A Better World Animated Series Justice League

"A Improve World" is composed of the 37th and 38th episodes of Justice League . It originally aired on November 1, 2003.

1 Plot
- 1.ane Role I
- 1.2 Part II
two Continuity
three Background information
4 Cast
- 4.ane Uncredited appearances
5 Quotes
half-dozen References

Plot

Office I

The Justice League storms the White House. Batman and Wonder Woman take on the Secret Service, clearing Superman's path to the Oval Office. Within the Oval Part, President Lex Luthor frantically gathers up papers. Superman busts in, saying he's taking Luthor in for crimes committed in office.

One-half-mad while still going through papers, Luthor rants that he's not to arraign. The people are, for non being able to come across or accept his "grand design" for the world. Luthor prepares to press a button that volition beginning a nuclear state of war, saying they will "burn" for their error. Only and so he calms himself, and waits to run into what Superman will exercise; he points out that Superman can't stop him without deadly forcefulness.

Superman hesitates, and Luthor mocks him, saying that the Kryptonian has been Luthor'due south greatest accomplice all along: he loves beingness a hero and all the glory that comes with it so much that he continues to thwart Luthor fourth dimension and again, rather than having the guts to end it once and for all. Although Luthor may lose his presidency, he'll find a style out of prison house eventually, and the whole thing will brainstorm all over again. Alas, this proves to be Luthor's final error; clearly affected by his arch-enemy's accusations, Superman decides that if beingness a hero has led to this endless cycle, he's done with it. He glares at Luthor, eyes glowing red...

...and exterior the Oval Part, a foreign aroma reaches Batman and Wonder Woman's noses. They rush in, and stop dead in their tracks to see that Superman has burned Luthor to decease. Wonder Woman is shocked while Batman coldly proclaims that information technology had to be washed. Wonder Woman asks Superman if he'southward all right; turning around, Superman reveals an unnerving smile on his face, and says he is great.

Two years later, Earth has become a very different world. Superman and his v remaining teammates are now the effective rulers of the planet. It is revealed that the catalyst for their rebellion was the death of the Flash, murdered equally role of Luthor's schemes. Monitoring events from their new, heavily-armed Watchtower, they take taken over governments and subverted freedom of speech communication, all in the name of the people's safety. After denying the current U.S. President permission to hold an ballot to choose his successor, Hawkgirl and Green Lantern are sent to disperse a protest in Smallville. Batman has retreated to the Batcave, challenge to be decorated with a project.

The mere appearance of Greenish Lantern and Hawkgirl causes the protesters to disperse, out of fearfulness. Hawkgirl shows some doubts, wondering why they need to become to such lengths, when the globe has already become a much safer place. Lantern says that they accept to remain vigilant, and he's at ease with their deportment because the dangerous earth needed their leadership.

While Superman dines awkwardly with Lois Lane, she too voices her misgivings about the Lords' fascist government. Superman tells her that she's missing "the bigger flick", but their conversation is interrupted by Batman, who calls an urgent Justice Lords meeting. As Superman leaves, Lois tries to follow him out of the apartment, only to be stopped by guards at her door. She berates the soldiers, and by extension the people of Earth, for being blindly obedient and complacent under the rule of the Justice Lords.

In the Batcave, Batman shows the other Justice Lords an paradigm of the "Justice League" contesting Lex Luthor. What they are seeing, Batman explains, is a existent-time event from an "alternate reality" - the reality in which the residual of the series takes place. In this reality, the Flash is still alive and the League is still playing a passive, police force-enforcing function. Deciding that the alternating world needs their brand of constabulary and society as much as their own did, the Justice Lords determine to intervene.

The Justice League double crossed past their counterparts.

In the chief universe, the Justice League continues to boxing Luthor, ultimately defeating him and disassembling a weapon he had been preparing. Before long thereafter, the Lords' Martian Manhunter emerges from an inter-reality portal, proverb he has been sent from an alternate reality by an embattled League that needs the "master" League's help. Although the League, particularly Batman, has some doubts, they determine to trust Justice Lord J'onn.

