The best part is Shining Knight talking about how Dirty Harry not following the rules is dishonorable, but then revealing that the king trusted him exactly because he was willing to disobey orders.
Technically, Shining Knight upheld the rules (of chivalry) by refusing to carry out Arthur's orders. Dirty Harry broke the rules because he found them inconvenient, and in the first movie that actually had consequences: his actions got the case thrown out. Shining Knight proved he was trustworthy because he wouldn't unthinkingly obey orders (a sharp contrast to Captain Atom).
“ How many of us do you have to kill to keep us safe?” That line hits different still til this day. That episode was rich, and didn’t have the heavy hitters to make it so.
I used that line with one of my own villans to start an intriguing and mystery plot. "How many of us do you have to kill to keep us safe?" "7,832 more." "Why?" "Read my thesis. It's public."
@@MeepChangeling I don't know if this was your intention, but that actually made me laugh. Like, someone asks a question that's meant to get the villain to reconsider their evil ways, and the villain basically says "Just Google it". XD
Ever heard of Wargaming, universe like Warhammer literally tosses planets of recently recruited to save one insignificant and obviously heretical Hive Planet!
@@XSilver_WaterX 40k is absolutely the WORST example you could ever give for this kind of question, because 40k is satirical. They will always sacrifice an entire planet just to "save the rest", and very rarely is that action given any more thought than that.
@@MeepChangeling that line is both hilarious and is actually intriguing, hilarious that he can give an exact number to a rhetorical question meant to show hypocrisy and intriguing because he can give an exact number and is thinking on a level the audience can't comprehend
This is why the DCAU is so fondly remembered. Despite being "for kids" it categorically refused to dumb itself down and explored story lines where the heroes actually have to confront hard questions and choices, but doesn't get lost in cynicism for cynicism's sake.
@@mainstreetsaint36 Well, that and BTAS aired on Fox Kids before it jumped to Kids' WB, where STAS aired. So the networks themselves were telling people it was for kids.
@@ilyamuromets2508 Which was massively stupid. Even during the better days of children's cartoons anyone could tell that anything DCAU wasn't merely for kids. Then again neither was Animaniacs (but that was for different reasons).
It's no coincidence that the focal characters of this episode were Vigilante and Shining Knight; two straightforward representations of historic archetypical heroes (the western cowboy and European knight-errant) that predated modern superheroes and partially served as templates to their mythos to some degree.
@@jaspertaylor2810 Or the Greek hoplite. The OG DC heroes. Edit:. I say this right before I remember Wonder Woman is supposed to be a template for the Greek heroes.
This is why the JLU is my favorite "superheroes deal with real world political issues" story. I like it more than The Boys, Civil War, Dark Knight Returns, Kingdom Come, even Watchmen. JLU deals with real world issues without succumbing to complete cynicism and nihilism like a lot of those other stories. It's also why I really like Justice League: Gods and Monsters. It turns the whole cynical evil superheroes story on its head. The heroes start out being cynical and scheming but throughout the movie they realize how dangerous their paranoid cynical attitude is to the world and that the world is safer when it's built on trust rather than fear.
I feel like its easy to make superheroes cynically over power A**holes. I mean its really easy for someone like superman to overreach in power and that's what a lot of superman goes evil stories do and then they basically make him control a police state. red sun does that, injustice does that, and superman animated did that a time or two. Though I really love it most when we see superheroes just want to be genuinely good people like superman vs the elite/ whats so funny about truth, justice and the American way? It is really good when he fights against that idea like in superman vs. the kkk. like superman and Captain America are kinda the ideal of the ubermench and I really love to see them take down the very people who idolize that perfect ideal person as something that needs to be achieved through hate. though I do find it kinda funny superheroes kinda go in cycles, sometimes people want them to be power fantasy robin hoods saving people from themselves and then sometimes people want them to be Clint eastwood types saving the world by eradicating the ills of the worlds. Though I perfer the former than the latter cause its not as fun to see superman be the bad guy or otherworldly alien come to save us from ourselves to me, its more fun for me to see him reject all that as the simple kid from Kansas.
Gods & Monsters has no right being as good as it is for a deliberately unconnected elseworlds story and yet it’s one of my favourite superhero movies and I’m mad we’ll likely never see those characters again.
Omni man goes through a gargantuan arc in the comics, same with Jonah (he's pretty much best friends with spidey and knows his secret identity. Peter even calls him family)
He sometimes plays against that type. He voiced Tenzin in Legend of Korra! That's about as allied with the local superhero as you get...well, to an extent. He was also a hard-ass on Korra initially, but homegirl needed to get some lessons from the school of hard knocks =P
@Will N Ok? and? in the comics they are pretty much family now. he nearly died saving aunt may (I think) from spider slayer. I did not know the captain America stuff though and that is hilarious and amazing.
You hit upon a point I've been making for years: "The important part of 'superhero' isn't 'super.' It's 'hero.' Somebody who doesn't make a hero's choices will never be a superhero, no matter what powers they have."
It's why Batman, the one superhero that truly embodies this idea (as one of his defining traits is that he has no powers), is the one people connect to the most/the most popular.
I think Superman TAS said it best “the world didn’t need a Superman, just a brave one.” Anyone can be a hero the issue is no body wants to so nobody is
that was the entire point behind kingdom comes storyline heroes became adrenaline junkies. characters like magog were just killing villains with no thought for the consequences.
@@Handlelesswithme anyone can do heroic acts, but nobody is gonna be out here like superman and make everything right with the snap of a finger because that's impossible.
@@sebaschan-uwu even if someone had the same abilities as Superman they wouldn’t use it to do good They would use it as they strive for convenience and their own satisfaction
Scariest thing about Eiling this episode is he's not even surprised or distressed when his hypocrisy is called out. He just responds, "Alright, I've become what I hate, I'll give you that. I'm still right tho, you'll see." The perfect 21st century villain. Motivated by a sense of duty to his country and all its people, but he doesn't care what he does to that end. He can't even care when his actions go againat his stated goals, because at the end of the day he doesn't even care about his sole motivation. He'll say it's "for our own good", but only because he wants to be called good more than he cares about being good.
Eiling’s final words honestly goes back to his fight with Shining Knight. Eiling argues that there’s a new sense of duty regarding the idea of the protecting the people hence the idea of “you’ll see” while Shining Knight says there isn’t and that the unconditional idea of wanting to protect people is all there needs to be. Eiling’s forfeit in the end is less of him choosing to ignore his hypocrisy, but more of him giving up trying to win his current audience. His you’ll see argument gives rise to the idea that he believes he’s right and believes that people in time will come to agree with him so he’s playing into the idea that time will prove him right and show people agreeing with him. And while it can seem that this new perspective makes the whole ending seem hollow as it seeming makes the ending more of a small victory against Eiling’s long term agenda, it proves to disservice him in another way. Eiling is also wrong because he’s methodology, at least in the way he presents it, won’t be able to be given rise because he’s not openly showing the merits of it. Eiling is playing that time will turn people cynical and agree with him, but for those who are shown the merit of heroes and the inherent good of them, that cynicism will never develop.
@@firewolf950tfwgaming7 There is a sort of beautiful irony to the whole situation. The concept of service for the sake of doing good is completely lost on Eiling who is a career military man. With the superheroes, paramedics, firefighters, and even ordinary civilians, they didn't need a reason to be heroes or to help those in trouble they just did it because it was the right thing to do. Eiling by contrast is a jingoist who views service as ensuring superiority over a perceived enemy. He has an "Us versus Them" mentality. But the Justice League doesn't see it that way, it's not "Us versus Them" it's just "Us". No matter where a danger occurs it's the people who they protect.
@@firewolf950tfwgaming7 What's even more of a loss for Eiling is that in the end he never really makes a reappearance after this episode. Not even in other DCAU media (so far or at least to my knowledge) that focuses on the events after JLU state anything about him. In the future they still have the Justice League and in the far far future they have the Legion of Superheroes. People in the DCAU still need Superheroes but have no need for Super Soldiers like Eiling.
The best JLU moment is when Question reveals he's there to merc Luthor so Superman can't. The risk of an evil Superman was so great in Question's eyes he was ready and willing to murder a guy to prevent it. Good stuff for a kid's show.
And he does so figuring that if it was _him_ doing the killing, the blowback against the Justice League would be minimal, as he’s already seen by everyone as a whackjob. He kills Luthor, the League disavows his actions, and that’s that.
one layer you didn't point out was all the obscure superheroes involved in the comics are members of one of dc's original superhero teams "The seven soldiers of victory" who first appeared in 1941: green arrow speedy vigilante shining knight Stripe (who used to be stripsey) stargirl (not actually a member but shes representing her predecessor the star spangled kid. Its why shes shown to have a bit of cynicism. Shes the odd one out, not actually being from the same era IRL as the others) crimson avenger So as well as thematically representing the pure idea of a superhero they are also all literal examples of old school 1940s superheroes and what they represent. The thing Eiling is against.
Yep, and the team were also referenced in the Stargirl TV series, which is possibly DC's best live-action show, period; the first season is a masterpiece imo. (Unfortunately, the show is ending soon) Shining Knight appears in the show as well.
Superweapon? Pschh... Try pointing a super _man_ at Earth. That's orders of magnitude worse. Lex Luthor would be absolutely right about Superman if the Man of Steel's virtue were not completely 100% without compromise (something Luthor couldn't possibly know for certain, and preposterously unlikely if true). Think "Legacy" without the brainwashing. Think the Justice Lords. Think Injustice. Sure, _we_ know Superman doesn't have a malicious bone in his body (usually)... but _they_ don't. Fear of an unstoppable powerhouse with no practical hard counter is perfectly rational.
JLU had my favorite incarnation of Amanda Waller. Most depictions paint her in fairly cruel lights, and while this one was definitely no saint by any stretch, her motivations were a lot clearer and a lot more understandable (she had occasional moments of this in the comics but she was a hard victim of Depending On The Writer). This episode itself gave her a bone with her "I'm no fan of the League, but" dialogue. And throughout both Cadmus and the final season, she was able to stand both against and alongside Batman, with a mutual respect and understanding that they both had the best interests of the world at heart.
Great point. The modern Waller has the same problem as the current takes on Harley Quinn, namely an inability (unwillingness?) to understand the core of the character. Waller is a fundamentally principled person who exists in a world that time & time again forces her to compromise. Most writers find it easier to make her a one-note meditation on badassery, ignoring how much a rich, nuanced Waller can bring to any given story.
Yes. DCAU gave us an awesome iteration of Waller. She had points for real that resonate with me. DCAU's Lex Luthor was another master stroke as well🔥 Great writing through and through
Like in DC movies, and the last bit of a DC animated ( when Waller was drawn slim). Waller was a villain. She isn't she is a anti-hero. In the movie, she killed her whole team because she ----- up.
People get mad at superhero programs for being “political.” Meanwhile JLU openly titled an episode “Patriot Act” at the height of the W. Bush years. That takes serious balls.
