The Batman-Superman Movie - World's Finest (1997) • An Part 003

"**World's Finest**" is the 16th, 17th and 18th episodes of the second season of *Superman: The Animated Series*, and the 29th, 30th, and 31st of the overall series. Originally, this three-parter aired back-to-back as a movie event on October 4, 1997.

The episode depicts the first meeting of Batman and Superman in the DCAU, when Batman comes to Metropolis in pursuit of the Joker, who has offered to kill Superman for Lex Luthor. Superman finds himself out of his depth when matched against the Joker's cunning and unpredictability, while Batman has trouble with the resources Luthor provides the Joker with. Both heroes must agree to overcome their differences to put a stop to the Joker and Luthor.

### Writer

* Alan Burnett
* Paul Dini

### Director

* Dan Riba
* Bruce Walter Timm

## Plot

Out at sea, Superman repairs the damage to the cruise ship and prevents it from sinking. At the same time, Batman flees the Wayne/Lex T-7 using his new Jet-wing until the machine damages it. In desperation, Batman heads for the *Daily Planet* building to find Superman, but he is not there, and Lois happens to be working late at night.

With her in danger of being caught in the crossfire, Batman snatches her up and together they try to run. They are cornered by the robot in the printer room. As it tries to push him into the press, his cape and cowl are caught and pulled off, revealing his identity to Lois. She manages to distract the robot from killing Bruce, long enough for Superman to arrive and destroy it.

Luthor is informed of the Wayne/Lex T-7's failure and realizes that he'll be connected to the crime. He decides to cut his losses and orders one more meeting with Joker.

Back at her apartment, Lois treats a wound on Bruce's shoulder. She is fuming because Bruce deceived her, and also because she honestly cares for him enough that she can't release the story of Batman's true identity. Superman arrives and asks Bruce for a partnership so that they can take in both their enemies. Batman agrees and they leave.

Meanwhile, Joker and Luthor meet at a LexCorp aeronautics factory, where Luthor informs Joker & Harley that he intends to kill them and frame them for all the mayhem that's been going on. Luthor says to Joker & Harley that he will not kill them, but Mercy will kill them. Mercy attempts, but Harley knocks her out so Mercy will not kill her and Joker. Joker turns the tables and takes both Luthor and Mercy prisoner. Since he can no longer collect his billion dollars, Joker decides on a "consolation prize": Luthor's gigantic and heavily armed Lexwing airship (having Harley paint it so that it resembles a grinning mouth, as it is built in the shape of a crescent moon). Luthor offers to pay for his release, but Joker says he isn't interested in money anymore. Instead, he wants to destroy everything Luthor built, to Luthor's horror. Harley gags Mercy and ties her up to one of the robots and joins Joker who has captured Luthor.

Batman & Superman arrive but are attacked by giant versions of the Wayne/Lex T-7s before they can stop Joker from taking off. Working together, they destroy most of the robots but then are faced with one that has Mercy strapped to its side as a shield, preventing them from hitting it. Batman manages to get the robot off the ground and Superman deactivates it without hurting Mercy. Mercy tells them of Joker's plans, which Superman realizes means destroying half of Metropolis, resulting in mass casualties. The group is confronted by a larger, more advanced robot. Superman tells Batman to go after Joker while he takes care of the robot. Unfortunately, this one is equipped with the other half of the Laughing Dragon, rendering Superman unable to fight back.

Joker goes on a destructive spree over Metropolis. Batman pursues him in the Batwing. Joker damages the plane with missiles, and Batman is forced to eject but manages to board the plane.

While Batman deals with the wing, Superman is pummelled by the robot until it tries to smash him with a heavy door. The door, which had been lined with lead to block Superman's x-ray vision, protects him from the Kryptonite and he destroys the robot, in the process shattering the last of the Kryptonite to pieces. Superman heads off to help stop the Joker.

Batman confronts and fights the Joker, leaving Harley to fly the wing, but she only succeeds in shutting off its engines. Fortunately, Superman arrives just in time to steer the wing away from a collision with a building. In the fight, Joker accidentally drops his entire bag of marble grenades while going for a weapon. As the grenades start to explode, the heroes save Luthor and Harley but are unable to reach the Joker in time. As the Joker goes for a parachute, he is trapped by the grenades rolling toward him. In the face of death, the Joker starts laughing maniacally. The grenades go off, setting off an explosion, destroying the wing as it crashes into the ocean.

With the troubles over, Angela Chen reports on the incident: Joker's body has not been found. Luthor is under investigation, but it is unlikely he will be charged with any crime. However, Bruce Wayne, discovering that Luthor has been developing military versions of their robots without his approval, terminates his deal with LexCorp. Harley is returned to Arkham Asylum, much to the amusement of a beaten-up Mercy, who is watching her public arrest on TV and enjoying the last laugh at her expense.

Sadly for Bruce, Lois says she adores him, but can't get over his secret activities. He said goodbye, and he and Clark exchange a well-intended farewell before Bruce leaves for Gotham, leaving Metropolis and Lois in Superman's care once again.

