I watch the old Superman cartoons a lot (okay, with my son) and I never noticed this before, because after watching one intro... you've watched them all (actually, this isn't true. During some of the ones set during WW2 his introduction changes and he's not compared to faster than a speeding train, etc. but stronger than a volcano, mighter than a tsunami or something of the sort. I'll check the extact phrasing and get back to you.)
So, does that mean that it is CLARK not SUPERMAN who should be overly honest one?
Seems like L&C got it backwards, huh? Does that mean that Superman is allowed to rough up the bad guys like Batman? Hmmmmm.
You've given me something to think about, Lynn. I wonder how this slight difference in meaning would have changed Superman's canon if it had stuck?
Later...
I'm back, I was a little off on the wording but here are the intros from the old Max Fleischer cartoons (which morphed over time): (I've highlighted the parts in each paragraph which changed)
The first cartoon had a longer intro with the history of how Superman arrived on earth and grew up in an orphanage.
This is from Episode two:
Up in the Sky! Look! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman! Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This amazing stranger from the planet Krypton, the Man of Steel: Superman! Empowered with x-ray vision, possessing remarkable physical strength, Superman fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice, disguised as a mild mannered newspaper reporter Clark Kent.
The x-ray vision was removed by the third cartoon:
Up in the Sky! Look! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman! Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This amazing stranger from the planet Krypton, the Man of Steel: Superman! Possessing remarkable physical strength, Superman fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice, disguised as a mild mannered newspaper reporter Clark Kent.
In a few the changed it to say he could fly:
Up in the Sky! Look! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman! Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to soar higher than any plane. This amazing stranger from the planet Krypton, the Man of Steel: Superman! Possessing remarkable physical strength, Superman fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice, disguised as a mild mannered newspaper reporter Clark Kent.
And then by the later (WW2) ones he was no longer compared to man-made machines, but against nature:
Up in the Sky! Look! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman! Faster than a streak of lightning. More powerful than the pounding surf. Mightier than a roaring hurricane. This amazing stranger from the planet Krypton, the Man of Steel: Superman! Possessing remarkable physical strength, Superman fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice, disguised as a mild mannered newspaper reporter Clark Kent.
These intros were from the 17 cartoons listed on Netflix instant list. I think there were more, I'll check my DVDs out later and let you know if there were any other different intros.
