Even in animated format, Supes can’t exactly do the right thing every so often.
- "Where There's Smoke" has a Mook armed with a laser pistol that could at least stun Superman if it's as Badass as he thinks it is.
You'd Think: He would unload on Superman from behind while he's distracted with another high-tech mook and let the Evil Plan go on without a hitch.
Instead: The genius decides to pull a Dirty Harry and lovingly describe said weapon without firing a shot.
Result: Supes averts Talking Is a Free Action by zipping up to him in mid-sentence, breaks the gun and is made to talk by the precariously spacious window behind him. - "Target": After Lois wrote an expose on Luthor, someone tried to kill her using bombs that lead back to LexCorp. While Lex Luthor says that he's not an idiot and wouldn't leave his own tech in a car to murder her, Lois realizes it could be Lytener, a contact of hers who used to work at LexCorp and had let slip a comment that contradicted his alibi.
You'd Expect: She would inform Clark, call the police, or have Superman investigate Lytener. The attempts have gotten so bad that Lois is having nightmares about being killed.
Instead: Lois convinces Clark that she's going to relax at home, sneaks past her police guard, goes on her own to confront Lytener, and ask why he wants her dead.
The Result: While she reveals that Lytener physically trying to murder her is a bad idea since "Daddy was a black belt" and she kicks his ass, Lytener doesn't need his fists. He has all the tech he wants to fricassee her in the privacy of his lab.
Fortunately: Luthor, in Pragmatic Villainy mode, has also been investigating Lois's killer because it looks bad if he's accused of murdering a journalist. In a Pet the Dog moment, he calls Clark to leave a message for Lois, giving information on the bomb that she requested. Superman arrives in the nick of time just as Lytener's lasers are about to skewer Lois. - "Solar Power": Lois Lane's former would-be killer Edward Lytener has targeted her as bait for Superman. It's because he is blocking some of the sun's rays using Lex Luthor's satellites, as the supervillain Luminus. This depowers Superman, who needs yellow rays to fly. For once, Lex swears that this wasn't his plan to kill Superman because the publicity is bad for his company and he's losing revenue on the hacked satellites. Lois does some detective work with Jimmy Olsen, and they find an invisible building in the middle of the desert thanks to a bird sitting on seemingly nothing.
You'd Expect: Lois, on realizing that she and Jimmy have run into an invisible building, would either call the cops or Dr. Hamilton, telling them that they found Luminus's hideout, and drive away as fast as possible given the guy has kidnapped and tried to kill her about half a dozen times now. Superman is preparing to fly into space to deal with the satellites directly and destroy them before confronting Luminus.
Instead: When she finds an unlocked door in the invisible building, she thinks nothing of opening it and going inside, and Jimmy reluctantly follows.
The Result: Luminus's security system catches them, and he uses them as bait to interrupt Superman's plan to go into space. Superman has to go to the building in the desert, alone, while his powers are wavering. A Bound and Gagged Lois and Jimmy Lane are Forced to Watch as Luminus taunts Superman with various holograms, though fortunately, Superman turns the tables by destroying the sun-filtering device.
You'd Expect: Luminus to run for it before Superman's powers return. If he insists on taking one last chance to kill Superman, you'd think he'd keep attacking with weapons or holograms.
Instead: Luminus gets into a hand-to-hand melee with his foe, who even without superpowers is a big muscular guy with considerable fighting experience. - In "Ghost in the Machine", Lex Luthor is unveiling an anti-missile weapon with the press and high ranking military officers in attendance.
You'd Expect: He would have the missile fired at a target far away from them and just have them watch the weapon shoot the missiles down.
Instead: He has two actual missiles fired at the building they're currently in. And apparently has no backup plans such as remote detonation or anything else to stop the missiles after the weapon malfunctions as a result of sabotage. There's arrogance and then there's suicidal overconfidence. - Everytime Parasite is around. He has the ability to gain people's powers, thoughts, and memories, but only for a limited time.
You'd Expect: Knowing this limitation, he would start taking written notes of his discoveries, especially when he absorb Superman's powers and learn of his secret identity, Clark Kent.
Instead: He does nothing and end up forgetting all that he learned every single time. This trend continues in Justice League. - "The Late Mr. Kent" has Clark researches a murder from years ago and suggests that the man convicted, Earnest Walker, wasn't actually guilty. The actual murderer, Detective Bowman, learns Clark might think this during their conversation.
You'd Expect: For the murderer to not do anything. At the time they learned this they didn't have anything to suggest that Clark actually would find anything to clear Walker, let alone lead them to the real murderer. Besides which, murdering a reporter investigating the case would convince everyone that Clark had been right and probably make the Daily Planet do a very public investigation.
Instead: The murderer planted a bomb in Clark's car and put a very traceable bug on his phone. As if that wasn't enough, the murderer put a bomb in Clark's apartment and stuck around to watch it blow up. Really Bowman on his own did more than Superman and Lois put together to reveal the truth. - Walker's lawyer was either this or so apathetic as to deserve losing their license. Walker's alibi was that he had been at home eating a pizza.
You'd Expect: His lawyer to at least call the place to check if they have any records. If they had, they could have confirmed that Walker had gotten his pizza at the same time the murder was committed. Depending on when the trial happened, the records might even have still been on the store's computer and probably much easier to track down than the backups Clark had to go through.
Instead: They don't bother checking at all, and as a result Walker is convicted and nearly died.
