http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS2E24WarriorQueen
Queen Maxima of Almerac wants a worthy husband and is too concerned about that to care about her subjects. While she's on Earth to evaluate Superman as a potential candidate, a rejected suitor plots to usurp her throne.
Tropes:
- 0% Approval Rating: No one on planet Almerac is fond of Maxima's antics, and when De'Cine pulled his coup, people were calling it a "Liberation".
- Accidental Misnaming: Superman accidentally refers to Almerac as "Almanac".
- Adaptational Modesty: Maxima's comic version often wears Stripperiffic outfits while in this version her warrior outfit is much more modest.
- All Amazons Want Hercules: Queen Maxima will only marry a man who is as strong as she is. Noticing how strong Superman is, she decides that he shall be her husband.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: When Lobo crashes into her palace at the end of the episode, Maxima is instantly taken by him.
- And Now You Must Marry Me: Maxima tries to make Superman marry her when he bests her in their fight. When he refuses her, she kidnaps him to her home planet.
- Best Her to Bed Her: How Maxima selects her betrothal. The episode opens with Maxima facing off against De'Cine, who had wanted to marry her so he could take the throne, but she beats him with ease.
- Blunt "Yes": When Superman shows up at the TV studio Maxima is trashing, she tells him that they need to go to Almerac to marry. When Superman tells her that he can't just drop everything and get married just because she says so, she then sheepishly asks if he's refusing her, and he responds: "well, yes." She doesn't take it well.
- Bullying a Dragon: Sazu gives Maxima a "The Reason You Suck" Speech about how much of a Spoiled Brat and Woman Child she is after the coup is revealed and Maxima is incapacitated. While what she says is true, it leaves her in a difficult position when she too is sent with her former queen to the dungeon and Maxima, unsurprisingly, has a sword in hand and an axe to grind. Superman's intervention is the only thing that saves her from being executed on the spot.
- The Cameo: Spunky Spencer from "Baby-Doll" can be seen as one of the street thugs hitting on Maxima.
- Cape Snag: Superman grabs Maxima by her cape and drags her into the sky.
- Cool Sword: Maxima's weapon is a giant Greatsword.
- Easily Forgiven: Maxima forgives Sazu for betraying her almost immediately after Superman stops the former from killing the latter.
- Eating the Eye Candy: Maxima is very appreciative of Superman's physique.
- When watching his footage:
Maxima: Hmm, "Super-Man"... I like those shoulders... and that chin. Oh, our children will be absolutely gorgeous!
- When she actually sees him in person:
Maxima: Superman! [slowly eyes him up from head to toe] ...YOW!
- She does the same to Lobo when he smashes into her throne room.
- Fanservice: Maxima gets a scene where she is being bathed by her servants, showing a lot of skin, including lifting her leg up high for her servants to wash and her modesty is only preserved by Shoulders-Up Nudity shots and Censor Suds. When she surfaces from the water, her servants holding out her robe blocks the view of her body.
- Fanservice Extra: Maxima is attended by a group of scantily clad servant girls who bathe her, comb her hair, and otherwise attend to her needs. When De'Cine takes over as monarch of Almerac, a scene with these servant girls invokes images of an age-appropriate Royal Harem, with one performing a sensual dance for him while another fans him and a third holds his dinner.
- Fed to the Beast: De'Cine tries to get rid of Superman, Sazu, and Maxima by throwing them into the sewer system where a huge monster lurks.
- Fiery Redhead: Maxima has a childish, fiery temper as well as long red hair.
- Flying Brick: Maxima possesses immense psionic powers that give her Super-Strength and the power of Flight.
- Foot Popping: After he impresses her by defeating The Carnorite, Maxima hugs him while doing this.
- Here We Go Again!: Maxima falls for Lobo when he appears to claim a bounty on De’cine.
- Hormone-Addled Teenager: This is how Sazu and De'cine view Maxima.
Sazu: She's young, headstrong...
De'Cine: ...Hormonal.
- Human Aliens: The Almerac people look just like regular humans.
- Lady of War: The Warrior Queen Maxima, Almerac's strongest warrior who still has a feminine and regal demeanor.
- Leg Focus: Maxima is being bathed by her servants and lifts her leg up high for her servants to give her a pedicure.
- Love at First Punch: Maxima's attraction to Superman grows tenfold once he actually beats her up.
