Writing at CBR, one G. Kendall offers a sketch of the development of Superman: The Animated Series, which ran in between Warner Bros. groundbreaking Batman animated show and the monumental two versions of the Justice League series.
Even though series creators didn't have to overcome the legacy of something like the Adam West Batman TV show, they still had some work making the Metropolis Marvel more grounded in order to appeal to a 1990s audience (the show ran from 1996 to 2000). A big chunk of Supes' Silver Age adventures were plenty silly even without any Biff! Pow! television episodes. The Christopher Reeve version of the character had two good outings but derailed in its third and fourth movies -- and it relied some on the cornier aspects of the character in conflict with the hip 1970s.
Fortunately the creative team of Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett found a formula that made for a show with its own identity and aesthetic. While Tim Daly didn't became as iconic a Man of Steel as Kevin Conroy did for Batman, the Clancy Brown Lex Luthor and Dana Delany Lois Lane set some standards that a lot of live-action portrayals have yet to meet. Michael Ironside's Darkseid also overshadows a lot of other portrayals of that character.
Anyway, Kendall's article was a nice reminder of the show, for which I have a soft spot by virtue of my own first career as a somewhat mild-mannered reporter. Oh, and Dana Delany.
Michael Ironside overshadows many things in which he doesn't even appear.
ReplyDeleteYep. In a wee bit of irony, I think his unruffled portrayal of Darkseid may have had an influence on the way Josh Brolin played Thanos.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the first part of Infinity War yet. I figured I'd wait and catch a double feature showing when the second part came out.
ReplyDeleteGood idea. I have a hunch that when the smoke settles the first "Avengers" movie will be the only one I re-watch anyway.
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