>Political >the political term being used ANYWHERE from 2013 to now I don't have the time or the argumentation prowess to seriously explain in depth what people actually mean by: "I hate it when Modern Superhero Media and Western properties always get political" But the Short answer is: It's always too ham-fisted, not subtle, blunt, its always only One Ideology, and its always conspicuous whos doing it and what the writers believe. And that's the issue every one takes with Modern Media that frames itself as political.
@@mitchellalexander9162 An issue that arises however is even at times it's subtle, and just there, to the point for example a person from a minority group just exists is enough to get grumpy fist shaking going as a rather obvious show of what is going on here in the heads of the folk shouting the loudest. I would personally caution against assuming this is what "people" mean, because there is truly a lot of hate that likes to hide in the bushes. One can inadvertently end up sitting on a hate bandwagon without knowing it. Also, because "The people" is usually in terms of fandoms actually just a very loud minority (whom can still hoodwink and try to usually get more people to march in beat to their drum to look mightier than they are) who claims ownership over something and cannot handle that they aren't the sole voice dominating a medium no more, it's very wise to be skeptical anytime "the people" get brought up. This same point applies to many vague terms, because they can easily be understood in many ways without actually saying the points that have rustled one's jimmies. Which, again, allows for the hate to flow, because It's easy to hide behind vague terms and act all legitimate. Critique given is best done clearly, because to give vague critique helps no one grow, and allows for dogs and buried bones to hide while whistling very loud.
@@videocrowsnest5251 You're completely divorced from reality which is why most of your post is vague rhetoric. It's because media has gotten polarized that you have reactionaries, and they say the same thing you do, which is to call them hateful and double down. Authoritarians often stay in control by pointing to a problem they create.
@@graveyardshift6691 Well to be fair, one side does act like the absurdist cartoon villain that Superfriends era DC heroes would beat up and the other... doesn't. So while everyone agrees the Cadmus arc is one of DC's best stories, it's not that modern audiences are being treated poorly. It's that in the real world, one side is kind of lost touch with the basic heroism DC heroes symbolize and acting like... well children.
In case no one mentioned it yet, these particular heros are a direct nod to an old silver age super-team called the Seven Soldiers of Victory, and their whole thing was defending metropolis while superman was away.
@@willn2334 They were more used to replace Green Arrow because of existing continuity making Green Arrow being from contemporary times. Now, due to Stargirl Spring Break Special, its canon that Green Arrow and Speedy were members of the original 1940's team thanks to time travel.
So... dang... can you imagine using this material for an adaptation of something like All-Star Superman or What's so funny about Truth, Justice, and The American Way? It kinda feels like both, in a sense.
I feel like I might have mentioned this in one of the previous videos but one of the best parts of JLU is that no matter how obscure the hero is, they are still willing to be respectful and show why these characters were popular, and this episode is one of the best examples. I feel to many modern heroes' stuff sometimes treat lesser-known characters as a joke or just go "hey this guy is so lame/his powers are so lame" but JLU allows characters outside the big 7 to shine. tell me how many people here became a fan of the question, shining knight, vigilante, captain atom or other "B or C-listers" after JLU, that's because no matter how unknown or unusual the character and their powers are the writers knew there was atleast someone out there that genuinely loves the character
Green Arrow, Speedy, Vigilante, the Shining Knight, Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E.S. were all in this episode as an homage to The Seven Soldiers of Victory from the 1940s, a team which was revived in the Bronze Age in "Justice League of America" issue 100. (Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E.S represent the Star-Spangled Kid & Stripesy, the original members who don't appear in the League.)
@@robboyte1101 oh yeah and that's another reason for what made this episode so clever. but the general point still is that prior to this episode the casual viewer/comic enjoyer would probably not have known half these characters but episodes like this would have easily made people fall in love with them. additional thing, this may or may not be intentional, but I love how for vigilante, instead of doing the generic "man from the past brought to the future is amazed/befuddled by basic appliances" and instead he is weirdly technologically savvy (he has a home theater and was able to grasp how to fly an alien ship fairly well)
I was a little kid when these shows came out. Justice league and JLU is how I discovered Jason Blood /Etrigan. Now he's my absolute favourite comic book character. I found so many other heroes that I love so much cuz of this. It made me love comics and specifically made me love DC over Marvel.
I like calling it Mumen Rider energy. I swear I cherish the fact that some of what powered shows like JLU seem to have survived in those fight against cynicism superhero manga.
I really adore and appreciate when Vigilante got the kids involved. Kids can be dumb, and in the presence of their hero's can try and look good and "worthy" to them, like the one up in the crane, and so instead of letting that happen again, he gets them doing a task to help, that also keeps then away. I've worded this kinda poorly, but I thought I try anyway.
@Will N - Might be a stretch, but the cop Green Arrow shakes hands with (seen at 6:10 in this video) could be a sly wink at Guardian, as his secret ID back in the 1940s was a cop and this guy looks a bit like him (even the patch on his shoulder resembles Guardian's shield to a degree).
@@Emily12471 - Those kids you mentioned are the Newsboy Legion, a Golden Age gang of boys created by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby who appeared in Star-Spangled Comics. The Guardian -- a variation on Simon & Kirby's own Captain America -- appeared in the strip both in his heroic guise and as a beat cop, in both cases helping to keep the boys out of trouble. In the more modern era, all those characters are closely tied to the Cadmus Project: the boys grew up to become scientists and such, eventually creating clones of their childhood selves (going by their old nicknames and everything) and creating a new, youthful body for their old friend the Guardian and making him head of security for Cadmus. The 1990s Superboy series by Karl Kesel features them heavily.
What's really cool is that all of the heroes that fight Eiling are characters that make up the obscure team "Seven Soldiers of Victory!" Which is why I love JLU because it gives the lesser known heroes having as much character depth and agency as the original seven.
That's really one of the reasons this show was amazing, they weren't afraid to pull out characters no one cared about because they knew that each character has their different philosophy for being a hero and that's what makes a universe interesting
@@DavidElendu It also helped make the Universe feel alive. The fact that they weren't some random hero but someone who had their own comic and story to tell.
The company that would later become DC Comics was originally two companies owned by the same people. All-American Comics which had the heroes who were members of the JSA and National Periodicals which published Superman and Batman. The two companies merged after 1945 as National Periodicals changed the name to DC Superman in the late '70's. The Seven Soldiers Of Victory was an attempt to recapture the success of The Justice Society Of America using National Periodical characters.
Which is why I mock all the shows who think it would be too hard to flesh out the B-listers and side characters because they're too busy shoveling all the attention on their vapid self insert/marysue/favorite child/mouthpiece main protag. Lookin at you snyderverse.
It's how she is portrayed. This show and Superman/Batman public enemies portrayed her as wanting the best only to find out she was wrong. The other portrayals of her show her as a bitch who wants to control everyone.
I mean, she always had a point it's just there needs to be checks and balances. Both sides has to you know... NOT BOTH BE EVIL for those checks and balances to actually work. Or at the very least maintain the same goal of wanting to protect people. It's why the end of the arc is a good thing to start. Working with the world instead of being above it in a literal way like Waller said. Like, super villains exist. They already have people they can fear. At least superheroes want to help. Need to just give a balance to it.
iirc, there is a line in this episode where Eiling says something along the lines of"I may be a monster, but I'm a monster protecting the people from super powered freaks." and the civilians say "You're the only one with powers here." Such a great episode.
That feeling when you realize the subtext of an exchange between two C-list heroes in a decades old cartoon perfectly encapsulates the themes of the season.
As I get older I'm liking and outright loving the episodes of JLU that I found boring as a kid. My personal favorite is the HawkGirl and Grundy episode centered around one's own personal beliefs. Always a tear jerker that one...
The one that gets me is the one where GL, Flash, and Hawkgirl find themselves in a 1950s flavored world with heroes that embody the values and prejudices of that period. Eventually the JL and local heroes realize to stop the BBEG, the local heroes have to die again. Their response? "We did once to save this world, we can d it again." I'm of course savagely paraphrasing it, but that was the gist of it.
i remember feeling bored watching it as a kid too lol i guess because i was into more goofy cartoons. but ive watched a lot clips lately and it completely hits different now that i can appreciate the writing along with the underlying tones and themes
The thing is gods actually exist in the DC universe and the writers in real life confirmed they are really gods so having a atheist around seems like nonsense. On the internet People in forums are more and more are calling atheist in stories were gods are real stupid especially edgy atheist even real life atheist think that is dumb. Why did the make hawk girl a atheist it make no since.
@@michaeltaylor788 Because hawk girl doesn’t deal with God in a regular basis. The gods she does face are more advanced aliens or eldich abominations. Not really a higher power
The thing that sticks with me is the exchange with Eiling and the kid: "You're the only one here with Superpowers, pal." I think that line goes a long way towards showing that those who let themselves be blinded by justifications of the greater good or other such motivations without critically reflecting on them can lead them to become the very things they claim to fight against, even leading people to be unrecognizable in comparison to where they started. The Cadmus arc is as good as it is because the show's writing makes it clear Cadmus and the Justice League both have their points, but can co-exist, whereas Eiling sees the whole issue as zero-sum, black and white: either the JLU stops existing or America does to him, and that all or nothing thinking eventually twists him into a monster both metaphorically and literally.
I love that Eiling basically concedes the argument when he hears that. It's rare that a villain is beating solely by convincing him that he has made a mistake.
@@abduljah9355 Except he wasn't convinced he made a mistake. He basically just said "Yeah, you have a point, but I'm still right" and left on that note.
That kind of stories are which I love the most. Heroes refuse to give up for their ideals is best kind of stories . How Shining Knight stand against Eiling is inspirational, it really made me a fan of his character. Deconstruction or bygone ideas of heroism is total bullshit. Being inspiration never gonna get old.
I actually think deconstruction helps. Superheroes CAN be dumb, just look at the stuff on the cinemas today, or at the silver age. Sometimes it's just flashing lights and fireworks and ideals do get forgotten. The good stuff, like JLU, is timeless though. But we need someone like The Boys (The TV show at least) to poke fun at the flashing lights so other people can come around and give us stuff like JLU.
@@pauloandrade3131 I'm not against deconstruction stories especially if it is well written. Maybe gonna suprise you but I really liked The Boys comic book (until last part, a weak finale imo) and not liked TV series because of how tame it is compared to comic. Garth Ennis is especially good at writing that kind of stories. His Hitman run is incredible and he found a way a merciless antihero like Tommy Monaghan worked on DC universe and work with Justice League. Hope one day he get a TV series. I'm just against the idea of "heroism ideals are oldschool" mindset. Whoever gain superpowers, he have to be an asshole, Why? That mind set is what I find dumb. Inspirational stories are always timeless. "Superman vs Elite", "Batman Under the Red Hood", this episode of Justice League series. They are always gonna be good.
