http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS1E9E10TheMainMan
Superman conducts a test flight of the rocket that brought him to Earth, and Professor Hamilton wonders about the "great achievements" and "brilliant minds" to be found among the stars.
Cut to Lobo, capturing a target in a seedy alien bar. His trip to collect the bounty is interrupted when an alien collector calling himself "
the Preserver" hires him to capture a bigger prize — the last Kryptonian.
Tropes:
- And I'm the Queen of Sheba: When Lobo meets the Preserver:
The Preserver: I am the Preserver.
Lobo: And I'm the night manager at the Hotel d'Frag. Lookie there, it's checkout time.
- Angrish: Lobo often lets loose with garbled tirades, apparently as a substitute for the way he (as the
DVD commentary puts it) "swears like a sailor" in the comics. - Amazon Chaser: Lobo is enthralled when Lois insults and slaps him (mainly due to the fact that he's so much stronger that her hits only end up hurting herself).
- Ash Face: One of the Preserver's security probes shoots a beam on Lobo's face... with this as the sole result.
- Asshole Victim: Lex gets his building trashed and riddled with holes by the fight between Superman and Lobo, making him a not-so-innocent bystander.
- Bar Brawl: Lobo starts one as he's searching for Sqweek.
- Batman Can Breathe in Space: Averted. This episode confirms that the DCAU Superman needs a spacesuit to venture into space. Lobo can live (and talk) in space just fine without one.
- Beware the Silly Ones: Lobo is actually quite good at his job, if not the brightest bulb in the box.
- Big Bad: The Preserver.
- Big Brother Is Watching: After Superman and Lobo spring out of their captivity, we then see that the Preserver has cameras everywhere to spy on where the two are going.
- Bitch Slap: Lois lays one on Lobo after he comes on to her, but only hurts her own hand.
- Bizarre Alien Biology: Sqweek and his brother Gnaww are humanoid rodents. One of their eyes is itself a part of a second, smaller face with another pair of eyes and a nose above it that they speak out of with the eyelid acting as the mouth, although they still seem to eat with their normal mouths.
- Body Horror: The Preserver transforming into his true form involves the substantially larger clawed beast clawing its way out of his peaceful form's mouth and leaving behind a hollow skin.
- Bounty Hunter: Lobo, but there's also the obligatory rival gang.
- Briar Patching: Drained of his powers by being kept under red sunlight by the Preserver, Superman tries to elude a pack of alien bounty hunters, but they finally catch up with him right outside another habitat from which loud screeches are heard. He warns them that they really don't want to throw him in there, so of course they do... revealing that the occupant is no ravaging monster, but a dodo. From Earth. Cue the Yellow Sun Lamp and a typical reaction from the bad guys.
- Brush-Off Walk-Off: After Superman breaks out from his enclosure in the Preserver's ship, Lobo asks Superman to break him out as well, only for Superman to call Lobo a criminal who deserves to be locked up, and walks away. Lobo starts shouting threats at Superman, who ignores him and walks off by himself, but when Lobo says that even if it takes him years to escape he'll get his revenge on Superman and return Earth to destroy it. This statement causes Superman to go back and help Lobo escape on the condition he never return to Earth when he's free.
- Bull Seeing Red: Superman is in a Tailor-Made Prison, trapped under a red light that neutralises his powers. He uses a shard of broken glass to reflect the red light into the eye of an alien 6-legged rhinoceros nearby, causing it to charge at his cell and break him open.
- Butt-Monkey: Sqweek; even his own brother wants to turn him in for the reward.
- The Collector: The Preserver collects living creatures who are the last of their kind. He doesn't target "sentient" creatures usually, but since both Superman's planet and Lobo's planet don't exist anymore...
- Comedic Sociopathy: Lobo is openly referred to as a sociopath. When he comes to Earth, Hilarity Ensues.
- Continuity Cameo: Starro is one of the creatures in the Preserver's zoo. This is just a throwaway reference at the time, but becomes significant much later in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call".
- Counting to Three
Lobo: I'm givin' you geeks ten seconds before I frag everything in sight. One... TEN!
- Creepy Monotone: The Preserver speaks with a robotic-like voice, without any inflection or emotion.
- Crowbar Combatant: Lobo is entirely willing to resort to Boring, but Practical when it comes to subduing Superman.
- Depower: Superman and Lobo are deprived of their superpowers in the beginning of the second part. Superman has been stuck in a prison with a red solar lamp and Lobo is still feeling the effects of the Preserver's knockout gas. Superman eventually finds a yellow sun lamp that restores his powers and Lobo eventually shakes off the gas.
- Description Cut: Dr. Hamilton talks about how fascinated he is by the prospect of other civilizations in space: "their culture, their knowledge, their great achievements, their brilliant minds..." Cut to Lobo issuing a loud belch in a dive bar.
- Enemy Mine: Superman and Lobo team up against The Preserver. In the end, Lobo gains respect for Superman.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Downplayed. Lobo fires a missile at Superman, but he's too fast for it. However, the missile is headed in the way of civilians, so Superman has to divert it into the sky. Lobo admits to not understanding what Superman was doing for a bit, before realizing that Superman doesn't want anyone to get hurt.
