From the desk of SPB2015: Top Ten JL/JLU Eps.

The final shows in the DC Animated Universe, Justice League and its followup Justice League Unlimited closed out the franchise in high style. Toting good writing, splendid voice acting (including fan favorites such as George Newbern as Superman, Susan Elisenberg as Wonder Woman, and Phill LaMarr as John Stuart), solid animation, and stories that were enjoyable for young and old alike (though Justice League Unlimited was noticeably more serious and more open about stuff like death), these two shows have retained dedicated fans even years after they have wrapped up. But which episodes were truly the best? Which ones truly stood out among the many solid entries these shows had to offer? Well today, we're gonna be taking a look at the ten best episodes of the two shows. Two and three parters will be included (since Justice League was almost entirely multi-parters), and of course if you haven't seen these shows in their enterity (you can find them on Netflix) there WILL be spoilers! Not to mention, the episodes listed here are the result of my personal opinion, so please respect it. Now then, if everyone's ready, it's time to suit up and save the day!

10. Hereafter (Justice League: Season 2, Episodes 19-20): If you were a DC comics fan in the 90's, chances are you at least heard about the 1994 comic that has since attracted infamy "The Death of Superman". Ultimately known today as a ratings trap (Superman didn't stay dead for long and his death was part of what became known as the Dark Age of Comics), this episode is somewhat like that. A bunch of supervillains gather together with the purpose of destroying Superman, among them is Toyman (voiced by Corey Burton and not Bud Cort, but Bud would reprise the role for Toyman's next and final appearance in the DC Animated Universe), who appears to vaporize Superman with an experimental weapon. The entire Justice League is devastated by this, though Batman refuses to believe Superman is truly gone for good. Martian Manhunter delivers a powerful euology at Superman's funeral, and then sometime later, Lobo shows up and nominates himself as Superman's replacement. But it turns out that Superman isn't actually dead, he was sent into the future. And it's there that he discovers the entire world has been wiped out, with the exception of one man, Vandal Savage. Realizing what his actions have caused, Vandal sends Superman back in time to save the world. This episode makes good on its emotion, when Wonder Woman goes after Toyman and says she's gonna punch a hole in his head, you can really feel the anger she's just barely surpressing. And you even get a sense that Batman is trying desperately to believe Superman isn't dead, because while he'll never admit it, he's torn up at the thought of losing someone close to him just like his parents.

9. In Blackest Night (Justice League: Season 1, Episodes 4-5): Though it featured the titular league, Justice League was noticeable for a few oddities in its lineup. The Martin Manhunter was on the team, but not Aquaman, who was usually among the core members of the league. As for Green Lantern and The Flash, the most popular incarnations of them to serve on the league were Hal Jordan, and Billy Blurr. But in this animated cartoon, we had John Stuart and Wally West. What I like about John Stuart is that while he's a black superhero, they never go out of their way to exploit that fact or make it known. He's treated like anyone else, which really helps to sell on the integration angle. This one of two two parters I had on VHS as a kid, and it always stood out to me. You know how in most court cases in fictional works, a person says they're innocent and that someone framed them? Well, what if a person actually believed they were guilty of the crime they were accused of, and didn't know they'd been framed? That's exactly what happens to John Stuart here, who surrenders to the Manhunters (the predecessors to the Green Lanterns) for trial on a distant planet, believing himself to be guilty of exterminating an entire planet. The Flash steps in to defend him despite John's protests, while the rest of the league uncovers a plot to frame John Stuart and exterminate the Green Lanterns. When the truth is exposed, John delivers a powerful rendention of the Green Lantern motto that always gives me chills: "In brightest day, in blackest night. No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might. Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!". Phill LaMarr proved early on that he was an excellent choice for John Stuart of the Green Lanterns, and he would continue to go on to impress as the DC Animated Universe went on.

