History YMMV / TheAdventuresOfSuperboy

** The kid in the first season episode who wore a Superboy costume was played by a young Creator/JoaquinPhoenix, billed as Leaf Phoenix. Becomes HilariousInHindsight when Joaquin ends up being cast to play the titular character of ''Film/Joker2019'', a ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' Villain. This is pretty much a case of [[Film/TheDarkKnight "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain"]] kind of thing.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Ron Ely's alternate-universe Superman only appeared in one episode but is fondly viewed by fans as one of the more underrated portrayals of Superman, given his relative obscurity and never getting to wear the suit or even be called by name. This Superman has retired after helping make his Earth into a utopia and even reforming Lex Luthor permanently. He is totally believable as TheParagon with his wise and warm demeanor, and despite being visibly older than Superboy he can still kick ass when required.

** The [[Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa dirty cop]] in "Terror from the Blue" is Shang Tsung in ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11''.

* HilariousInHindsight: The two alternate-universe Superboys in "Roads Not Taken" resemble versions of Superman/Superboy that would later appear in the comics. The Sovereign dresses similarly to the Soviet dictator Superman from ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'', while the reclusive Superboy (who killed his world's Lex Luthor in a fit of rage) wears an outfit that looks a lot like the [[ComicBook/{{Superboy}} 90s Clone Superboy]], complete with jacket and sunglasses.

** "A Change of Heart" 2-parter: [[MisanthropeSupreme Adam Verrell]] is a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity respected philanthropist]] who is beloved by the public of Capitol City for his charitable deeds. Verrell donates a series of TV screens to Capitol City that have uplifting messages on them. However, Verrell is secretly a nihilist who believes that humanity is collection of moral degenerates and plans to prove this by destroying Capitol City. The TV screens are actually [[MindControlDevice mind-control devices]] designed to [[DrivenToMadness drive people insane]]. A priest looks at one of Verrell's screens and flies into a rage, pushing 2 strollers with babies in them into traffic (they are saved by Superboy). Later at a public event, a screen causes the mayor to go into a rage and take a gun from a cop and start firing on the crowd. After Superboy disarms the mayor, the screen causes the crowd to riot. Meanwhile, Verrell is dating Lana Lang and puts a drug in her wine that makes her appear dead, and frames Superboy for her death. Verrell takes Lana to his basement lair and puts her in a cage, threatening to electrocute her if she gets out of line. Verrell then kidnaps a MadScientist named Tommy Puck who was recently released from prison and forces him to increase the power of his mind-control machine so that he can affect the entire city at once. Later, Verrell wants Puck to further increase the machine's power, so that people will actively try to murder each other.

** "A Change of Heart": [[MisanthropeSupreme Adam Verrell]] is a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity respected philanthropist]] who is beloved by the public of Capitol City for his charitable deeds. Verrell donates a series of TV screens to Capitol City that have uplifting messages on them. However, Verrell is secretly a nihilist who believes that humanity is collection of moral degenerates and plans to prove this by destroying Capitol City. The TV screens are actually [[MindControlDevice mind-control devices]] designed to [[DrivenToMadness drive people insane]]. A priest looks at one of Verrell's screens and flies into a rage, pushing 2 strollers with babies in them into traffic (they are saved by Superboy). Later at a public event, a screen causes the mayor to go into a rage and take a gun from a cop and start firing on the crowd. After Superboy disarms the mayor, the screen causes the crowd to riot. Meanwhile, Verrell is dating Lana Lang and puts a drug in her wine that makes her appear dead, and frames Superboy for her death. Verrell takes Lana to his basement lair and puts her in a cage, threatening to electrocute her if she gets out of line. Verrell then kidnaps a MadScientist named Tommy Puck who was recently released from prison and forces him to increase the power of his mind-control machine so that he can affect the entire city at once. Later, Verrell wants Puck to further increase the machine's power, so that people will actively try to murder each other.

* HilariousInHindsight: The Sovereign, an alternate-universe Superboy in season three, dresses similarly to both [[ComicBook/{{Superboy}} 90s Clone Superboy]] and the Soviet dictator Superman from ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon''.

** "A Change of Heart": [[MisanthropeSupreme Adam Verrell]] is a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity respected philanthropist]] who is beloved by the public of Capitol City for his charitable deeds. Verrell donates a series of TV screens to Capitol City that have uplifting messages on them. However, Verrell is secretly a nihilist who believes that humanity is collection of moral degenerates and plans to prove this by destroying Capitol City. The TV screens are actually [[MindControlDevice mind-control devices]] designed to [[DrivenToMadness drive people insane]]. A priest looks at one of Verrell's screens and flies into a rage, pushing 2 strollers with babies in them into traffic (they are saved by Superboy). Later at a public event, the a screen causes the mayor to go into a rage and take a gun from a cop and start firing on the crowd. After Superboy disarms the mayor, the screen causes the crowd to riot. Meanwhile, Verrell is dating Lana Lang and puts a drug in her wine that makes her appear dead, and frames Superboy for her death. Verrell takes Lana to his basement lair and puts her in a cage, threatening to electrocute her if she gets out of line. Verrell then kidnaps a MadScientist named Tommy Puck who was recently released from prison and forces him to increase the power of his mind-control machine so that he can affect the entire city at once. Later, Verrell wants Puck to further increase the machine's power, so that people will actively try to murder each other.

