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Episodes |
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"For The Man Who Has Everything" |
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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) |
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Episode Description |
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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. |
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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.
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Trivia |
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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.
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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.
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Continuity References |
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Mongul was referenced as
defeated by Superman. This occured in 'War World'. |
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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.
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Quotes |
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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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