Comicbook hero Superman has been epitomised in many comics (by DC Comics), movies, TV shows (eg. Lois and Clarke, Smallville - in which James Marsters played Brainiac), cartoons (eg. The Adventures of Superman) and even a musical. He and the world he lives in have been referenced many times in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel:
- 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date: Buffy says, “even Clark Kent has a job”, alluding to Superman’s alter-ego.
- 2.05 Reptile Boy: Xander’s chances of ever belonging to a fraternity of rich and powerful men are rubbished by Cordy as likely only “in the Bizarro world.” The Bizarro world is a weird, back-to-front version of the real world in Superman.
- 2.11 Ted: Cordelia says of Buffy, “But she’s like this Superman.”
- 3.09 The Wish: Cordelia says to vamps Willow and Xander:
“No. No! No way! I wish us into Bizarro Land, and you guys are still together?! I cannot win!”
- 3.12 Helpless: Oz and Xander discuss which colour Kryptonite hurts Superman. Writer David Fury said in his DVD commentary for the episode that he wasn’t sure which Kryptonite was which so wrote this scene as such.
- 3.13 The Zeppo: there are a few references to Superman: Xander’s line, which he acknowledges as a “Jimmy Olsen joke”:
“But, gee, Mr White, if Clark and Lois get all the good stories I’ll never be a good reporter”
He also name-checks the Daily Planet’s editor Perry White, Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent, and his colleague Lois Lane. Cordelia’s jibe “You must feel like Jimmy Olsen” is another reference to the Daily Planet’s youngest photographer.
- 4.11 Doomed: Forrest says to Riley,
“Granted they’re a little rarer than the one’s you grew up with on that little farm in Smallville.”
Smallville, Kansas, was the small town where Clark Kent (Superman) grew up.
- In 4.17 Superstar, Xander mentions Kryptonite again.
- 5.02 Real Me: Xander says, “She can turn this place into the fortress of solitude again”. Superman built the Fortress of Solitude in the North Pole as a place where he could relax and keep his souvenirs.
- 6.11 Gone: Andrew mentions Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor. Buffy also mentions Bizarro World again.
- 6.21 Two To Go: Andrew says:
“Lex Luthor had a false epidermis escape kit in Superman Versus the Amazing Spider-Man Treasury edition”.
- 7.10 Bring On The Night: Andrew says, “An evil name should be something like Lex” He’s referring to Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor.
- 1.19 Sanctuary: While Faith flips through the channels, we briefly see a Superman cartoon.
- 1.21 Blind Date:
Wesley: “The human eye is only capable of registering a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. But if Brewer were somehow equipped to see outside that range…”
Cordelia: “She’d be Superman.” - 4.02 Ground State: Gwen says “what are you, Lex Luthor?” to Elliott when she finds out he’s double-crossed her.
- 5.10 Soul Purpose: Lindsay references Superman when he’s talking about Spike:
“I mean, he hasn’t sewn a big red S on his chest yet, but he’s getting there.”
- 5.12 You’re Welcome: Cordelia ends her seeming obsession with the Bizarro world when she says:
“What Bizarro-world did I wake up in?”
Related episodes: 1.05 Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, 1.19 Sanctuary, 1.21 Blind Date, 2.05 Reptile Boy, 2.11 Ted, 3.09 The Wish, 3.12 Helpless, 3.13 The Zeppo, 4.02 Ground State, 4.11 Doomed, 4.17 Superstar, 5.02 Real Me, 5.10 Soul Purpose, 5.12 You're Welcome, 6.11 Gone, 6.21 Two To Go, 7.10 Bring On The Night
Comments on this trivia
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Abby M. on November 13th, 2005 at 2:20 am
Now James Masters is Brainiac in the WB’s Smallville.
onlimain on November 18th, 2005 at 6:15 am
And another reference to Bizarro world/land is in ‘The Wish’. It’s after Cordelia see that VampWillow and VampXander are together- though she doesn’t know yet that they are vamps.
Cordelia: No. No! No way! I wish us into Bizarro Land, and you guys are
still together?! I cannot win!
Wynter on June 21st, 2006 at 4:35 pm
There’s a wee Superman reference in the Angel episode Ground State. Gwen says “what are you, Lex Luthor?” to Elliott when she finds out he’s double-crossed her.
Wynter on January 31st, 2007 at 4:18 pm
In the Angel episode Soul Purpose, Lindsay references Superman when he’s talking about Spike: “I mean, he hasn’t sewn a big red S on his chest yet, but he’s getting there.”
Meghann on April 29th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
While Faith flips through the channels in Sanctuary, we briefly see a Superman cartoon.
insaneinthebasement on May 2nd, 2008 at 9:04 am
Another reference is in First Date, when Andrew asks the First
“Say, um, do you have any weaknesses I should know about if I’m gonna work for you, like, uh, kryptonite or allergies?”