List of Justice League Unlimited episodes
Justice League Unlimited is an American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the previous Justice League animated series. Justice League Unlimited debuted on July 31, 2004, on Toonami and ended on May 13, 2006. It was also the final series set in the long-running DC animated universe, which started with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992. Unlike it's predecessor's two/three-part episode format, Justice League Unlimited consists entirely of single episodes, except for the series finale.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 13 | July 31, 2004 | January 29, 2005 | ||
| 2 | 13 | February 5, 2005 | July 23, 2005 | ||
| 3 | 13 | September 17, 2005 | May 13, 2006 | ||
Episodes
Season 1 (2004–2005)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Initiation" | Joaquim dos Santos | Stan Berkowitz | July 31, 2004 | N/A | |
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The League expands their operations, enlisting new recruits from across the globe. The newest is Green Arrow, who has repeatedly refused to join the League. He is teleported to the rebuilt Watchtower. Deciding again not to join, he hitches a ride back to Earth with Green Lantern, Captain Atom and Supergirl, who have been sent on a mission to stop a giant, uncontrolled, nuclear-powered defense robot in an unnamed Asian country that exists in self-imposed international isolation. Note: This episode features cameos from over 30 other heroes, many of whom participate in subsequent episodes. Most notably, Green Arrow's eventual decision to join the League is shown to be influenced by catching his first glimpse of Black Canary. | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "For the Man Who Has Everything" | Dan Riba | J. M. DeMatteis | August 7, 2004 | 1.56[1] | |
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Batman and Wonder Woman find Superman held captive by Mongul in the Fortress of Solitude and dreaming of an idyllic life on Krypton, due to the effects of a wish-fulfilling parasitic plant known as the Black Mercy. Note: This episode is adapted from Superman Annual #11, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons in 1985. It marks the first appearance by Joe Chill in the DCAU, as Batman dreams of watching his father beat the thug senseless. | |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Kid Stuff" | Joaquim dos Santos | Henry Gilroy | August 14, 2004 | N/A | |
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Mordred uses his magic to remove all adults from Earth then lords over an amusement park with the remaining children. Using this as a loophole, Morgaine le Fey transforms Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern into children. However, this has drawbacks as the "Super Kids" are now emotionally 8-year-olds; Green Lantern makes "light eyeglasses" to correct his youth astigmatism, Superman is now a hayseed farm boy, Wonder Woman is a bossy "big sister", and Batman is reminded of painful memories, once again the same age as when his parents died. Note: Based loosely on elements of the DC Comics events JLA: World Without Grown Ups and Young Justice: Sins of Youth. | |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Hawk and Dove" | Joaquim dos Santos | Story by : Ron Zimmerman Teleplay by : Robert Goodman | August 21, 2004 | N/A | |
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Wonder Woman team up with two super-powered brothers, Hawk and Dove, to stop Ares' plans to escalate a European civil war by using a war machine called the Annihilator. Note: As a nod to their earlier roles as brothers on The Wonder Years, the two brothers were voiced by Fred Savage (Hank/Hawk) and Jason Hervey (Don/Dove). Originally Hervey was cast as the elder brother and Savage the younger, but a last minute change was done by the producers who approved the actors' recommendation to swap roles. | |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "This Little Piggy" | Dan Riba | Paul Dini | August 28, 2004 | 0.65[2] | |
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The centuries-old enchantress Circe transforms Wonder Woman into a pig as revenge against Diana's mother. Batman and Zatanna work together to return her to normal, while B'wana Beast attempts to find the "Wonder Pig" before she's butchered at a slaughterhouse. Note: This episode features the singing of actress/singer Rachel York, who performs Lulu's Back in Town by Al Dubin and Harry Warren. | |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Fearful Symmetry" | Joaquim dos Santos | Story by : Stan Berkowitz Teleplay by : Robert Goodman | September 4, 2004 | N/A | |