Lobo: Man! I gotta say I am impressed! When I see you go after that rocket I couldn't figure what you were doing! But then, it hit me: You didn't want no one else getting hurt, even if you took the fragging yourself! You actually care about them geeks!
- Exact Words: When Superman asks if Lobo will leave him and everyone else on Earth in peace, Lobo merely says "The Main Man's word is his bond". Lobo's eventual reappearance in "Hereafter" suggests he doesn't see his statement as an answer to Superman's question.
- Expy: Emperor Spooj is basically just a brown Jabba the Hutt covered in leeches and green slime.
- Faux Affably Evil: The Preserver seems calm, mellow, and usually polite, right up to the point he reveals his true form, which matches his true personality.
- Foreshadowing:
- The Preserver mentions that he has some organisms from Earth in his collection. Later on Superman gets his powers back to full strength when he tricks the bounty hunters into throwing him into the dodo exhibit, which has simulated yellow sunlight.
- Lobo says that the first rule of bounty hunting is to let the prey come to you. Sure enough when Superman pursues Lobo into space, he's only being lured within range of the Preserver's ship.
- Follow the Chaos: Lobo's method of getting Superman to come to him. When told that Superman only shows up when there's trouble, Lobo gleefully starts to make some.
- Fun with Acronyms: Lobo spelling out his name:
Lobo: The name's Lobo. That's L as in "Lacerate", O as in "Obliterate", B as in "disemBowel", and O as in, uh... well, I guess I can use "Obliterate" twice. What do you think?
- Gilded Cage: Lobo is enjoying himself in his Tailor-Made Prison, but only until he remembers how he got there.
- Godzilla Threshold: Superman relies on an alien rhino to break him out of his cage.
- Hooks and Crooks: Lobo's famous hook on a chain finds a good use (though not for disemboweling, obviously).
- Hulking Out: Except instead of its clothing being torn off, the Preserver's skin is discarded for a much larger and dangerous form.
- Hypocritical Humor: Lobo at first mocks Superman for caring about humans. But later on he falls in love with Lois who joined the battle between the two thinking she could be of assistance.
- It's Personal: Instead of trying to "cut and run" like Superman is doing, Lobo wants to introduce "31 flavors of pain" to the Preserver.
- I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure: When Superman breaks out of his cage, Lobo requests that he break him out as well. Superman scoffs that Lobo is a criminal who deserves this kind of treatment, but then Lobo threatens to wreak havoc on Earth some more and blow it up should he ever escape one day. Superman then agrees to free him if he promises to never come to Earth again.
- Knockout Gas: The police try to help Superman out by gassing Lobo, but he only pretends to collapse so he can suckerpunch Superman again. The Preserver's gas on the other hand does work, likely because the Preserver knows a lot more about Czarnian physiology than police from Earth.
- Laser-Guided Karma:
- The Preserver likely died from being launched into space by Lobo.
- Sqweek and the three bounty hunters rivaling Lobo are all demoted to lowly clean-up crew by Emperor Spooj, Sqweek for stealing from him, and the bounty hunters for lying to him about Lobo breaking off the deal.
- Last of Its Kind: The Collector's collection is comprised entirely of these; more specifically, they're all species from across the universe that are otherwise extinct.
- Lured into a Trap: The Preserver's bounty offer to Lobo was actually a trap for him as well as Superman. Lobo is too thick-headed to realize what's happening even when the Preserver casually mentions that he wants the last Czarnian too (Lobo is the last Czarnian).
- Megaton Punch: Both Lobo and Superman can dish out these.
- My Card: When Superman demands to know the name of the interstellar bounty hunter shooting up a Metropolis police station, Lobo answers, "Oh, I'm sorry. My Card.", and promptly delivers a right hook that sends the Man of Steel flying.
- Mythology Gag: One of the creatures in the Preserver's collection is Starro the Conqueror, a recurrent Justice League of America villain. Superman saves it, along with the rest, and puts it in his Fortress' alien zoo, which will come back to bite him in a big way later on.
- No-Sell:
- Lois attacks Lobo with a metal rod. Lobo simply steals and devours it.
- Lobo punches The Preserver's monstrous form in the face, to no effect.
- Not So Stoic: The Preserver loses it when he turns into his monstrous form after Superman and Lobo fend off all of his attempts to put them back in cage. He comments to Lobo that "a trash like him is not worth saving".
- Nuke 'em:
- Lobo mentioned that he destroyed his home planet in Part 1 making him the last Czarnian, but what method he used to do so isn't brought up. In Part 2 it is implied that Lobo used nukes to do so. Lobo also threatens to inflict this on Earth to blackmail Superman should he desert him in the zoo, making Superman agree to free him.
- Lobo appears to be wiring up a nuke when Superman first turns up to demand an explanation. Well that's one way to get someone's attention!
- Oh, Crap!: The bounty hunters have this when Superman, weakened by exposure to simulated red sunlight, tricks them into throwing him into an Earth-like habitat aboard the Preserver's ship.
