10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About '90s Superman Cartoon

The producers just couldn't stop interfering...

Superman the Animated Series Nick Fury
Warner Bros.

After the universal acclaim of Batman: The Animated Series, Warner Bros. took the next logical step and adapted Superman for the silver screen. Superman: The Animated Series was met with praise but nowhere near as much as BTAS received, which was hailed as the golden standard for animated shows. This is a shame because this series introduced millions of viewers to the mythos behind the Man of Steel.

Nearly everyone is familiar with Kal-El's origin, Lex Luthor, and Zod, but it was through this cartoon where many fans learned of Brainiac, Mr. Mxyzptlk, the Mother Boxes, Apokolips, and Darkseid.

The show was a hard-sell since Superman was perceived as old-fashioned and cheesy compared to broody heroes which were popular at the time like Batman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men. The creators, Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett, managed to craft a beautiful series filled with astounding animation, masterful voice work, and deep characters, while keeping the stories faithful to the source material.

Even if you're a die-hard fan of the series, there are probably many things you didn't know about it. Let's have a look at the show's best Easter eggs including references to Marvel, actors who nearly played Superman, and how the show could have turned out very differently.

10. Who Nearly Played Superman?

Superman the Animated Series Nick Fury
Columbia Pictures

To hardcore DC fans, Mark Hamill IS The Joker. Kevin Conroy IS Batman. For many, Tim Daly, who plays the title character in Superman: TAS, is seen as the definitive voice of the iconic superhero. Daly's portrayal was very influential since he chose to play Superman and Clark Kent with the same voice. Rather than playing Kent as a bumbling geek, Daly portrayed the character as diligent and confident. Daly has received glowing reviews from fans and his portrayal is often seen as the template on how to voice Superman.

Things could have turned out differently since the role nearly went to Adam Baldwin. Baldwin has starred in Fullmetal Jacket and Independence Day but is best-known as Jayne Cobb in the tv series, Firefly. He got the chance to voice Supes in the 2007 animated film, Superman: Doomsday, and the 2011 video game, DC Comics Online.

The role of Superman also nearly went to Clancy Brown. The casting director thought Brown's voice would work better for a villain and cast him as Lex Luthor. When Brown was told he won the role of Superman's nemesis, he said, "Am I EVER going to play a good guy?"

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Contributor

James Egan has written 80 books including 1000 Facts about Superheroes Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about TV Shows Vol. 1-3 Twitter - @jameswzegan85