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Supergirl, Green Arrow, and The Question investigate Supergirl's disturbing dreams. They discover that Cadmus created a clone of Supergirl named Galatea while she was recovering from her fight against Superman on Earth. Note: Galatea is based on Power Girl. | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Greatest Story Never Told" | Dan Riba | Andrew Kreisberg | September 11, 2004 | N/A | |
| The Justice League battle Mordru in the background, while the narrative follows Booster Gold as he attempts to close a walking black hole while he's supposed to be on "crowd control". | |||||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Return" | Joaquim dos Santos | Story by : Stan Berkowitz Teleplay by : J. M. DeMatteis | September 18, 2004 | N/A | |
| The League attempts to keep Ivo's android Amazo from taking revenge against the recently reformed Lex Luthor. Luthor and the Atom attempt to create a weapon to neutralize Amazo's nanotechnology. Their victory is largely assisted by Doctor Fate. | |||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Ultimatum" | Joaquim dos Santos | Story by : Dwayne McDuffie Teleplay by : J. M. DeMatteis | December 4, 2004 | N/A | |
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The Justice League meets the Ultimen, a popular group of young heroes. The Ultimen discover they are the results of a government experiment in creating superhumans and only have a short time to live. In frustration and anger, all of them except for Long Shadow strike out against the Justice League. Note: The Ultimen are pastiches of several superheroes that were created for (and are unique to) the Super Friends animated series. The members were Long Shadow (based upon Apache Chief), Wind Dragon (Samurai), Juice (Black Vulcan), Downpour, and Shifter (Zan and Jayna, the Wonder Twins). Their base of operations is a nod to the Super Friends' Hall of Justice. The Ultimen also parallel the International Ultramarine Corps of the Howard Porter/Grant Morrison JLA run: both teams begin as rival heroes to the Justice League, but discover that they are the results of a secret government project under General Wade Eiling and will die in just a few years' time due to their experimental origins. | |||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Dark Heart" | Dan Riba | Warren Ellis | December 11, 2004 | N/A | |
| Most of the League battles powerful alien nanotechnology. They realize that the waves of self-replicating robots cannot be simply destroyed. The Atom shrinks himself to stop the robots from the inside. | |||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Wake the Dead" | Joaquim dos Santos | Story by : Dwayne McDuffie & Bruce Timm Teleplay by : Dwayne McDuffie | December 18, 2004 | N/A | |
| A trio of high school kids accidentally resurrect Solomon Grundy, making him more powerful than ever but with no memories of his past. Doctor Fate, Amazo, Aquaman, and Hawkgirl assist the League in stopping his rampage. | |||||||
| 12 | 12 | "The Once and Future Thing, Part One: Weird Western Tales" | Dan Riba | Dwayne McDuffie | January 22, 2005 | 1.83[3] | |
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Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern chase Chronos to the past, where they team up with heroes from the Old West. After defeating stolen future tech in that era, they again follow Chronos to the future. Warhawk from the Batman Beyond era is revealed to be Green Lantern's and Hawkgirl's son. Guest starring: Bat Lash, Jonah Hex, El Diablo, and Ohiyesa "Pow-Wow" Smith. | |||||||
| 13 | 13 | "The Once and Future Thing, Part Two: Time, Warped" | Joaquim dos Santos | Dwayne McDuffie | January 29, 2005 | N/A | |
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Batman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman chase Chronos into the future Gotham City of Batman Beyond, just in time to join that era's Justice League in a battle with a group of Jokerz. The time travelers are taken to the Justice League Unlimited's refuge. The elderly Bruce Wayne reveals that the street gang they fought against was enhanced by Chronos, who led them to kill the rest of the League of that era. The combined heroes defeat the Jokerz, and Batman traps Chronos in a time loop. Guest starring: Batman (Terry McGinnis), Warhawk, a 65-year-old Static, Hal Jordan, and a young Green Lantern, Kai-Ro. | |||||||
Season 2 (2005)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "The Cat and the Canary" | Joaquim dos Santos | Story by : Stan Berkowitz Teleplay by : Robert Goodman | February 5, 2005 | N/A | |
| Black Canary convinces Green Arrow to help save her mentor, Wildcat, from his involvement in a superpowered underground fight club known as Metabrawl. | |||||||
