History Trivia / SupermanTheAnimatedSeries

** Olivia Hussey replaces Helen Slater as Talia Al Ghul from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''.

** [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Originally]], Ma and Pa Kent were supposed to die in ''Apokolips... Now!'', but DC said that if they were killed they would need to be brought back to life later. Unwilling to [[DeathIsCheap walk down that path]], the target was shifted to a different character.

** "Legacy" was intended to kick off a season's worth of episodes about Superman regaining the world's trust. However, a pushback and other projects (''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'') led to it being produced as the finale instead, while the theme of public distrust for metahumans became an underlying plot thread in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''.
** Creator/ClancyBrown originally auditioned for the role of Superman before being cast as Lex Luthor, and according to the producers his initial reaction to being asked to play Luthor instead was "Am I ever gonna get to play a good guy?"

** There were some art sketches of girls for the strip bar scene in ''World's Finest''. They wore nothing but black bikinis and long black leather boots. The final cut of the episode had the girls in flirty dresses instead.

** A Comicbook/WonderWoman guest appearance was pitched but never materialized.

** During the development phase, they considered making the show a period piece, and even initially designed the [[http://www.byrnerobotics.com/forum/uploads/JohnWLeys/2006-01-22_102246_002.jpg characters with a look that would have fit more in the 1940s.]] The idea was scrapped because they didn't want the show to be compared to the ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalCartoons'', and went for a more futuristic look instead.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The Comicbook/GreenLantern episode ''In Brightest Day'' shows struggling artist Kyle Rayner trying and failing to get his art out there the old fashioned way as he works for the Daily Planet Art Department. Today he would undoubtedly have a Tumbler or Twitter account and probably a Website/DeviantArt account where he could promote his work on line. The episode also reflects how, at the time, Kyle was the main Green Lantern in the comics instead of Hal Jordan.

* PlayingAgainstType: Christopher [=MacDonald=] was long known for villainous roles when he was cast as Jor-El.
* PromotedFanboy: Christopher [=MacDonald=] is a big Superman fan.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The GreenLantern episode ''In Brightest Day'' shows struggling artist Kyle Rayner trying and failing to get his art out there the old fashioned way as he works for the Daily Planet Art Department. Today he would undoubtedly have a Tumbler or Twitter account and probably a Website/DeviantArt account where he could promote his work on line. The episode also reflects how, at the time, Kyle was the main Green Lantern in the comics instead of Hal Jordan.

** Sherman Howard was considered for the role of Luthor, having previously played the character in ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperboy''. According to Bruce Timm, Howard gave an impressive audition, and was nearly offered the role... until Clancy Brown walked in. Howard gave one-off performances as The Preserver and General Steppenwolf, and later voiced the Luthor-like Derek Powers in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''.
** Paul Dini and Bruce Timm originally wanted to use Kara Zor-El as Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}, but they were denied by DC Comics due to the then-current "Superman is the ''only'' survivor of Krypton" edict. Although they went as close as they could get, with Kara being Clark's ''adopted'' cousin and from Krypton's "sister planet", Argo (a MythologyGag to that side of the House of El living in ''Argo'' City in the comics), essentially making her as close to Kryptonian as possible. An additional MythologyGag is her family name - Kara Zor-El's mother was named Allura ''In-Ze'', with said surname given to the show's interpretation of Kara.

*** The original ending to "A Little Piece of Home" would have also included Superman giving the piece of kryptonite from the episode to Batman for safe keeping.

** A WonderWoman guest appearance was pitched but never materialized.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: When Clark investigated a murder case, the suspect's alibi was that he was eating pizza at the time of the murder. Clark went to the pizza restaurant and the owner gave him the backup of all his transactions, which a pile of 3 1/2 floppy disks.

* AwesomeDearBoy: TimDaly said the reason he signed on to do Superman's voice in this series was because he thought it would be fun to play a superhero in a superhero cartoon. He later said he underestimated just how difficult voice acting for a superhero, especially one of Superman's stature, would be.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The GreenLantern episode ''In Brightest Day'' shows struggling artist Kyle Rayner trying and failing to get his art out there the old fashioned way as he works for the Daily Planet Art Department. Today he would undoubtedly have a Tumbler or Twitter account and probably a DeviantArt account where he could promote his work on line. The episode also reflects how, at the time, Kyle was the main Green Lantern in the comics instead of Hal Jordan.

* ExecutiveMeddling: [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Originally]], Ma and Pa Kent were supposed to die in ''Apokolips... Now!'', but DC said that if they were killed they would need to be brought back to life later. Unwilling to [[DeathIsCheap walk down that path]], the target was shifted to a different character.

