10 Best Superman: The Animated Series Episodes

10. "Ghost In The Machine"

Superman has a lot of enemies, but two of his biggest have to be Lex Luthor and Brainiac. In the 14th episode from the second season, Brainiac returns after his defeat by Superman in a previous fight. Unfortunately for him, he no longer has a suitable body and needs help building a new one.

Brainiac succeeds in tricking Lex Luthor into a storage room where he forces the criminal genius to build him a brand new body. During this time, Lex's right hand, Mercy Graves, becomes worried about her boss' disappearance and enlists none other than the Man of Steel to help her find him.

Brainiac works Luthor to near death from exhaustion, but he ends up completing enough of the body for Brainiac to inhabit. He tries to run away when he learns of the villain's intention to kill him, but gets blasted with an energy ray and collapses.

Superman arrives on the scene and fights Brainiac who is now able to stand up to the Man of Steel in a one-on-one fight. Ultimately, the Superman defeats his foe and Brainiac is dealt with, but the crux of this episode wasn't the contest between Superman and Brainiac, it was the conflict Lex had being subjected to work for another villain, which helped to develop his character.