@@willn2334 Yes, first watched movie than read the book. It's one of my all time favorite stories. It is a good example superhero registiration law story done right. Its messages are onpoint.
@@willn2334 I agree with you, the transition is excellent, it just respects DC's history and legacy. Another thing I like about The New Frontier is how it used less known DC characters. Freaking Dinasour island is major thread, that's how to make great story. When I watched its movie version I suprised how it touched major historical events and handles well. And the book is another beast itself.
I really liked this episode. I felt like with how Shining Knight held onto his principles, he could pick up Thor's hammer if Marvel and DC ever had a crossover. Or at least Thor would be impressed a noble hero like SK exists in this day and age.
I'd like to think that if a crossover ever did happen...the Avengers (and associates) and the JL would be handling whatever was going on, maybe after a brief scuffle of not knowing who's an ally or enemy, and then the tide would start to turn and the bad guys would start winning. And then...when they're finally about to get their asses kicked and the villians are about to win...Supes finally shows up. But after initially throwing a beating...he too ends up getting his ass kicked. But he fights so hard, and refuses to quit, that it rallies the "big guns" of the JL and Avengers, and they in turn rally everyone else. They pick up Supes, dust him off, and then everyone fights, as a team, and wins. Like...Endgame style.
Marvel and DC actually had several crossovers in the 70's to the 90's. I don't think Shining Knight appeared in any of those, but Superman at least was able to wield Mjolnir (and Cap's shield) in the JLA/Avengers crossover.
“Fearful Symmetry,” is a beautiful thriller, with the science angle, it’s really more like a horror story. Kara remembering killing random strangers(well, not random), in her dreams. 👌🏽
Question got ballz of steel when he asked Powergirl to prove his point by killing him and she couldn't I was like: Daaaamn 4d chess, that guy really is more psycho and paranoid than batman I know he's like a watered down pg13 version of Rorschach from watchmen but the faceless dude have charm and the best girl (Huntress).
@@KASHKUR_7.62 thats really the point with question. Batman is a detective, he chases leads and solves cases. The question is absolutely fucking unhinged so he investigates conspiracy theories and random nonsense that people can't even imagine, without any of the resources or combat ability batman has. Also rorschach is the pg18 question, as he's largely based on question's '87 comic run
Still a little upset that Rorschach didn’t meet the Question in Doomsday Clock. Would have been a great crossover with maybe a throwaway line about a conspiracy in the DC universe that turns out to be true in the Watchmen and Question just muttering “Knew it” to himself.
FYI Spy Smasher was a legit character from Fawcett Comics and was turned into a serial from the 1940s, where he fights to stop the Mask from destabilising the American dollar during WWII. This serial, like the Batman one, was a massive inspiration to the look and feel of the DCAU and you can watch it here.
I have always loved JLU and I especially loved the Cadmus arc. In this modern world a lot of people have given up on believing in heroes and their values. It is so much easier to believe that heroes are actually terrible power-hungry people, because people in the modern world have seen the people at the top and they almost always turn out to be terrible people. However, there is good in the world, and superheroes embody that good. Superheroes always overcome the odds, why can't they overcome the darkness in their heart?
yeah me and my friend recently talked about this idea, that their should/need to be characters like superman who are the ideal that we should aspire to. Sure their still can be protagonists who are more flawed or antiheros but there should be a balance between the two and we shouldn't dismiss one over the other.
Well said, just because the world is cynical and our leaders make terrible decisions, doesn’t mean everyone with power is a terrible human being, there are actual heroes who believe in helping other people and trying to keep the world running without being narcissistic or power hungry.
@@AndreNitroX a saying a person I once knew had was "they all go in to help but get worn down by soft chairs and good alcohol". I genuinely think few people go into democratic politics with Ill intentions, I don't see how you would get far if you did with such a cynical scam hungry media, but over time their morals and hopes get worn down by a mix of comfort, power and potential wealth so they end up clinging to it all rather than doing what needs to be done or would be the morally right thing to do.
@@00yiggdrasill00 agreed, personally i think politicians shouldn't get such a high salary or fame, it should be a type of community service. But that's not the world we live in. Power corrupts, absolute power, corrupts absolutely.
Isn’t that crazy. We get so much superhero content but I hardly see them saving a normal person, or sitting down to talk with somebody just because they saw they were sad. That kind of humanity is why I adore this show.
Cameron and Andre, this is such a great point! I'm developing my own superhero webcomic right now, and the protagonist only has the power of flight. When I sat down to write the first pages, I began wondering about how I could best introduce him... Then the question "How could he save a cat?" wandered around my head, and I just wrote him simply trying to save a cat for the first chapter! Hero basics!
@@AndreNitroX unfortunately not published yet, in development I'm thinking of publishing it first in a local webcomic site, but when I do it in the big ones (Tapas and Webtoon) I can come back here with a search keyword
My absolute favorite line from that episode is not only the old lady but when the kid made Eileen put the car down just with one sentence saying "you're the only one with powers here"
Everytime I watch it, I am so emotional by the efforts of the d list heroes and the crowd of people, especially the old lady showing us what real heroes are made of.
I think this arc in the JLU is a great showcase of the deconstruction and the reconstruction of the superhero genre. It breaks it down to show how it works/doesn't work and it comes out at the end showing how it actually works quite well.
I think this is your most excellent DCAU essay yet, really makes me further appreciate a great story I've not seen in several years now. The shows writers really were on another level
What I love is that in JLTAS they heard the feedback on season 1 that for season 2 they stepped up and fixed Superman because in S1 they accidentally nerfed him so badly and gave him those ugly cheek bones
It’s crazy to think about how this came out years before shows like Invincible and The Boys brought these topics to the forefront. Hell, I’m surprised JLU was able to depict a super patriotic US general as the villain. The fact that he sounded the way many of us saw at the Bush Jr Administration was telling.
Well, the Invincible comics had been publishing for years before this, and Watchmen came out in the 80s. Watchmen is referenced when Batman asks who guards the guardians. Questioning the validity of superheroes isn’t a new thing. Punisher basically exists as the idea that superheroes don’t work. Feel like the mainstream audience is just catching up. Personally, think the question of what if superheroes were bad is just not that interesting. Because it’s obvious. Wouldn’t it be bad if Superman were evil? Yeah, obviously. Superheroes are an ideal.
That "fundamental gee whiz sincerity" is core to Superman's character for me. When Snyder tried to make him tortured and he stole the essence of the character.
Yes! The Cadmes arc was amazing. I love what you said about the message being that though times have changed, superheroes haven't, and the idea of giving, helping, and doing good for th sake of it is timeless and that's what makes superheroes, superheroes. That they continue to do good despite all circumstances, even as messed up as the world is, they fight for and believe in a better tomorrow. If only the people behind the DCAU movies understood this message. Literally the only DC films to show this were Wonder Woman and Shazam.
Well said I hardly ever see a superhero film or show nowadays where there was genuine concern for other people like it was displayed here. These are cartoons and yet they are more real than any of the live action stuff.
I remembered watching this as a kid and not really caring about the B and C list heroes. But changing my mind by the end of the episode. Remembering that nearly brought a tear to my eye.
Reminds of that episode in which they show Booster Gold's own "little" adventure in which he saves the world (or the universe, I don't remember) but no one knows about it since the League is out there fighting Mordru at the same time, we see the heroics of a B-lister character and the fight of the main members of the League against an universal-level threat villain is not seen by the watcher.
An interesting fact about the episode is that the heroes who fight Eiling make up (in the comics atleast) The Seven Soldiers Of Victory (Stargirl being the newest person to wield the Cosmic Staff, replacing The Star-Spangled Kid; S.T.R.I.K.E being Stripesy in a new name and in armor; everyone else is who they normally are) and were the second team to premiere after the JSA in 1941, around the same time that the US joined WW2. There is something there about how these specific characters represent a time of more black and white conflict while even the sides that are supposed to be the good guys engaged in morally dubious/compromising actions that were viewed as "necessary" to ending the war, similar to Eilings views of "acceptible" losses
The fact that the more recent live-action adaptations of Marvel and DC heroes have a habit of completely destroying major cities to the point where it’s become a meme makes this episode feel very ahead of it’s time. But then, everything about the DCAU feels very ahead of its time. The only part that really feels dated is Batman Beyond, ironically.
I wish Avengers: Earth's mightiest heroes hadn't been cancelled. I feel we could've gotten episodes just as interesting and thought provoking as what they did in JLU.
"We talk about my favourite JLU episode" Ah I see you are a man of culture as well. I honestly love your JLU essays. It's so good to see shows who have been overlooked because they are "cartoons for kids". I have seen so many people praise Captain America:Civil War yet JLU did the whole "regulating superheroes" arc so much better and without dropping it at the half way point.
This is why I get a bad taste in my mouth when people want to sting Batman and Iron Man with their social commentary, calling them narcissistic, profiteers, and whatever else. Like bruh, do you know how to have good wholesome fun anymore? They punch bad guys, sometimes that’s all there is to it.
I love Vigilante, he's one of my favorites in all of JLU. Shining Knight too, plus him and Vigilante make a great duo as heroes and a comedy duo. Their actions and interactions in this one episode were one of the most memorable things I watched when going through my binge of DCAU stuff. "If you wanna watch my flatscreen plasma tv with the surround sound you had best watch what you say about Mr. Clint Eastwood."
@@AndreNitroX Especially Firefly. Vigilante also shows up in the episode where the Thanagarian remnants try one more time to kill Shayera. He's partnered up with Vixen who's played by Gina Torres, who plays Fillion's second-in-command Zoe in "Firefly".
One thing I liked about the episode was how half the hero’s left in an ambulance. They got beat up fighting a foe way tougher than them, and they did not leave unscathed, and that’s why they are hero’s. Plus how they would always jump to save someone instead of fighting Eiling. Saving people was the priority, and I love all the ways this episode managed to show that
This was always one of my favourite episodes. But I never realised how Shining Knight's talk with Vigilante set up his fight with the General. Love your videos. xx
Sometimes I don't even feel how the time flies when watching your videos.. 12 minutes felt like a blink of an eye. Thank you for bringing quality content and posting often! Kudos to you!
Yo I was NOT ready for this episode when I was 7 years old, but it's so burned into my memory and I now realize it really colored how I engaged with superhero media.
The Patriot Act is one of my top 5 episodes of Justice League Unlimited. Such an awesome episode. Loved how it was non-powered heroes who put their bodies on the line
The scene where green arrow says that the justice league needs superman made me tear up because it kind of shows that the world trusts him again. After spending so long trying make up for what happened in Legacy, after being scared of himself because of the justice lords and cadmus, he has the peoples' approval.
The Cadmus arc is my favourite thing in the DCAU. Superhero stories frequently set their powerful, secretive characters above a fearful and ignorant public, acting like the exceptional few always know better than the ordinary many and should be exempt from society’s rules. The Cadmus arc makes a case that heroes still need to rely on the trust of the people they serve.
