Superman: The Animated Series
Episode 35
The Late Mr. Kent
One of the best episodes in the series and the DCAU. It’s the ending that really sells it as spectacular. The show actually puts a guy to death via the gas chamber. It starts out with everyone attending Clark Kent’s funeral including his alter ego Superman. Then it flashes back to Clark Kent trying to save a death row inmate who was framed for murder. During his car ride to the governor to expose the frame and stop the execution, Kent’s car explodes along with the evidence, and he’s presumed dead. He’s fine but cannot reveal that because of “reasons.”
As Superman tries to find a way to bring Clark Kent back from the dead but also save the innocent man who’s on death row, he teams up with…wait for it…Lois Lane to solve the case. Superman needs to find more evidence to prove the frame-up and debates revealing his secret identity. Luckily for him Lois is amazing at her job and figures out Detective Bowman was the original murderer and the person that blew up Clark Kent. When she confronts him, Bowman tries to kill her but Superman shows up and saves her.
Clark Kent then entrust Lana Lang with helping come up with a decent cover story for how he survived. Bowman who’s on death row keeps thinking about how Clark survived. As the gas is released in the chamber he exclaims “he’s Superman.” Cut to black, he’s dead. How that made it into a kid’s show is as baffling as it is amazing. It’s one of the bleakest endings for any DCAU episode, worthy of BtAS standards.
How Bowman was killed so quickly makes you worry about the DCAU justice system. Most people sit on death row for thirty years. Bowman was knocked off far faster. Meanwhile all of Batman's rogues just get sent to the crazy house whenever they are caught.
Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com
