List of Justice League episodes
Justice League is an American animated series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The series is based on the Justice League and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics. It follows the adventures of Superman, Batman (Bruce Wayne), Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), The Flash, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz).
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 26 | November 17, 2001 | November 9, 2002 | ||
| 2 | 26 | July 5, 2003 | May 29, 2004 | ||
Episodes
Season 1 (2001–2002)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 3 | 1 3 | "Secret Origins" | Dan Riba Butch Lukic Dan Riba | Rich Fogel | November 17, 2001 | 4.32[1] | |
| As alien invaders who were accidentally awakened on Mars begin to take over the Earth, Superman and Batman rescue Martian Manhunter, who telepathically summons Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, The Flash, and Green Lantern to help stop the invasion. Superman gathers everyone at the newly built Watchtower, funded by Batman, and asks them to be part of a team, which he dubs the Justice League. | |||||||
| 4 5 | 4 5 | "In Blackest Night" | Butch Lukic | Stan Berkowitz | November 19, 2001 November 26, 2001 | N/A | |
| Green Lantern surrenders himself to robotic Manhunters to stand trial for the destruction of a planet. While Flash acts as Green Lantern's attorney, the rest of the League discovers that Kanjar Ro helped the Manhunters frame Green Lantern. | |||||||
| 6 7 | 6 7 | "The Enemy Below" | Dan Riba | Kevin Hopps | December 3, 2001 December 10, 2001 | N/A | |
| A nuclear submarine is attacked in the Atlantic, forcing the League to come face-to-face with Aquaman and his Atlantean army. Aquaman follows Superman's advice to go to Metropolis and take his problems up with the various governments of the world. When a mercenary, Deadshot, attacks Aquaman, the League steps in. Aquaman discovers that Lord Orm, his own brother, was behind the attack. Orm takes Aquaman and his infant son and places them on a cliff over a vein of molten lava, leaving them to die. To save his son, Aquaman sacrifices his own hand. | |||||||
| 8 9 | 8 9 | "Injustice for All" | Butch Lukic | Stan Berkowitz | September 6, 2002 September 13, 2002 | N/A | |
| Exposed as a criminal, sentenced to prison, and terminally ill due to long-term Kryptonite exposure, Lex Luthor escapes and assembles a supervillain team, the Injustice Gang, to take on the Justice League. The gang consists of Cheetah, Star Sapphire, The Shade, Copperhead, Ultra-Humanite, and Solomon Grundy. The Joker also becomes part of the team, on his own initiative. Even with their combined power, the gang proves no match for Batman's guile. | |||||||
| 10 11 | 10 11 | "Paradise Lost" | Dan Riba | Joseph Kuhr | January 21, 2002 January 28, 2002 | N/A | |
| Sorcerer Felix Faust threatens to keep Wonder Woman's home population transformed into stone if she does not gather artifacts for him. He uses the artifacts to release Hades from Tartarus. The League succeeds in banishing Hades and his minions, but Wonder Woman is exiled from Themyscira for allowing the men of the Justice League to help. | |||||||
| 12 13 | 12 13 | "War World" | Butch Lukic | Stan Berkowitz | February 24, 2002 March 3, 2002 | N/A | |
| Superman and Martian Manhunter are abducted by extraterrestrial slave traders and sold to the planet War World, whose despotic ruler Mongul pits aliens against each other in mortal combat in an enormous colosseum. Green Lantern and Hawkgirl set out to rescue them. | |||||||
| 14 15 | 14 15 | "The Brave and the Bold" | Dan Riba | Story by : Rich Fogel and Paul Dini Teleplay by : Dwayne McDuffie | March 10, 2002 March 17, 2002 | 1.02[2] N/A | |
| The Flash and Green Lantern uncover a plot by Gorilla Grodd to destroy Gorilla City, a hidden city of hyperintelligent talking gorillas in Africa. Grodd has a device that allows him to control the minds of others, and uses stolen gorilla technology to conquer all of Central City and put its inhabitants under his control. Locked inside the force field-shielded city, Flash and Green Lantern work together with Solovar, Gorilla City's chief of security, to destroy the enemy from within before Grodd carries out his revenge. | |||||||
| 16 17 | 16 17 | "Fury" | Butch Lukic | Story by : Stan Berkowitz Teleplay by : Dwayne McDuffie | April 7, 2002 April 14, 2002 | 1.62[3] N/A | |
| A rogue Amazonian named Aresia, who was born in the mortal world and raised on Themyscira, gathers several supervillains - Star Sapphire, Shade, Copperhead, Solomon Grundy, and Tsukuri - and sets out to kill the world's male population, whom she holds responsible for the death of her family members in a war. | |||||||
