Clark stares in bafflement as "Superman" makes a date with Lois that evening and flies off. He breaks away to chase the duplicate and get some answers. The duplicate insists that he is Superman... except that he looks and sounds less and less like the original, his skin turning white and blocky as his speech becomes simple-minded.
After the confrontation between the two Supermen, the duplicate heads the mountain laboratory where he was created as part of Lex Luthor's plan to create Superman clones loyal to him.
This episode contains examples of:
- And Knowing Is Half the Battle: Played for laughs when the clone Superman gives a speech about dares and courage to a group of kids. Their reactions are mixed.
- Anti-Villain: Bizarro is an unwittingly destructive and flawed clone of Superman, but he's ultimately good at heart, as he proves in the ending.
- Clone Degeneration: Bizarro was a passable duplicate of Superman at first, but his appearance and intellect immediately takes a turn for the worse.
- Collapsing Lair: Luthor's lab at the end of the episode, after he activates the self-destruct.
- Confronting Your Imposter: "Superman" is revealed as an impostor when he heroically rescues the real Supes as Clark Kent, much to Clark's confusion.
- Continuity Nod: Luthor mentions that he was able to use Superman's DNA was the result of Superman fighting a mechanical T-rex while exposed to Kryptonite in season one, and notes that he was so weak, he actually bled.
- Destructive Savior: Bizarro "saves" a building (that is being demolished) by tossing a crane aside and repairs a "broken" bridge (that was being raised to let a ship through) by forcing the halves back down and welding them together. Fortunately, Superman is able to prevent the disasters nearly caused by these acts.
- Dramatic Irony: Superman (who turns out to be a pre-degenerating clone) thinks nothing of it when he rescues Clark Kent. Only Clark knows this is an imposter, but can't confront the matter until later.
- Heroic Lineage: When Superman comments that Bizarro "had a good heart", Lois responds, "Of course. He came from good stock."
- Heroic Sacrifice: After Bizarro realizes that he isn't Superman, he holds up the roof of Luthor's collapsing lab so the real Superman can get Lois out of there before a bomb powerful enough to destroy even Superman goes off.Bizarro: Me no am Superman. You am Superman. Superman save Lois.
- Hulk Speak: As part of the Clone Degeneration, Bizarro's speech devolves from normal conversation into simple grammatically garbled statements.
- Instant Costume Change: Bizarro's outfit
somehow transforms into a crude parody of Superman's along with his body. - Internal Reveal: Lois was told by the real Superman the one who asked her out earlier was an imposter.
- Load-Bearing Hero: Bizarro holds the collapsing roof of Luthor's lab up so Superman can rescue Lois and get her to safety before the lab explodes.
- Lost My Appetite: When Bizarro takes Lois to a restaurant, he talks while shoveling food into his mouth. When he offers Lois some of his dinner, she says "I had a late lunch," followed by a quieter "...which I'm about to lose."
- Self-Destruct Mechanism: Luthor's lab is fitted with one, to destroy any pesky evidence of his illegal Kryptonian cloning experiments.
- There Was a Door: Played with. Bizarro crashes through the restaurant wall when bringing Lois along on their "date". When they leave, Lois asks him to use the door, so Bizarro crashes through that instead.
- Tomato in the Mirror: Bizarro when he finds the vault of other Superman clones.
- Tragic Monster: Bizarro is a foolish and destructive nuisance, but he's ultimately as good hearted as Supes, and a victim of circumstances out of his control, namely being a failed attempt by Lex Luthor to make a clone from Superman's alien blood.
- Wham Shot: The episode opens up on Superman going about his business, when he intercepts a car chase. In the midst of this chase, a pursuing car brakes too late and its passenger comes flying out. Superman narrowly catches the falling passenger. ...who is revealed to be a very confused Clark Kent.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: At seeing Bizarro accept he's not the real Superman and save their lives regardless, Lois tells him "You are a hero..."
