Superman - Blasts From-the Past • An Part 00I

## *Superman: The Animated Series*

*Not to be confused with the* Static Shock *episode "Blast From the Past".*
"**Blasts From the Past**" is a two-parter consisting of the first and second episodes of the second season of *Superman: The Animated Series*, and the 14th and 15th of the overall series.

## Plot

Inside S.T.A.R. Labs, ***Professor Hamilton*** struggles to open a compartment inside Superman's ship. Superman arrives and offers to help but Hamilton manages to open it himself. Inside the compartment is a strange device, which Superman identifies as a Phantom Zone projector.

Both Superman and Hamilton look into the projector but Hamilton turns a knob and accidentally releases a large creature onto Earth. The creature causes some slight trouble and nearly escapes, but Superman manages to subdue it and allow Hamilton to send it back to the Phantom Zone.

After the creature is captured, a voice calls from the projector asking to be released. Superman looks in and sees a woman who claims she's served her sentence. She identifies herself as "Mala" and asks to see the council and Jor-El. Superman considers his options.

Superman goes to his Fortress of Solitude and activates a Kryptonian computer made by combining the message projector he found in his rocket and the Brainiac Orb he got from his ship. He asks the computer about Mala.

Brainiac explains that Mala was once second-in-command to High General Jax-Ur, commander of Krypton's planetary defense forces. Unfortunately, Jax-Ur grew power hungry and attempted to take over the planet. However, his attempted coup d'état was foiled by Jor-El. Jax-Ur was sentenced to exile in the Phantom Zone for eternity; Mala, whom the council felt was only following orders, was only sentenced to twenty years.

Superman decides to release Mala. At first, she is confused and disoriented at hearing that Krypton is gone, but is intrigued when she learns of her new powers. Superman takes her to a cabin in the woods to teach her to control and responsibly use her powers. As her power grows, she relishes the fact that she and Superman are the only ones on Earth with such capabilities. Superman notices and insists that Mala cannot hurt anyone. Mala agrees and attempts to influence Superman with intimacy.

Superman and Mala go to Metropolis and stop a robbery but Mala takes it too far, brutally beating two of the criminals and threatening one into "restitution". After the police arrive, Mala claims that she's "Superman's Second in Command" and indicates that she believes that Superman rules earth.

Lex Luthor takes the opportunity to destroy Superman's reputation by going on TV and claiming that Superman and Mala intend to populate the Earth with Kryptonians and take over the world. Luthor insists that Superman send Mala back to the Phantom Zone, which greatly enrages her so much that she blows up the TV with her heat vision.

    Mala goes to see Superman and finds that he too is considering sending her back, enraging her even further.

At a press conference, Mala rebukes her previous statement of wanting to rule Earth. Lois rejects the idea but continues the interview and asks if Mala and Superman are an item. Superman denies, and Mala tries to kill Lois. She is carried away by Superman to prevent her from causing further damage. Mala insists that Jax-Ur would have taken over the planet and after causing a disaster to distract Superman she escapes.

Superman goes after Mala but finds that she's stolen the Phantom Zone projector. Outside her cabin, Mala releases Jax-Ur.

## Continuity

* This is the first time that Superman has been shown to use both the Brainiac's orb ("Stolen Memories") and the Kryptonian message projector ("The Last Son of Krypton, Part I") together to use a Kryptonian computer.
* In "The Last Son of Krypton, Part I," Jor-El suggests sending everyone to the Phantom Zone and later releasing them on another planet. This may be why there is a Phantom Zone projector in Superman's ship, hoping that Kal-El would be the one to release them eventually.
* Superman still has the menagerie of creatures that he salvaged from the ***Preserver***'s ship in "The Main Man".
* Jax-Ur and Mala return in "Absolute Power".

## Background information

### Home video releases

* Superman: The Animated Series, Volume One (DVD)
* ***Superman: The Complete Animated Series (DVD)***
* All-Star Superman (2DVD, Blu-ray only)
* ***DC Comics Super-Villains: Superman - Worlds at War! (DVD)***

### Production notes

* In part I, in a fit of rage, Mala uses her heat vision to blow up a TV set. The ensuing explosion is reused footage from the gas canisters that Superman ignites in "***The Way of All Flesh***". This footage is used again on part II when Superman electrocutes Mala, and again when he throws a car at her.

### Production inconsistencies

* During Brainiac's exposition about Jax-Ur's coup, several of his charging soldiers pop off the screen at the bottom rather than move out of frame gradually.

### Trivia

* Although his portrayal in the series is closer to that of General Zod, Jax-Ur is in fact an original character from the comics, who is a mad Kryptonian scientist. In one of his appearances, he co-engineers (with Zod) one of Superman's races with ***The Flash***.
* Mala seems to be an amalgamation of two female villainesses from Superman's universe, Ursa and Faora.
* Lois says, "Yeah right, and I'm ***Wonder Woman***" in an interview with Mala. This statement is seemingly made inconsistent by the subsequent *Justice-League* series, when Wonder Woman does not appear as a hero until the ***Imperium invasion***, in "***Secret Origins***". However, this seems to have been meant originally as a mythology gag. In similar fashion, ***Lana Lang*** referred to ***Big Susan*** as an "***Amazon***" in "***My Girl***".
* Perry's insistence that the *Daily Planet* staff find Jax-Ur and Mala just before they come into the building is a tribute to the movie *Superman II* which has Perry talking about Zod, Ursa, and Non just before they attack the Planet building.
* The battle suits of Jax-Ur's soldiers are similar in appearance to those later used by ***Derek Powers***' security guards in **Batman-Beyond**.
* The music played during Superman's brief battle with the mysterious creature in Part I would later be remixed and used for the battle against ***Felix Faust*** in "***Paradise Lost***".

## Cast

### Uncredited appearances

* Jor-El
* Mercy Graves

## Quotes

**Mala:** I am Mala, Superman's second in command. I offer you my promise that to this world that I will follow in Superman's tradition of just rule with a fair hand.
**Lois:** I thought I was career minded.

**Mala:** I misunderstood Superman's role on Earth. I...I don't want to rule your planet, I only want to help people, as Superman himself has sworn to do.
**Lois:** Yeah, right, and I'm ***Wonder Woman***.

**Lex Luthor** Now the truth comes out; Superman and this woman fancy themselves our RULERS! No doubt they plan to populate the earth with Kryptonians to slaves or pets.
**Mala** An enticing notion.
**Lex Luthor** If Superman really cares about the human race, he should send this criminal back to where he found her; To that Phantom Zone dimension!

**Superman:** I care about everyone... though you're pushing it right now.

## References

1. ↑ See "The Last Son of Krypton, Part II"
2. ↑ See "Stolen Memories"