I'm so glad this episode is actually remembered! My favorite stories are when the "unimportant" characters take an unexpected spotlight, and this episode just has so many important nuances. Thanks for doing this, fantastic video 🤌
You made the right choice in making this over "super Douche" this 12 min breakdown does an excellent and much needed job of dissecting what makes these topics great and why they are so cherished in a easy to digest and fun way keep up the stellar work!! o7
Nicely done. The heroes chosen were the modern iteration of the Seven Soldiers of Victory. I first encounter them in JLA #100. The children, I believe, are based on the Newsboy Legion; a Jack Kirby creation. Have a good evening.
I always loved the story beat of this take on The General getting his powers from the Captain Nazi serum (as opposed to the comics "put his brain into robo-Sasquatch and shaved him"). Not only is he turning to arguably the most evil representative of modern humanity for the power he feels that he "needs" to accomplish his goals, but it turns him into a literal monster. Just shows how far he's willing to go, and how much of his humanity it cost him.
You can call them obscure but those were the original "Seven Soldiers of Victory" and they are a DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP cut from old time DC lore. In fact before Grant Morrison put out his own version of them a number of years ago I think the last time they were shown was back in the mid '70s. Also a number of the kids are similarly just as deep a cut, the "Newsboy Legion" and before the New 52 they had grown up and had became the Directors of Cadmus in the main DC continuity for decades.
The best thing about these stories is it still recognizes that all humans have a nature dignity and are truly capable of redemption through repentance. Stories now are so terrible because this fundamental reality is fought against.
One of my favorite things about both Vigilante and Shining Knight is that in a previous episode, when Earth was invaded by an infinitely replicating alien lifeform, both of them showed up and fought robot killing machines with revolvers and a sword, respectively. And that's also the episode where their friendship starts as Shining Knight gives Vigilante a ride on Winged Pegasus, and presumably as thanks, Vigilante invites him over to watch movies on his big screen TV with surround sound. So, basically it adds layers to their friendship that would be easy to miss while also pointing out that even against impossible odds, they still showed up and did what they could.
The team in this episode itself is the 7 soldiers of victory. A golden age team, that itself has been pulled into the modern era with characters like speedy and green arrow remaining current and the introduction of a successor to starman in the form of stargirl and stripe
I'm so happy I've found this channel. It's nice to see someone who understands and appreciates the significance of shows like JLU. All I need is a video of Superman Vs. The Elite and I can die happy.
I think we need more of this kind of comic. Yeah, the world seems to have changed, but there is still a point to people being willing to help. Never give up your values or pass up a chance to help out. You can be smart about it, but don't let cynicism ruin your worldview. Just my 2 cents. Thanks for the video, I needed this today.
Thank you for making this video. Holy crap I’m rewatching Justice League Unlimited again and literally just finished watching the episode “Clash” last night. The one where Superman and Captain Marvel (Shazam) fight due to Lex framing Superman. Your intro gave me goosebumps and gives me HYPE
This show treated me with respect as a kid. The royal flush gang episode routinely comes to kind for me. “He stayed with her till her time came” still gets me
A huge amount of credit goes to DC for believing in Dwayne McDuffie’s writing and leadership on Justice League Unlimited. A real talent. Sad we lost him at such a young age. 49. RIP Dwayne McDuffie. Another great episode: For The Man Who Has Everything. 😎
The old woman's speech paired with "get better, the world still needs protecting." Literally makes me so emotional I feel sick. I love this show so much snd it's so important that it wasn't going to dumb itself down and talk seriously.
This was always my favorite episode of the series as well, as I'm a big fan of the Golden Age and C and D list characters and concepts. I actually wish that version of Crimson Avenger would make a return. JLU is the best example of what comic adaptions could be, and what I wish the films would base themselves more on. The fact we got new iterations of some of the goofier Super Friends characters also always hit home. Longshadow is the best Native American character out there!!
The DCAU was so amazing. That old lady even got a small arc. She goes from upset that Superman doesn't show up to the parade, to standing up for Shining Knight in front of evil Hulk. And encourages SK as he goes off to hospital. That scene always makes me tear up a little. It's just so powerful you know.
3:58 Course Stargirl went on to get her own show (which got unfairly cut by Nexstar who bought a controlling share of the CW (because they somehow think the CW's target demographic is 58 year olds when most of the programing is for teenagers and young adults) in October, least they also canned The Flash, which somehow survived the Discovery Merger culling when Legion of Super-Heroes and Superman and Louis didn't) which also features Pat Dugan and his STRIPE robot and a bunch of other obscure JSA-era characters and their successors. In the Arrowverse Crisis on Infinite Earths, it was even labeled the post-crisis Earth-Two, which in the comics, is the DC Golden Age universe.
As someone whose favorite JLU episode is Patriot Act and who also loves obscure superheroes, you know damn well I clicked this video quickly once I recognized who was on the thumbnail. Great video.
I knew when I was a kid that I was watching a very good and complex show, but it's only as I came back to it a decade later that I realised it might be one of the best superhero adapatation on screen ever.
Green Arrow, Speedy, Vigilante, the Shining Knight, Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E.S. were all in this episode as an homage to The Seven Soldiers of Victory from the 1940s, a team which was revived in the Bronze Age in "Justice League of America" issue 100. (Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E.S represent the Star-Spangled Kid & Stripesy, the original members who don't appear in the League.)
The heroes in this story weren't chosen at random. They were all members of DC's lesser known Golden Age team, The Seven Soldiers of Victory, with Stargirl standing in for her predescessor, the Star-Spangled Kid. And the kids in the crowd were based on The Newsboy Legion. That's what I loved about JLU. They mined DC's rich history and paid homage to it rather than try to make them "edgy."
Oof, that line by Waller about how how people view enemies and themselves. Words to live by. Major kudos and thanks to the writer(s) of this episode. And to you for creating this video.
Modern DC films and cartoons: Everything is dark and depressing, Superman isn't a superHERO, nobody on the JL trusts Batman despite great reason to trust him. 90's and early 2000's DC movies and cartoons: Everything is colorful, Superman is actually a superHERO instead of just a dude with powers who doesn't want to be a symbol for good, Batman is generally right and everyone trusts him because who in their right mind wouldn't trust BATMAN?!
This is my third video I’ve watched from this channel. Oh my goodness, this stuff is amazing. Such rich detail. Such fantastic writing. Such wonderful introspect. Fantastic editing. Great music selection. I have come to have great respect for this channel. So grateful for a wonderful blend of childhood nostalgia with adult retrospect. THANK YOU
Thank you for making this video. I say this wholeheartedly because I know it’s easy to be cynical (in fiction or life), but this video helped remind me that what matters is to DO GOOD, simple as that. So thank you.
Can I just say the fact that you acknowledge Green Arrow as more than just a B-lister made my day. Dude is one of my favourite characters in the DC canon
This ep alaso highlighted why Waller was so great. She knew and acknowledged that she was walking the line between right and wrong and actively counted on the JL to keep her moral compass straight while also calling them out when they strayed.
Cadmus is the greatest monster slayer of greek mythology. Following archetype he slays the monsters not for his own glory, but the benefit of all humanity relieved of a threat. Knowing that when first hearing about the project hit a certain way. What if superman was Bright Burn...
The message of this episode is indeed timeless. Cynicism is a poison too many people adapt to protect themselves from disappointment and betrayal. Never works...whether you're ready for it or not, it still hurts when the blow lands. The superheroes who genuinely last understand that throwing away your hope for a better world is self-defeating. And "Patriot Act" explains why.
The best part is Shining Knight talking about how Dirty Harry not following the rules is dishonorable, but then revealing that the king trusted him exactly because he was willing to disobey orders.
Such clever foreshadowing from a silly conversation between two dudes just chatting about Clint Eastwood
Well, if they're talking about Dirty Harry, he disobeyed the rules so he could kill people, which is the opposite of Shining Knight's situation.
Wow never caught that
Technically, Shining Knight upheld the rules (of chivalry) by refusing to carry out Arthur's orders. Dirty Harry broke the rules because he found them inconvenient, and in the first movie that actually had consequences: his actions got the case thrown out. Shining Knight proved he was trustworthy because he wouldn't unthinkingly obey orders (a sharp contrast to Captain Atom).
@@Macrochenia Exactly! It may sound like apples to apples of a comparison at first, but when you really look into it, then it isn't.
“ How many of us do you have to kill to keep us safe?” That line hits different still til this day. That episode was rich, and didn’t have the heavy hitters to make it so.
I used that line with one of my own villans to start an intriguing and mystery plot. "How many of us do you have to kill to keep us safe?" "7,832 more." "Why?" "Read my thesis. It's public."
@@MeepChangeling I don't know if this was your intention, but that actually made me laugh. Like, someone asks a question that's meant to get the villain to reconsider their evil ways, and the villain basically says "Just Google it". XD
Ever heard of Wargaming, universe like Warhammer literally tosses planets of recently recruited to save one insignificant and obviously heretical Hive Planet!
@@XSilver_WaterX 40k is absolutely the WORST example you could ever give for this kind of question, because 40k is satirical. They will always sacrifice an entire planet just to "save the rest", and very rarely is that action given any more thought than that.
@@MeepChangeling that line is both hilarious and is actually intriguing, hilarious that he can give an exact number to a rhetorical question meant to show hypocrisy and intriguing because he can give an exact number and is thinking on a level the audience can't comprehend
This is why the DCAU is so fondly remembered. Despite being "for kids" it categorically refused to dumb itself down and explored story lines where the heroes actually have to confront hard questions and choices, but doesn't get lost in cynicism for cynicism's sake.
People assume it's for kids because its animated. In reality, it's for everyone because it doesn't treat its audience like morons.
Young Justice is almost the same thing.
@@mainstreetsaint36 Well, that and BTAS aired on Fox Kids before it jumped to Kids' WB, where STAS aired. So the networks themselves were telling people it was for kids.
@@ilyamuromets2508 Which was massively stupid. Even during the better days of children's cartoons anyone could tell that anything DCAU wasn't merely for kids. Then again neither was Animaniacs (but that was for different reasons).
@@puterboy2 sad that young justice is the closest we'll ever get to that again. Invincible is great but I'm tired of the same old evil superman trope.
It's no coincidence that the focal characters of this episode were Vigilante and Shining Knight; two straightforward representations of historic archetypical heroes (the western cowboy and European knight-errant) that predated modern superheroes and partially served as templates to their mythos to some degree.
damn, that's a really cool point that I never realized before
Alongside the Robin Hood archtype too.
Yep. All you'd need is maybe a Samurai and you'd have a complete set.
@@WhiteFangofWar feugo 🔥🔥🔥🔥
@@jaspertaylor2810 Or the Greek hoplite. The OG DC heroes.
Edit:. I say this right before I remember Wonder Woman is supposed to be a template for the Greek heroes.