** Sherman Howard was considered for the role of Luthor, having previously played the character in ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperboy''. According to Bruce Timm, Howard gave an impressive audition, and was nearly offered the role . . . until Clancy Brown walked in. Howard gave one-off performances as The Preserver and General Steppenwolf, and later voiced the Luthor-like Derek Powers in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The GreenLantern episode ''In Brightest Day'' shows struggling artist Kyle Rayner trying and failing to get his art out there the old fashioned way as he works for the Daily Planet Art Department. Today he would undoubtedly have a Tumbler or Twitter account and probably a DeviantArt account where he could promote his work on line. The episode also reflects how, at the time, Kyle was the main Green Lantern in the comics instead of Hal Jordan.

* RealLifeRelative: Ma and Pa Kent's voice actors (Mike Farrell and Shelley Fabares) are married in real life.
* RecastAsARegular: Dana Delany provided the voice of Bruce Wayne's love interest Andrea Beaumont in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'' before going on to do the voice of Lois Lane for ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''.

* OffModel: The animation team did this intentionally, removing the "S" shield from Superman's cape in order to save themselves from having to animate how the shield would look as the cape rippled and moved.

** An early idea was to have the series be a team-up show, with each episode featuring Superman partnering with different members of the Justice League. Timm did up concept art of a number of different heroes like Comicbook/{{Vixen}}, Mister Miracle, Orion and Lightray of the Comicbook/NewGods, Comicbook/TheQuestion, Nightshade (who would've sported a Comicbook/{{Psylocke}}-inspired outfit), and Comicbook/BlackLightning. An alternate concept piece featured other characters like TheFlash, Comicbook/WonderWoman, Comicbook/GreenLantern (Hal Jordan), Comicbook/BlueBeetle, Comicbook/PowerGirl and Comicbook/{{Hawkman}}, as well as villains like Star Sapphire, ComicBook/TheJoker, Comicbook/{{Catwoman}}, Captain Cold and Doctor Sivana. The idea was jettisoned out of fear that Superman would be overshadowed in his own show.

** An early idea was to have the series be a team-up show, with each episode featuring Superman partnering with different members of the Justice League. Timm did up concept art of a number of different heroes like Comicbook/{{Vixen}}, Mister Miracle, Orion and Lightray of the Comicbook/NewGods, Comicbook/TheQuestion, Nightshade (who would've sported a Comicbook/{{Psylocke}}-inspired outfit), and Comicbook/BlackLightning. An alternate concept piece featured other characters like TheFlash, Comicbook/WonderWoman, Comicbook/GreenLantern (Hal Jordan), Comicbook/BlueBeetle, Comicbook/PowerGirl and {{Hawkman}}, as well as villains like Star Sapphire, TheJoker, Comicbook/{{Catwoman}}, Captain Cold and Doctor Sivana. The idea was jettisoned out of fear that Superman would be overshadowed in his own show.
** The original plan for "Apokolips...Now!" had Ma and Pa Kent killed instead of [[spoiler: Dan Turpin]], but [[ExecutiveMeddling DC said they would need to bring the Kents back to life if that happened]]. Since Creator/BruceTimm wanted to avert DeathIsCheap the target character was switched.

* ThePeteBest: Charlie Schlatter voices the Wally West version of ComicBook/TheFlash for his guest appearance in "Speed Demons," as opposed to Creator/MichaelRosenbaum for ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', who provided Wally's voice for that show's entire five-year run. Schlatter would eventually go on to be better associated voicing the Barry Allen incarnation of the Flash, including providing his voice in ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction'', and the ''VideoGame/LEGOBatman'' video games.

** Sherman Howard was considered for the role of Luthor, having previously played the character in "The Adventures of Superboy". According to Bruce Timm, Howard gave an impressive audition, and was nearly offered the role . . . until Clancy Brown walked in. Howard gave one-off performances as The Preserver and General Steppenwolf, and later voiced the Luthor-like Derek Powers in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The GreenLantern episode ''In Brightest Day'' shows struggling artist Kyle Rayner trying and failing to get his art out there the old fashioned way as he works for the Daily Planet Art Department. Today he would undoubtedly have a Tumbler or Twitter account and probably a DeviantArt account where he could promote his work on line.

** During the development phase, they considered making the show a period piece, and even initially designed the [[http://www.byrnerobotics.com/forum/uploads/JohnWLeys/2006-01-22_102246_002.jpg characters with a look that would have fit more in the 1940s.]] The idea was scrapped because they didn't want the show to be compared to the ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalShorts'', and went for a more futuristic look instead.

** Paul Dini and Bruce Timm originally wanted to use Kara Zor-El as Supergirl, but they were denied by DC Comics due to the then-current "Superman is the ''only'' survivor of Krypton" edict. Although they went as close as they could get, with Kara being Clark's ''adopted'' cousin and from Krypton's "sister planet", Argo (a MythologyGag to that side of the House of El living in ''Argo'' City in the comics), essentially making her as close to Kryptonian as possible. An additional MythologyGag is her family name - Kara Zor-El's mother was named Allura ''In-Ze'', with said surname given to the show's interpretation of Kara.