JLU "For The Man Who Has Everything": Was it cash?

stumpy · May 20, 2008, 07:33:28 AM

I was just re-watching the JLU episode "For The Man Who Has Everything", and a question occurred to me. Was Bruce's gift actually cash?

[spoiler]In the beginning, Bruce and Diana are talking about what they were bringing for Clark's birthday. Wonder Woman has brought him a present in a box, but she won't say what it is because Superman will hear and spoil the surprise. Later, we see that it was a new breed of rose, called "the Krypton".

Bruce mentions that Clark isn't the easier person to buy a gift for and pulls out an envelope. Diana asks, somewhat accusingly, if he got Clark a gift certificate. Bruce, somewhat defensively, assures her that's not it. Then, walking away, he says, "Cash."

The whole scene is a little tongue-in-cheek, and Diana was smirking when she heard that. So, I am wondering, was it really cash? Seems unlikely to me, but do we ever find out what it was? That is, was it actually shown?

I know that the JLU version is different than the one that appeared in the comics, which was also excellent. In that version, Batman brought Kal the new breed of rose and Wonder Woman brought him a detailed replica of the recently enlarged bottle city of Kandor (not knowing that he already had a replica).

Also, Jason Todd's lines in the comic were classic. After Mongul is defeated,
JASON TODD: What will you do with him, Superman?
KAL-EL: I'm going to put him somewhere secure.
JASON: What, you mean build a prison, or ..?
KAL: Not Exactly. Have you ever noticed that black hole as you come in via the western spiral arm of the galaxy?
JASON: Uh, no. No, I can't say that I have...
KAL: <matter-of-factly> It's quite large. I think I'll drop him into it.
Jason's reactions were great as Superman talks about cosmic-level phenomena as casually as if they were things he might have seen at Sears.[/spoiler]

BTW, re-watching some of these episodes, I really miss JLU. I can't wait to finish the order with the season 1 DVD's, since I didn't catch those when they aired and don't have them on tape.

zuludelta · May 20, 2008, 10:43:40 AM

The first two seasons were some of the best comics-based cartoons I've ever seen. There was a distinct drop in the quality of the over-arching plotline in the third season, though.

As to your question, yeah, I always just assumed that it was cash.

catwhowalksbyhimself · May 20, 2008, 11:12:35 AM

I also agree that it probably was just cash. Friendships and personal gifts aren't Bruce's strong suit, and he seems like a guy who would just through cash at a problem like that.

As for the last season, the main reason for that is that they weren't planning on another season and really had nowhere to go with it. They mention that on the special features.

stumpy · May 20, 2008, 10:42:40 PM

Yeah, I'm not buying it. Why bother giving Superman a gift he has no use for? And, what's the right amount of cash for Batman to Give to Superman? Ten bucks? Ten million bucks? Better just to give one of those "A donation has been made in your name to The Human Fund" cards. Clark wouldn't care if Bruce showed up with no gift. And, Bruce is more creative than that, anyway... I think they just ran low on time to show Bruce's gift.

thalaw2 · May 20, 2008, 10:51:07 PM

It wasn't cash...Bat's gave Supe's a key to the Executive bathroom in Wayne Tech towers and some new underwear.

Prove me wrong...

Mystik · May 21, 2008, 01:09:44 AM

you see that blue space suit supes was wearing in the android episode, batman hooked him up that cause he doesnt trust hamilton ( thats my story)

Talavar · May 21, 2008, 12:58:03 PM

Quote from: stumpy on May 20, 2008, 10:42:40 PM
Yeah, I'm not buying it. Why bother giving Superman a gift he has no use for? And, what's the right amount of cash for Batman to Give to Superman? Ten bucks? Ten million bucks? Better just to give one of those "A donation has been made in your name to The Human Fund" cards. Clark wouldn't care if Bruce showed up with no gift. And, Bruce is more creative than that, anyway... I think they just ran low on time to show Bruce's gift.

Why doesn't Superman need cash? He does work for a living, and money for rent and fabric to make new capes doesn't come cheap. The Timm-verse shows never had 'crush coal into diamonds' Superman after all.

Mr. Hamrick · May 21, 2008, 03:47:13 PM

Who says it had to be cash? Why couldn't he had given Superman a giftcard to Best Buy or for ITunes.