** [[AxCrazy Judd Faust]], from season 1's "Bringing Down the House", is a famous musician studying for a masters degree at Schuster University. Although he [[WolfInSheepsClothing seems nice at first]], he has a lot of sinister hobbies in his spare time. Faust wants to force a amusement park owner to sell to him (simply because he wants something he know he can't have), and to do this he sends his henchman Charles to bomb a baseball game being played at the amusement park. After Superboy foils that scheme, Faust sends Charles to kidnap the park owner, cover him with alcohol and put him in a roller coaster track so that he gets run over. Meanwhile Faust has started to date Lana Lang, and one night takes her to see his special collection. Faust takes her to his basement which is filled with ghoulish torture devices; Faust plans to torture Lana on the rack and [[LovesTheSoundOfScreaming record the screams for his personal enjoyment]], having done this to 3 other women already. Faust is so vile, Superboy briefly considers killing him.
** [[SatanicArchetype Deville]], from season 3's "Carnival", is an ageless demon all but explicitly stated to be Satan himself. He set up a traveling carnival to study human nature and [[TheCorrupter tempt others]] into acts of sin on its grounds, taking the souls of all those who fall to his wiles and locking them in a box in [[AndIMustScream howling agony for all eternity]]. Seeking to possess the soul of Clark Kent himself, Deville tries to tempt him into betraying his morals to claim his soul, eventually trying to force Clark to resort to murder on the threat of raping Lana right in front of him, in the form of a despicable SerialRapist Clark had apprehended earlier.
** [[MisanthropeSupreme Adam Verrell]], from the season 4 premiere "A Change of Heart", is a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity respected philanthropist]] who is beloved by the public of Capitol City for his charitable deeds. Verrell donates a series of TV screens to Capitol City that have uplifting messages on them. However, Verrell is secretly a nihilist who believes that humanity is collection of moral degenerates and plans to prove this by destroying Capitol City. The TV screens are actually [[MindControlDevice mind-control devices]] designed to [[DrivenToMadness drive people insane]]. A priest looks at one of Verrell's screens and flies into a rage, pushing 2 strollers with babies in them into traffic (they are saved by Superboy). Later at a public event, the a screen causes the mayor to go into a rage and take a gun from a cop and start firing on the crowd. After Superboy disarms the mayor, the screen causes the crowd to riot. Meanwhile, Verrell is dating Lana Lang and puts a drug in her wine that makes her appear dead, and frames Superboy for her death. Verrell takes Lana to his basement lair and puts her in a cage, threatening to electrocute her if she gets out of line. Verrell then kidnaps a MadScientist named Tommy Puck who was recently released from prison and forces him to increase the power of his mind-control machine so that he can affect the entire city at once. Later, Verrell wants Puck to further increase the machine's power, so that people will actively try to murder each other.

** The [[Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa dirty cop]] in "Terror from the Blue" is [[Film/MortalKombat Shang Tsung]].

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Ron Ely's alternate-universe Superman only appeared in one episode but is fondly viewed by fans as one of the more unusual yet underrated portrayals of Superman, given his relative obscurity and never getting to wear the suit or even be called by name. This "good end" Superman has retired after helping make his Earth into a utopia and even reforming Lex Luthor permanently. He is totally believable as TheParagon with his wise, friendly, quietly authoritative demeanor, and despite being visibly older than Superboy he still has a HeroicBuild and can still kick ass when required.

* RetroactiveRecognition: The [[Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa dirty cop]] in "Terror from the Blue" is [[Film/MortalKombat Shang Tsung]].

* EarWorm: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7IXvqWjcaY The intros from the first two seasons]]. First starting with an electric guitar tune before evolving into a more orchestral sound.

** The kid in the first season episode who wore a Superboy costume was played by a young Creator/JoaquinPhoenix, billed as Leaf Phoenix. Becomes HilariousInHindsight when Joaquin ends up being cast to play the titular character of ''Film/Joker2019'', a ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' Villain.

* [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome AwesomeMusic]]: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7IXvqWjcaY The intros from the first two seasons]]. First starting with an electric guitar tune before evolving into a more orchestral sound.

* AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7IXvqWjcaY The intros from the first two seasons]]. First starting with an electric guitar tune before evolving into a more orchestral sound.

* HilariousInHindsight: The Sovereign, an alternate-universe Superboy in season three, dresses similarly to both [[ComicBook/Superboy 90s Clone Superboy]] and the Soviet dictator Superman from ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon''.

** The kid in the first season episode who wore a Superboy costume was played by a young Creator/JoaquinPhoenix, billed as Leaf Phoenix.

* RetroactiveRecognition: The dirty cop in "Terror from the Blue" is [[Film/MortalKombat Shang Tsung]].

** The kid in the first season episode who wore a Superboy costume was played by a young JoaquinPhoenix, billed as Leaf Phoenix.

* CompleteMonster: Lex Luthor, especially in the second season premiere when he [[spoiler: kills his sidekick Leo]].

* CompleteMonster: Lex Luthor, especially in the second season premiere when he [[spoiler: kills his sidekick Leo]].