DC Hall of Justice

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FIGURES

Episodes

"For The Man Who Has Everything"

Episode Number- JL-54 (straight count), JL3-02(as 'Justice League'), JLU-01-02(as 'Justice League Unlimited')

Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
Director: Dan Riba
Story: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons
Star: George Newbern (Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El), Kevin Conroy (Batman/Bruce Wayne), Susan Eisenberg (Wonder Woman/Diana)
Recurring Role: Dana Delany (Loana)
Guest Star: Mike Farrell (Pa Kent), Joel Hutcherson (Van El/Young Bruce), Christopher McDonald (Jor-El), Kevin Conroy (Joe Chill (uncredited)), Eric Roberts (Mongul)

Episode Description

Batman and Wonder Woman deliver presents to Superman at the Fortress of Solitude for his birthday, but find he's been immobilized by a special "gift" courtesy of the world-conquering Mongul.

Full Synopsis

Wonder Woman and Batman arrive at Superman's Fortress of Solitude aboard Wonder Woman's new invisible Javelin, each of them bearing presents for Superman's birthday. They find him in a coma and covered by an alien plant teleported in as a gift. As Batman investigates, Wonder Woman is knocked out by Mongul who confronts the Darknight Detective. Wonder Woman gets the drop on him but Batman intervenes, getting Mongul to brag that the plant is a Black Mercy, which feeds the victim a beguiling mental illusion while leaving him in a coma. Wonder Woman fights against the superstrong Mongul while Batman tries to remove the plant.

On Krypton, Kal-El wakes up with his wife Loana at their farm, as the landscape is shaken by a quake. Their son Van-El and his pet dog Krypto come down and Kal-El takes his son to see his grandfather Jor-El as quakes continue to rock the planet. Jor-El reveals he was wrong in his prediction of years past that Krypton would be torn apart. He begins to realize that something is wrong as Batman tries to get through to him. Kal says goodbye to his son and forces himself back to the real world as "Krypton" is destroyed once more.

The plant detaches itself and wraps around Batman, granting him his greatest wish – that his parents had survived their shooting when Bruce's father defeated the gunmen. An enraged Superman attacks Mongul, who has Wonder Woman on the ropes. The two fight while Wonder Woman manages to free Batman. She manages to get through to him and he also rejects the dream and returns to reality, loosening the plant. Wonder Woman manages to fend it off and throw it onto Mongul as he prepares to kill Superman. They wish Superman a belated Happy Birthday as they wonder what Mongul is dreaming of.

Trivia

Christopher McDonald also played a future, aged version of Superman in Batman Beyond, in the episode "The Call".

Eric Roberts reprises his role of Mongul from "War World." Christopher McDonald reprises his role of Jor-El from Superman: The Animated Series. Mike Farrell (briefly) reprises his role of Pa Kent from Superman: The Animated Series and the JL episode "Comfort and Joy."

Krypto makes a brief appearance in Superman's dream and General Zod gets a name check

Kal-El's wife's name is Loana...presumably a combination of the first names of Superman's two most notable love interests, Lois Lane and Lana Lang. Also, Loana is voiced by Dana Delany, who has voiced Lois Lane on previous episodes of Justice League and Superman: The Animated Series.

Logic Right Out The Window...

Batman states that the Black Mercy has eaten through Superman's costume. When the plant is removed Superman's costume is intact.

If Mongul was planning to take over Earth, then why was he still in the Fortress of Solitude? Shouldn't he have just taken care of Superman once and for all and moved on?

And if we assume that Superman's birthday is so well-known that aliens send him gifts...why don't any of the other Justice Leaguers give him anything? Some of us might want to see what the Flash would have given him. Or are we supposed to believe that a bunch of aliens we've never seen Superman help know his birthday date, but his teammates of 2+ years don't?

Does Superman really publicize the date of his birthday? In the pre-Crisis comics he saved alien worlds every other day (so did Batman in the 60's...), but post-Crisis and in the various animated series he hasn't been quite so active or forthcoming. Maybe his friends Batman and Wonder Woman know it, but do alien planets really know it widely enough to teleport gifts to him? But if alien planets don't know when Superman's birthday is, why is he so accepting of the supposed birthday present?

When Wonder Woman calls out to Batman after her fight with Mongul, she's missing the pupils in her eyes.

Continuity References

Mongul was referenced as defeated by Superman. This occured in 'War World'.

Pop Culture References

Braniac: Floating Robot
The flying Brainiac looks suspiciously like Herbie, the robotic major-domo that appeared with the Fantastic Four in their animated series and later was introduced into the comic book.

Young Bruce: "The Mark of Zorro"
On the play sign outside the theate that Bruce and his parents came out of in Batman's dream sequence, you can see a sign that says Mark of Zor.... The 'O' is missing, but you can clearly tell it was a take on the character Don Diego de la Vega, or Zorro. Presumably the reference here is to the 1940 version starring Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone, unless the Waynes were real big on the silent 1920 version with Douglas Fairbanks.

Quotes

Mongul: You know for a moment there I almost believed you were going to kill me. How stupid of you to hesitate like that. Not a mistake I'll make, I can assure you.

Mongul: Happy birthday, Kryptonian – I give you oblivion.
Superman: Burn!

Superman: Do you have any idea what you did to me?!?
Mongul: I fashioned a prison that you couldn't leave without sacrificing your heart's desire. It must have been like tearing off your own arm.

Mongul: You don't understand. He was the only obstacle in my way. The rest of you are already dead...

Batman: What'd you get him?
Wonder Woman: I'm not saying anything – he'll hear and spoil the surprise.
Batman: (whispering) He can hear that too.

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