The Parasite's Powers Exposed His Weakness | Feeding Time | Superman: The Animated Series

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]There are plenty of villains in Superman the Animated Series who are dangerous, brilliant, and even tragic. Some might make you feel a flicker of sympathy before the episode is over. The Parasite is not one of them. When he first appears in Feeding Time, Rudy Jones is a nobody, a small man with everyday problems buried under debts and bad decisions. The kind of person most stories would frame as unlucky, maybe even pitiable.

[00:00:25]And at first glance, it looks like that's exactly where the story's heading. He gets doused in strange chemicals and his body goes through a radical change. We've seen this happen before several times in Batman the Animated Series with lives ruined in an instant. It's the kind of setup that usually leads to tragedy and the slow birth of another misunderstood monster.

[00:00:44]But Feeding Time refuses to tell that story because Rudy Jones doesn't mourn his lost identity, he celebrates the power he gains. The prospect of finally transcending his humdrum life thrills him. He feels satisfaction and an endless hunger. The moment he realizes what he can do, specifically what he can take, he starts feeding. And that's the crucial difference that sets the Parasite apart from what came before.

[00:01:09]Because just two episodes earlier, audiences met Toyman, a villain shaped by trauma, defined by loss, and framed in a way that practically invited sympathy. He is the kind of character who felt like he stepped right out of Batman the Animated Series where tragedy and villainy were often two sides of the same coin. Toyman asked to be understood. The Parasite, meanwhile, doesn't care if you understand him. All he wants is another taste. And that contrast feels deliberate. Writer Bob Goodman has spoken about how his initial draft for the episode was a two-parter that presented Rudy Jones as another tragic monster. Goodman specifically cited the B:TAS story "Feat of Clay" as an inspiration. If you're not familiar with that episode, it was the story of a disfigured movie star, Matt Hagen, who had his humanity ripped away from him in his murderous quest for revenge. But that idea was rejected. Instead, Goodman was told not to retread old ground and instead try heading in the opposite direction. The producers wanted the writers to move away from tragic villains and toward something nastier, a callous villain who you cannot feel sorry for. And really, this is the message of S.T.A.R. Labs' Parasite.

[00:02:14]Power doesn't just corrupt, it reveals.

[00:02:19]So, Feeding Time introduces us to Rudy Jones, a janitor at S.T.A.R. Labs. When we first see him, he's awkwardly driving a forklift truck loading canisters onto a pickup. It's obvious that he doesn't really know what he's doing and the company he keeps looks suspicious. When confronted by security, Rudy lies unconvincingly and is very clearly nervous. We learn that the man with him, Martin, is his bookie and Rudy has some significant debts. Unable to pay, Rudy uses his access to experimental chemicals as a way of clearing his debt.

[00:02:51]But everything goes wrong for him and he flees with Martin. As the truck races off, Rudy stands in the back with the chemicals and the bumpiness of the road causes the canisters to tip over dousing Rudy in the chemicals. It's entirely accidental and over very quickly.

[00:03:06]There's no time for mourning or for us to reflect on Rudy's emotions. Instead, he falls off of the truck and rolls down the bank. We're shown how callous Martin is as he mockingly says goodbye and drives off leaving Rudy to his fate.

[00:03:19]This was obviously a decision that was made to prevent the audience from lingering and feeling sorry for Rudy.

[00:03:24]The rapid pace really doesn't give us much time to feel anything other than shock. But that evening, Rudy awakes and heads back to town. There's something Frankensteinian about his appearance.

[00:03:34]He's hunched over and lumbering as he plods along the street. When a police officer stops him, he instinctively pounces on her. Making skin contact allows him to drain people's strength and you can see that it is practically orgasmic for him. This lecherous layer is something that originated in this show because the comic book Parasites, yes, there were several of them, just viewed their powers as a way of sustaining themselves. And if the subject interests you, you can hear more about that by watching my dedicated video all about the Parasite, linked to in the info button. But with that in mind, the choice to have Rudy demonstrate his powers on a policewoman was very clearly deliberate.

[00:04:12]From here, we see that Rudy loves his powers. Finally, he is somebody, not some meek, impotent guy working in a dead-end job, placing reckless bets in the hopes of gaining financial independence. When he confronts Martin, it's not so much to get revenge, it's to show his former oppressor how powerful he now is. If you compare this to Clayface's revenge on Daggett, where Clayface doesn't say a word and instead looms over him ready to smother him, we can see that the Parasite is essentially just playing with his food. He taunts Martin, poking and prodding him, highlighting that he has the power now.

[00:04:45]And this is a very revealing scene. When Parasite makes contact with people, he essentially steals their knowledge, too.

[00:04:51]So, he knows exactly how little Martin thinks of him. This isn't intended as a punishment for Martin, at least not entirely. It's Parasite throwing his weight around, being mean to someone that made him feel small. And there's an idea here that the show doesn't really explore. By essentially being able to read people's minds and feel what they feel, there was scope for Parasite to become empathetic. He could connect with people on a fundamental level, but he has no interest in putting himself in other people's shoes. That rejection of empathy, while implied, could have been more powerful if it had been overtly stated. Instead, it feels more like he's reading pages from a person's diary and reveling in the power of knowing a secret. He's completely disconnected from basic humanity. The power has revealed who he truly wanted to be, but never had the stones to be. The disturbing imagery continues when Superman enters the scene. When Parasite gets a taste of Superman's powers, he decides to stop wasting his time snacking on normal people. Once he connected with Superman, he knew everything he knew. So, when the powers wore off, he broke into Clark Kent's apartment and lied in wait. Parasite pounced on Superman, draining him of his strength again, and then locked him up in the depths of Star Labs. The horror of the basement mirrors the imagery associated with sexual predators who imprison victims in hidden rooms, keeping them alive for repeated exploitation. Parasite cages Superman, hides him, and feeds from him whenever he feels the urge. He doesn't view Superman as a fellow sentient being with thoughts, hopes, and dreams of his own, despite knowing them all. Instead, he is a source of power. And I think that until this moment, you could argue that Rudy was pitiable, but now he is monstrous.

