Regular visitors to this web site know that I don’t often review individual episodes of TV series. (Those of you who would like to know why should read my Frequently Asked Questions). However, Legacy, a recent two-part installment of the Superman WB series merits close attention for two reasons.
First, according to series creator Paul Dini, this is one of the last Superman episodes to be filmed for the WB. Secondly, Legacy already was a controversial episode before it aired – it received raves at the San Diego Comics Con in 1999, yet was repeatedly bumped from the WB’s Saturday morning lineup. (Both facts are reported in a piece written by Steve Fritz for Another Universe).
Legacy is by turns interesting, gripping, disturbing, shocking – and ultimately unsatisfying. It isn’t the best Superman story ever written, but it’s one of the best Dini has written and shows that the animated series has definitely found its own voice. The series definitely struggled in its first year, partly because there are so many Supermen that are still known to the public – there is the Golden Age Superman, the Max Fleischer Superman, the Silver Age Superman, Steve Reeves, Christopher Reeve, the John Byrne Superman, and the Kingdom Come Superman of Alex Ross and Mark Waid. Dini’s series is at its best when sticking close to the New Gods Jack Kirby created for DC in the 1970s, and by pitting Superman against the evil Darkseid, ruler of Apokolips.
Legacy begins with disturbing imagery of intergalactic war, and then shifts to Earth. Superman is missing, and in his place are a series of look alike androids controlled by Supergirl. This is a nice reference to the Silver Age Superman, who kept dozens of androids in the Fortress of Solitude in case of emergency. Supergirl is clearly frazzled, especially when longtime enemy Lex Luthor realizes her charade.
The real Superman, meanwhile, is on the evil world of Apokalips. He’s been brainwashed to believe he was raised by Darkseid, and is groomed to conquer the Earth with Darkseid’s troopers. In a gripping sequence, Lex Luthor throws his support behind the United States military, Superman battles Supergirl, and girlfriend Lois Lane watches as Superman directly receives a bomb blast.
The story declines once Superman attempts to redeem himself in the eyes of Metropolis. Too many questions are left unanswered. What do Ma and Pa Kent think about Clark’s behavior? What happened to the other aliens who were part of Superman’s invading force? Was Superman’s capture by the military supported by the Pentagon? How was Darkseid able to catch Superman so easily? Why doesn’t Luthor use his Red Sun lamps to light his office, if they are such a useful Anti-Kryptonian measure? Where on earth are all the other heroes (Flash, Green Lantern, Steel, and Dr. Fate) that Dini eagerly packed into other episodes of Superman Adventures? This isn’t an unfair question – remember that Superman popped into Gotham City when Batman was missing.
Perhaps Legacy would have worked better as an "imaginary story." Imaginary stories were a staple of the Silver Age Superman’s adventures. Set outside of normal continuity, these stories dealt with various deaths of Superman and his friends and potential partnerships with Lex Luthor. Legacy leaves too many unanswered questions for what is most likely a self-contained episode.
Regardless, Legacy deserves credit for taking risks with a series at a time when lesser creators would be eager to coast out their last few episodes. It’s worth watching – and I wish that Dini had created a direct-to video extended version that would answer some of my questions.
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