This is why the JLU is my favorite "superheroes deal with real world political issues" story. I like it more than The Boys, Civil War, Dark Knight Returns, Kingdom Come, even Watchmen. JLU deals with real world issues without succumbing to complete cynicism and nihilism like a lot of those other stories.
It's also why I really like Justice League: Gods and Monsters. It turns the whole cynical evil superheroes story on its head. The heroes start out being cynical and scheming but throughout the movie they realize how dangerous their paranoid cynical attitude is to the world and that the world is safer when it's built on trust rather than fear.
I feel like its easy to make superheroes cynically over power A**holes. I mean its really easy for someone like superman to overreach in power and that's what a lot of superman goes evil stories do and then they basically make him control a police state. red sun does that, injustice does that, and superman animated did that a time or two. Though I really love it most when we see superheroes just want to be genuinely good people like superman vs the elite/ whats so funny about truth, justice and the American way? It is really good when he fights against that idea like in superman vs. the kkk. like superman and Captain America are kinda the ideal of the ubermench and I really love to see them take down the very people who idolize that perfect ideal person as something that needs to be achieved through hate. though I do find it kinda funny superheroes kinda go in cycles, sometimes people want them to be power fantasy robin hoods saving people from themselves and then sometimes people want them to be Clint eastwood types saving the world by eradicating the ills of the worlds. Though I perfer the former than the latter cause its not as fun to see superman be the bad guy or otherworldly alien come to save us from ourselves to me, its more fun for me to see him reject all that as the simple kid from Kansas.
I love that Superman from God's and Monsters. Especially the short with Braniac...
Hell yeah
Gods & Monsters has no right being as good as it is for a deliberately unconnected elseworlds story and yet it’s one of my favourite superhero movies and I’m mad we’ll likely never see those characters again.
JL Gods and Monsters deserves it's own continuity of comics, movies, and animated series.
I find it funny that JK Simmons always plays characters who are apposed to superheroes like J. Jonah Jameson, General Eiling and Omni-man
Omni man goes through a gargantuan arc in the comics, same with Jonah (he's pretty much best friends with spidey and knows his secret identity. Peter even calls him family)
He sometimes plays against that type.
He voiced Tenzin in Legend of Korra! That's about as allied with the local superhero as you get...well, to an extent. He was also a hard-ass on Korra initially, but homegirl needed to get some lessons from the school of hard knocks =P
@Will N Ok? and? in the comics they are pretty much family now. he nearly died saving aunt may (I think) from spider slayer. I did not know the captain America stuff though and that is hilarious and amazing.
And they always look like him
@Will N ❤
You hit upon a point I've been making for years:
"The important part of 'superhero' isn't 'super.' It's 'hero.' Somebody who doesn't make a hero's choices will never be a superhero, no matter what powers they have."
It's why Batman, the one superhero that truly embodies this idea (as one of his defining traits is that he has no powers), is the one people connect to the most/the most popular.
I think Superman TAS said it best “the world didn’t need a Superman, just a brave one.”
Anyone can be a hero the issue is no body wants to so nobody is
that was the entire point behind kingdom comes storyline
heroes became adrenaline junkies.
characters like magog were just killing villains with no thought for the consequences.
@@Handlelesswithme anyone can do heroic acts, but nobody is gonna be out here like superman and make everything right with the snap of a finger because that's impossible.
@@sebaschan-uwu even if someone had the same abilities as Superman they wouldn’t use it to do good
They would use it as they strive for convenience and their own satisfaction
Scariest thing about Eiling this episode is he's not even surprised or distressed when his hypocrisy is called out. He just responds, "Alright, I've become what I hate, I'll give you that. I'm still right tho, you'll see."
The perfect 21st century villain. Motivated by a sense of duty to his country and all its people, but he doesn't care what he does to that end. He can't even care when his actions go againat his stated goals, because at the end of the day he doesn't even care about his sole motivation. He'll say it's "for our own good", but only because he wants to be called good more than he cares about being good.
i was getting ready to say the exact same thing, he really didnt even care. im not even exactly sure why he stopped to be honest
Eiling’s final words honestly goes back to his fight with Shining Knight. Eiling argues that there’s a new sense of duty regarding the idea of the protecting the people hence the idea of “you’ll see” while Shining Knight says there isn’t and that the unconditional idea of wanting to protect people is all there needs to be.
Eiling’s forfeit in the end is less of him choosing to ignore his hypocrisy, but more of him giving up trying to win his current audience. His you’ll see argument gives rise to the idea that he believes he’s right and believes that people in time will come to agree with him so he’s playing into the idea that time will prove him right and show people agreeing with him.
And while it can seem that this new perspective makes the whole ending seem hollow as it seeming makes the ending more of a small victory against Eiling’s long term agenda, it proves to disservice him in another way. Eiling is also wrong because he’s methodology, at least in the way he presents it, won’t be able to be given rise because he’s not openly showing the merits of it. Eiling is playing that time will turn people cynical and agree with him, but for those who are shown the merit of heroes and the inherent good of them, that cynicism will never develop.
@@firewolf950tfwgaming7 There is a sort of beautiful irony to the whole situation. The concept of service for the sake of doing good is completely lost on Eiling who is a career military man. With the superheroes, paramedics, firefighters, and even ordinary civilians, they didn't need a reason to be heroes or to help those in trouble they just did it because it was the right thing to do.
Eiling by contrast is a jingoist who views service as ensuring superiority over a perceived enemy. He has an "Us versus Them" mentality. But the Justice League doesn't see it that way, it's not "Us versus Them" it's just "Us". No matter where a danger occurs it's the people who they protect.
@@firewolf950tfwgaming7 What's even more of a loss for Eiling is that in the end he never really makes a reappearance after this episode. Not even in other DCAU media (so far or at least to my knowledge) that focuses on the events after JLU state anything about him. In the future they still have the Justice League and in the far far future they have the Legion of Superheroes. People in the DCAU still need Superheroes but have no need for Super Soldiers like Eiling.
Spider-Man says something similar to Deadpool. "You don't want to be a hero, you want to be loved for being a hero. It's not the same thing".
The best JLU moment is when Question reveals he's there to merc Luthor so Superman can't. The risk of an evil Superman was so great in Question's eyes he was ready and willing to murder a guy to prevent it. Good stuff for a kid's show.
And he does so figuring that if it was _him_ doing the killing, the blowback against the Justice League would be minimal, as he’s already seen by everyone as a whackjob. He kills Luthor, the League disavows his actions, and that’s that.
one layer you didn't point out was all the obscure superheroes involved in the comics are members of one of dc's original superhero teams "The seven soldiers of victory" who first appeared in 1941:
green arrow
speedy
vigilante
shining knight
Stripe (who used to be stripsey)
stargirl (not actually a member but shes representing her predecessor the star spangled kid. Its why shes shown to have a bit of cynicism. Shes the odd one out, not actually being from the same era IRL as the others)
crimson avenger
So as well as thematically representing the pure idea of a superhero they are also all literal examples of old school 1940s superheroes and what they represent. The thing Eiling is against.
Yeah I remember these guys were the All Star Squadron
That's awesome
Thank you for reminding everyone of this fact. This just makes the show age better
I thought the Justice Society of America was DC's original super team
Yep, and the team were also referenced in the Stargirl TV series, which is possibly DC's best live-action show, period; the first season is a masterpiece imo.
(Unfortunately, the show is ending soon)
Shining Knight appears in the show as well.
Admittedly pointing a superweapon at earth was probably not the best idea
No different then countries with nukes.
Superweapon? Pschh... Try pointing a super _man_ at Earth. That's orders of magnitude worse.
Lex Luthor would be absolutely right about Superman if the Man of Steel's virtue were not completely 100% without compromise (something Luthor couldn't possibly know for certain, and preposterously unlikely if true). Think "Legacy" without the brainwashing. Think the Justice Lords. Think Injustice. Sure, _we_ know Superman doesn't have a malicious bone in his body (usually)... but _they_ don't.
Fear of an unstoppable powerhouse with no practical hard counter is perfectly rational.
@@draketheduelist That's true except Lex isn't afraid, he's just jealous
They came up with the idea after they realized how vulnerable they were during the Thanagar Invasion.
@@mohsin90ish also petty.
JLU had my favorite incarnation of Amanda Waller. Most depictions paint her in fairly cruel lights, and while this one was definitely no saint by any stretch, her motivations were a lot clearer and a lot more understandable (she had occasional moments of this in the comics but she was a hard victim of Depending On The Writer). This episode itself gave her a bone with her "I'm no fan of the League, but" dialogue. And throughout both Cadmus and the final season, she was able to stand both against and alongside Batman, with a mutual respect and understanding that they both had the best interests of the world at heart.
Great point. The modern Waller has the same problem as the current takes on Harley Quinn, namely an inability (unwillingness?) to understand the core of the character. Waller is a fundamentally principled person who exists in a world that time & time again forces her to compromise. Most writers find it easier to make her a one-note meditation on badassery, ignoring how much a rich, nuanced Waller can bring to any given story.
Yes. DCAU gave us an awesome iteration of Waller. She had points for real that resonate with me. DCAU's Lex Luthor was another master stroke as well🔥 Great writing through and through
By far best Waller, none other holds a candle
Like in DC movies, and the last bit of a DC animated ( when Waller was drawn slim). Waller was a villain. She isn't she is a anti-hero. In the movie, she killed her whole team because she ----- up.
And they also typically make her big as a house for some reason...
People get mad at superhero programs for being “political.” Meanwhile JLU openly titled an episode “Patriot Act” at the height of the W. Bush years. That takes serious balls.
All forms of comics have had political points to them but it's how well it's done that matter's.
>Political
>the political term being used ANYWHERE from 2013 to now
I don't have the time or the argumentation prowess to seriously explain in depth what people actually mean by:
"I hate it when Modern Superhero Media and Western properties always get political"
But the Short answer is: It's always too ham-fisted, not subtle, blunt, its always only One Ideology, and its always conspicuous whos doing it and what the writers believe. And that's the issue every one takes with Modern Media that frames itself as political.
@@mitchellalexander9162 An issue that arises however is even at times it's subtle, and just there, to the point for example a person from a minority group just exists is enough to get grumpy fist shaking going as a rather obvious show of what is going on here in the heads of the folk shouting the loudest. I would personally caution against assuming this is what "people" mean, because there is truly a lot of hate that likes to hide in the bushes. One can inadvertently end up sitting on a hate bandwagon without knowing it. Also, because "The people" is usually in terms of fandoms actually just a very loud minority (whom can still hoodwink and try to usually get more people to march in beat to their drum to look mightier than they are) who claims ownership over something and cannot handle that they aren't the sole voice dominating a medium no more, it's very wise to be skeptical anytime "the people" get brought up. This same point applies to many vague terms, because they can easily be understood in many ways without actually saying the points that have rustled one's jimmies. Which, again, allows for the hate to flow, because It's easy to hide behind vague terms and act all legitimate. Critique given is best done clearly, because to give vague critique helps no one grow, and allows for dogs and buried bones to hide while whistling very loud.