| 18 19 | 18 19 | "Legends" | Dan Riba | Andrew Kreisberg | April 21, 2002 April 28, 2002 | 1.76[4] N/A | |
|
The Justice League is accidentally transported to a parallel world and discovers the Justice Guild of America, who are comic book characters in the Justice League's world. While battling supervillains in this other dimension, they discover that the world is just an elaborate illusion. Note: The episode is dedicated to Gardner Fox, a Golden Age writer who co-created both the Justice Society of America (JSA) and the Justice League of America (JSA), the comics on which the Guild are based.[5] Originally, the showrunners wanted to use the JSA, but DC Comics publisher Paul Levitz felt that the story was inappropriate, so they altered the names and designs of the team. However, a teaser was produced for the episode with the JSA. | |||||||
| 20 21 | 20 21 | "A Knight of Shadows" | Butch Lukic | Keith Damron | September 20, 2002 September 27, 2002 | N/A | |
| Jason Blood and his alter-ego Etrigan the Demon seek the assistance of the Justice League in preventing the Philosopher's stone from falling into the hands of his ancient enemy, the sorceress Morgaine le Fey. | |||||||
| 22 23 | 22 23 | "Metamorphosis" | Dan Riba | Len Uhley Story by : Len Uhley Teleplay by : Dwayne McDuffie | October 4, 2002 October 11, 2002 | N/A | |
| Green Lantern's old friend Rex Mason, now working for a shady industrialist, suffers an "accident" arranged by his jealous employer and is transformed into the superhero Metamorpho. | |||||||
| 24 26 | 24 26 | "The Savage Time" | Butch Lukic Dan Riba Butch Lukic | Stan Berkowitz | November 9, 2002 | N/A | |
| The Justice League returns from a mission in space to find the world transformed; a result of villain Vandal Savage feeding information to his past self in the 1940s, allowing him to help take over the world during World War II. The League travels back in time themselves to stop him, and fight Nazis alongside WWII-era heroes Easy Company, the Blackhawks, and Steve Trevor. | |||||||
Season 2 (2003–2004)
Starting this season, the episodes were produced in 16:9 widescreen which were cropped in 4:3 when broadcast.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 28 | 1 2 | "Twilight" | Dan Riba Butch Lukic | Rich Fogel and Bruce Timm | July 5, 2003 | |
| The League is tricked into defending Apokolips, Darkseid's homeworld, against the threat of Brainiac. The team solicits the aid of the New Gods, including Orion, Lightray, and Highfather. The resulting destruction of Brainiac's base is thought to be the end of Darkseid. | ||||||
| 29 30 | 3 4 | "Tabula Rasa" | Dan Riba | Stan Berkowitz | October 4, 2003 | |
| Lex Luthor manipulates a powerful android named Amazo with the ability to copy any superpower, posing as a father figure to it. Meanwhile, Martian Manhunter questions the nature of humans and struggles with the burden of hearing thousands of their minds in his head at once, after performing a psychic sweep of the city of Metropolis in a failed attempt to locate Luthor. | ||||||
| 31 32 | 5 6 | "Only a Dream" | Butch Lukic | Stan Berkowitz | October 11, 2003 | |
| Small time crook John Dee volunteers for an experimental treatment while in prison. While the authorities are distracted by a mass prison break led by Volcana, Luminus, Copperhead, Solomon Grundy and Firefly, John Dee overdoses on the treatment and becomes the dream-controlling Doctor Destiny. Destiny takes telepathic control of most of the League in their sleep, leaving only Batman and Martian Manhunter. The League members become trapped in their dreams and unable to wake up. Martian Manhunter tries to force them awake, while Batman goes to confront Dr. Destiny. | ||||||
| 33 34 | 7 8 | "Maid of Honor" | Dan Riba | Dwayne McDuffie | October 18, 2003 | |
|
Wonder Woman befriends the princess of Kasnia, a jet-setting party girl who is reluctant to end her wild ways to get married. Unfortunately, her fiancé is the immortal Vandal Savage, and he already has plans for both the throne and the Justice League. Wonder Woman and Batman must stop Savage, while Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter take out Savage's new Rail Gun satellite. Note: This is the first episode of the Justice League series in which Batman appears as Bruce Wayne. | ||||||
| 35 36 | 9 10 | "Hearts and Minds" | Butch Lukic | Keith Damron | October 25, 2003 | |