One time the League has emerged into the alternate universe, they are quickly incapacitated by a trap. Hawkgirl, yet, refuses to become down without a fight (a fact noted with some pride by her Justice Lord counterpart) and is badly injured when Lantern has to knock her out.

While Hawkgirl is taken for medical attention, the other League members are locked in a specially designed prison cell block. The Lords, with the exception of Batman, then cantankerous over to the master universe, planning to impose order on the new world.

It seems that the Justice Lords arrive simply in time: the rogue behemoth Doomsday is on the loose. The Lords each attack, but none is a match for the creature except Superman. When it becomes clear that they are outmatched in force and endurance, Superman ends the fight by lobotomizing Doomsday with his oestrus vision. The main version of Lois Lane is shocked by Superman's brutality, but others in the crowd cheer, maxim "It's almost fourth dimension" the heroes took a more ambitious approach. Watching this from prison, Luthor alone realizes that these heroes aren't the true Justice League at all.

Part II

Batman won't want to lose his friend over again.

Dorsum in the Lords' reality, Justice Lord Batman acts as jailer to the rest of the League. Batman and Flash both berate him for the extremes to which the Lords have gone. Justice Lord Batman only retorts that such a thing could only as hands accept happened to them if they were pushed far plenty—for the Lords, he admits, the "push" came with Flash'southward death.

Justice Lord Batman tells them not to bother with trying to escape, because he's already idea of everything their Batman would have. But Flash's center rate becomes erratic, and so stops altogether. Agape that another Flash has just died on his watch, Justice Lord Batman rushes to the cell and opens it to see what's going on. As presently as Justice Lord Batman unshackles Flash'south arm, the Fastest Human being Live clobbers him with a flurry of super-speed punches, knocking his warden across the room. Flash escapes, shackles the Justice Lord in his identify, and emerges from his cell to free the others. Batman says he didn't know that Flash could speed up his own middle rate to the point where it appears to flatline, prompting Wink to confess that he didn't either; it was the first time Wink tried such a stunt, but since Batman couldn't come up with a plan, information technology fell to him to recall of something.

Batman heads to his analogue's Batcave to activate the inter-reality portal, while the rest of the League heads off to find Hawkgirl.

As he nears the portal device, Batman is confronted past his counterpart, who escaped from Flash's cell and has anticipated all his moves. Concealed in the shadows, the two stalk each other through the cave, all the while debating the ideals of what the Lords take done. Batman says they have crossed the line by seizing power, only Justice Lord Batman replies that, with said ability, they've made a world where no other eight-year-old boy volition lose his parents to meaningless violence, every bit they did. At that, Batman drops his batarang, steps into the light, and surrenders.

The League track Hawkgirl to Arkham Aviary, the only hospital equipped to hold metahuman patients. But the asylum is a far different place than the one from their reality. The staff are all old criminals, particularly from Batman'south rogues gallery, all of whom are placid, docile zombies. All of the inmates accept apparently been lobotomized by Justice Lord Superman's rut vision, revealing that Doomsday wasn't the first victim of Justice Lord Superman's vicious tactic.

A very calm and polite Joker is the superintendent. Pretending to exist the Lords, the League asks to be taken to Hawkgirl. Joker requests a password, which J'onn J'onzz gives by reading Joker'due south mind ("applesauce"). Joker says they got it right, merely apologetically triggers the alert, considering Wonder Woman was supposed to say it. Robotic versions of Justice Lord Superman attack the League, just are hands defeated, and the League breaks Hawkgirl out.

Batman shows himself around the alternate Gotham.

