The 90s were a golden age for Superhero cartoons, with X-Men, Batman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man, and Batman Beyond all airing in the 90s. Perhaps due to the vast number of high-quality superhero shows, some have been overlooked, with Superman: The Animated Series being one of the most notable cases.
Despite being one of the strongest adaptations of the Superman comics and helping to set up the Justice League cartoon, Superman: The Animated Series is overlooked. As with any adaptation, the strength of the cartoon comes from its villains, with many of the classic Superman villains appearing in the show.
Lobo
Lobo is a fantastic Superman villain, but the reason why he ranks so low on this list is that he is generally more of an anti-hero than a villain, but the DC Animated Universe Wiki lists him as a villain regardless.
It is this morally grey nature to his character that makes Lobo so compelling, showing an inter conflict to the character. Furthermore, Lobo is also a hilarious character and his interactions with Superman are some of the best on the series.
Bizarro
Bizarro is one of the most iconic Superman villains, with the character acting as a mirror to Superman himself, possessing the same powers as the Man of Steel and being easily led and influenced by villains such as Lex Luthor.
Bizarro, in the DCAU, is a failed Superman clone and isn’t an evil character. Rather, Bizarro is led astray by Lex Luthor and tricked into fighting Superman.
Livewire
The DC Animated Universe is famous for inventing new characters that become fan favorites. The most notable example of this is Harley Quinn who, despite being only intended to appear in one episode, went on to become one of the most popular DC Comics characters of all time.
Superman: The Animated Series had its own unique creation in the form of Livewire, a supervillain with electrokinetic powers and a hatred of Superman.
Jax-Ur
Superman is one of the most powerful comic book characters of all time, so there is rarely a villain with the physical strength and power to match him. One of the most obvious examples of a villain who can match Superman is General Zod.
However, Superman: The Animated Series didn’t feature the iconic Zod, instead using the Jax-Ur character (a mad Kryptonian scientist from the comics) and merging his character with that of Zod.
Toyman
Superman villains aren’t exactly known for being creepy and unnerving. Usually, these kinds of villains belong to Batman’s rogues' gallery, with Joker, Zsasz, and Scarecrow being the most obvious examples of this.
That being said, Superman: The Animated Series reimagined the Toyman in a skin-crawling manner. In the show, Toyman wears a doll mask and speaks in a childish tone that must even unnerve adult viewers.
Parasite
Parasite is one of the most iconic Superman villains. The villain is able to suck the lifeforce out of his victims and take on their own strengths, this allows Parasite to obtain the powers of Superman during some of their encounters.
What makes this villain so compelling, particularly in Superman: The Animated Series, is the tragic and intriguing story they gave the character. The story delves deeply into Parasite’s origins, allowing audiences to connect with him before he becomes a villain.
Darkseid
Some may be confused about Darkseid's relatively low place on this list. After all, Darkseid is one of the most powerful and terrifying villains in the DC Universe, with the character always being a handful for Superman (and even the Justice League).
He does appear in the animated series and, while his story was excellent and memorable, there are other villains who have more compelling backstories.
Metallo
Despite being one of the most iconic Superman villains, Metallo’s first animated appearance came in Superman: The Animated Series. John Corben was a mercenary who became infected with a fatal viral disease. Lex Luthor offered to cure him by transferring his consciousness into a robot body, but Corben would come to regret this as he lost several human sensations after the procedure.
Metallo, as Corben would eventually come to be known, had a heart of kryptonite that makes him a fearsome foe for Superman. Further, audiences are introduced to the Corben character several episodes before his viral disease diagnosis, making his transformation even more shocking.
Brainiac
Despite being one of the most popular Superman villains of all time, Brainiac has yet to receive a big-screen adaptation. That being said, any big-screen adaptation will have trouble matching the incredible adaptation of the character in Superman: The Animated Series.
Brainiac not only troubled Superman during the Animated Series, but also Batman; with the Dark Knight appearing during a crossover storyline that also included Joker, Bane, and Lex Luthor.
Lex Luthor
Who else could have topped this list? Lex Luthor is undoubtedly the greatest Superman villain of all time and his adaptation in Superman: The Animated Series stands out as being the best on-screen version of the character.
This version of Lex Luthor is wonderfully voiced by Clancy Brown, with the voice actor perfectly playing the calculated villain.