@@videocrowsnest5251 You're completely divorced from reality which is why most of your post is vague rhetoric. It's because media has gotten polarized that you have reactionaries, and they say the same thing you do, which is to call them hateful and double down. Authoritarians often stay in control by pointing to a problem they create.
@@graveyardshift6691 Well to be fair, one side does act like the absurdist cartoon villain that Superfriends era DC heroes would beat up and the other... doesn't. So while everyone agrees the Cadmus arc is one of DC's best stories, it's not that modern audiences are being treated poorly. It's that in the real world, one side is kind of lost touch with the basic heroism DC heroes symbolize and acting like... well children.
In case no one mentioned it yet, these particular heros are a direct nod to an old silver age super-team called the Seven Soldiers of Victory, and their whole thing was defending metropolis while superman was away.
Minor correction: They are from the Golden Age.
@@willn2334 They were more used to replace Green Arrow because of existing continuity making Green Arrow being from contemporary times. Now, due to Stargirl Spring Break Special, its canon that Green Arrow and Speedy were members of the original 1940's team thanks to time travel.
Damn! You got me there, as a comic fan im ashamed of not knowing that!! Hat off to you sir and thanks!!
So... dang... can you imagine using this material for an adaptation of something like All-Star Superman or What's so funny about Truth, Justice, and The American Way? It kinda feels like both, in a sense.
I feel like I might have mentioned this in one of the previous videos but one of the best parts of JLU is that no matter how obscure the hero is, they are still willing to be respectful and show why these characters were popular, and this episode is one of the best examples. I feel to many modern heroes' stuff sometimes treat lesser-known characters as a joke or just go "hey this guy is so lame/his powers are so lame" but JLU allows characters outside the big 7 to shine. tell me how many people here became a fan of the question, shining knight, vigilante, captain atom or other "B or C-listers" after JLU, that's because no matter how unknown or unusual the character and their powers are the writers knew there was atleast someone out there that genuinely loves the character
Green Arrow, Speedy, Vigilante, the Shining Knight, Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E.S. were all in this episode as an homage to The Seven Soldiers of Victory from the 1940s, a team which was revived in the Bronze Age in "Justice League of America" issue 100. (Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E.S represent the Star-Spangled Kid & Stripesy, the original members who don't appear in the League.)
@@robboyte1101 oh yeah and that's another reason for what made this episode so clever. but the general point still is that prior to this episode the casual viewer/comic enjoyer would probably not have known half these characters but episodes like this would have easily made people fall in love with them.
additional thing, this may or may not be intentional, but I love how for vigilante, instead of doing the generic "man from the past brought to the future is amazed/befuddled by basic appliances" and instead he is weirdly technologically savvy (he has a home theater and was able to grasp how to fly an alien ship fairly well)
I was a little kid when these shows came out. Justice league and JLU is how I discovered Jason Blood /Etrigan. Now he's my absolute favourite comic book character. I found so many other heroes that I love so much cuz of this. It made me love comics and specifically made me love DC over Marvel.
I like calling it Mumen Rider energy.
I swear I cherish the fact that some of what powered shows like JLU seem to have survived in those fight against cynicism superhero manga.
@@VampireNinjaBunnies Hell yeah Etrigan is dope!
I really adore and appreciate when Vigilante got the kids involved.
Kids can be dumb, and in the presence of their hero's can try and look good and "worthy" to them, like the one up in the crane, and so instead of letting that happen again, he gets them doing a task to help, that also keeps then away.
I've worded this kinda poorly, but I thought I try anyway.
you did good
@Will N - Might be a stretch, but the cop Green Arrow shakes hands with (seen at 6:10 in this video) could be a sly wink at Guardian, as his secret ID back in the 1940s was a cop and this guy looks a bit like him (even the patch on his shoulder resembles Guardian's shield to a degree).
@@susanhillwig5784alright, i'll bite, who is this 'guardian'
@@Emily12471 - Those kids you mentioned are the Newsboy Legion, a Golden Age gang of boys created by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby who appeared in Star-Spangled Comics. The Guardian -- a variation on Simon & Kirby's own Captain America -- appeared in the strip both in his heroic guise and as a beat cop, in both cases helping to keep the boys out of trouble.
In the more modern era, all those characters are closely tied to the Cadmus Project: the boys grew up to become scientists and such, eventually creating clones of their childhood selves (going by their old nicknames and everything) and creating a new, youthful body for their old friend the Guardian and making him head of security for Cadmus. The 1990s Superboy series by Karl Kesel features them heavily.
@@susanhillwig5784 ah interesting
What's really cool is that all of the heroes that fight Eiling are characters that make up the obscure team "Seven Soldiers of Victory!" Which is why I love JLU because it gives the lesser known heroes having as much character depth and agency as the original seven.
That's really one of the reasons this show was amazing, they weren't afraid to pull out characters no one cared about because they knew that each character has their different philosophy for being a hero and that's what makes a universe interesting
@@DavidElendu It also helped make the Universe feel alive.
The fact that they weren't some random hero but someone who had their own comic and story to tell.
The company that would later become DC Comics was originally two companies owned by the same people. All-American Comics which had the heroes who were members of the JSA and National Periodicals which published Superman and Batman. The two companies merged after 1945 as National Periodicals changed the name to DC Superman in the late '70's. The Seven Soldiers Of Victory was an attempt to recapture the success of The Justice Society Of America using National Periodical characters.
Which is why I mock all the shows who think it would be too hard to flesh out the B-listers and side characters because they're too busy shoveling all the attention on their vapid self insert/marysue/favorite child/mouthpiece main protag. Lookin at you snyderverse.
Suprise there hasn't been a DC
General Eiling Vs Marvel Ross Red Hulk death battle yet ...
That intro has to be the ONLY time I'll EVER admit that Amanda Waller...has a point
It's how she is portrayed. This show and Superman/Batman public enemies portrayed her as wanting the best only to find out she was wrong. The other portrayals of her show her as a bitch who wants to control everyone.
I mean, she always had a point it's just there needs to be checks and balances. Both sides has to you know... NOT BOTH BE EVIL for those checks and balances to actually work. Or at the very least maintain the same goal of wanting to protect people. It's why the end of the arc is a good thing to start. Working with the world instead of being above it in a literal way like Waller said.
Like, super villains exist. They already have people they can fear. At least superheroes want to help. Need to just give a balance to it.
what about the ending?
I thought she had a point with Project Batman Beyond, too.
@@philliptivis3082 that was the worst thing that ever came from this show and the worst thing to happen to batman beyond
iirc, there is a line in this episode where Eiling says something along the lines of"I may be a monster, but I'm a monster protecting the people from super powered freaks." and the civilians say "You're the only one with powers here." Such a great episode.
"Our enemies are never as evil as we imagine, and we're never as good." That one gets me for some reason lol
That feeling when you realize the subtext of an exchange between two C-list heroes in a decades old cartoon perfectly encapsulates the themes of the season.
7:37 Shout out to my man Crimson Avenger. Teleports in and just starts blasting without words, nor a moment's hesitation. A consummate professional.
crimson avenger was absolutely based in this episode and he didn't say a fuckin word lol
he's avenging something and he'll find out after blasting lmao
@@pringles_mcgeeI thinl he was voiced by Kevin Conroy in a previous episode
@@keithharrissuwignjo2460 "Excuse me, Madam, have you seen this pig?"
@@jamesbrice3267
"Amanda Waller?"
As I get older I'm liking and outright loving the episodes of JLU that I found boring as a kid. My personal favorite is the HawkGirl and Grundy episode centered around one's own personal beliefs. Always a tear jerker that one...
The one that gets me is the one where GL, Flash, and Hawkgirl find themselves in a 1950s flavored world with heroes that embody the values and prejudices of that period.
Eventually the JL and local heroes realize to stop the BBEG, the local heroes have to die again.
Their response?
"We did once to save this world, we can d it again."
I'm of course savagely paraphrasing it, but that was the gist of it.
I'm not crying...ok, I'm crying a LOT
i remember feeling bored watching it as a kid too lol i guess because i was into more goofy cartoons. but ive watched a lot clips lately and it completely hits different now that i can appreciate the writing along with the underlying tones and themes
The thing is gods actually exist in the DC universe and the writers in real life confirmed they are really gods so having a atheist around seems like nonsense.
On the internet People in forums are more and more are calling atheist in stories were gods are real stupid especially edgy atheist even real life atheist think that is dumb.
Why did the make hawk girl a atheist it make no since.
@@michaeltaylor788 Because hawk girl doesn’t deal with God in a regular basis. The gods she does face are more advanced aliens or eldich abominations. Not really a higher power
The thing that sticks with me is the exchange with Eiling and the kid: "You're the only one here with Superpowers, pal." I think that line goes a long way towards showing that those who let themselves be blinded by justifications of the greater good or other such motivations without critically reflecting on them can lead them to become the very things they claim to fight against, even leading people to be unrecognizable in comparison to where they started. The Cadmus arc is as good as it is because the show's writing makes it clear Cadmus and the Justice League both have their points, but can co-exist, whereas Eiling sees the whole issue as zero-sum, black and white: either the JLU stops existing or America does to him, and that all or nothing thinking eventually twists him into a monster both metaphorically and literally.
I love that Eiling basically concedes the argument when he hears that. It's rare that a villain is beating solely by convincing him that he has made a mistake.
@@abduljah9355 Except he wasn't convinced he made a mistake. He basically just said "Yeah, you have a point, but I'm still right" and left on that note.
That kind of stories are which I love the most. Heroes refuse to give up for their ideals is best kind of stories . How Shining Knight stand against Eiling is inspirational, it really made me a fan of his character. Deconstruction or bygone ideas of heroism is total bullshit. Being inspiration never gonna get old.
I actually think deconstruction helps.
Superheroes CAN be dumb, just look at the stuff on the cinemas today, or at the silver age. Sometimes it's just flashing lights and fireworks and ideals do get forgotten.
The good stuff, like JLU, is timeless though. But we need someone like The Boys (The TV show at least) to poke fun at the flashing lights so other people can come around and give us stuff like JLU.
@@pauloandrade3131 I'm not against deconstruction stories especially if it is well written. Maybe gonna suprise you but I really liked The Boys comic book (until last part, a weak finale imo) and not liked TV series because of how tame it is compared to comic.
Garth Ennis is especially good at writing that kind of stories. His Hitman run is incredible and he found a way a merciless antihero like Tommy Monaghan worked on DC universe and work with Justice League. Hope one day he get a TV series.
I'm just against the idea of "heroism ideals are oldschool" mindset. Whoever gain superpowers, he have to be an asshole, Why? That mind set is what I find dumb.
Inspirational stories are always timeless. "Superman vs Elite", "Batman Under the Red Hood", this episode of Justice League series. They are always gonna be good.