Batman and his analogue, with Batman at the bike of the Justice Lord's Batmobile, bulldoze through Gotham City towards Arkham. Batman is surprised to run into Gotham without litter; the Justice Lord states that if one wants the people to respect the 'large' laws, the 'small' laws must be enforced. When they stop at a red lite, they run across a restaurant, where a customer is arguing with the manager virtually refusing to pay for the poor quality of his meal, and in short gild is arrested past the police for disturbing the peace. Seeing Justice Lord Batman looking at them, the staff and the other patrons hurriedly and nervously await away to their own business. Batman needles his counterpart, wondering what "Mom and Dad" would think.

Past the fourth dimension they attain Arkham, the military has been alerted and the League is barricaded within. Justice Lord Batman has now had a change of heart, and tells the military to back off.

Equally the League prepares to return to their reality to confront the Lords, Batman wonders openly what they will have to do: The Lords are their equals in powers and intelligence, and they are willing to kill whereas the League isn't. Superman isn't willing to cross that line, only Batman says that some kind of line volition accept to be crossed if they mean to succeed.

In the master reality, the Lords take occupied the League's Watchtower, when they receive an warning of a prison house breakout: Luthor has escaped.

The Lords fly to the prison, but it is a trap set by the League, mirroring the Justice Lords' own trap that captured the League. In the fight that follows, each League member fights his or her counterpart, and neither side is able to gain the upper hand. The exception is Lord Superman, whose own counterpart is mysteriously absent, and who ends up fighting Wink. Flash attempts to appeal to the proficient in Lord Superman by reminding him of his friendship with Lord Flash, but fails. Lord Superman prepares to kill Flash, but then Superman arrives with Luthor, who has rebuilt the weapon from his before fight with the League.

Luthor turns over the free energy disruptor to Superman.

Luthor fires the weapon at each of the Lords, draining them of their powers. He is tempted to turn the weapon on Superman, simply then easily it over, equally "a deal's a bargain." It is revealed that Superman secured a presidential pardon for Luthor in commutation for his help in defeating the Lords, who are taken away.

Lord Superman rages that everything Luthor does from now on will be on Superman'due south head. Superman agrees that it'south a high price, simply declares that it's one of the many hard choices he's had to brand.

Subsequently, Luthor holds a printing conference to answer questions about his new liberty. He says that the business organization world doesn't seem equally challenging as it used to be, but he has been giving some idea to politics.

Continuity

This episode also shares many elements with Superman: The Blithe Serial episode "Dauntless New Urban center" where Superman's alternate reality counterpart became an oppressive dictator who seized control (with his partner).
This is Lois Lane'due south first true advent since Superman: The Animated Series (although she was imagined in Superman'south nightmare in "Only A Dream").
This is the Justice League's first time in the Batcave (except Superman having been in there on the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Knight Time"), albeit this is the Justice Lord Batman'due south cave. They would later accept refuge in Batman's Batcave afterward learning each other's identities during the series finale. How they entered the Justice Lord Batman's cave without learning his identity is unknown (though they could have entered from one of outer exits eastward.thousand. for the Batmobile, Batboat, etc.).
Afterwards condign a prisoner/fugitive in "Injustice For All", Lex Luthor is finally pardoned, and states that he's reformed.
Justice Lord Hawkgirl's helmet is revealed in the series finale to be another type of Thanagarian helmet that is evidently more normally worn. The reason for the switch is unknown.
The Justice League Unlimited episode "The Doomsday Sanction" reveals that Doomsday was an contradistinct clone of Superman, and Luthor follows through past announcing his candidacy for the U.South. Presidency, which was a major component of the Cadmus arc.
This episode proves to exist 1 of the most pivotal in the DCAU continuity: providing the motivation for much of the events of Justice League Unlimited and the particular Cadmus story arc'southward background. Similar to the Superman: The Animated Series finale, the Justice Lords' brief rampage and their actions in their ain universe is a major cause for the development of Project Cadmus by Amanda Waller.

