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With the holiday season bringing in festive cheer and a sense of nostalgia, fans of classic shows are once again preparing to revisit their favorite “show about nothing”. Yes, we’re talking about the globally renowned 9-season sitcomSeinfeld.
Best known for its humor and the characters’ antics, the 1989 show simultaneously captured the season’s spirit with its Christmas-themed episodes.
But among all, the one particular episode that not only cherished the holiday vibes but also became a tribute to DC’s Superman isThe Race(Season 6, Episode 10). Given Jerry Seinfeld’s love for Superman was established throughout the series, this particular episode turned into a major tribute to the DC character especially as Jerry got into a holiday relationship with a woman named Lois—yes, like Superman’s iconic partner.
All the Superman references in theSeinfeldepisode—The Race
Apart from the hilarious antics of the characters andJerry Seinfeld’s comic timing, the thing that turned the 1989 sitcom into a classic TV show is the relatable aspect of the characters and the situations they found themselves in. Further, there’s also Jerry’s undying obsession with Superman that was crammed down our throats, making it somewhat similar to a real-life fan’s constant rambling about their favorite character.
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But then who knew,Seinfeldwould take Jerry’s Superman obsession to the next level in season 6. Apparently, S6E10 of the show, titledThe Racewas initially supposed to be a Christmas-themed episode with Kramer dressed as Santa Claus. But surprisingly, with uncountable references to Superman, the above-mentioned episode ended up being a major tribute to the DC superhero.
Those obsessed withSeinfeldwould be well-versed with the episode and its shenanigans. But the ones who are new to it, let’s break it down for you. According to Season 6, Episode 10 of the show, the plot centered on Jerry getting into a holiday relationship with a woman named Lois (yes, the very first Superman nod), who surprisingly worked under Jerry’s high school rival Duncan Meyer.
Throughout the episode, Jerry can be seen being ecstatic after finding himself dating a woman named Lois. To be fair, given his obsession with Superman, it can be assumed with surety that Jerry was far less excited for the beautifulwoman he was dating, and way more thrilled by the idea of living out his Superman fantasy, where his new girlfriend-of-the-week had the same name as the DC hero’s girlfriend.
Further, during Jerry’s conversation with Lois, the actor can be seen delivering several lines in tribute to Superman. Take for example, when Duncan saw Jerry and schemed against him by making Lois work after-hours, leading her to ask him to travel all the way across town to pick her up later, Jerry responds to it by saying, “I’d have to be Superman to do that, Lois”.
Apart from that, Jerry and Lois’ relationship also had the undertone of Superman and Lois’ love. Given how in the DC comics, Lois was initially unaware of Clark Kent’s true identity and his powers, even in the above-mentionedSeinfeldepisode, Lois was unaware of Jerry’s reality about how he won the race in high school against Duncan Meyer—although she suspected something fishy, she wasn’t entirely sure.
Throughout the episode, there were several other Superman references that were made by Jerry like the time when he assured his girlfriend that he’ll be back soon to pick her up—“Faster than a speeding bullet, Lois”. Well, while this striking reference to theAdventures of Supermanseries became a fan-favorite part of the episode, how can we forget John Williams’Supermanmovie theme playing while Jerry raced his high school rival?
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After trying to prove himself throughout the episode that he didn’t cheat in his high school race against Duncan Meyer (even though he clearly did, and even confessed it to George and Elaine), Jerry finally accepted the challenge of racing against Duncan once again. That’s when theSupermantheme began playing in the background during the race.
Later on, Jerry served the ultimate cherry on the cake when he broke the fourth wall and winked to the camera at the end of the episode. Well, that became a sheer reference to the olderSupermantelevision series andSilver Agecomics. Eventually, the waySeinfeldfilledThe Racewith uncountable Superman references, the episode became one of the top-rated Christmas installments withIMDbcurrently showing a solid 8.9/10.
The officialSeinfeldepisode,The Bizarro Jerry,and its Superman references
After such humor-filled memorable moments and a surprising number of Superman references, you might think thatThe Racewas the only episode to delve into Jerry Seinfeld’s nerdy side. But surprisingly, Season 8, Episode 3, titledThe Bizarro Jerryoffered a fun and quirky take on the Superman universe. Only this time, unlike the S6E10 of the show, it wasn’t a holiday-themed episode.
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According to this particular episode, the show delved into the concept of Superman’s Bizarro World, and his doppelganger Bizarro as per the DC Comics. In this episode, after Elaine told her boyfriend Kevin (with whom she wanted to be just friends) to pick her up since Jerry forgot to do so,Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character tried to make Jerry feel guilty by calling Kevin the better and opposite version of him.
This led Jerry to christen Kevin as Bizarro Jerry—hence the nod to Superman’s Bizarro World and his imperfect doppelganger clone Bizarro. But then, although Elaine took this comparison lightly, things started to build up after she went to Kevin’s apartment and realized it was the exact opposite of Jerry’s. This took the reference to Superman’s Bizarro World to the next level.
As audiences were introduced to Kevin’s apartment, they could see how furniture and kitchen were in reverse order, compared to Jerry’s apartment. And as for his belongings, Kevin’s things were the opposite of Jerry’s, like he had healthy food instead of cereal boxes. But shockingly the exterior of Kevin’s apartment seemed to be a mirror image of Jerry’s, sparking the DC thrill of Superman’s universe.
You won’t believe it, but Kevin’s apartment even had Bizarro models, which showed his obsession with Superman’s doppelganger, unlike Jerry. To add the cherry on the cake, the showrunnerended the episodewith musical cues and end credits playing backward.
Why is Jerry Seinfeld obsessed with Superman?
Now, after the two prominent episodes ofSeinfeldpaid tribute to Superman, and a myriad of other episodes turned these frequent references to Superman into the show’s running gag, it brought us to wonder why Jerry Seinfeld was so obsessed with the DC superhero. Perhaps, it’s because he found comfort, relatability, and inspiration in the iconic superhero, and preferred using Superman as a symbol of the “ideal” version of himself.
Even though this idea was purely fantastical, Jerry perhaps found inspiration in Superman, who represented an idealized version of masculinity—powerful, inherently good, and someone who maintained a sense of humor.
Now, since Jerry, much like every other person, grew up with the idea of Superman being the idolized hero, frequently referring to the DC character not only served as a nostalgic reference but also helped him get over his slightly insecure persona.
Seinfeldis currently available to watch on Netflix.
Krittika Mukherjee
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3218
Krittika Mukherjee is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on films, TV shows, and celebrity news with over 3,000 articles published. With an educational background in Journalism, and a keen interest in filmmaking, Krittika blends factual precision with creative flair, when crafting her editorials, or dissecting fan theories.Her coverage often includes news and analyses of critically acclaimed films, celebrity news, and franchises like the Wizarding World, LOTR, DC, and MCU—particularly Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Superheroes, and fan theories. As a Wizarding World aficionado, Krittika has spent countless hours exploring hidden backstories, unadapted book moments, spells, and trivias surrounding J.K. Rowling’s lore.An imaginative writer with a way with words, Krittika has worked as an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a web content writer for a year. She brought her experience and expertise to FandomWire to pursue her desire for sipping coffee while dissecting films and tracking celebrity drama.