In all seriousness. I could see Batman giving Superman cash to help him make sure that the Kents are happy in their retirement. (Ma and Pa Kent not Clark and Lois Kent)

stumpy · May 21, 2008, 04:23:01 PM

It seems like Superman never wants for material well-being. Whether he is compressing coal into diamonds or not, there are a zillion things he could do to make money (the most obvious of which is mining gold from meteors or something).

As Superman, he doesn't seem to need it. He has a fortress full of stuff that satisfies all the gadgetry needs he would have. And, it's hard to imagine any tech company would be unwilling to trade with him for anything else he might want. (Anyone whose ever worked in a fab lab can imagine how valuable it would be to have someone with super high dexterity and speed combined with microscopic and X-ray vision build a prototype for you; or do a dangerous test, gathering data that would take a month of guys in biohazard suits to do normally; or re-align orbiting satellites; etc.) Superman could do in minutes work that would cost a company tens or hundred of thousands of dollars to do. Nevermind that most companies would give Superman whatever he wanted just for the photo opportunity of shaking his hand.

As Clark, he can only have so much money anyway, or he ends up with a pile of SARs sitting in a government office and thugs with badges asking him funny questions.

Moreover, it would just be weird for Clark to take money from Bruce to support his parents.

To me, the whole concept just doesn't work well. At least if Bruce had to go for a more conventional gift, it might be a couple tickets to a play (the Gotham Theater Company's production of George Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman, maybe) or something so that Clark could take Lois out. Anything too valuable and things get awkward...

catwhowalksbyhimself · May 21, 2008, 08:39:32 PM

QuoteAnything too valuable and things get awkward...

Not necessarily. If it were cash, they could just say it was a gift from Bruce Wayne to Clark Kent. The two men do know each other in both identities after all. It wouldn't be that hard to pull off.

stumpy · May 22, 2008, 03:26:03 AM

That's the situation I am talking about. Who wants to take a large cash gift from a friend? Uggh. Clark is doing fine; he doesn't need Bruce's money. I think that would be very awkward. Aside from the fact that Clark and Bruce aren't really publicly known as close friends, there is a social imbalance when one receives gifts such that there is no chance of reciprocating in kind when the roles are reversed. It carries the taint of unneeded charity.

If it was cash, I would hope it was like a dollar. That way, at least it's just a joke about how hard Superman is to buy for.

AncientSpirit · May 22, 2008, 05:41:49 AM

I'm not sure why Bruce couldn't give Clark cash. I give cash to plenty of people for presents, especially those closest to me, like my wife and daughter.

And who said it had to be so much cash that it couldn't be reciprical? Just because Bruce is a billionaire doesn't mean he could send Clark $300 - to $500.

Lastly, Superman might be able to mine gold from Rann or squeeze a billion dollars worth of diamonds from coal ... but Clark could never benefit from it. He couldn't account for his wealth and that would trigger the hound dogs at the IRS at him for tax evasion -- the same way they got Al Capone.

And while Superman may not have many needs, I would expect Lois and Clark have all the same needs we all do - from Cable TV to dinners out. Especially if Supes flies them to Paris for dinner ... do you know how badly the dollar is doing against the Euro???

stumpy · May 22, 2008, 09:11:04 AM

Kids are one thing. I wouldn't give several hundred dollars to someone who can support himself and, as someone who supports myself, I wouldn't want that sort of gift. Maybe that's just me.

If it's reciprocal and Clark and Bruce are trading gifts, it doesn't seem like there's much point to handing each other the same $300-$500 every few months. Separate from the silliness of it, there is still the issue that it's basically nothing to Bruce and a sort of significant amount (in terms of a gift) to Clark. If I knew a billionaire, I would feel a little silly giving him five hundred bucks...

Clark and Lois have good jobs. They may not be rich, but there isn't much to indicate they are hurting for money. That's not to say it wouldn't be thoughtful for Bruce to arrange a nice night out for them (as I suggested), but straight cash... I don't know.

BTW, all this discussion of social appropriateness of Batman giving Superman cash as a birthday gift (which I admit is my fault) still does nothing to diminish my primary criticism, which is that Batmann could come up with a more creative gift than that. That's why I mentioned that in the comic, his gift was the specially bred rose called The Krypton, which I think is a pretty unique gift idea. As he wryly mentioned at the time, (from memory) "I don't think anyone else will have gotten him flowers." (And Wonder Woman's Kandor replica was pretty cool, too.)

