Justice League Unlimitedis one of the greatest DC animated shows ever to exist, proving this title witha handful of incredible standout episodes that have long stood the test of time. Wrapping up the tail end ofthe DCAU timeline,Justice League Unlimitedevolved the already brilliant storytelling ofJustice League, expanding the universe to feature many more obscure heroes and villains that hadn’t yet been seen before in the franchise’s iconic art style. This enhanced roster led to all sorts of new storytelling possibilities in the show’s best episodes.
Compared to thebest episodes ofJustice League, Justice League Unlimitedfeels noticeably different. This is due to the show’s ability to focus on smaller groups of individual heroes rather than needing to address the entire core team all at once, making for an almost anthology series. But make no mistake,Justice League Unlimitedhad plenty of long-standing serialized arcs to compliment the effective bottle episodes as well.
10Task Force X
Season 2, Episode 4
At the timeJustice League Unlimitedwas being released,the concept of the Suicide Squad was far from a popular one, withthe twoSuicide Squadmoviesfeaturing the villain’s strike force a long way from materializing. Still, that didn’t stopJustice League Unlimitedfrom unleashing an episode featuring Task Force X long before the team was a household name. It helps that the infamous leader of the Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller, would go on to become a major player in the serialized story of the cartoon.
How Justice League Unlimited Fixed The DCAU’s Biggest Wonder Woman Issue
The DC Animated Universe characterized Wonder Woman perfectly, but there was one issue with her powers that Justice League Unlimited cleverly fixed.
InTask Force X,an unconventional Suicide Squad made up of Rick Flagg, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Clock King and Plastique are tasked with breaking into the Watchtower to steal the Annihilator, a coveted armor of alien design with godly power. The whole exercise plays out asa thrilling heist episode, taking a rare chance to use the villains as the primary perspective characters for once. Even if the episode is nothing truly groundbreaking, it’s simply too much fun not to acknowledge.
9The Doomsday Sanction
Season 2, Episode 3
The early part ofJustice League Unlimitedtruly has some back-to-back hits, as proven by the one-two combo ofTask Force XandThe Doomsday Sanction.In the latter, the story arc featuring Project Cadmus and Amanda Waller is developed as Batman continues to track down the shadowy project’s funding and whereabouts. Meanwhile,an escaped Doomsday does battle with Superman, despite a lone scientist’s best attempts to undo his programming.
The fight between Superman and Doomsday in the heart of an active volcano just might be the single greatest battle in DCAU history, with thrilling art and choreography.
The fight between Superman and Doomsday in the heart of an active volcano just might be the single greatest battle in DCAU history, with thrilling art and choreography.This episode demonstrates why Superman and Batman work so well together, with Batman being the brains to compliment Superman’s brawn, even if the don’t always see eye-to-eye. Amanda Waller is also a deliciously cold villain here, and it’s almost hard to root against her as she puts her subordinates in their place.
8This Little Piggy
Season 1, Episode 5
One of the best parts of bothJustice LeagueandJustice League Unlimitedis their ability to embrace the sillier side of superhero storytelling while still taking themselves seriously. Few episodes work as a better thesis statement of this approach to DC comic book adaptation thanThis Little Piggy, whichsees Wonder Woman turned into a pig bythe magical villainess Circe. It’s up to Batman and Zatanna to track down their newly porcine teammate with the help of B’wana Beast.
This episode has a creative premise featuring normally one of the most powerful Justice League members on the backfoot, trying not to be made into pork chops. Wonder Woman escaping a slaughterhouse and blocking bullets with her tiny pig bracers could make a vegetarian out of any viewer. But the best surprise of the episode comes later, as it’s revealed that Batman secretly has a beautiful singing voice.This episode is an incredibly creative bottle storythat develops Batman and Wonder Woman’s will-they-won’t-they romance.
7The Great Brain Robbery
Season 3, Episode 8
If there’s one character from the original team who got a little lost in the shuffle in the transition toJustice League Unlimited’s larger cast, it’s The Flash. However, Flash’s voice actor Michael Rosenbaum is also well known for playing Lex Luthor inSmallvillewith one of the villain’s best live-action interpretations. The realization that Rosenbaum has played both characters led to the creation ofThe Great Brain Robbery,in which The Flash and Lex Luthor swap brains.
It’s a testament to Rosenbaum’s acting ability that he’s able to play one of his characters pretending to be one of his other characters, as The Flash and Luthor try desperately not to blow their cover.The episode has some of the funniest moments in the series, from The Flash not washing his hands in Luthor’s body to demonstrate how evil he is to Lex taking the opportunity to learn The Flash’s secret identity only to realize he has no idea who he is. Lex’s normal voice actor Clancy Brown plays off these goofy situations just as well as Michael Rosenbaum does.
6Divided We Fall
Season 2, Episode 12
One of the most thrilling and climactic episodes of the DCAU in general, let alone inJustice League Unlimited,Divided We Fallprovidesa stunning conclusion to the long-gestating Cadmus arc. Using the powerful Dark Heart, Lex Luthor is able to create a terrifying new villain for the Justice League to face when he merges his own body and consciousness with Brainiac. With his newfound power and resources, the Brainiac/Luthor hybrid forces the Justice League to go all-out like never before.
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Panic in the Sky
This episode featuresa thrilling battle with the original core members of the Justice League. One of the best episodes of the previous series,A Better World,is called back to when Brainiac/Luthor brings back the Justice Lords, evil versions of the heroes, to attack them both physically and emotionally. But most spectacularly of all,Divided We Fallincludes a similar moment toThe Flash’s famousCrisis on Infinite Earthssacrificeas he taps in to the full unbridled power of the Speed Force at the cost of his own life.