| Kilowog crashes to Earth, seeking Green Lantern's help to rescue other members of the Green Lantern Corps from the psychic, would-be conqueror Despero. He also explains that Green Lantern's former mentor and lover, Katma Tui, is one of the captives. After facing Despero and losing, Green Lantern has to retrain himself to use his power ring to help the League end Despero's reign. Flash, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter accompany Kilowog to Despero's planet to help Green Lantern stop him. | ||||||
| 37 38 | 11 12 | "A Better World" | Dan Riba | Stan Berkowitz | November 1, 2003 | |
|
In an alternate reality, the Justice League launches an assault on the White House, where Superman kills President Lex Luthor in retaliation for The Flash's murder by Luthor. Two years later, the League, now evil and called the Justice Lords, rule the planet with an iron fist. Justice Lord Batman discovers the dimension where the Justice League lives. The Lords cross over and trap the League in a force field. They then take the League's places, attempting to make this Earth like their own. Note: The idea of evil counterparts from an alternate reality is loosely based on the Crime Syndicate. | ||||||
| 39 40 | 13 14 | "Eclipsed" | Dan Riba | Joseph Kuhr | November 8, 2003 | |
| An ancient lunar crystal called the Black Heart is discovered. Unbeknownst to the members of the Justice League, it harbors an evil snake spirit with the ability to possess its bearer, and hum or whistle an eerie evil tune. The crystal's power contaminates almost all of the League, except for The Flash, who must save the League from a weapon that will destroy both the Sun and the Earth. | ||||||
| 41 42 | 15 16 | "The Terror Beyond" | Butch Lukic | Dwayne McDuffie | November 15, 2003 | |
|
Doctor Fate and Aquaman rescue Solomon Grundy, intent on using him to help battle an ancient evil. Superman, Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman are conflicted about this goal. Note: The pairing of these heroes is an homage to the Marvel Comics superhero team The Defenders. The plot is based upon H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.[6] | ||||||
| 43 44 | 17 18 | "Secret Society" | Dan Riba | Stan Berkowitz | November 22, 2003 | |
| While the Justice League are quarreling about the value of mutual trust and teamwork, Grodd organizes a Secret Society composed of Giganta, Killer Frost, Sinestro, Parasite, The Shade and Clayface. The Society captures most of the League, but Martian Manhunter frees the others, and the Society is defeated in front of a crowded stadium. | ||||||
| 45 46 | 19 20 | "Hereafter" | Butch Lukic | Dwayne McDuffie | November 29, 2003 | |
|
A band of supervillains, (composed of Metallo, Kalibak, Livewire, Weather Wizard, and Toyman) team up to get revenge on Superman. When they attack Metropolis, Toyman shoots an experimental weapon at Batman and an injured Wonder Woman, but Superman sacrifices himself to save them and is seemingly vaporized. The League attempts to cope with the loss of Superman by defending Metropolis in his absence. Eventually Lobo arrives at the Watchtower and nominates himself as Superman's replacement, but does more harm than good. Superman wakes up 30,000 years in Earth's future, but the sun has turned red, removing his superpowers. He encounters a humbled Vandal Savage, the only human left alive after an attempt at world domination staged a few months after Superman's disappearance. Savage reveals he had been working on a time machine, but he is immortal and he cannot exist at the same time as his previous self as it would cause a paradox. Superman, however, can go back to a time where he doesn't exist, i.e. after his death. With knowledge of past Savage's crime, he goes back in time and reunites with the League. In the future, the desolate wasteland is replaced with people and a city as a thankful Savage disappears from existence. Note: Writer Dwayne McDuffie wrote on his forum that the episode title "Hereafter" is a subtle pun: Part One shows the apparent death of Superman, which according to most religions would send his soul to some sort of "Hereafter." But as we learn in Part Two, actually, he’d been sent to the future while remaining geographically in the same place (the future ruins of Metropolis), and was thus "here, after." | ||||||
| 47 48 | 21 22 | "Wild Cards" | Butch Lukic | Stan Berkowitz & Dwayne McDuffie | December 6, 2003 | |
|