8. This Little Piggy (Justice League Unlimited: Season 1, Episode 5): Early on, Justice League Unlimited was all about showcasing many of the newer superheroes, though in this case the superhero is actually not really one, but the famous magician Zatana voiced by Jennifer Hale. Batman enlists the help of Zatana to save Wonder Woman, who is turned into a pig by a centuries old enchantress. The highlight is not only seeing elements of Greek Mythology, including Medusa herself, but also Batman doing something you probably never would've guessed. He sings, quite well in fact. This episode also adds a ton of shipping fuel to the Batman/Wonder Woman ship that was teased slightly back in Justice League. It's definitely better than the many works that seem to pair up Superman/Wonder Woman for some odd reason.

7. Patriot Act (Justice League Unlimited: Season 3, Episode 7): This episode's title is a bit too on the nose given the subject matter it tackles. There was a real life piece of legislature entitled The Patriot Act, and it was pushed through the Republican controlled Congress and signed into law by George W. Bush, in the aftermath of 9/11, it was sold on the fear of terrorists detonating dirty bombs in America, at a time when Bush was riding his post 9/11 high and people were slow to overcome their fear and question the government's actions. The act allowed the government to listen in on people's phone conversations (fortunately only land lines), and to my knowledge it was never repealed, even after the Democrats won back control of Congress in 2006, and Obama became president in 2008. The reason I bring this up, is because this episode sees General Wade-Elling (voiced by J.K. Simmons) from Project Cadmus, who believes the Justice League to be a threat, and that Amanda Waller is in league with them and is wrong to think they can be controlled. He steals a special formula that turns him into a superpowered monster, and he takes on a few of the lesser known Justice League members, before he ultimately realizes he's become what he's rallied against, though he claims that one day people will see he was right. Basically this an episode that asks the controversial question of whether it's okay to scarifice freedom for security, and if there's a limit to the paranoia you can have before you start becoming that which you seek to destroy. Considering this entire topic plagued the second season of Justice League Unlimited, I can imagine some people weren't too thrilled to see it be brought back up again here. But it's nowhere near as uncomfortable or painful to watch, especially since it's just one individual rather than an entire organization who is just worried that they can't control Superman (nevermind the fact that Superman and the Justice League specifically exist to be independent of world governments and not be political tools).

6. Flash and Substance (Justice League Unlimited: Season 3, Episode 5): Season 3 of Justice League Unlimited revolved around Lex Luthor and Gorilla Grodd, and their schemes and clashes for control over a collection of DC supervillains, but it had a few filler episodes here and there. This and the one immediately below it were some of them. This episode explores The Flash (Wally West)'s character, as he recieves help from Batman and Orion, the latter of which tries to understand Flash's methods, as he battles against four of his greatest enemies, Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Mirror Master, and The Trickster (voiced by Mark Hamill who has since reprised the role in The Flash on The CW), the same day as Central City is unvieling a new museum in The Flash's honor and holding a Flash Appreciation Day. You'd imagine that all this fame would go to The Flash's head, especially considering how he's bragged about being the fastest man alive. But this episode shows what has been made clear throughout the DC Animated Universe, The Flash is very much The League's heart, perhaps even moreso than Batman. What really helps sell this scene, is his conversation with The Trickster at a pub. He doesn't need to act all intimidating and threatening, and neither does he have to beat the guy senseless. He just sits down and has a nice talk with him, convincing him to take his meds and go back to the hospital to get help, then he promises that if The Trickster does so, he'll come and play soft darts with him. Orion mentions at the end how he thinks The Flash acts like a fool to hide a warrior's pain, but for me I think it's just The Flash being an all around nice guy. Sure, he's a bit of a goofball and proud of his speed, but he has a good heart, and always strives to do the right thing no matter what. He's what keeps the league from becoming judge and jury of the whole world.