Background data

Home video releases

Production notes

This episode was originally intended to exist a "Criminal offence Syndicate story". Withal, the Justice Lords were created and used instead the Crime Syndicate. Co-ordinate to Bruce Timm, the idea of an story with the Criminal offense Syndicate was later stored for the planned Justice League DTV Justice League: Worlds Collide , but the project never materialized as the DCAU production team couldn't work on the DTV and in the beginning flavor of Justice League Unlimited concurrently.^[1]
On the commentary, Bruce Timm states that the sound effect used for Flash throwing rocks at Justice Lord Superman was machine gunfire with a silencer.
On that same commentary, the creators also pointed out a scene during the prison house fight where Green Lantern was trying to shoot downwardly Justice Lord Hawkgirl with his power ring on the wrong paw. The creators explained the shot was "flopped" because in the original version, GL was actually shooting his energy bolts in the wrong direction from where Justice Lord Hawkgirl was flight.
The commentary besides revealed that the tone of Lex Luthor's press conference speech at the finish of the episode (wherein Lex foregoes big business to accept up politics) was inspired past the speech communication given when Jerry Levin retired equally CEO of AOL Time Warner in 2002. The line "There'due south no poetry in it" (significant the business world) is a direct quote.

Production inconsistencies

In the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Doomsday Sanction", Projection Cadmus is credited with Doomsday'south creation. However, Cadmus itself was formed in reaction to the rampage of the Justice Lords. Besides, Doomsday's motive and personalty seem different (not only after Superman).
When John Stewart tries to shoot down Justice Lord Hawkgirl, her mace is strapped to her dorsum, even though she had previously thrown it at Batman.
In the reaction shot when the Leaguers are shocked to find a balmy-mannered Joker working at Arkham Asylum, J'onn J'onzz's belt looks like Superman's chugalug, only colored differently. By the next scene, J'onn'south belt returns to normal.
During the fight at Arkham Aviary, one of Justice Lord Superman's robots displays a white "S" symbol on a yellow groundwork, instead of Justice Lord Superman's red background.
When Green Lantern picks upwards Hawkgirl and carries her from her hospital bed, his ability ring disappears.
The American Flag on the White House is backwards in the opening sequence - being mounted along the stripes edge, not the proper stars and stripes border.
J'onn reads Joker's mind to find out the password, but somehow his telepathy fails to detect that information technology was Wonder Woman who was supposed to say it, when such a chain of memories would likely have been detected by J'onn at in one case.

