Film

Superman vs. The Elite

Name: Superman vs. The Elite
Genre: Science Fiction, Animation, Action
Released: 2012
Cast: George Newbern, Pauley Perrette, Robin Atkin Downes, Dee Bradley Baker, Ogie Banks

Fantasy

A lean, punchy animated feature that pits Superman's old-fashioned heroism against a team of brutally efficient supers who think he's naïve. It's a 76-minute argument about whether might-makes-right, dressed up as action spectacle. For anyone who's wondered if Superman's refusal to kill actually makes him weak.

TMDb rating

3.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like Superman as a moral question rather than a power fantasy, and enjoy a debate about heroism that gets punched through with blunt, brawling action.

Skip it if you want a cheerful, sprawling Superman of the big screen, since this one is lean, sharp-tongued and makes its hero a sulky, stubborn figure for much of the runtime.

What it asks of you: A brisk seventy-six minutes, with little room to breathe; the dialogue is quick and the violence is more frequent than the quiet moments.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 12012

Frank Miller's reinvention of Batman as an ageing ideologue taking on a militaristic America. Explores the same question: does moral compromise make you stronger or just more like everyone else?

But It's a graphic novel, not animated, and it's dense — requires real attention and your eyes don't move on.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 poster

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox2013

Another animated DC moral reckoning: what happens when a hero rewrites reality? Fast-paced, gorgeously violent, and genuinely stakes-raising. Batman is unforgettable here.

But You need to have seen some Flash lore already, or at least not mind being lost in the mythology.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox poster

All Star Superman2011

The opposite pole: Superman at his most optimistic and weird, a love letter to the character's best instincts. Gorgeous animation, real emotional weight. Shows what Superman looks like when you're not interrogating him.

But It's almost pensive and strange — not the action crescendo you might be expecting from a Superman story.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Superman vs. The Elite

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Megamind2010

Both films interrogate whether power corrupts by necessity, just with the moral starting position flipped — Megamind discovers ethics, Elite discovers that ethics are a weakness.

A supervillain discovers that being evil doesn't feel as good as he thought, and has to reckon with actual power and responsibility. Funny, strange, visually inventive — it's asking Superman's question but from the other direction.

But It's a comedy, pitched at a family audience. If you want something serious and gritty, this will feel too light.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm1993

A gorgeously hand-drawn mystery about Batman's past and whether vengeance is justice. Elegant, surprisingly romantic, with a moral centre that holds steady. The gold standard of animated superhero films.

But 90s animation style feels dated now, and the pacing is deliberate rather than propulsive.

Wonder Woman2009

Animated but doesn't pull punches. Diana is sent to stop a war and has to reckon with whether violence can ever be truly just. A mythic scale and gorgeous design throughout.

But It's bloodier and more adult than you might expect from a PG-13 animated feature, and that tone shift might feel jarring.

X-Men: Days of Future Past2014

A team with powers wrestling with whether they should use them, and what violence in service of the greater good actually costs. Smart action, genuinely complex characters, Brian Singer at his best.

But It's a live-action blockbuster, not animation, and it spends a lot of time on continuity if you haven't seen the earlier X-Men films.

Watchmen2009

Superheroes as actual people with actual morality problems. Deconstructive, not kind to its heroes, asking hard questions about power and consequences. Zack Snyder's most controlled work.

But It's bleak, sexually explicit, and takes itself very seriously — can feel punishing if you're after fun.

Superman: Unbound2013

Superman versus Brainiac in the animated universe. Fast, clever, surprisingly funny, and has a lot to say about whether Superman's invulnerability makes him reckless or just brave.

But It's fairly straightforward hero-versus-villain stuff — less philosophically thorny than the films ranked higher.

Green Lantern The Animated Series2011

A show about a young Green Lantern learning that his ring's power is complicated by who he is. Bright, inventive animation, genuine stakes. The series gets stronger as it goes.

But It's a TV show, not a complete film, and early episodes take time to establish the world before the real moral questions emerge.

Green Lantern The Animated Series poster

Devilman Crybaby2018

Same moral spine: a hero realizing that raw power and good intentions are not enough, and that trying to save everyone might mean losing yourself entirely.

A Japanese anime miniseries about a boy with demonic power learning that he can't save the world by force of will. Anarchic, viscerally animated, genuinely heartbreaking. The action is stunning and the ideas are huge.

But It's violent, sexually explicit, weirdly paced, and absolutely not family viewing. The animation style is deliberately chaotic and won't appeal to everyone.

In the Loop2009

Elite's version of ruthlessness is supernatural; this explores the same moral collapse in bureaucrats and politicians. Both ask: what happens when competent people decide morality is for the weak?

A political satire about how intelligent, principled people get farther doing damage than a simple tyrant ever could. Brilliantly written, endlessly quotable, and watching smart people rationalize bad choices is darkly hypnotic.

But It's relentlessly cynical and cruel to everyone in it. If you want any character to feel good about themselves by the end, you won't find it here.