| 15 | 2 | "The Ties That Bind" "Miracles Happen" | Dan Riba | Story by : Jim Steranko Teleplay by : J. M. DeMatteis | February 12, 2005 | N/A | |
| Mister Miracle and Big Barda solicit the League's assistance to free Oberon from Apokolips. Martian Manhunter refuses, but Flash decides to help out on his own. | |||||||
| 16 | 3 | "The Doomsday Sanction" | Dan Riba | Story by : Dwayne McDuffie Teleplay by : Robert Goodman | February 19, 2005 | 1.24[4] | |
| Superman battles Doomsday in the heart of a volcano. Batman probes the Cadmus conspiracy to destroy the Justice League. | |||||||
| 17 | 4 | "Task Force X" | Joaquim dos Santos | Story by : Dwayne McDuffie Teleplay by : Darwyn Cooke | May 21, 2005 | N/A | |
| Cadmus has recruited a team of supervillains named Task Force X made up of Deadshot, Plastique, Captain Boomerang, and the Clock King. Their mission is to steal the Annihilator armor from the Watchtower. | |||||||
| 18 | 5 | "The Balance" | Dan Riba | Story by : Stan Berkowitz Teleplay by : Dwayne McDuffie | May 28, 2005 | 1.10[5] | |
| Felix Faust, imprisoned in a mirror, fools Tala into letting him out. He possesses the Annihilator and casts Hades out of Tartarus. After her armor and lasso's truth-discerning abilities are activated by Queen Hippolyta, Wonder Woman teams up with Hawkgirl to help Hades reclaim his kingdom, at Zeus's command. Meanwhile Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl must deal with their anger towards each other following the events of the three-part Season 2 finale "Starcrossed". | |||||||
| 19 | 6 | "Double Date" | Joaquim dos Santos | Gail Simone | June 4, 2005 | 1.02[6] | |
| Huntress is kicked out of the Justice League for attempting to murder mob boss Steven Mandragora, the man responsible for her parents' death. She recruits The Question to assist her in finishing him off while Green Arrow and Black Canary attempt to thwart their efforts. | |||||||
| 20 | 7 | "Clash" | Dan Riba | Story by : Dwayne McDuffie Teleplay by : J. M. DeMatteis | June 11, 2005 | N/A | |
| Lex Luthor's candidacy for president moves forward as Captain Marvel appears to endorse him. Luthor manipulates Superman, tricking him into fighting Captain Marvel. Superman is humiliated after discovering that the bomb he defused turned out to be a generator. At the end, Batman reveals that Superman had been baited by Luthor and Amanda Waller as a plot to discredit the League. | |||||||
| 21 | 8 | "Hunter's Moon" "Mystery in Space" | Joaquim dos Santos | Story by : Stan Berkowitz Teleplay by : Dwayne McDuffie | June 18, 2005 | N/A | |
| When the Justice League receives a distress call, Hawkgirl, Vigilante, and Vixen investigate. The distress call turns out to be a trap set by the surviving Thanagarian warriors, who blame Hawkgirl for their loss in the Thangar-Gordanian war. Hawkgirl also has to deal with her teammates' resentments for her betrayal of the Justice League, and her own lingering self-doubts. | |||||||
| 22 | 9 | "Question Authority" | Dan Riba | Dwayne McDuffie | June 25, 2005 | N/A | |
| After helping Superman defeat Mantis, Captain Atom's Air Force Reserve commission is reactivated. Meanwhile, The Question discovers the records about the Justice Lords, and Luthor's attempts to discredit the Justice League. The Question is captured, and Superman and Huntress attempt to rescue him. Almost successful, they are confronted by Captain Atom, who has orders to stop them. | |||||||
| 23 | 10 | "Flashpoint" | Joaquim dos Santos | Dwayne McDuffie | July 2, 2005 | N/A | |
| Lex Luthor seizes control of the Watchtower's main gun to fire on Cadmus, causing massive collateral damage on the city and falsely implicating the League as responsible. Convinced it is an act of revenge, Amanda Waller commands Galatea to attack the Watchtower with an army of Ultimen clones. | |||||||
| 24 | 11 | "Panic in the Sky" | Dan Riba | Dwayne McDuffie | July 9, 2005 | N/A | |
| The founding members of the Justice League, with the exception of Batman, surrender to the government. In the middle of a battle between the rest of the League and the army of Ultimen, Supergirl and Steel battle Galatea to keep her from destroying the Watchtower. | |||||||
| 25 | 12 | "Divided We Fall" | Joaquim dos Santos | Dwayne McDuffie | July 16, 2005 | 0.96[7] | |
| With most of the League unavailable, the League's founding members battle a fusion between Luthor and Brainiac. The Flash saves the day when he runs around the world numerous times in order to separate and defeat the Luthor-Brainiac fusion. | |||||||
| 26 | 13 | "Epilogue" | Dan Riba | Story by : Bruce Timm & Dwayne McDuffie Teleplay by : Dwayne McDuffie | July 23, 2005 | 1.04[8] | |
