The Batman-Superman Movie - World's Finest (1997) • An Part 002

"**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

Three days later, things are no better between Batman and Superman. Lois and Bruce flirt with each other at the *Daily Planet*, much to Clark's chagrin. Out of her earshot, they talk about Joker's location, and Clark warns Bruce not to mistreat Lois, based on his reputation as a playboy, which he dismisses. Revealing he and Lois are now in a serious relationship and pointing out to Clark that he missed his chance with Lois. Lois then returns and she and Bruce leave for their date, while Clark is left more annoyed and jealous.

That night over dinner at a rooftop restaurant, Bruce and Lois are getting closer, but Bruce, slightly concerned asks if there was ever anything between her and Clark. However, Lois assures him that his only competition "flew away some time ago". Bruce and Lois are just about to share a kiss until they are interrupted by the sudden arrival of the Joker. Bruce and Lois are surrounded by Joker's thugs. Joker then leaps at Lois and shocks her with his electric buzzer, leaving her unconscious in his arms. Bruce demands he let Lois go and attempts to rescue her, but the thugs begin to shoot at him and he soon falls over the edge. However, Bruce manages to save himself, however, they continue to shoot at him, until Bruce begins to fall again. Bruce then soon grabs the edge of the hotel. Joker is soon in his blimp where he rides off with a kidnapped Lois.

Later, the police and Superman have been alerted of the event and assure Bruce that Lois will be saved. Bruce and Superman share a private talk, where Bruce informs Superman to expect the unexpected from Joker, however, Superman dismisses his warning and flies off. At Joker's hideout, he and Harley show a tied up and gagged Lois the Kryptonite statue, where he brags that after he kills Superman, even the tiniest piece of the statue will each be worth a fortune, breaks it in half, saving one half for later. Harley ungags Lois where she expresses her disgust at the Joker's plan. When Lois calls the Joker a sick-demented-murdering freak, Harley finds it rude. Harley then gags Lois again. Joker then tells Lois that she has the story of the century in her hands: The Death of Superman.

At a LexCorp storage unit, Batman (having secretly brought the Batwing with him) flies off into the sky to rescue Lois. At Metropolis Police Department, Joker contacts Superman, inviting him to come alone to one of LexCorp's laboratories. Batman tracks Superman's location and starts to follow him.

Superman arrives at the laboratory wearing his Anti-Kryptonite suit. Joker appears confused when the Kryptonite has no effect on him, and Superman quickly gets him to lead him to where Lois is. But just as Superman is about to save Lois, Joker uses his acid flower to destroy the suit. Exposed to the radiation, Superman is quickly incapacitated by Joker, and who gleefully celebrates his victory by electrocuting Superman with his buzzer. Before he can kill Superman, however, Harley Quinn calls and warns that Batman has arrived. Joker leaves, and as soon as Batman enters the room, the doors are sealed and Joker Gas is vented in.

Batman examines the room's contents: barrels of hydrochloric acid, too weak to eat through the walls or door, but instead, Batman uses it to dissolve the Kryptonite. Recovering from its effects, Superman is just able to smash their way out of the room, taking Batman and Lois with him. They confront Joker, who distracts them with grenades made to look like marbles. They flee the laboratory, which is destroyed in an explosion. Batman helps Superman ungag Lois and untie her. The trio attempt to confront the Joker & Harley, but both depart.

The next morning, Luthor makes a public statement that the explosion was only a minor problem but is furious with Joker for destroying his property. Clark, among the reporters, hears Luthor mention his deal with Joker. Later at Joker's hideout, Harley tries to cheer him up, but Joker is furious over what had occurred the previous night. Suddenly, they are attacked when gunshots start to appear out of nowhere, while Joker & Harley hide for cover. They soon stop and the intruders are revealed to be Luthor and Mercy, Luthor confronts Joker and is furious at him for using one of his laboratories.

Joker then calls out to Harley, while Luthor calls out to Mercy and a fight soon ensues between them. As Mercy and Harley fight, Luthor and Joker talk, Luthor demands an explanation and Joker reveals to him that Batman has arrived in Metropolis. Luthor is shocked, but Joker assures him that he still has half of the Kryptonite and can finish the job. However, with Batman now involved, Joker demands more money, but Luthor refuses to say that if he can't handle Superman or Batman then their deal is off. Luthor then calls out to Mercy alerting her it's time they leave and warns Joker that he has one last chance, otherwise he will have him killed.

