RETRO TV REVIEW: Superman: The Animated Series S2E8: “Mxyzpixelated”

Although I only dipped occasionally into the Superman: The Animated Series when it first aired, it was a show that I grew to love in later years. Around the time of the New 52, I had become hungry for good, classic Superman content. Looking for an alternative to the comics at that time, I turned back to Superman: TAS again to see if the show was better than I had remembered it to be. That was the time I truly became a fan of the show, as I realized how much it loved and respected Superman and his mythos. Nowhere is that respect made more clear than in “Mxyzpixelated”, the episode that features the fifth-dimensional imp known as Mxyzptlk.

Mxyzptlk is one of those characters who has never had a truly defining storyline in the comics, yet he remains a fixture in Superman’s rogues gallery. There are several reasons for this. Mxy is a trickster villain who contrasts against Superman’s more serious-minded personality, challenging the virtues that Superman embodies. He is also one of the rare Superman villains who can legitimately claim to be more powerful than the Man of Steel, forcing Superman to rely on his mind rather than his strength to win. At the same time, Mxyzptlk is a character that has not always aged well, especially in his visual design, and he’s very much a product of the Silver Age in some aspects. That can show when he’s not written well, but he can shine as a character in the right hands.

That shows the best in this episode, since Paul Dini is perhaps the best writer who has ever handled the character. Of course, some of that success was due to the collaborative process and Mxy’s design on the show. The creators of Superman: The Animated Series reinterpreted Mxyzptlk in a different way than he’d ever been shown before, but in a way that is true to the character’s roots as well. Bruce Timm had not been a fan of the traditional Mxy design with the orange costume and the frizzled hair. I can entirely understand why, as it’s a dated design that can be improved upon. The show wisely opted for the design from Mxy’s earliest appearance, with the purple suit and the bowler hat, and that worked much better. It also fit quite well into the retrofuturistic design for the animated series’ version of Metropolis, reflecting some of the Fleischer influence and the Golden Age aesthetic while keeping it grounded in a level of modernity for the 90’s. Superman: TAS is a show that honored every era of the character up to that point, and Mxyzptlk was no exception to that.

At the same time, Paul Dini’s script is a thing of beauty, capturing the essence of Mxyzptlk while keeping the episode grounded in what worked for the show. This version of Mxy remains a trickster, obsessed with defeating Superman, the one person able to beat him at his own games. At the same time, Mxy is not a malicious or truly evil character, just someone who sees himself as a superior being. He is unconcerned with the mortals that he tramples over, so long as he wins at his game. He sees normal people as relative gnats, and he is only concerned with Superman, the closest he has to an equal on Earth and thus the only Earth being worthy of his attention. At the same time, for all his superiority, this version of Mxy has compelling personality quirks that make him fun to watch. He is boastful and a sore loser, but also obsessive, ignoring his wife Gspy (brilliantly redesigned for the animated series) in his drive to one-up Superman. This Mxy is a being of cosmic stature with the immaturity of a child, an annoying antagonist rather than a true threat like Luthor, Brainiac or Darkseid. That makes his relationship with Superman different, more like an irritating relative than a villain. Because of that, this episode echoes one of Grant Morrison’s points about Superman, that Superman works best when the story is larger-than-life but taps into a relatable human idea. This episode goes all in on that approach and to great effect.

However, it is that characterization that sets this episode apart from most of Superman: The Animated Series, and why this episode is so much fun and so endlessly rewatchable. Dini’s writing on this story is genuinely some of the funniest work he’s ever done. Mxy is a funny and charming character, and Superman is the perfect straight man to work as a comic foil. There are moments he can be unnerving as well, echoing a Twilight Zone level of craziness as Superman comes to terms with what he’s up against. But once that settles, the episode turns into a Looney Tunes style comedic episode, probably drawing on Dini’s experience on shows like Tiny Toons Adventures. That approach works perfectly for a show like this, and it can be laugh-out-loud hilarious to watch Mxy fail to defeat Superman once Clark is on to his tricks. By the time the episode reaches its climax, Dini shifts the style of the episode again, this time embracing full-on Silver Age silliness, an approach that can only work with an antagonist like Mxyzptlk. Some of this is noticeable with the show’s direct references to classic comic book moments like Jimmy Olsen as Turtle Boy or Lois being turned into a horse. The resolution is clever, and while it has some minor logical problems, the ending is satisfying enough that it’s easy to overlook any nitpicks.

Superman: The Animated Series has always been fueled by its stellar voice casting, but this episode took that to a whole new level. Gilbert Gottfried was an inspired choice for Mxyzptlk, having been brought in during the height of his acting career. Gottfried is a comedian I’ve always enjoyed, and his Mxy voice is both hilarious and captures the irritating nature of Mxyzptlk. Still, there’s also depth to his performance, with Gottfried clearly grasping the manic obsession Mxy has with defeating Superman and winning his games at any cost. When the episode is funny, Gottfried’s voice and tonal inflections make it even funnier. I can’t imagine anyone else in this role today, and Gottfried is perhaps the definitive version of Mxyzptlk now. At the same time, the regular cast of Superman: The Animated Series also plays off well against Gottfried. Tim Daly is an excellent Superman, and he gets some good room to work with in this episode. He manages to show a bit more range than usual in the role here, as his Superman goes from unsettled to afraid to annoyed and then finally to satisfied amusement. The conclusion in the Planet offices against Mxy shows a new side of Tim Daly’s Superman, and that’s what you really want from an effective villain in this show. Dana Delany doesn’t get that much to do in this episode, but she’s always a strong presence as Lois even here. Everyone else is solid, but likewise, they don’t get much to do—this show is firmly about Mxyzptlk and Superman, and that’s where this episode truly shines.

If you have the opportunity to get the recently released Superman: The Complete Animated Series on Blu-ray, do so, since that is the best format to watch “Mxyzpixelated”. The sharpness of the visuals and the brighter colors of the animation on Blu-ray work best for a comedic episode that draws heavily on the Silver Age Superman mythos. However, this is a classic episode to watch in any format, either on DVD or streaming on HBO Max. The writing on this episode is among the show’s absolute best, Mxyzptlk is a delight to watch, and the episode shows a different side to Superman while respecting his roots. If Mxy has a defining story in any format, it is undoubtedly “Mxyzpixelated”, which gets to the heart of Mxy and his conflict with Superman better than even the comics ever have. If you watch a single episode of Superman: The Animated Series, I would strongly recommend that it be this one.

Score: 5/5

Writer: Paul Dini
Director: Dan Riba
Cast: Tim Daly, Dana Delany, Gilbert Gottfried, David Kaufman, Sandra Bernhard, Shelley Fabares, Mike Farrell, Tress MacNeille, Frank Welker

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Steve Sellers

Steve Sellers had been a fan of superheroes ever since Superman: The Movie. But it took the JSA, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Dragonlance, Lord of the Rings, Twilight Zone, and Chris Claremont's legendary run on the X-Men to make him a writer and a longtime fan of comics, fantasy, and science fiction. Steve is the co-creator of WHITE DRUID & MICHAEL NERO and GUARDIANS OF ELAYIM for Omen Comics, and he is also the creator of BLITZ and SHOCKWAVE for Revelation Comics (an imprint of Omen Comics).