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In the future of Batman Beyond, an elderly Amanda Waller reveals to an older Terry McGinnis that she created the project Batman Beyond to continue Bruce Wayne's legacy. Note: According to Stephen Harber, the episode was originally intended to be the series finale for Justice League and the DCAU in general.[9] The decision to end on a Batman-heavy episode was planned as a way of bringing the series full circle, ending as Batman: The Animated Series began. | |||||||
Season 3 (2005–2006)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | "I Am Legion" | Joaquim dos Santos | Dwayne McDuffie | September 17, 2005 | |
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After Lex Luthor escapes from prison, Gorilla Grodd baits him into joining the new Secret Society with a piece of Brainiac technology. Luthor, the Key, and Doctor Polaris steal the Spear of Longinus from Blackhawk Island despite the attempts of Flash, Fire, Hawkgirl, and the last surviving Blackhawk to stop them. Note: This new Secret Society is similar in scale to the Legion of Doom (a supervillain group from the Challenge of the Super Friends animated series), and its base is an updated version of the one used by the Legion of Doom. The title of this episode is a variant on a verse from the Bible (Mark 5:9), specifically the last half of the verse that states 'My name is Legion, for we are many.' This is a reference to the Secret Society being a veritable legion of super villains, as well as the appearance of the headquarters of the Legion of Doom, updated for the 21st century and used as the base for the Society. | ||||||
| 28 | 2 | "Shadow of the Hawk" | Dan Riba | Story by : Dwayne McDuffie Teleplay by : J. M. DeMatteis | September 17, 2005 | |
| Hawkgirl agrees to meet with Carter Hall, an archaeologist who has discovered Thanagarian artifacts from ancient Egypt. With a suspicious Batman eavesdropping, Carter reveals himself to a confused Hawkgirl as her reincarnated lover from the past and Hawkman. The Shadow Thief attempts to steal the artifacts, which results in the destruction of the tomb. | ||||||
| 29 | 3 | "Chaos at the Earth's Core" | Joaquim dos Santos | Matt Wayne | September 24, 2005 | |
| Supergirl, Stargirl, S.T.R.I.P.E., and Green Lantern help Warlord liberate Skartaris (a hidden world inside the Earth's core) from Deimos, a brutal dictator, while protecting a very large piece of Kryptonite from Metallo and Silver Banshee. | ||||||
| 30 | 4 | "To Another Shore" | Dan Riba | Dwayne McDuffie | September 24, 2005 | |
| Wonder Woman protects the body of the Viking Prince from members of the Secret Society who want to reverse engineer invulnerability powers from it. Troubled by his isolation, Martian Manhunter leaves the Justice League to better understand humanity. | ||||||
| 31 | 5 | "Flash and Substance" | Joaquim dos Santos | Matt Wayne | February 11, 2006 | |
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Orion attempts to understand The Flash's antics as Wally and Batman battle four of Flash's rogues who attack the opening of a museum in The Flash's honor. Note: This episode includes many references to The Flash's comic book and television history, including a guest appearance by Linda Park,[10] and brings back Mark Hamill as the Trickster.[11] | ||||||
| 32 | 6 | "Dead Reckoning" | Dan Riba | Dwayne McDuffie | February 18, 2006 | |
| Deadman convinces Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman to help him retrieve the souls of a mystic order of monks, stolen by the Secret Society. They force the Secret Society to retreat from Gorilla City, ending Grodd's attempt to turn all people on Earth into apes. At a general meeting in the Secret Society's HQ, Lex Luthor states that Grodd's master plan was silly, and shoots him, taking over leadership of the Secret Society. | ||||||
| 33 | 7 | "Patriot Act" | Joaquim dos Santos | Matt Wayne | February 25, 2006 | |
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General Wade Eiling from Cadmus steals the "Captain Nazi" super-soldier serum and injects it into himself to "protect" the world from metahumans. With the more powerful League members busy, Green Arrow leads Stargirl, S.T.R.I.P.E., Shining Knight, Crimson Avenger, Vigilante, and Speedy against him. Eiling only stops short of killing Shining Knight when a civilian points out that the illogic of Eiling's position: his goal was to rid the world of metahumans, but he had been using superpowers against mere mortals who disagreed with him. Note: The sub-team in this episode is an homage to the Golden Age Seven Soldiers of Victory.[12] | ||||||
| 34 | 8 | "The Great Brain Robbery" | Dan Riba | Story by : Dwayne McDuffie Teleplay by : Matt Wayne | March 4, 2006 | |