With his Gwynplaine Entertainment Company (a reference to The Man Who Laughs) the Joker takes over TV stations in Las Vegas, announcing that he has placed a series of bombs that will destroy the Strip in 22 minutes and 51 seconds if they are not stopped by the Justice League. With the whole world watching, the League must first get past the Joker's own superteam, the Royal Flush Gang. However, the threat imposed by the Joker is not as simple as it seems, and Batman must track down his location to stop him. Note: This episode is notable as a 'hidden crossover' with Teen Titans, as the Royal Flush Gang is voiced by the five principal actors from that series. The gang's designs are also based on the Teen Titans voice actors.[7] | ||||||
| 49 | 23 | "Comfort and Joy" | Butch Lukic | Paul Dini | December 13, 2003 | |
|
After saving two worlds, the members of the Justice League decide to take a break to celebrate the holidays. The Flash spends his Christmas Eve with the children of an orphanage, who ask that he find them a special animated toy duck. The popular toy is broken by the Ultra-Humanite, who eventually comes around and helps The Flash. Green Lantern and Hawkgirl show each other how they spend the holidays. Green Lantern engages in a snowball fight with Hawkgirl. Hawkgirl responds by starting an interplanetary barroom brawl. Batman spends Christmas on Watchtower duty. Meanwhile, Superman invites Martian Manhunter over to Smallville for Christmas Eve with his parents. Although Martian Manhunter is initially uncomfortable, he eventually learns to enjoy Christmas. Note: This was the first standalone episode of the series. | ||||||
| 50 52 | 24 26 | "Starcrossed" | Butch Lukic Dan Riba Butch Lukic | Rich Fogel Story by : Rich Fogel Teleplay by : John Ridley Rich Fogel & Dwayne McDuffie | May 29, 2004 | |
|
After Earth is attacked by a Gordanian battleship, the League is aided by an army of Hawkmen from Hawkgirl's home planet of Thanagar. The Thanagarians offer to help Earth build a shield to defend against the Gordanians, but Batman discovers that this is just a ruse. Hawkgirl finds herself torn between her allegiance to Thanagar and her commitment to the Justice League, as well as between her betrothal to the Thanagarian commander Hro Talak and her budding romantic love for Green Lantern. Note: Hro Talak is an anagram for Katar Hol, Hawkman's given name in the comic series. | ||||||
Static Shock crossovers
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 31 | S03E06 S03E07 | "A League of Their Own" | Uncredited | Ernie Altbacker (Part 1) Dwayne McDuffie (Part 2) | March 1, 2003 March 8, 2003 | |
| When the Watchtower has a sudden power drain, the Justice League recruits Static to jump start their station before it reenters the atmosphere. Unbeknownst to either Static or Gear, the power drain also releases Brainiac from his confinement. Static and Gear manage to bring Brainiac down, but the villain has a loophole left to slip through. | ||||||
| 43 | S04E04 | "Fallen Hero" | Chuck Drost | Stan Berkowitz | February 7, 2004 | |
| Static faces off against his idol, Green Lantern (actually Sinestro in disguise), when he causes chaos all over town. | ||||||
Note: Chronologically, these episodes take place prior to "Starcrossed", as they make use of the original Watchtower.
Other
The comic series spun off from Justice League (Justice League Adventures and Justice League Unlimited) are loosely set in the same continuity as the series. They occasionally use different characters, such as Blue Beetle, Mary Marvel, Power Girl, Black Lightning and Firestorm and sometimes contradict events already shown, for example Wonder Woman remembering the events from "The Once and Future Thing".[8]
Matt Wayne (who wrote "Chaos At Earth's Core", "Flash & Substance", and "Patriot Act") wrote issues 37 and 38 of the comic. His stories are based on unused episode ideas.[9]
References
- "Justice League and Dexter's Lab Score Huge Ratings". Anime Superhero Forum.
- "Best-Ever First Quarter Ratings for Cartoon Network". Anime Superhero Forum.
- "Justice League and Powerpuff Girls Pack a Ratings Punch". Anime Superhero Forum.
- "JL and CCF Help Cartoon Network Set Ratings Records in April". Anime Superhero Forum.
- Sava, Oliver (January 2, 2012). "Justice League: "Legends"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
Andrew Kreisberg’s script is a tribute to the Golden Age JSA/JLA team-ups originated by Gardner Fox (the episode is dedicated to his memory)
- Jones, Mark (2013). Simmons, David (ed.). "Tentacles and Teeth: The Lovecraftian Being in Popular Culture". New Critical Essays on H. P. Lovecraft: 238. ISBN 9781137320964. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- The Avocado.org: Justice League, "Wild Cards" (retrieved October 15, 2019).
- "The Once and Future Thing Part Two: Time, Warped". DC Animated Universe. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
- "The World's Finest - Justice League Unlimited". dcanimated.com. Retrieved 2019-06-07.