@@willn2334 Yes, first watched movie than read the book. It's one of my all time favorite stories. It is a good example superhero registiration law story done right. Its messages are onpoint.
@@willn2334 I agree with you, the transition is excellent, it just respects DC's history and legacy. Another thing I like about The New Frontier is how it used less known DC characters. Freaking Dinasour island is major thread, that's how to make great story. When I watched its movie version I suprised how it touched major historical events and handles well. And the book is another beast itself.
I really liked this episode. I felt like with how Shining Knight held onto his principles, he could pick up Thor's hammer if Marvel and DC ever had a crossover. Or at least Thor would be impressed a noble hero like SK exists in this day and age.
I'd like to think that if a crossover ever did happen...the Avengers (and associates) and the JL would be handling whatever was going on, maybe after a brief scuffle of not knowing who's an ally or enemy, and then the tide would start to turn and the bad guys would start winning.
And then...when they're finally about to get their asses kicked and the villians are about to win...Supes finally shows up.
But after initially throwing a beating...he too ends up getting his ass kicked. But he fights so hard, and refuses to quit, that it rallies the "big guns" of the JL and Avengers, and they in turn rally everyone else. They pick up Supes, dust him off, and then everyone fights, as a team, and wins. Like...Endgame style.
Look up the Amalgam Event (DC and Marvel!)
Spider-boy, Wolverine and Batman, and some others
DC does have Thor but I’m not sure about the worthy enchantment.
@Will N that’s really interesting
Marvel and DC actually had several crossovers in the 70's to the 90's. I don't think Shining Knight appeared in any of those, but Superman at least was able to wield Mjolnir (and Cap's shield) in the JLA/Avengers crossover.
“Fearful Symmetry,” is a beautiful thriller, with the science angle, it’s really more like a horror story.
Kara remembering killing random strangers(well, not random), in her dreams. 👌🏽
Question got ballz of steel when he asked Powergirl to prove his point by killing him and she couldn't
I was like: Daaaamn 4d chess, that guy really is more psycho and paranoid than batman
I know he's like a watered down pg13 version of Rorschach from watchmen but the faceless dude have charm and the best girl (Huntress).
Rorschach is crazy version of The Question
Plus, Questions singing is magnificent in that episode
@@KASHKUR_7.62 thats really the point with question. Batman is a detective, he chases leads and solves cases.
The question is absolutely fucking unhinged so he investigates conspiracy theories and random nonsense that people can't even imagine, without any of the resources or combat ability batman has.
Also rorschach is the pg18 question, as he's largely based on question's '87 comic run
Still a little upset that Rorschach didn’t meet the Question in Doomsday Clock. Would have been a great crossover with maybe a throwaway line about a conspiracy in the DC universe that turns out to be true in the Watchmen and Question just muttering “Knew it” to himself.
FYI Spy Smasher was a legit character from Fawcett Comics and was turned into a serial from the 1940s, where he fights to stop the Mask from destabilising the American dollar during WWII. This serial, like the Batman one, was a massive inspiration to the look and feel of the DCAU and you can watch it here.
I have always loved JLU and I especially loved the Cadmus arc. In this modern world a lot of people have given up on believing in heroes and their values. It is so much easier to believe that heroes are actually terrible power-hungry people, because people in the modern world have seen the people at the top and they almost always turn out to be terrible people. However, there is good in the world, and superheroes embody that good. Superheroes always overcome the odds, why can't they overcome the darkness in their heart?
yeah me and my friend recently talked about this idea, that their should/need to be characters like superman who are the ideal that we should aspire to. Sure their still can be protagonists who are more flawed or antiheros but there should be a balance between the two and we shouldn't dismiss one over the other.
Well said, just because the world is cynical and our leaders make terrible decisions, doesn’t mean everyone with power is a terrible human being, there are actual heroes who believe in helping other people and trying to keep the world running without being narcissistic or power hungry.
Asking the real questions here.
@@AndreNitroX a saying a person I once knew had was "they all go in to help but get worn down by soft chairs and good alcohol". I genuinely think few people go into democratic politics with Ill intentions, I don't see how you would get far if you did with such a cynical scam hungry media, but over time their morals and hopes get worn down by a mix of comfort, power and potential wealth so they end up clinging to it all rather than doing what needs to be done or would be the morally right thing to do.
@@00yiggdrasill00 agreed, personally i think politicians shouldn't get such a high salary or fame, it should be a type of community service. But that's not the world we live in. Power corrupts, absolute power, corrupts absolutely.
This is one of my favorite episodes. For all reasons listed but also because it shows Superheroes saving people. Which we just don't get enough of.
Isn’t that crazy. We get so much superhero content but I hardly see them saving a normal person, or sitting down to talk with somebody just because they saw they were sad. That kind of humanity is why I adore this show.
Cameron and Andre, this is such a great point!
I'm developing my own superhero webcomic right now, and the protagonist only has the power of flight.
When I sat down to write the first pages, I began wondering about how I could best introduce him...
Then the question "How could he save a cat?" wandered around my head, and I just wrote him simply trying to save a cat for the first chapter! Hero basics!
@@nairocamilo very nice, where can i find this webcomic of yours?
@@nairocamilo AWWWWWWW
@@AndreNitroX unfortunately not published yet, in development
I'm thinking of publishing it first in a local webcomic site, but when I do it in the big ones (Tapas and Webtoon) I can come back here with a search keyword
My absolute favorite line from that episode is not only the old lady but when the kid made Eileen put the car down just with one sentence saying "you're the only one with powers here"
Patriot Act is my absolute FAVORITE DCAU episode, and I’m so glad that it’s being covered!!
Everytime I watch it, I am so emotional by the efforts of the d list heroes and the crowd of people, especially the old lady showing us what real heroes are made of.
Also my absolute favorite episode.
I think this arc in the JLU is a great showcase of the deconstruction and the reconstruction of the superhero genre. It breaks it down to show how it works/doesn't work and it comes out at the end showing how it actually works quite well.
I think this is your most excellent DCAU essay yet, really makes me further appreciate a great story I've not seen in several years now. The shows writers really were on another level
I can’t stress enough how much I love this show. It is gold to me because of the writing
What I love is that in JLTAS they heard the feedback on season 1 that for season 2 they stepped up and fixed Superman because in S1 they accidentally nerfed him so badly and gave him those ugly cheek bones
It’s crazy to think about how this came out years before shows like Invincible and The Boys brought these topics to the forefront. Hell, I’m surprised JLU was able to depict a super patriotic US general as the villain. The fact that he sounded the way many of us saw at the Bush Jr Administration was telling.
Well, the Invincible comics had been publishing for years before this, and Watchmen came out in the 80s. Watchmen is referenced when Batman asks who guards the guardians.
Questioning the validity of superheroes isn’t a new thing. Punisher basically exists as the idea that superheroes don’t work. Feel like the mainstream audience is just catching up.
Personally, think the question of what if superheroes were bad is just not that interesting. Because it’s obvious. Wouldn’t it be bad if Superman were evil? Yeah, obviously. Superheroes are an ideal.
That "fundamental gee whiz sincerity" is core to Superman's character for me. When Snyder tried to make him tortured and he stole the essence of the character.
Yes! The Cadmes arc was amazing. I love what you said about the message being that though times have changed, superheroes haven't, and the idea of giving, helping, and doing good for th sake of it is timeless and that's what makes superheroes, superheroes. That they continue to do good despite all circumstances, even as messed up as the world is, they fight for and believe in a better tomorrow. If only the people behind the DCAU movies understood this message. Literally the only DC films to show this were Wonder Woman and Shazam.
Well said I hardly ever see a superhero film or show nowadays where there was genuine concern for other people like it was displayed here. These are cartoons and yet they are more real than any of the live action stuff.
Man of Steel did
This is seriously better than most if not all live action superhero shows.
Amen. To this day this cartoon is more mature and realistic than any of the CW shows
Yes
@@AndreNitroX even more mature than Disney + shows .
@@playername9391 agreed
I remembered watching this as a kid and not really caring about the B and C list heroes. But changing my mind by the end of the episode. Remembering that nearly brought a tear to my eye.
Reminds of that episode in which they show Booster Gold's own "little" adventure in which he saves the world (or the universe, I don't remember) but no one knows about it since the League is out there fighting Mordru at the same time, we see the heroics of a B-lister character and the fight of the main members of the League against an universal-level threat villain is not seen by the watcher.
An interesting fact about the episode is that the heroes who fight Eiling make up (in the comics atleast) The Seven Soldiers Of Victory (Stargirl being the newest person to wield the Cosmic Staff, replacing The Star-Spangled Kid; S.T.R.I.K.E being Stripesy in a new name and in armor; everyone else is who they normally are) and were the second team to premiere after the JSA in 1941, around the same time that the US joined WW2. There is something there about how these specific characters represent a time of more black and white conflict while even the sides that are supposed to be the good guys engaged in morally dubious/compromising actions that were viewed as "necessary" to ending the war, similar to Eilings views of "acceptible" losses
The Newsboy Legion were also WW2 characters. Amazed that so many folk missed that it was Gabby giving Eiling lip.
The fact that the more recent live-action adaptations of Marvel and DC heroes have a habit of completely destroying major cities to the point where it’s become a meme makes this episode feel very ahead of it’s time.
But then, everything about the DCAU feels very ahead of its time. The only part that really feels dated is Batman Beyond, ironically.
The Leaguers and cops all mixed up and standing in a circle all aiming at Eiling is such a beautiful image
I wish Avengers: Earth's mightiest heroes hadn't been cancelled. I feel we could've gotten episodes just as interesting and thought provoking as what they did in JLU.
"We talk about my favourite JLU episode"
Ah I see you are a man of culture as well.
I honestly love your JLU essays. It's so good to see shows who have been overlooked because they are "cartoons for kids". I have seen so many people praise Captain America:Civil War yet JLU did the whole "regulating superheroes" arc so much better and without dropping it at the half way point.
This is why I get a bad taste in my mouth when people want to sting Batman and Iron Man with their social commentary, calling them narcissistic, profiteers, and whatever else. Like bruh, do you know how to have good wholesome fun anymore? They punch bad guys, sometimes that’s all there is to it.
I love Vigilante, he's one of my favorites in all of JLU. Shining Knight too, plus him and Vigilante make a great duo as heroes and a comedy duo. Their actions and interactions in this one episode were one of the most memorable things I watched when going through my binge of DCAU stuff.
"If you wanna watch my flatscreen plasma tv with the surround sound you had best watch what you say about Mr. Clint Eastwood."
Being played by Nathan fillion increases the like ability even more
@@AndreNitroX I don't know him but he sounds cool with a last name like Filion
@@flaco3462 he usually plays hal jordan the green lantern, but i recommend checking out his shows called "Castle" and "firefly"
@@AndreNitroX Ohhhh
@@AndreNitroX Especially Firefly. Vigilante also shows up in the episode where the Thanagarian remnants try one more time to kill Shayera. He's partnered up with Vixen who's played by Gina Torres, who plays Fillion's second-in-command Zoe in "Firefly".
