Superman on Television
Superman: The Animated Series - Episode Reviews
Season 2 - Episode 24: "Warrior Queen"
Original Air Date: November 22, 1997Reviewed by: Nathan Wozniak
I've never liked Maxima.
That could be my entire review really as it enforces my view of this story, but I'll continue.
To be fair my personal experience of Maxima is limited, having first become aware of her in the "Death of Superman" trade paperback, in this story Maxima was just another character, a powerful destructive character, similar to Marvel's Namor in the sense that she was pompous royalty with not that much compassion but a strong sense of honor.
Maxima appeared in the Post-Crisis Superman stories, created by Roger Stern and George Perez in Action Comics #645, September 1989.
As I said, I'm limited in my Maxima knowledge though her initial appearance has been covered in From Crisis to Crisis, a podcast that has wonderfully helped to bridge the gaps of my Post-Crisis Superman knowledge.
Maxima's appearance here in The Animated Series isn't hugely influential on the rest of the Timmverse, however Maxima has appeared in another media interpretation: Smallville in the season 8 episode "Instinct" played by Charlotte Sullivan. Like in the animated series Maxima's character there really isn't that compelling, used mainly as a plot point to develop the Lois/Clark relationship and she's mainly an alien version of Poison Ivy (which Smallville had already done previously).
After all that pre-amble onto the story itself:
Rating - 3 (out of 5): This is possibly my least favorite of the S.T.A.S series and that made it difficult to rate, I went into the episode expecting to hate it and while I certainly didn't love it, I did discover more to like than I'd remembered (hence the 3 rather than a 2).
We open on a Science Fiction landscape (and I have to give credit to the animators of this series, they do a very good job portraying alien landscapes and differentiating them from each other) and a Gladiator battle is in progress, there's some cheesy tough guy back and forth and some suggestive themes that watching the show as an adult are quite creepy. Maxima overcomes her combatant and obviously evil guy has an evil sneer. (Seriously did anyone expect this guy not to be evil?)
Maxima is voiced by Sharon Lawrence, most well known for her roles in NYPD Blue and Cheers, she gives Maxima a strong energy in her voice, playing the spoiled brat personality with charm. De'Cine (again how does anyone not know he's evil?) is played by Miguel Ferer, Robert Morton from Robocop. Ferer has several roles in Superman: The Animated Series, playing Aquaman and Mark Mardon (Weather Wizard), as well as being the voice for Vandal Savage (and Bibbo) in Young Justice. He portrays the character well enough, though there's no subtlety in the acting.
We have a flashback scene to Last Son of Krypton with Superman fighting the battlesuit, Maxima's girlish squeals for Superman aren't endearing, and Maxima very quickly decides to head off to catch her mate.
She arrives in Metropolis and like any media scene of a new tough woman in town, she proves her toughness when a gang of jerks try it on.
"Did you hear me say you could paw me? I DON'T THINK SO!"
We move to Angela Chen's television show, who's desperate for more Superman coverage, her prayers are answered with Maxima's appearance, although it quickly turns into a nightmare.
Superman turns up, she doesn't handle rejection well, they fight and she uses Superman's softness to take him down and kidnap him. One of the few redeemable scenes in this episode comes from the married couple's dialogue.
"Now they're hugging!"
"Just don't get any ideas!"
We see a packed alien market and Maxima returns to discover revolution.
("Curse you're sudden but inevitable betrayal!")
Maxima's character is well described by Sazu:
"A Spoiled self interested brat, more interested in trapping a mate than the needs of her people."
Maxima, Sazu and Superman are all banished to the pits, we have a nice quote that pretty much sums up Superman:
Maxima: "I have the power to do as I please."
Superman: "And a responsibility to do what's right."
I just want to say here how much I love Tim Daly's Superman, he brings an honest earnestness to the cheesy corny dialogue of Superman. In my opinion, Daly is the best animated Superman so far.
Superman and Maxima fight a giant worm (yes, really), overcome it by working together and retake the throne.
For a while you feel that Superman has had an impact on this world, on Maxima that following his departure she'll strive to be a better queen.
That feeling lasts all of 5 seconds when Lobo comes crashing through the walls making Maxima's leg's fly wildly in the air like a dog's wagging tail.
And that's it! Ultimately it's not so bad, we have action, some comedy and a little bit of politics aimed at the young, but this episode screams "filler" adding nothing to the overall animated Universe.
Next time is the first part of an epic story that I can't wait to review: Apokolips Now!
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