5Flash And Substance
Season 3, Episode 5
Something about episodes centering on The Flash just always seem to work out amazingly forJustice League Unlimited. Perhaps the greates of them isFlash and Substance, which uses Wally West as a primary viewpoint character. When Central City announces it will start honoring The Flash with a local holiday and a museum dedicated to his honor, the Scarlet Speedster pleads several Justice League members to attend, with only the grumpy and serious Orion and Batman agreeing. Meanwhile,several of The Flash’s villains get try to finish him off once and for allby working together.
Despite his obvious immaturity, The Flash is one of the most important members of the Justice League for the reasons described in this episode. Not only is he immensely powerful with his Speed Force abilities, but his kind temperament and focus on rehabilitation for his villains adds a desperately-needed measure of humanity to the League.Flash and Substanceexemplifies this in a few moments of comedy gold, such as The Flash accidentally turning down a reporter’s number thinking it was an autograph request.
4Question Authority
Season 2, Episode 9
One of the best things aboutJustice League Unlimitedcompared to the original show is the spotlight it is able to place on lesser-known DC characters. The Question is one of the biggest winners in this respect, a conspiracy-theorist noir detective with a disturbing faceless mask whotheWatchmencharacter Rorschach was based off of. Despite his wacky and obsessive theories,The Question proves himself to be quite a valuable member of the Justice Leagueduring the investigation into Project Cadmus in episodes likeQuestion Authority.
Question Authority
“A Greater Energy in the DC Universe”: Mark Waid on Justice League Unlimited’s Transformative New Era
Justice League Unlimited writer sits down with Screen Rant to discuss his series and tease what dangers are lurking for the expanded team.
sees Rorschach uncovering sensitive information about Superman’s actions in another universe, leading to a dangerous confrontation in which he, Huntress, and Superman go against the authority of the U.S. government.The episode maintains some incredible tension throughout, but still finds time to further develop Huntress and The Question’s hilarious romance. Ending on a cliffhanger that pits hero against hero,Question Authorityasks some big questions about the Justice League’s place in the world.
3Epilogue
Season 2, Episode 13
Looking chronologically,Epilogueis one of the last story beats of the DCAU as a whole.Serving as the true finale of the belovedBatman Begins,Epiloguetakes place far into the future in Neo-Gotham, centering on Batman’s successor, Terry McGinnis, as he confronts an ancient Amanda Waller to get some answers. It’s revealed that Terry is actually the genetic clone of Bruce Wayne, and his fate as Batman may have been pre-ordained from the start.
This episode is amazing for acting as a stunning conclusion forBatman Beyond, with the shocking revelation that Terry’s fate as the next Batman might not have been in his control from the very beginning. The entry also goes to great lengths to show Batman’s tenderness and unshakable fortitude as a hero with the flashback to his treatment of the powerful metahuman Ace, who at one point threatened the entire world with her reality-altering powers. Ending the story of Batman in the DCAU on a bittersweet note,Epiloguelives up to its title.
2Destroyer
Season 3, Episode 13
Some of thebest episodes ofSuperman: The Animated Seriesfocused on the villain Darkseid, portrayed as the ultimate villain in many DC universe interpretations, including the DCAU. While the lingering threat of the warmongering alien general lays dormant for many episodes ofJustice LeagueandJustice League Unlimited, the ominous tyrant finally comes home to roost inDestroyer.Here,the Justice League are forced to team-up with Lex Luthor and his Injustice Leaguewhen Darkseid invades the Earth at full force, fighting for the fate of the planet.
Destroyeris amazingly able to be a satisfying finale for bothJustice League Unlimitedand the modern timeline of the entire series.
Destroyeris amazingly able to be a satisfying finale for bothJustice League Unlimitedand the modern timeline of the entire series. The score, fight scenes, and narrative weight of Darkseid’s long-awaited return are epic in the true sense of the word. Beyond that,it’s endlessly entertainingto see the villains and heroes begrudgingly work together against a common alien enemy, Martian Manhunter’s long-awaited return, and Superman finally getting to truly go all-out against such a powerful opponent.
1For The Man Who Has Everything
Season 1, Episode 2
As phenomenal as long-awaited finales likeEpilogueandDestroyerare, the DCAU is truly at its best telling lower-stakes, personal stories that cut to the core of a given hero’s personality. EnterFor the Man who has Everything, an episode which sees Wonder Woman and Batman traveling to the Fortress of Solitude to wish Superman a happy birthday, only to find him in a comatose state. Wasting away under the influence of an alien plant,Batman has to free Superman from his own mindas Wonder Woman battles the powerful Mongul.
The plant causes its victims to be trapped in a fantasy of their deepest desires, creating worlds for Batman and Superman in which their parents never died, and they got to live happy, normal lives. These touching illusions, particularly Superman’s false life on Krypton, are heartbreaking reminders of the sacrifice that comes with becoming a hero, and the fight between Wonder Woman and Mongul remains a thrilling one. It’s telling that the single best episode ofJustice League Unlimitedis also one of its earliest.
Justice League Unlimited
Cast
Justice League Unlimited is the culmination of the DC Animated Universe, reuniting characters introduced in previous shows such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman and introducing new JLA members like Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Booster Gold. The series' three seasons aired from 2004 to 2006.