Mystik · May 22, 2008, 10:14:39 AM

it was probably a gift card for a shirt store,Bruce knows with Clark always ripping his shirt open and leaving his suit in phone booths , its bound to get expensive

AncientSpirit · May 22, 2008, 04:43:05 PM

Quote from: stumpy on May 22, 2008, 09:11:04 AM
Kids are one thing. I wouldn't give several hundred dollars to someone who can support himself and, as someone who supports myself, I wouldn't want that sort of gift. Maybe that's just me.

If it's reciprocal and Clark and Bruce are trading gifts, it doesn't seem like there's much point to handing each other the same $300-$500 every few months. Separate from the silliness of it, there is still the issue that it's basically nothing to Bruce and a sort of significant amount (in terms of a gift) to Clark. If I knew a billionaire, I would feel a little silly giving him five hundred bucks...

Clark and Lois have good jobs. They may not be rich, but there isn't much to indicate they are hurting for money. That's not to say it wouldn't be thoughtful for Bruce to arrange a nice night out for them (as I suggested), but straight cash... I don't know.

BTW, all this discussion of social appropriateness of Batman giving Superman cash as a birthday gift (which I admit is my fault) still does nothing to diminish my primary criticism, which is that Batmann could come up with a more creative gift than that. That's why I mentioned that in the comic, his gift was the specially bred rose called The Krypton, which I think is a pretty unique gift idea. As he wryly mentioned at the time, (from memory) "I don't think anyone else will have gotten him flowers." (And Wonder Woman's Kandor replica was pretty cool, too.)

You're absolutely right about Batman being capable of coming up with something more creative than that. As the world's greatest detective, he could have created a wonderful and challenging mystery for Supes to solve.

That said, back to the cash ...

It doesn't have to be reciprical. (trading the same $300-$500 back and forth). I wouldn't give a billionaire cash, either. But with his superpowers and advanced Kryptonian technology (from Kandor) Supes wouldn't have to. he could gift Batman with countless gadgets or other interplanetary trinkets.

As for Clark and Lois not needing the money? Never said they did. But earned cash is not the same as gifted cash. Earned cash is for household items, bills, savings, vacations, 401ks, etc. GIft cash is SPLURGE cash. (That's why gift cards are so popular.)

OR, more simply, it could have been that Batman forgot Supes' birthday in the first place and just pulled the cash out of his utility belt, the ultimate last minute gift. ;)

Now, if Bats was really cool - and lived up to his reputation as an international billionaire playboy -- perhaps he gave Supes EUROs instead of dollars. (That could have also inspired Clark to take Lois to Paris for a birthday dinner.) :doh:

thalaw2 · May 22, 2008, 05:18:04 PM

IC.....so maybe he Bat's gave Supes a few shares of Wayne Tech which is essentially cash but it's money that makes money...as long as the company stays afloat. Now if Supes was smart he would have traded those shares of Wayne Tech for oil and use his residual income to open an Internet bar in East Asia.

...but lets face it Supes doesn't want to be "human" rich. There really is nothing we earthlings have to offer him..except that key to the Executive Bathroom on the 100th floor. That would him from having to go to ground level when he needs to go to the "dunny" while flying around

JKCarrier · May 23, 2008, 07:04:39 AM

This discussion reminds me of a bizarre story from the 1950s, where Batman decides to prank Superman on his birthday. Bats sneaks into the Fortress and hides out there for a week, messing around with Supes' stuff and leaving him little notes challenging him to figure out who it is. Superman eventually figures it out, and they have a good laugh over it. It's in the first Superman Showcase collection if you want to read it. I kind of miss the days when superheroes would mess with each others' heads for laughs. :lol:

AncientSpirit · May 23, 2008, 09:18:50 AM

I think I remember that one. :D

Off topic, but I've been reading some of those black and white compilations from the 50s of Superman and the Superman Familie (Jimmy and Lois), and I still find so many of them great fun. A simplier time. One story (very short), a gag or two, a fast resolution. Perfect for the 10 year old in me.

I must admit that sometimes today, even when reading my favorite comics, I get lost in the long serialized stories and the never ending list of characters and secondary characters.

I guess that's why this thread appeals to me so much. It's simple. What should Batman have given Superman?

(BY the way, did Bat finance that anti-Kryptonite suit that Supes been wearing in his quest to find and get rid of all the kryptonite in the world? Now THAT would make a really good birthday gift ... worthy of a multi-billionaire.)