Justice League Unlimited was a DC Animated Universe show that ran from 2004-2006. A direct sequel to Justice League, Unlimited brought in some major changes, the biggest one being a vastly expanded roster of heroes aside from the core seven of Justice League. With new heroes comes new stories and new possibilities. Let’s take a look at some of the best episodes of Justice League Unlimited.
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7 The Great Brain Robbery
Distributed by Warner Bros Television Distribution
Our list kicks off with a comedic, but still high quality episode that sees The Flash and Lex Luthor swap minds. While Flash tries to conceal his identity in Luthor’s body, Luthor uses the Flash’s to cause a good deal of mayhem and chaos onboard the Watchtower. The voice acting is top-notch, with Clancy Brown and Michael Rosenbaum (the voice actors for Luthor and the Flash, respectively) perfectly mimicking each other’s mannerisms while body-swapped. The action on the Watchtower is fun, with Luthor using Flash’s powers in all the destructive ways the real Flash wouldn’t. However, the two best moments of the episode both involve a bathroom. Luthor unmasks the Flash in an attempt to learn Flash’s secret identity, only to realize he doesn’t recognize Wally West. Meanwhile, Flash refuses to wash Luthor’s hands after using the bathroom, justifying it with “I’m evil.” It’s not quite the level of heinous as stealing 40 cakes, but it’s still villainous.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 This Little Piggy
Warner Bros. Television Distribution
The second and last comedic episode on the list, but it’s one that demands to be seen. Circe (the same one from Greek mythology) turns Wonder Woman into a pig. When Zatanna’s magic is unable to reverse it, she and Batman must team up to find a way to get Circe to undo her spell. Both Justice League and Justice League Unlimited had moments where it seemed like Batman and Wonder Woman would become an item, and this episode is a joy for shippers of that pairing. The way Batman gets the curse lifted is truly a sight to behold, with him being forced to perform the greatest feat in the Dark Knight’s over 80-year history: sing the blues and leave not a dry eye in the house.
5 Flashpoint
Distirbuted by Warner Bros. Television Distribution
The second season of the show saw the League deal with Cadmus, a secretive government organization working on creating pro-government superheroes to keep the League in check. It ended with a fantastic, 4-episode finale. This is the second of those four episodes. After Superman and Huntress bust the Question out of a Cadmus facility, Superman wants to escalate the tensions with them and crush Cadmus for good. There’s a fantastic scene where Superman, Supergirl, The Flash, Green Arrow, and Martian Manhunter debate the ethics of such an action and even whether or not Cadmus has a legitimate point. Things get worse when Lex Luthor hacks into the Watchtower and uses its BFG (or the Binary Fusion Generator, as the show calls it) to blow up an abandoned Cadmus facility. The heroes head to Earth to help civilians, but some of them, especially Green Arrow, start to question whether or not they’ve done any good. A very philosophical episode for a kids’ show, but when the writing is this good, it’s hard to complain.
4 Destroyer
Distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution
The series finale sees a newly resurrected Darkseid lead his armies to Earth in an attempt to not only terraform Earth into a second Apokolips, but kill Superman. It’s a very action-packed episode and sees heroes and villains alike uniting to stop the common threat that Darkseid possesses. All the action is wonderful, with highlights including Superman giving a good beatdown to Darkseid, a familiar face returning after missing the last few episodes, and Batman being the only person to ever dodge Darkseid’s Omega Beams. However, the writing is still stellar, with Superman’s “world of cardboard” speech being a contender for the greatest line of dialogue the Man of Steel has spoken in any visual medium. This show definitely went out on a high note.
3 Question Authority
The first episode of the four-part Cadmus finale sees the Question and Huntress steal a hard drive from Cadmus with lots of sensitive information, including a video where an alternate universe Superman kills Lex Luthor with heat vision. Believing the events of that timeline are playing out in this one, Question, a self-admitted “crackpot,” decides to kill Luthor before Superman can. Question was always a fun character on this show and Jeffrey Combs does a wonderful job voicing him. The scene where Question confronts Superman about this alternate version of him sees some great back and forth between the two and is the best scene in the episode. Unfortunately, Question’s attempt to kill Luthor fails, causing Huntress and Superman to team up to break him out of the Cadmus facility he’s being held at. The episode ends on a great cliffhanger, with Captain Atom, who has been reinstated as an active member of the Air Force, getting ready to throw down with Superman. It’s a magnificent episode.
2 Alive!
Who would have guessed that one of the best episodes would barely feature the Justice League at all? Instead, this episode is all about the villains, specifically the civil war between Lux Luthor and Gorilla Grodd as they vie for control of the Legion of Doom. The fights are all great, with it truly feeling like either side could legitimately emerge the victor. There’s some great mind games (literally) being played between Luthor and Grodd. Luthor even turns Grodd’s own psychic powers against him to seal his victory. This is a pretty dark episode, too. All of Grodd’s followers are shot out into space and one of Luthor’s most loyal followers is used as a sacrificial lamb in his attempt to use her to bring back Brainiac. Of course, she sabotages Luthor’s plan and brings back Darkseid instead. A brilliant penultimate episode to the series.
1 Divided We Fall
Luthor has merged with Brainiac and become a living god, and it’s up to the Justice League to stop them. The final episode of the 4-part Cadmus finale pulls out all the stops, with the only heroes available to stop Luthor being the original seven members of the League. Everything from fears of Superman turning to his Justice Lord counterpart to the role of the Justice League culminates here. The fight between Luthor and the original seven is a marvel to behold, with Luthor summoning android replicas of their Justice Lord counterparts, plus an evil Flash, to fight them. Fans of the Flash, whose death is supposed to bring about a nightmarish future will love this episode, as it’s he who separates Luthor and Brainiac by tapping into the Speed Force. Filled with unforgettable images like all the original members forming a human chain to bring Flash back from the Speed Force, and a rousing speech by Superman about the future of the League, this episode earns a well-deserved spot as Justice League Unlimited’s best episode.