Trivia

The Justice Lords seem to be enlightened of (at to the lowest degree) Justice Lord Superman'southward identity as Justice Lord Hawkgirl comments about Smallville being his hometown. Whether they are aware of Justice Lord Batman's identity or he managed to get them in and out of the Batcave without revealing it is unknown.
In Lord Batman's Batcave, the costumes of Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, and Batman'south previous outfit (the ane in The New Batman Adventures design) are seen, similar to the Batman Beyond era Batcave.
Justice Lord Batman's costume bears a Bat-insignia on the chest similar to that of Batman II's Batsuit.
During the boxing with Doomsday, Justice Lord J'onn J'onzz is defeated when Doomsday lights a petrol leak causing J'onn to be enveloped in fire and knocked out. Just before this, J'onn seemed to be somewhat shocked at the flames. This seems to be a nod to the comics where Martians are weak against fire.
On the sound commentary for Role II, the writers state that these episodes were written in the days leading up to the invasion of Iraq. The writers noticed several similarities betwixt the Bush-league Assistants'due south policies and the Justice Lords and were very disturbed by the similarities. The writers too state they were not intending a parallel but rather a compelling story.
As a note to the above, the President who Justice Lord Superman speaks to following their fascist dominion seems to be very much based upon the (at the time) real life President George West. Bush.
Although the universe of the Justice Lords is almost identical to the mainstream one, there are some differences:
- The Ventriloquist & Scarface solved their conflict in The New Batman Adventures episode "Double Talk", where the Ventriloquist reformed and destroyed Scarface, long before Batman joined the Justice League. However, in the Justice Lords' universe, their counterparts are seen as lobotomized inmates in Arkham Asylum, suggesting that Lord Batman joined the Justice League much earlier than in the mainstream universe or that Wesker's attempt to reform failed for some reason, leading him to be committed back to Arkham.
- On a related notation regarding Batman's rogues gallery, given that the Joker was lobotomized by Justice Lord Superman in this universe, it'due south probable that the events of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker will not happen like in the mainstream universe and Arkham Aslym will possibly remain instead of being replaced by a newer and safest facility.
- The Justice League serial finale "Starcrossed" confirms that Hawkgirl was a Thanagarian spy all along and that she infiltrated the Justice League to study the Earth's weaknesses in advance of the Thanagarian invasion. However, as no traces of the invasion are referenced in this universe, information technology'southward possible that Justice Lord Hawkgirl relinquished to her position as spy and defected the Thanagarians in the backwash of President Luthor's murder.
This is the second fourth dimension in DCAU to feature Batman fighting with himself (the first one beingness the H.A.R.D.A.C.'s duplicant in the Batman: The Animated Serial episode "His Silicon Soul"). In both cases, 1 side represents the gratuitous pick, and the other complete order and safety. In both cases, Batman wins by seemingly losing.
Batman's secret code is 91939. This is a reference to Batman's debut, published in 1939.
During their fight, Justice Lord Superman and Doomsday punch each other simultaneously. In the comics, this is what resulted in both of their deaths during the famous Expiry of Superman storyline.
The audio commentary also revealed that the Justice Lords were heavily influenced by the comic book "The Dominance", which features an uncompromising super-team who took over their world "for its own skillful" and will use any means necessary to accomplish their goals.
The audio commentary farther stated that the scene where Wonder Woman threw her tiara at Justice Lord Wonder Woman was an homage to Lynda Carter as the Amazing Amazon in the pop 70s TV show Wonder Adult female . In said bear witness as well equally the comics, Diana frequently used her unbreakable tiara as a throwing weapon. Diana does so over again, in order to disarm Tobias Manning in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Once and Future Thing Part I: Weird Western Tales."
In the commentary, Bruce Timm states that lines uttered by Justice Lord Superman's robotic replicas are unpopular quotes spoken past Superman back in the first season. The gag was episode writer Stan Berkowitz'south idea. Withal, in reality, only two are paraphrases from lines said past Superman―the others were never spoken.

Robot'due south line	Superman'southward line	Episode	Context
You must be stopped.	Orm must be stopped.	"The Enemy Beneath, Part II"	After the Justice League discovers Orm'due south programme to submerge the entire world.
Violent beliefs will not exist tolerated.	Not stated
Nor will bad attitude.	Not stated
Thanks!	No, thanks.	"Secret Origins, Part Three"	After failing an Iced Mocha from the Flash.

Cast

Actor	Role
Maria Canals	Hawkgirl Justice Lord Hawkgirl Watchtower personnel (uncredited)
Kevin Conroy	Batman Justice Lord Batman Watchtower personnel (uncredited)
Susan Eisenberg	Wonder Adult female Justice Lord Wonder Woman Female reporter (uncredited) Watchtower personnel (uncredited)
Phil LaMarr	Green Lantern Justice Lord Green Lantern Lieutenant (uncredited)
Carl Lumbly	J'onn J'onzz Justice Lord J'onn J'onzz Waiter (uncredited)
George Newbern	Superman Justice Lord Superman Watchtower personnel (uncredited)
Michael Rosenbaum	Flash Cop (uncredited) Student (uncredited)
Clancy Brown	Lex Luthor President Lex Luthor (uncredited)
Dana Delany	Lois Lane Alternate Lois Lane
Brian George	Mr. President Watchtower personnel (uncredited)
Mark Hamill	Alternate Joker Eating place guest (uncredited)
Jason Marsden	Snapper Carr
David Markus	Student
Diane Pershing	Alternate Poisonous substance Ivy
Michael Jai White	Doomsday

