Entertainment
Seinfeld's Best Superhero References Include An Appearance By Batman's Two-Face
By Brian Myers
| Published
Throughout most of the 1990s, the top-rated NBC sitcom Seinfeld dominated primetime television. The witty humor and superficial characters took viewers through bizarre happenstances surrounding relatable life situations that are seemingly mundane on the surface. The “show about nothing” proved to be more about everything else, but also weaved in the real-life interests of the show’s star and namesake, Jerry Seinfeld. A fan of superheroes, Seinfeld and his writers found ways of inserting references to comic book icons in multiple episodes, some a bit more concealed than others.
Fans of Seinfeld have claimed since the show’s run that the writers packed a Superman reference into every episode. If you count the noticeable Superman statue on Jerry’s shelf or the small magnets of the superhero on his refrigerator, you might come up with a visual reference for the majority of the show’s 180 entries. While the real tally of mentions and nods is far less than what some fans might have originally speculated, looking for and discovering these little Easter eggs has been a bonus to enjoying a much-beloved 90s TV staple.
Two Specific Episodes Do The Heavy Lifting
Two episodes are almost entirely dominated by Superman references. In the 1996 fan favorite episode, “The Bizarro Jerry,” Elaine begins a friendship with Kevin, with whom she has just ended a very short-term romance. As his new friend, Elaine discovers parallels between the life she experiences with Jerry and the gang, and Kevin and his friend group. Each person in Kevin’s life is the mirror opposite of every person in Jerry’s. Gene (George) and Feldman (Kramer) make up Kevin’s core friends, while Kevin is Jerry’s counterpart.
Kevin’s apartment also has details that, upon close examination, show Jerry’s interests in a twisted recreation. Aside from the layout being mirrored, there’s a unicycle on the wall where Jerry’s bike always hangs, Feldman always knocks before entering (instead of barging in, like Kramer), and continually restocks Kevin’s refrigerator and cabinets with groceries instead of bumming them. The cou de gras is positioned where Jerry’s prized Superman statue should be. In its place is Bizarro Superman, completing Jerry’s reference to Elaine being in “the Bizarro World” when she’s with Kevin.
The 1994 episode, “The Race,” sees Jerry have a rematch of a running contest that he deceptively won during high school. His old rival, Duncan Meyer, is revealed to be the employer of his newest love interest, Lois (as in Lois Lane, Superman’s girlfriend). Throughout the episode, Jerry utters memorable lines like “I’d have to be Superman to do that,” and “Faster than a speeding bullet.” The theme from Superman (1978) plays as Duncan gets his rematch with Jerry, which Jerry also wins after an unwitting headstart. He closes the show with a nod to the 1950s series, The Adventures of Superman, by uttering the line “Maybe I will, Lois. Maybe I will,” before breaking the fourth wall and winking at the camera.
Subtle Nods Through Dialogue
Most of the references to superheroes are revealed through the show’s dialogue instead of being visual cues. When George refers to Jerry’s new girlfriend, Gwen, as a “Two-Face” (the woman looks starkly different when the lighting changes), Jerry exclaims, “Like the Batman villain!” In another exchange, it’s revealed by Elaine that Jerry doodles naked pictures of Lois Lane. Yet another moment has George referring to Jerry as having only two interests, Superman and cereal.
Two-Face, Batman & Robin, and Superman aren’t the only DC superheroes mentioned in the series. On at least two occasions, Aquaman is the subject of conversations between George and Jerry. In “The Deal,” George wonders whether the character was “restricted to water,” while “The Glasses” has Jerry referring to his friend as “Aquaboy.”
“The Strongbox” Has Deep Cuts
One of the best superhero references occurred during an exchange between George, Jerry, and Elaine while the three were sitting in their favorite coffee shop in “The Strongbox.” Elaine has been seeing a new guy, a secretive fellow named Glenn. Elaine had previously speculated that he was probably married, given that he always met her out and refused to give her his phone number.
Jerry had interjected that the guy could be protecting his secret identity and that Elaine could very well be dating the Green Lantern. At the coffee shop, Elaine reveals that her new beau isn’t married, but that he’s been actively hiding the fact that he’s living in poverty. The exchange that follows is packed so full of lines revolving around DC characters, making it one of the greatest instances of snap dialogue over Seinfeld’s nine-season run.
Jerry’s one-liners included “We found out his superpower was lack of money,” “He’s the ‘got no green’ lantern,” and “He’s invulnerable to creditors.” A visibly annoyed Elaine gets up to leave, only to have George pipe up with “Maybe his girlfriend is Lois Loan.” Jerry deals the final blow when Elaine reenters moments later to retrieve something she’d left behind; “He can wipe out a checking account with a single bounce!”
References You May Have Missed
Superman-related references also make appearances in the following episodes:
In “The Pilot,” Jerry is clad in a wardrobe of red and blue, Superman’s colors.
During a scene in “The Secret Code,” Jerry tells George that his ATM passcode is “Jor-El,” the name of Superman’s father on the planet Krypton.
“The Stock Tip” sees Jerry and George debating whether or not Superman has a super sense of humor.
After George makes a bone-headed move concerning a new love interest in “The Face Painter,” he wishes he could turn back time in the way Superman could, by spinning the Earth in reverse.
“The Cheever Letters” makes one of several references to someone’s home being their “Fortress of Solitude.”
“The Invitations” has a montage of Jerry with his new fiancée, Jeannie. In one moment, the two of them are shown reading Superman comic books.
The next time you stream Seinfeld on Netflix, look and listen for the references aboveand others.