## Continuity

* Batman's and Superman's next encounters before being part of the Justice League happen subsequently in the episodes "Knight Time" and "The Demon Reborn".
* Wayne Enterprises' brief partnership with LexCorp is later found, in the episode "Knight Time", to have allowed Brainiac to infect Wayne's computers, after having done so to LexCorp's in "Stolen Memories" (see also "Ghost in the Machine").
* Joker's next appearance is in *The New Batman Adventures*, "Joker's Millions". His survival of the Lexwing's crash is left unexplained, but his money problems and encounter with Bruce Wayne in the restaurant are referenced in said episode.
* The long-term effects of Kryptonite radiation on humans are further explored in *Justice League* episode "Injustice For All" when Luthor is diagnosed with an incurable form of blood cancer as a result of carrying Kryptonite around with him for years. Luthor also tells Joker that he wants nothing to do with him when Joker reappears in that episode.
* It is revealed in *Justice League*, "Tabula Rasa," that Batman carries a piece of Kryptonite in his utility belt at all times, as "insurance." Since he does not contract Kryptonite poisoning, it can be presumed that, after learning about the deaths of the Laughing Dragon's previous owners, he knows enough to keep it sealed in a lead-lined container that blocks its radiation.
* Lois and Bruce have a brief reunion in "The Demon Reborn", where Lois reveals to Bruce she was having second thoughts about her relationship with him and there were several times that she had almost picked up the phone. Unfortunately, she was talking to herself, because, as usual, Batman had already disappeared.

## Background information

### Home video releases

* The Batman Superman Movie (VHS)
* The Batman Superman Movie (LaserDisc)
* The Batman Superman Movie (DVD)
* Superman: The Animated Series, Volume Two (DVD)
* Superman: The Complete Animated Series (DVD)
* DC Comics Super-Villains: The Joker's Last Laugh (DVD)

### Production notes

* In the audio commentary, Bruce Timm says that it was Glen Murakami's suggestion not to put red lips on the Joker. Glen justifies it on grounds of "simplification", and Bruce admits it was a mistake.
* The tune played by the Joker's balloon in Part II is first heard in the *Batman: The Animated Series* episode "Robin's Reckoning", during a fight on a carousel. It was also previously heard at the carnival in "Baby-Doll".
* In part three, when the larger Wayne/Lex T-7 hits Superman with the Gatling gun, there's an explosion that is reused footage from a scene of "My Girl", in which Mr. Eelan blows a vat of hot lead off its support.
* In part three, when Joker drops his bag of marble grenades, the rolling marbles are reused footage from the marble grenade scene in part two.
* Because the Laughing Dragon was carved (approximately) thirty years before the events of this episode, it can be deduced that Superman/Clark Kent is at least 30 and possibly older (going by Earth years, as Kryptonians physically age much more slowly than humans do, as shown in "The Call", where Superman is in his 80s but appears in his 50s).

### Production inconsistencies

* This is the first time Batman's "Jet-wing" is seen and seems to be a new sight for the Joker. Its first chronological appearance, however, is in the flashbacks of the *The New Batman Adventures* episode "Old Wounds" where Joker was the present villain.
* When Superman breaks into LexCorp's chemical plant to confront the Joker for the first time, the last ceiling he crashes through already has a hole in it before he enters.
* "Apokolips... Now!" was produced before this episode, but aired later. Dan Turpin's appearance would have been an issue when looking at the production order, but not the airing order.

### Trivia

* Batman and Joker's involvement in this episode bears strong similarities to the movie *Batman: Mask of the Phantasm*: Joker is supposed to be paid to stop the show's hero (though his position on the deal is reversed), Bruce's love interest (both played by Dana Delany) is used to get to the show's hero and discovers he is Batman, and Joker is nearly killed in a giant explosion caused by what he was using to fight the hero(es) at the end.
* Dana Delany previously worked with Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill in *Batman: Mask of the Phantasm* as Andrea Beaumont/Phantasm.
* On the *Batman: The Brave And The Bold* episode "The Super-Batman of Planet X!" Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, and Clancy Brown all voice Zur-En-Arrh counterparts of their characters here; The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, Vilsi Valar (a reporter), and Rohtul (Luthor spelled backwards), respectively.
* Tim Daly narrowly beat Kevin Conroy for the role of Joe Hackett on the TV series *Wings*, before Conroy was cast in *Batman: The Animated Series*. This is the first time that Daly and Conroy have worked together since then.
* Because it aired in the evening as a special presentation, this episode won a Prime-Time Emmy Award. TMS is very proud of this and displays the Emmy in their lobby.
* Unlike other episodes where Joker seemingly perishes, Batman actually implies that Joker had died on the Lexwing, where Batman says in reply to Harley Quinn calling out her pet name to the Clown Prince of Crime "At this point, he probably is [pudding]."
* In the episode "Krypto's Scriypto: Part 2" of the non-DCAU series *Krypto the Superdog*, Krypto prevents a ship from sinking by pulling up a ladder and using it to cover the hole in the ship with his heat vision similarly to how Superman used a lifeboat to cover the hole in the SS Atlantic with his heat vision to prevent its sinking in this episode.
* The comic book adaptation of this contains an extra moment on Page 26 where Bruce mentions to Alfred how he believes that Superman doesn't understand the problem of using brute strength against a foe with a warped mind like The Joker.

## Quotes

 **Lois:** How could you have lied to me like that?
 **Bruce:** It's ironic, you know. She likes Bruce Wayne and she likes Superman. It's the other two guys she's not crazy about.
 **Joker:** Somehow, Poo, I don't think we're gonna get the chance to say much.
**Harley:** You...you mean he's going to kill us?
 **Harley:** *(as the Lexwing explodes)* Puddin'!!
 **Harley:** *(as she's being arrested)* I want a lawyer! I want a doctor! I want a cheese sandwich!!!
 **Bruce:** Coming to make sure I'm leaving?
**Clark:** Actually, I thought we worked pretty well together. Not that I'd want to make it a regular event.
**Bruce:** She's all yours now. If you can handle that, but you'd better take good care of her. 'Cause I know where you live.