In this film, we are introduced to a group of super-powered people known only as “The Elite”. Led by a man whom calls himself ‘Manchester Black’, this group comes onto Superman’s turf with a new way of doing the whole “Saving the world” gig. The old way of giving villains countless chances to reform is over with! People who do evil things need to be killed and The Elite are the ones who plan to be the Judge, jury and executioners to enforce it all.  Superman quickly takes a stand against this line of thinking and tries to befriend The Elite and gets them to try a “kinder” approach. Meanwhile, all is not completely accurate with Manchester Black’s origin story as Lois Lane quickly discovers that there has been a coverup in the united kingdom to make their own Super Powered protectors who salute to the Queen. All this leads into a war between Superman and Black’s followers that will have people asking “Do we really want a Superman who doesn’t care?” in the film’s gripping final moments.

Superman vs The Elite features the voice talents of George Newbern (Justice League) who returns to animation as the Man of Steel, Pauley Perrette (NCIS) as Lois Lane, and Robin Atkin Downes (Batman: Year One) as Manchester Black. Newbern steps back into the role of Superman with ease, bringing the needed strength and conviction that this specific story demanded. While some will miss Tim Daily in the iconic role, Newbern was the best choice to play a much-darker Superman who is a bit more rough around the edges bringing a new edge to the character not generally seen.  Perrette’s Lois Lane was a different take on our favorite spunky reporter, giving us a very spunky, level-headed, strong characterization. Downes’ (the man of 70 plus accents) vocal talents make Manchester Black a force to be reckoned with, while also making you care about this brand-new-maybe-hero… and you might possibly end up cheering for him and his cause. This was a story of anti-heroes (that are relatively unknown to the general public) and required the creative team to not only make you understand their back-story, but have the audience genuinely care about their success or failure. While viewers (and comic readers) would typically side with Superman, there are moments when the characters (and the audience) must actually debate the moral implications of sticking with a justice system that might be outdated in a world where terrorists will do unspeakable acts of violence. In a world where social media runs rampant, and information can be distributed in the blink of an eye, it is easy for public opinion to trend towards the quick and easy solution. So, would you want your heroes to kill? This new DC Animated release continues the trend of mixing up animation styles, moving away from the typical “Bruce Timm” designs. The designs for this story are heavily-influenced by the comic’s art, but with more of a minimalistic approach to make the animation possible. The only visual  choice that came off as odd was the choice to give Superman a giant (disproportionate) chin, making him look more like Stan Smith from American Dad. This look was odd because it wasn’t a choice based on the original comic design. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s also hard not terribly hard to think of a Seth MacFarlane cartoon every time Superman speaks.