| Magic and science collide, swapping the minds of Lex Luthor and The Flash. The Justice League attempts to contain a super-speed powered Luthor on the Watchtower, while The Flash tries to hide the change from the Secret Society. | ||||||
| 35 | 9 | "Grudge Match" | Joaquim dos Santos | Story by : Matt Wayne Teleplay by : J. M. DeMatteis | March 11, 2006 | |
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Roulette restarts Metabrawl, this time with an all-female fight card called "Glamour Slam", made up of mind-controlled Justice League members. First, the Huntress and Black Canary are set against Vixen and Hawkgirl, and then the four must contend against Wonder Woman. Note: The story takes place in the city of Blüdhaven, Nightwing has a split second cameo. | ||||||
| 36 | 10 | "Far from Home" | Dan Riba | Story by : Dwayne McDuffie Teleplay by : Paul Dini | April 15, 2006 | |
| Supergirl, Green Lantern and Green Arrow are kidnapped and taken to the 31st Century by Brainiac 5 and Bouncing Boy of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Here Supergirl embarks on her very last mission — a battle against the Fatal Five and the mind-controlled Legion itself. | ||||||
| 37 | 11 | "Ancient History" | Joaquim dos Santos | Story by : Matt Wayne Teleplay by : Geoff Johns | April 29, 2006 | |
| Shadow Thief captures Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Hawkman, then forces them to watch a vision of their past selves developing the ancient society of Egypt with Thanagarian technology. Shadow Thief is shown to be a villain created from Carter Hall's mind who was released when he touched the Absorbacron. Hawkman defeats Shadow Thief and leaves. Green Lantern does not re-start his romance with Hawkgirl, staying with Vixen, but does tell Hawkgirl about their future son Rex Stewart/Warhawk. Hawkgirl asks Batman about Warhawk. | ||||||
| 38 | 12 | "Alive!" | Dan Riba | Matt Wayne | May 6, 2006 | |
| Luthor and the Secret Society refit their headquarters and fly into deep space in an attempt to reconstitute Brainiac. En route, Tala frees Grodd, who leads other disaffected villains against Luthor and his supporters. Luthor uses his intellect and resourcefulness to counter his various adversaries' powers. Luthor then uses Tala's magic in an attempt to reconstitute Brainiac, but instead resurrects Darkseid (with Brainiac enhancements), who plans to lay waste to Earth. Darkseid returns to Apokolips and stops a war between the two factions of his Elite fighting for power, and reveals to them his plans of an invasion of Earth. Luthor and the surviving Secret Society members turn to the Justice League for help. | ||||||
| 39 | 13 | "Destroyer" | Joaquim dos Santos | Dwayne McDuffie | May 13, 2006 | |
| The Justice League teams up with the remnants of the Secret Society to repel Darkseid's full-scale invasion of Earth. As the League and Secret Society members battle the Apokolips fleet on the other side of the planet, Superman, Batman, and Lex Luthor take on Darkseid atop the Daily Planet building. | ||||||
References
- "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Charts Best Original Series Premiere in Cartoon Network History with Kids 6-11, 2-11 and Boys 6-11, 2-11". WarnerMedia.
- "Ratings - Cartoon Network Charts Best Month, Best Summer Ever in Kids, Boys Total Day Ratings, Delivery | TheFutonCritic.com". ftp.futoncritic.com.
- Lawson, Tommy (January 25, 2005). "Cartoon Network Ratings Report for 1/17 to 1/23".
- https://animesuperhero.com/cartoon-network-february-ratings-report/
- "Ratings - Cartoon Network Sets New May Record for Highest Kids' Total Day Delivery, Ratings in Network History with Kids 6-11, Kids 2-11 and Tweens 9-14 | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com.
- "Breaking News - Juniper Lee Debut in Fridays Wins 9 P.M. Kids 6-11 Demos on All TV | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com.
- "Ratings - Cartoon Network Sets New July Records for Best Total Programming Day Delivery, Ratings in Network History with Kids 6-11, Kids 2-11 and Tweens 9-14 | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com.
- "Breaking News - Four Original Series Each Earn Double-Digit Gains Across the Target-Demo Board Within Cartoon Network's Fridays | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com.
- Harber, Stephen (January 18, 2019). "Batman Beyond: The Essential Episodes". Den of Geek!. ProQuest 2168387195.
- Holmes, Adam. "The Flash Just Cast This Comic Book Character". CinemaBlend. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- Buxton, Marc (November 17, 2018). "Justice League Unlimited: The Essential Episodes". Den of Geek!. ProQuest 2134539423.
- Sava, Oliver. "Justice League Unlimited: "Patriot Act"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 19 November 2019.