YMMV / The Superman Adventures

• Complete Monster: Darkseid is the ruler of Apokolips. After failing to conquer Earth thanks to the intervention of New Genesis, Darkseid respects his treaty with New Genesis despite his desire to torture Superman's friends, until the reveal that it was a distraction to build the Armageddon Cannon and destroy New Genesis without warning. Contacting Lex Luthor to buy a captured Livewire, Darkseid uses Livewire's powers to turn Apokolips's furnaces into fuel. Then, Darkseid orders a test of the Armageddon Cannon on Earth as revenge for their past resistance, with a chained Superman as the first victim. When a shocked Lex asks for explanations, Darkseid calls himself Life and Death and orders him to shut up and become his new general. After Superman and Livewire wreck the Armaggedon Cannon, Darkseid lets them return to Earth, expecting that the explosion of the supercharged Livewire would kill Superman and the people of Metropolis.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • "Superman's Power Trip", where the Man of Steel gets Power Incontinence, is relatively lighthearted thanks to its quick resolution. After the Justice League episode "Only a Dream" reveals that Superman's worst fear is losing control of his powers and killing the people he wants to protect... not so much.
  • In one short story, one of the scientists comments admiringly on how much help Professor Hamilton has given Superman. After their mutual Broken Pedestal in "Legacy" and Hamilton's Face–Heel Turn in Justice League, it's much harsher.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • The title "Jimmy Olsen vs. Darkseid" come Countdown to Final Crisis, when Jimmy does briefly have a battle with the lord of Apokolips.
  • In "While You Were Sleeping", Jimmy dreams about being Perry White's boss. He does actually become Perry's boss in 2019, via becoming the Daily Planet's new publisher.
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Livewire was never quite so universally reviled to be considered a Scrappy, but her initial characterization on the animated series did very little to endear fans to her as much as Bruce Timm hoped for like what happened with Harley Quinn. But with her receiving a redemption arc throughout the tie-in comic's run, as well as a more sympathetic origin and arc throughout the mainline comics, she gained more fan approval.
• Wheelchair Woobie: Jimmy Olsen in "Yesterday's Man of Tomorrow". He was crippled by crossfire because Superman had exiled himself.

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