(The bounty hunters have thrown Superman into what they think is a monster's enclosure... only for a dodo bird to hop out)
Superman: This is no monster. It's a dodo... from Earth. (basks in the yellow sunlight)
Bounty Hunters: Uh-oh...
- One-Winged Angel: The Preserver shifts to its true hulking, clawed and really pissed off form to battle Lobo and Superman personally.
- Pet the Dog: Lobo could have just run for it, but decides to help Superman by blowing open the airlock, which he calls his "good deed of the century".
- Power Floats: The Preserver's legless first form hovers over the ground.
- Revenge Before Reason: Superman after breaking free from his cage (and Lobo) is about to take his ship and leave. Superman insists that Lobo just focus on escaping the zoo, but Lobo instead pursues vengeance on the Preserver for being a traitor and liar. Lobo's stupidity prompts Superman to rescue him again and again.
- Robot Girl: Lobo's cell guardians are two robotic girls who can subdue him if he tries to escape by folding up the entire top halves of their skulls to reveal hoses and gassing him. Another one is seen taking care of Lobo's bounty, and Lobo is last seen with yet another one serving him at Emperor Spooj's palace.
- Running Gags: The LexCorp building getting smashed up during the Superman/Lobo fight. While Lex is telling his people to find out who's responsible for it, Lobo flies through it the other way while grunting "Maim, kill, crush, destroy".
- Sarcastic Confession: Clark Kent tells Lois that he's always beating her to the scoop because he's Superman in disguise. He even takes off his glasses while doing so!
Lois: I'm confused, Kent. See, I've lived in Metropolis most of my life, and I can't figure out how some yokel from Smallville is suddenly getting every hot story in town.
Clark: Well Lois, (*lowers his glasses*) the truth is I'm actually
Superman in disguise, and I only pretend to be a journalist in order to hear about disasters as they happen and then squeeze you out of the by-line.
Lois: (
Beat) You're a sick man, Kent.
Clark: (*with a sly smile*) You asked.
- Save the Villain: After being trapped by the Preserver, Lobo is reduced to begging Superman to free him. Superman refuses, claiming that it's suiting punishment for the trouble he caused on Earth, but Lobo swears he'll find a way to escape (even if that scenario doesn't seem likely) and get revenge on Superman and Earth's people for his imprisonment. Unable to take that chance, Superman agrees to free Lobo, and the two work together long enough for Superman to return to Earth and Lobo to get his bounty.
- Shout-Out:
- The alien beast Superman uses to break out of his cage looks like a hybrid of a rhino and a ceratopsian dinosaur, with six legs and a body covered in armadillo-like armor plates. A regular old Triceratops as people seem convinced of, or Tundro the Tremendous? All it's is missing a horn-cannon on its forehead.
- Lobo's cage has a KIZZ posted hung up in it.
- One of the fembots guarding Lobo exclaims "Jinkies" upon Superman breaking him out.
- Summon Bigger Fish: Superman's pursuers think he's doing this when he breaks open the door to another environment, and decide to throw him to whatever bloodthirsty creature is within. Instead, a harmless dodo emerges. It later turns out their suspicions were partially correct as Superman needed the dodo's exhibit to regain yellow sunlight to get his strength back.
- Tailor-Made Prison:
- The Collector keeps Superman in a simulated Krypton environment, complete with a red sun lamp that drains his powers.
- Lobo's cell is tailor-made for him as well, with biker-themed decorations and two robotic babes. Then he tries to escape, and the robotic babes show their true nature...
- Tempting Fate:
- Lobo's "Who's gonna make me?" boast, which usually leads to appropriate trouble showing up. After the Preserver goes One-Winged Angel in response, he mentions he should probably quit saying that.
- After Lois' slap is ineffective, Lobo encourages her to give him another one on the chin. Superman obliges.
- The cop scoffs at the latest wacky news report about an alien on a space bike, only for said alien to walk right up to his desk.
- Thrown Out the Airlock: Lobo opens the ship's airlock with his hook and the Preserver is sucked in outer space.
- Too Dumb to Live: Upon getting Superman, the Collector tells Lobo that he's interested in getting the last Czarnian. Lobo proudly proclaims that he's the last Czarnian. He's immediately trapped and subdued.
- Too Kinky to Torture: Lobo finds the idea of having himself strapped butt-first to the floor with razor wire a fun way to spend an evening.
- Voice of the Legion: The Preserver speaks with a reverbal voice.
- Villainous Rescue: In Part II as Superman and Lobo team up to escape the Preserver, Superman finds that he needs Lobo's help as much as Lobo needs his especially since they're outnumbered and encounter threats bigger than both of them combined.
- Where I Was Born and Razed: Lobo destroyed his home planet. He calls it his "science project", for which he gave himself an A.
- You Owe Me: Spoofed; Superman saves Lobo from being eaten by a giant snake, so Lobo says he owes Superman for that. Moments later Superman is caught up in the snake's coils and is about to be eaten, but Lobo is enjoying the show.
Superman: Lobo, you said you owed me!
Lobo: What, now? [reluctantly shuffles over and rips off the snake's skin]