- Marry for Love: Superman lectures Maxima about this when she attempts to make him marry her.
Superman: Here on Earth, marriage isn't something you can command, it's about a willing partnerships where husbands and wives share the decisions and sacrifices.
- Mathematician's Answer: When the giant monster shows up:
Superman: How big is that thing?
Maxima: Big.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Sazu reaffirms loyalty to her queen when De’cine throws her in the dungeon.
- Mugging the Monster: When Maxima arrives on Earth, a street gang hits on her and then attacks her when she tells them to get lost. Given she's about as strong as Superman, it's a no-contest.
- Mythology Gag: During Maxima's tenure with the Justice League of America, it was revealed that her heavy-handed and reckless methods of ruling Almarec caused a lot of resentment among her subjects, to the point that when the elders banished her, there was a great deal of popular support for said banishment. Here, as soon as she leaves the planet to court Superman, her handmaiden Sazu organizes a coup to save her people from her rule.
- Nosy Neighbor: A 50-year-old wife is watching Superman and Maxima fight at a construction site. Her husband, newspaper blocking his view, tells her to stop spying on the neighbors.
Wife: Now they're hugging!
Husband: Don't get any ideas!
- Not Good with Rejection: Superman rejects Maxima's advances as politely as possible, but instead of accepting that he's not interested, she attacks him and later kidnaps him. By the end, she learns to accept that he simply does not return her feelings but still makes a final attempt at wooing him and gives a childish moan of disappointment when he rejects her again.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: Maxima is very proud of her heritage and combat prowess, though this is Downplayed for the rest of the Almerac.
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: Maxima is the queen of Almerac as well as their strongest warrior. Which is actually an issue for her, as she will only marry someone stronger than herself.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Maxima gets two of these, one from her handmaiden Sazu and another from Superman, both concerning her entitled Royal Brat attitude.
- Recognition Failure: An old woman witnesses Superman and Maxima's battle, and from her commentary has no idea who Superman is.
- Recycled Animation: When Superman electrocutes the Carnorite, the ensuing explosion is reused footage from a scene of "My Girl", in which Mr. Eelan blows a vat of hot lead off its support.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: After Sazu helps De'Cine to take over Queen Maxima's throne, De'Cine orders his soldiers to imprison Sazu along with the dethroned Queen.
- Royal Brat: Maxima tends to throw tantrums when she doesn't instantly get her way and doesn't consider other people's feelings.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Played With, Queen Maxima evaluates possible mates herself even going to Earth on her own, but only does it for selfish reasons not thinking about the needs of her people, which leads her to be overthrown.
- Sand Worm: The Carnorite, a giant worm that lives in Almerac's underground prison.
- Self-Proclaimed Love Interest: Maxima announces on TV she's Superman's "destined mate" before she has even met him.
- Shout-Out: The way Maxima recites her title, "warrior queen, head of the royal house, leader of all Almerac" is reminiscent of Lwaxana Troi, ("daughter of the fifth house, holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed") a character Hilary J. Bader wrote for in two episodes. Both characters are aggressive in their search for a suitable mate.
- Teleportation: Maxima wears a high-tech bracelet that is capable of opening teleportation portals that quickly let her travel from Almerac to Earth.
- There Is a God!: Just as Angela Chen is complaining that they need two more minutes to fill their piece on Superman, Maxima bursts into the studio and declares herself Superman's destined mate. Angela smiles and whispers, "Thank you!"
- Try to Fit That on a Business Card: Maxima's has a big list of titles, which she gives often
Maxima: I am the Lady Maxima, warrior queen, head of the royal house, leader of all Almerac!
- Villain Ball: Rather than continuing what seems to be a willingly romantic relationship with the beautiful Sazu, De'Cine immediately betrays her once he gets Maxima's supernatural cuff, allowing her to steal it back while Maxima and Superman are fighting.
- Villain Has a Point: For all that De'Cine is acting out of personal ambition, he's not wrong to point out that Maxima has been neglecting her duties as queen.
- Villainesses Want Heroes: Maxima is this to Superman. However, she eventually lets him go and soon forgets all about him when she meets another man.
Lobo: I'm here to get that fraggin', scum-suckin, rat-scratchin' De'Cine. And nobody better stop me!
Maxima: Yow!
- Would Hit a Girl: Superman shows no restraint when fighting Maxima.
