice. Superman tells Batman and GA that, even with their powers, they couldn't have defeated the Joining without the non-powered heroes.
The end.
Read our review of this episode in the "The Batman: Episode Reviews".