This episode hits me in the feels it taught me that a real hero doesn’t need to be famous or even have superpowers, it can be an old lady.
One thing I liked about the episode was how half the hero’s left in an ambulance. They got beat up fighting a foe way tougher than them, and they did not leave unscathed, and that’s why they are hero’s.
Plus how they would always jump to save someone instead of fighting Eiling. Saving people was the priority, and I love all the ways this episode managed to show that
One of my favorite parts of Justice League Unlimited and this episode, is how it gives the underrated Dc heroes a chance to shine.
This was always one of my favourite episodes. But I never realised how Shining Knight's talk with Vigilante set up his fight with the General. Love your videos. xx
Sometimes I don't even feel how the time flies when watching your videos.. 12 minutes felt like a blink of an eye. Thank you for bringing quality content and posting often! Kudos to you!
Yo I was NOT ready for this episode when I was 7 years old, but it's so burned into my memory and I now realize it really colored how I engaged with superhero media.
The Patriot Act is one of my top 5 episodes of Justice League Unlimited. Such an awesome episode. Loved how it was non-powered heroes who put their bodies on the line
The scene where green arrow says that the justice league needs superman made me tear up because it kind of shows that the world trusts him again. After spending so long trying make up for what happened in Legacy, after being scared of himself because of the justice lords and cadmus, he has the peoples' approval.
The Cadmus arc is my favourite thing in the DCAU. Superhero stories frequently set their powerful, secretive characters above a fearful and ignorant public, acting like the exceptional few always know better than the ordinary many and should be exempt from society’s rules. The Cadmus arc makes a case that heroes still need to rely on the trust of the people they serve.
I'm so glad this episode is actually remembered! My favorite stories are when the "unimportant" characters take an unexpected spotlight, and this episode just has so many important nuances. Thanks for doing this, fantastic video 🤌
You made the right choice in making this over "super Douche" this 12 min breakdown does an excellent and much needed job of dissecting what makes these topics great and why they are so cherished in a easy to digest and fun way keep up the stellar work!! o7
Clark: “I’m nothing like Lex Luthor!”
Lois: “Of course your not…”
I'm glad this is also someone else's favorite episode! I've always loved this one, ever since I was a kid
JLU was so ahead of its time, great series.
Nicely done. The heroes chosen were the modern iteration of the Seven Soldiers of Victory. I first encounter them in JLA #100. The children, I believe, are based on the Newsboy Legion; a Jack Kirby creation. Have a good evening.
Don't forget about Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory.
The intro alone shows you that the writers had tremendous respect for their audience.
An amazing show, I should honestly rewatch it in my free time.
I always loved the story beat of this take on The General getting his powers from the Captain Nazi serum (as opposed to the comics "put his brain into robo-Sasquatch and shaved him"). Not only is he turning to arguably the most evil representative of modern humanity for the power he feels that he "needs" to accomplish his goals, but it turns him into a literal monster. Just shows how far he's willing to go, and how much of his humanity it cost him.
You can call them obscure but those were the original "Seven Soldiers of Victory" and they are a DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP cut from old time DC lore. In fact before Grant Morrison put out his own version of them a number of years ago I think the last time they were shown was back in the mid '70s.
Also a number of the kids are similarly just as deep a cut, the "Newsboy Legion" and before the New 52 they had grown up and had became the Directors of Cadmus in the main DC continuity for decades.
The best thing about these stories is it still recognizes that all humans have a nature dignity and are truly capable of redemption through repentance. Stories now are so terrible because this fundamental reality is fought against.
This episode can be resume into a single phrase:
The Virgin The Boys Cynical Fan vs. The Chad Super Heroes inspire us to do good in real life Enjoyer.
One of my favorite things about both Vigilante and Shining Knight is that in a previous episode, when Earth was invaded by an infinitely replicating alien lifeform, both of them showed up and fought robot killing machines with revolvers and a sword, respectively. And that's also the episode where their friendship starts as Shining Knight gives Vigilante a ride on Winged Pegasus, and presumably as thanks, Vigilante invites him over to watch movies on his big screen TV with surround sound.
So, basically it adds layers to their friendship that would be easy to miss while also pointing out that even against impossible odds, they still showed up and did what they could.
The team in this episode itself is the 7 soldiers of victory. A golden age team, that itself has been pulled into the modern era with characters like speedy and green arrow remaining current and the introduction of a successor to starman in the form of stargirl and stripe
I'm so happy I've found this channel. It's nice to see someone who understands and appreciates the significance of shows like JLU. All I need is a video of Superman Vs. The Elite and I can die happy.
I think we need more of this kind of comic. Yeah, the world seems to have changed, but there is still a point to people being willing to help. Never give up your values or pass up a chance to help out. You can be smart about it, but don't let cynicism ruin your worldview. Just my 2 cents. Thanks for the video, I needed this today.
Thank you for making this video. Holy crap I’m rewatching Justice League Unlimited again and literally just finished watching the episode “Clash” last night. The one where Superman and Captain Marvel (Shazam) fight due to Lex framing Superman. Your intro gave me goosebumps and gives me HYPE
If you can make Shining freakin Knight cool you deserve a Guild Award
This show treated me with respect as a kid. The royal flush gang episode routinely comes to kind for me.
“He stayed with her till her time came” still gets me
Mr. Miracle's episode didn't hold back either. Granny Goodness explicitly tortures children into being obedient soldiers.
I think it’s neat how J.K. Simons plays two characters in superhero shows who have quite a few parallels
A huge amount of credit goes to DC for believing in Dwayne McDuffie’s writing and leadership on Justice League Unlimited. A real talent. Sad we lost him at such a young age. 49. RIP Dwayne McDuffie. Another great episode: For The Man Who Has Everything. 😎
"Acts of good are not always wise. Acts of evil are not always foolish. Yet regardless, we must always strive to be good"
These videos about the DCAU makes me love this animated universe a lot more than i already do, specially JLU 👍
The old woman's speech paired with "get better, the world still needs protecting." Literally makes me so emotional I feel sick. I love this show so much snd it's so important that it wasn't going to dumb itself down and talk seriously.
That intro gave me goosebumps Jesus Christ well done man
This was always my favorite episode of the series as well, as I'm a big fan of the Golden Age and C and D list characters and concepts. I actually wish that version of Crimson Avenger would make a return. JLU is the best example of what comic adaptions could be, and what I wish the films would base themselves more on. The fact we got new iterations of some of the goofier Super Friends characters also always hit home. Longshadow is the best Native American character out there!!
The DCAU was so amazing. That old lady even got a small arc. She goes from upset that Superman doesn't show up to the parade, to standing up for Shining Knight in front of evil Hulk. And encourages SK as he goes off to hospital.
That scene always makes me tear up a little. It's just so powerful you know.
3:58 Course Stargirl went on to get her own show (which got unfairly cut by Nexstar who bought a controlling share of the CW (because they somehow think the CW's target demographic is 58 year olds when most of the programing is for teenagers and young adults) in October, least they also canned The Flash, which somehow survived the Discovery Merger culling when Legion of Super-Heroes and Superman and Louis didn't) which also features Pat Dugan and his STRIPE robot and a bunch of other obscure JSA-era characters and their successors. In the Arrowverse Crisis on Infinite Earths, it was even labeled the post-crisis Earth-Two, which in the comics, is the DC Golden Age universe.
Ollie and Roy charging Eiling with their bows always makes my heart swell
As someone whose favorite JLU episode is Patriot Act and who also loves obscure superheroes, you know damn well I clicked this video quickly once I recognized who was on the thumbnail. Great video.
I knew when I was a kid that I was watching a very good and complex show, but it's only as I came back to it a decade later that I realised it might be one of the best superhero adapatation on screen ever.
Green Arrow, Speedy, Vigilante, the Shining Knight, Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E.S. were all in this episode as an homage to The Seven Soldiers of Victory from the 1940s, a team which was revived in the Bronze Age in "Justice League of America" issue 100. (Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E.S represent the Star-Spangled Kid & Stripesy, the original members who don't appear in the League.)
The heroes in this story weren't chosen at random. They were all members of DC's lesser known Golden Age team, The Seven Soldiers of Victory, with Stargirl standing in for her predescessor, the Star-Spangled Kid. And the kids in the crowd were based on The Newsboy Legion. That's what I loved about JLU. They mined DC's rich history and paid homage to it rather than try to make them "edgy."
This and Flash and substance are my two favorite episodes, and it made me so genuinely happy to see a video about it! Thank you for making it!
Oof, that line by Waller about how how people view enemies and themselves. Words to live by. Major kudos and thanks to the writer(s) of this episode. And to you for creating this video.
This series was WAY ahead of its time.
Modern DC films and cartoons: Everything is dark and depressing, Superman isn't a superHERO, nobody on the JL trusts Batman despite great reason to trust him.
90's and early 2000's DC movies and cartoons: Everything is colorful, Superman is actually a superHERO instead of just a dude with powers who doesn't want to be a symbol for good, Batman is generally right and everyone trusts him because who in their right mind wouldn't trust BATMAN?!
0:10, hear that people "CAPTAIN MARVEL"
I love the Cadmus arc it’s really awesome and tons of fun.
This is my third video I’ve watched from this channel. Oh my goodness, this stuff is amazing. Such rich detail. Such fantastic writing. Such wonderful introspect. Fantastic editing. Great music selection. I have come to have great respect for this channel. So grateful for a wonderful blend of childhood nostalgia with adult retrospect. THANK YOU
Thank you for making this video.
I say this wholeheartedly because I know it’s easy to be cynical (in fiction or life), but this video helped remind me that what matters is to DO GOOD, simple as that. So thank you.
Day by day, I try to do at least one positive thing.
Keep hope alive
Yeah do good, getting just shit for it.
No thanks, i dont do anything good for this ungrateful world.
Can I just say the fact that you acknowledge Green Arrow as more than just a B-lister made my day. Dude is one of my favourite characters in the DC canon
This ep alaso highlighted why Waller was so great. She knew and acknowledged that she was walking the line between right and wrong and actively counted on the JL to keep her moral compass straight while also calling them out when they strayed.
Cadmus is the greatest monster slayer of greek mythology. Following archetype he slays the monsters not for his own glory, but the benefit of all humanity relieved of a threat. Knowing that when first hearing about the project hit a certain way. What if superman was Bright Burn...
The message of this episode is indeed timeless. Cynicism is a poison too many people adapt to protect themselves from disappointment and betrayal. Never works...whether you're ready for it or not, it still hurts when the blow lands. The superheroes who genuinely last understand that throwing away your hope for a better world is self-defeating. And "Patriot Act" explains why.
Never before was it so obvious how pretentious I am, because I love your style and your simple but thorough analysis, thanks.