Later, Clark arrives at Lois' apartment, wanting to check up on her, however, he is surprised to see Bruce there and attempts to leave. However, Lois stops him and asks him to at least tell her why he stopped by, Clark then reveals to Lois and Bruce of how he believes that Luthor is involved with the Joker, but can't prove it yet. Bruce then offers to help to state he could "ask" Luthor.

In his apartment, Luthor is rudely awakened by Batman. Batman demands to know what deal he has made with Joker, but Luthor denies anything as Mercy sneaks behind Batman and attempts to attack him, however, already realizing her presence Batman knocks her unconscious. He again asks Luthor, who becomes too frightened to even form words. They are soon interrupted when they hear more of Luthor's bodyguards, as Batman leaves he warns Luthor that he'll be back. Luthor's bodyguards bust in but find Batman gone and are about to ask what happened, but Luthor simply asks them to leave. Mercy then awakens and is told by Luthor to call Joker, who realizes that Batman is a serious enough threat and that he must be taken care of as well.

Lois tells Clark that she's planning a transfer to the Planet's Gotham City bureau, feeling that she and Bruce are serious enough that they're practically engaged. Clark is upset by the news, though Lois tries to cheer him up by saying he will no longer have a rival reporter at the Planet and will likely earn a better living. However, they are soon interrupted when Perry alerts them to a distress call from a cruise ship. While Lois starts to immediately work on the story, Clark sneaks away and flies off as Superman. At his hotel, Bruce is working out until he notices a blimp sent by the Joker, inviting Batman to Hobbs Bay. Bruce is confused as to what the Joker is up to now, Alfred then appears with his uniform and the Jet-wing and Bruce as Batman soon takes off.

Superman arrives at the cruise ship and asks the captain what the problem is. However, he is confused and both he and Superman find a fake distress signal near the ship to lure Superman away. However, the distress becomes real when a bomb is detonated on the hull, causing the ship to sink. Batman arrives at the dock, where he meets the Joker, but it turns out to be a trap as Batman is attacked by a now-armed Wayne/Lex T-7.

## 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").
* 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.

## 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.
* 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

* The title is a reference to *World's Finest Comics*, an anthology comic that often featured the team of Superman and Batman after their first meeting in *Superman #76*. Before that, the comic had simply printed Batman and Superman in separate, unrelated stories.
* When Luthor tells The Joker that he can't be connected to Superman's death, he responds "Oh, you'll be Mr. Clean." Mr. Clean is a soap brand that features a bald man in its logo.
* The Joker offers Lois a scoop he calls "The Death of Superman"; this was a major storyline in the comics about Superman's supposed death at the hands of Doomsday.
* 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.
* Batman taking out the second round of Joker's goons in the Lexcorp warehouse strongly resembles the *Batman: The Animated Series* intro in that Batman dodges the bullets the same way and disarms both goons with a single Batarang.
* Batman's confrontation with Lex Luthor in *Batman* #573 strongly resembles their first face-to-mask meeting in Part II in that Lex wakes up frightened by the "fright mask" in front of him and realizes that Batman will have to be dealt with and tells Mercy to contact Bane, who was working for them at the time. In the comic, however, Batman renders Mercy unconscious before waking Lex and tells Luthor that she shouldn't bother attacking him from behind.
* The Joker's line about Superman being "more powerful than a locomotive" is taken from the Fleischer cartoons of the 1940s.
* 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.
* In part 2 after Superman flew Lois and Batman out of the burning LexCorp factory, despite it being Batman who pushed Superman away (he uses his left elbow to swat Superman's right forearm) the episode's accompanying Described Video incorrectly says "Superman flies with Batman and Lois and touches down across the parking lot across the burning building. **He pushes Batman away**."

## Quotes

 **Bruce:** She never stops, does she?
**Clark:** Not that I've noticed. Any luck finding the comedian?
**Bruce:** *(In Batman voice)* Three nights, and not so much as a green hair.
**Clark:** Of course, you have been dividing your time between work and Lois.
**Bruce:** Is that a problem?
 **Bruce:** You realize she's just the bait.
**Superman:** I'll be careful.
**Bruce:** Careful won't cut it. With Joker, expect the unexpected.
 **Joker:** Honestly, Lex, don't you think I feel bad enough already?
 **Mercy:** *(fighting Harley)* Here's for that punch in the face!
 **Batman:** How soon can we get to Hob's Bay?
*(Alfred opens a case with the Jet-wing.)*
 **Joker:** Think of it as a welcome wagon, Bats. Welcoming you to the nearest mortuary.