10 Best Superman: The Animated Series Episodes

4. "Legacy Part One"

Superman The Animated Series Cover
Warner Bros.

"Legacy" is a two-part episode marking the series finale and features one of the most harrowing stories told in Superman: The Animated Series. Everyone knows Darkseid is evil, but this episode explores just how much of a bad guy he truly is.

When Darkseid's minions attack an unnamed planet, it appears as though the planet's defensea have won, until a single soldier powers his way through to win the day. He is given the King's scepter and is revealed to be none other than Superman!

It is later revealed that Kal-El is missing and had been taken by Darkseid and brainwashed to believe he grew up on Apokolips, not on Earth. This was an episode akin to Marvel's What If..? series by asking the question, what if Superman grew up on Apokolips?

He becomes the most powerful tool in Apokolips' goal to take over the universe as he is sent from planet to planet to defeat... pretty much everyone. This episode explores the "nature vs. nurture" argument to determine once and for all if Superman is truly the paragon of good he is known as. In the second part, Superman's return to Earth causes his memories to come back and he ultimately rebels against Darkseid and begins the work to regain the trust he lost from the people of Earth.

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Jonathan is a graphic artist, illustrator, writer, and game designer. Jonathan retired from the U.S. Army in 2017 and enjoys researching and writing about history, science, theology, and many other subjects. He writes for ScreenRant, CBR, NerdBastards, Listverse, Ranker, WhatCulture, and many other sites online. You can check out his latest on Twitter: @TalkingBull or on his blog: jonathanhkantor.com