Ghost in the Machine
From the DCAU Wiki, working on 1,949 articles
| Superman: The Animated Series episode | |
|---|---|
| |
| "Ghost in the Machine" | |
| Airdate: | September 29, 1997 (USA) |
| Production Number: | 015 |
| Airdate Order: | 27 |
| Animation Services by: | TMS-Kyokuichi Corporation |
| Written by: | Rich Fogel |
| Directed by: | Hiroyuki Aoyama |
| Episode images (1) | |
"Ghost in the Machine" is the twenty-seventh episode of Superman: The Animated Series. It depicts the return of Brainiac, who now wants a new body and revenge on Superman. As foreshadowed in "Stolen Memories", Brainiac returns in Lex Luthor's computers. After tricking Luthor into a storage room Brainiac forces him to build him a new body. After Mercy finds out about her boss' disappearance, she and Superman seek to save him.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
A group of military and press personnel are grouped together in LexCorp for the unveiling of a new weapon. Lex Luthor prepares to go meet the press and expresses some gratitude for the usefulness of Mercy. He goes out and shocks his guests by announcing that two sidewinder missiles have been fired towards the building they are standing in, but they won't hit because of his new weapon: the Sky Sentry. This weapon will fire out an electromagnetic pulse that will knock out the missile's guidance systems. Unfortunately, the weapon fails, and Superman has to deflect the missiles in order to save everyone.
Luthor leaves angrily and Mercy defends him from his outraged guests. He tells Mercy that he'll investigate the failure of the Sky Sentry personally, and that he wants to be alone.
Outside the building, Lois and Clark discuss what has just happened. Clark is convinced that the failure of the Sky Sentry was not equipment failure, but sabotage.
Later that night, Luthor gets a strange call telling him that the incident was sabotage, and that if he wants any more information he should go to the research and development lab in Sector Six. Upon his arrival, Luthor is captured by a robot with a large claw, which forces him to look at some screens bearing the image of Brainiac. Brainiac explains that he downloaded himself into Luthor's computers, and he now wants Luthor to finish a new body for him. Luthor initially refuses, but finds that he has no choice, as the robots will kill him if he doesn't do as Brainiac says. Luthor tries to escape by saying that his disappearance will be noticed, but Brainiac generates a computer image of him and gives Mercy a message telling her that he'll be on his investigation and is not to be disturbed. Mercy complies without question.
Luthor works on Brainiac's new body for an unspecified amount of time and his health starts to fail. Brainiac threatens him and asks why he's stopping. Luthor insists that he needs food and rest. Brainiac won't grant him rest, but breaks the window of a vending machine, allowing Luthor to ravenously eat the candy bars inside. Luthor sees his reflection in the broken glass and is ashamed by his appearance.
Back outside the lab, Clark shows up and claims that he wants to see Luthor. The secretary refuses to let him in but Clark uses his x-ray vision to see that Luthor isn't in his office. He threatens to write up a story about sabotage being the cause of the incident and Mercy contacts Luthor. "Luthor" still refuses, but Clark insists, finally forcing his way in. He and Mercy see that Luthor isn't in his office, and hasn't been for a while. Mercy starts an investigation. Brainiac, observing this, intends to silence them both.
That night, Brainiac fires a bomb at Clark's apartment. Fortunately, Clark is able to stop the bomb from going off in the building but it has a timer. The bomb explodes over a series of overpasses and Superman is forced to catch the falling sections of road just before they hit a train.
Meanwhile, Mercy checks out some security tapes and learns of Luthor's location, only to be attacked by several robots. Fighting back, she manages to destroy some of them, but she is soon confronted by several more. Fortunately, Superman shows up and between the two of them they manage to destroy all of her attackers. Superman explains that he followed the vapor trial of the bomb into the building and demands to know where Luthor is. Mercy shows him the tape and insists that she goes with Superman to save Luthor. When asked why she's so loyal to Luthor, she explains that she used to be homeless, but Luthor took her in and made her what she is.
Luthor continues to work on Brainiac's new body, but refuses to continue after he learns that he'll be killed once he finishes. Unfortunately, he has already finished enough of the body for Brainiac to inhabit it and finish it himself. Luthor tries to run, but Brainiac hits him with a blast of energy.
Superman and Mercy enter the lab where they find Lex and Brainiac. More robots attack Superman as Mercy tries to destroy Brainiac, who easily defeats her, immune to her weapon. Superman destroys the robots but is attacked by Brainiac who has upgraded himself so that he can now fight Superman on a personal scale. Superman is nearly defeated until Mercy tells him to use the Sky Sentry. The weapon proves to be more powerful that Brainiac's and magnetizes his body, pulling every metal object in the room towards him, and the place begins to crumble. While Luthor and Mercy try to escape, a large computer terminal falls on Mercy. She calls to Luthor, but he leaves her behind, and Superman has to save her.
After Brainiac is gone, Luthor has Brainiac's body retrieved and intends to analyze its advanced technology. He then goes to a charity benefit with Mercy still taking his orders, in spite of his lack of loyalty to her.
[edit] Continuity
- Brainiac's non-lethal attack on Luthor is finally explained in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Divided We Fall," nearly eight years later.
[edit] Background Information
[edit] Trivia
- This is the only episode to have such focus on Mercy.
- At the very beginning, during the title screen, the music sounds almost exactly like the theme for Krypton from Superman: The Movie.
- Because of Mercy's fighting skills, it is possible that Clark has to use his super-speed to evade her kick.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Tim Daly | Superman/Clark Kent |
| Dana Delany | Lois Lane |
| Clancy Brown | Lex Luthor |
| Lisa Edelstein | Mercy Graves |
| Lauri Fraser | Secretary |
| Michael Horse | Sky Sentry Operator |
| Corey Burton | Brainiac |
[edit] Quotes
Mercy: What would you do without me? |
Lois: Hey, Lex, what went wrong? Premature product launch? |
Lois: Sabotage? |
Brainiac: I needed a way of attracting your attention. |
Clark: Granted, Lois, Luthor does lots of strange things, but what reason could he possibly have for trying fool his own bodyguard? |
Superman: (After seeing Mercy's continued loyalty to Luthor) Just a stray... |
| Previously produced episode: "Blasts From the Past (Part I)" | Episodes of Superman: The Animated Series | Next produced episode: "Action Figures" |
| Previously aired episode: "Monkey Fun" | Next aired episode: "Father's Day" |