[00:06:31]And if we compare him to Superman briefly, when Superman tracks the Parasite down, he calls to him by name, reminding him of his humanity. He is calm and offers to help Rudy. Seeing the opportunity before him, Parasite pretends to cooperate before striking.

[00:06:45]And this really emphasizes the betrayal that follows. Heroes always offer to help their villains, and the fact that Parasite plays on this is further proof of his wretchedness. Other villains like Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, and Harley Quinn reject help outright. Parasite lies and tricks Superman. And this really highlights the different moral landscape of Superman: The Animated Series. As I alluded to earlier, many of Batman: The Animated Series' greatest villains were driven by trauma, but the villains of Metropolis more often than not are driven by choice. You have figures like Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Jax Ur, and Darkseid, who are driven by a thirst for power or knowledge, and use that desire as justification for how badly they treat others. Then there are characters like Lobo, Bizarro, and Mr. Mxyzptlk, who already have power and misuse it.

[00:07:30]These villains allow for very different stories to be told. It's hard to redeem people who are essentially evil because of their ideology, not because they were wronged. Ultimately, Superman represents compassion and restraint, which is why he stands against so many of his foes.

[00:07:45]And the Parasite is another example of a villain who is firmly opposed to those ideals. When the Parasite gets the power he craves, he commits pedestrian crimes.

[00:07:53]He steals money and jewels. But now that he has the power and exists outside of the system, what does he need the money and jewels for? He doesn't need to eat or sleep. He could do absolutely anything, even without Superman's powers. But instead, he resorts to petty villainy. This tells us something else about him. He has no imagination.

[00:08:13]I know I've made a lot of comparisons to other villains so far, but I do want to circle back to the original comparison I made to the Toyman. Toyman was the first costumed supervillain to appear in the show. For as creepy as he was, he felt familiar because he was defined by loss and vengeance. The Parasite, meanwhile, is defined by greed and self-satisfaction. Toyman wants the past restored, while Parasite wants to consume the present. Toyman creates fantasy worlds to retreat into. Parasite creates prisons to trap others. This is a really intentional storytelling beat, and the fact that both of these villains appear in close proximity to each other is telling.

[00:08:48]Prior to Feeding Time, the villains we had seen felt familiar. Lex Luthor is your typical evil billionaire, ala Ferris Boyle, Daniel Mockridge, and Roland Daggett from Batman. Similarly, Toyman was a wounded, almost pitiable figure, like so many of Gotham's rogues.

[00:09:02]The Parasite is the first in a series of rejections of what came before. He is not misunderstood or even redeemable. He is simply dangerous. If money cannot buy class, then I think it's fair to say that power doesn't guarantee respect. As the Parasite, Rudy Jones did everything wrong. And all his powers did was emphasize how weak he was. You'd think that by draining Superman's powers, by knowing what he knows and feeling what he feels, that the Parasite might see the error of his ways. But if anything, he was drunk on power, and it brought out his worst traits.

[00:09:35]The episode ends with the powerless but ambitious, Jimmy Olsen figuring out where Superman was and helping to set him free. From here, Superman leverages his own weakness against the Parasite, the kryptonite that is stored in Star Labs. This chunk of radioactive rock has all the power the Parasite could ever want, so much so that it literally sickens him, turning him green, and effectively burns his mind away. This acts as a convenient way for Superman's secret identity to be restored and to shelve a potentially overpowered villain. At the end of the day, the Parasite is a study in how power amplifies character rather than masks it. Where Toyman's villainy is shaped by loss, trauma, and obsession, Rudy Jones shows us what happens when a man finally gets everything he wants without the discipline or empathy to wield it.

[00:10:18]Superman's confrontation with him reinforces the show's moral center. True heroism isn't about having limitless strength. It's about restraint, responsibility, and recognition of humanity in others, even when they refuse to show it in return. Feeding Time shows us that power can reveal who we really are, and that some people, when freed from the limits of a normal life, will show us the darkest parts of the human heart.

[00:10:47]Okay, that's it for this essay. If you enjoyed the video, don't forget to like, share, subscribe, leave a comment, tell all your friends about me. You know how YouTube works. If you really like the video and feel like tossing a buck or two my way, please consider using the thanks button because every little helps. And if you have really enjoyed my work, you might want to pick up a copy of my book Rogues Gallery. It features 22 essays on villains from Batman: The Animated Series. There's a beautiful cover by Batman: The Animated Series background artist John Calmette, a forward by director Dan Riba, and a moving segment from the late Kevin Conroy sharing his thoughts on life, love, and loss. Plus, an exclusive essay on the Condiment King that will never be made into a video. Rogues Gallery is available worldwide on Amazon both digitally and in softcover.

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[00:12:11]Next time, when I return on Friday, I'll be near the end of my coverage of Beware the Batman. So, I'm going to talk about the heart of the series, the person who was subtly driving the narrative across the whole season. Yes, it's time to talk about heart man, Alfred Pennyworth.

[00:12:26]And next Monday, I want to talk about the very first crossover episode of Static Shock, The Big Leagues, where Batman and Robin come to Dakota in search of the Joker, who has assumed control of the Meta-Breed. Hope to see you then.