Uncredited appearances

Quotes

Justice Lord Superman: There are at least 6 different ways I tin can stop you right now.
President Luthor: But they all involve mortiferous force, don't they? And y'all don't do that. No, you need me. You wouldn't exist much of a hero without a villain, and yous do love existence a hero, don't you lot? The cheering children, the swooning women, you honey it so much, it's made you my nigh reliable accomplice.
Justice Lord Superman: Cohort? What are you...?
President Luthor: You could've crushed me any time y'all wanted and information technology wasn't the law or the will of the people that stopped you. Information technology was your ego. Existence a hero was also important to you. You're as much responsible as I am. And then go ahead, set up it somehow, put me on trial, lock me upwardly, but I'll beat it and then we'll start the whole thing all over once more.
Justice Lord Superman: I did love beingness a hero, but if this is where information technology leads, I'm washed with it.

Luthor: (after existence caught) Watch. I'll exist out in days.
Wonder Woman: Not with a broken leg you won't.

Justice Lord Superman: What do you desire?
Doomsday: Aforementioned equally yous, I imagine. Ability. Control. Just I had to encounter the best this planet had to offer. I am not impressed.

Batman: You've thought of everything.
Justice Lord Batman: No. Simply everything y'all'll ever think of.

Flash: What are y'all lookin' at? Huh?
Justice Lord Batman: Calm down. You'll capeesh this someday.
Wink: Yeah? I don't recall Hawkgirl'south gonna capeesh it too much.
Justice Lord Batman: That was an accident. She's in our all-time infirmary now, and...
Flash: I don't want to hear it.

Batman: I think he likes you.
Flash: Must be my magnetic personality.

Batman: How did you lot get out?
Wink: I sped upwards my heartbeat until it looked like it flatlined.
Batman: I didn't know you lot could exercise that.
Flash: Neither did I. But I had to come up upward with something if you weren't going to.
Batman: I couldn't. Not with him anticipating everything I could ever call back of. But who could anticipate y'all?

Justice Lord Batman: Think nearly it. A world where there's no crime, no victims, no pain.
Batman: And no choice. Who elected yous, anyhow?
Justice Lord Batman: Who elected y'all? The problem with republic is it doesn't proceed you very safe.
Batman: Information technology has other virtues, simply you seem to have forgotten them.
Justice Lord Batman: I didn't forget. I just chose peace and security instead.
Batman: Yous grabbed power!
Justice Lord Batman: And with that power, we've made a world where no eight-year-old male child volition ever lose his parents... considering of some punk with a gun.
(Batman drops his batarang on the ground and stands silent for a minute)
Batman: You lot win.

Batman: They'd love it here, don't y'all think?
Justice Lord Batman: Who?
Batman: Mom and Dad. (sarcastically) They'd be so proud of yous.
Justice Lord Batman: Only drive.

Flash: Hey, he was the conscience of your grouping and that means I must be...
Green Lantern: Come on, Jiminy!

Flash: Wow, Supes, you really know how to bring down the house!
(Justice Lord Superman picks Flash up and raises his fist but so hesitates)
Flash: Can't exercise it, can you? I'thousand the last slice of your conscience, and this is the one thing you'll never practise.
Justice Lord Superman: I've washed a lot of things I thought I'd never practise these by ii years. I more won't hurt.

Lex Luthor: (aiming a weapon) This would exist so sweet. (easily information technology to Superman) Just... a deal's a bargain.
Green Lantern: What bargain?
Superman: A full pardon in exchange for his help.
Justice Lord Superman: Everything he does from now on is your mistake!
Superman: Information technology'southward a high toll, merely it's better than the alternative.

References

↑ The Bruce Timm Interview at The World's Finest