10 Darkest Endings In The DC Animated Universe

8. Dan Turpin's Death - Superman: The Animated Series

As things stand, Superman: The Animated Series definitely seems like the most underrated of the DCAU shows. Yes, there's the obscure Zeta Project to consider, but given how long it went on for and how much it accomplished, STAS definitely deserves more credit than it seemingly gets - especially as far as its Fourth World elements are concerned.

Although primarily inspired by the John Byrne Superman run of the 1980s, STAS also took a great deal of inspiration from Jack Kirby's Fourth World Saga. Kirby had passed away in 1994 - about two years before the premiere of STAS - and so the show's creators endeavoured to find a way of paying tribute to the writer/artist in the series.

They did this in two ways mainly: first, by making Darkseid a principle antagonist and by incorporating the conflict between New Genesis and Apokolips into the series; and second, by modelling the character of Dan Turpin on Kirby's personality and features.

During Apokolips Now - where Superman's Fourth World arc really comes to a head - Turpin leads the fight against Darkseid. New Genesis comes to the Earth's aid to scare the Lord of Apokolips off, but instead of leaving politely, the tyrant turns around and blows Turpin to smithereens with his Omega Beams, killing him then and there.

The ensuing funeral serves as a great tribute to Kirby, but the fact Turpin's death happens so abruptly makes it one of the most shocking moments in the DCAU.