5. Starcrossed (Justice League: Season 2, Episodes 24-26): The three part finale of Justice League, this three parter is packed full of surprises. It turns out that this entire time, Hawkgirl has been a spy for her own people, the Thanagarians, and has bethrothed to Thanagarian commander Hro Talak (a play on words for the real name of Hawkman), despite her blossoming romance with John Stuart. The Thanagarians come to Earth, offering to protect it from an invasion by the Gordanians, but their proposed shield is soon revealed as a ruse, Batman discovers that the Gordanians aren't invading Earth, the Thangarians are using Earth as a jump point to send an armada to attack the Gordanians and save their home planet from a Gordanian assault. But in the process, Earth will be destroyed! Hawkgirl finds herself torn between her loyalties to her home planet and people, and the friends she's made on Earth. Ultimately, she chooses to protect Earth, branding herself a traitor to the Thanagarian people and forcing them to leave. But not before the original watchtower is destroyed. And even then, Hawkgirl isn't out of the fire just yet, the Justice League debates whether or not to expel Hawkgirl for her actions and lies, and John Stuart finds himself unable to vote due to still holding onto feelings. Alfred Pennyworth gets a good few lines in here ("And I thought Batman was the detective." "I've asked Master Bruce to kindly refrain from leaving trash on the lawn.") including his entire speech to Hawkgirl as she awaits word of the league's vote. Before she has a chance to hear how they voted though, she announces her intent to leave, and tells John that she did indeed love him, but he deserves someone else. Fortunately, we wouldn't see the last of Hawkgirl, but there's no denying just how much this three parter went above and beyond with the feels. Hawkgirl was truly in a no win situation, danged if she and danged if she didn't.

4. The Terror Beyond (Justice League: Season 2, Episodes 15-16): Hawkgirl seemed to suffer the most out of any of the heroes on the Justice League in this cartoon, you already saw what happened with her home planet and people, but before that she also had to go through this. Doctor Fate and Aquaman spring Solomon Grundy (voiced by Mark Hamill) from jail, hoping to use him to fate an ancient evil, in exchange for helping Grundy find his soul. There's a great deal of action and mythology here, and Aquaman is utilized quite well here (I find him to be kind of a jerk for the most part in Justice League, even considering what he goes through. It's the opposite problem of what he had up to this point, being known mostly as a joke hero with cheesy powers, it wouldn't really be until Injustice: Gods Among Us that Aquaman would be established as a force to be reckoned with). But the real highlight is seeing Grundy scarifice himself to save Hawkgirl. The day is saved and the evil is defeated, but Grundy is left fatally wounded. Hawkgirl is the one who stumbles across him, and despite her athiest beliefs, she tells Grundy that she thinks his soul is waiting for him, and Grundy's final line is "Then.... Grundy gets his reward.". Hawkgirl tries to bury Grundy in accordance with Earth customs, and Aquaman gives this powerful line to comfort her: "It's fate, Hawkgirl. You're not supposed to understand it. You're supposed to believe in it.". But if you thought you'd seen the last of Solomon Grundy, you thought wrong!

3. Wake the Dead (Justice League Unlimited: Season 1, Episode 11): Fun fact: Solomon Grundy is actually based on an old nursery rhyme. It goes as follows: "Solomon Grundy. Born on a Monday. Christened on Tuesday. Married on Wednesday. Took ill on Thursday. Got worse on Friday. Died on Saturday. Buried on Sunday. That was the end of Solomon Grundy.", and in most works Grundy is depicted as an undead zombie. This plays a little into this episode, when a group of college students accidentally release Grundy from his burial place with chaos magic, making him more powerful than ever before. Even Superman isn't strong enough to stop him. That's when Doctor Fate, Aquaman, and Hawkgirl show up (Hawkgirl has been living with them since leaving the league), and as it turns out, Hawkgirl is the only one who can stop Grundy, as her mace can cancel out the magic used to revive him. Hawkgirl flies down to confront Grundy, and we can see how much she's torn up at the fact that she will be killing him, even if it means his soul will once again know peace. When the deed is done, Hawkgirl is prepared to leave, but Superman reveals that she never technically left the league, there was a tie in the votes and he cast the tie breaker to let Hawkgirl stay. He invites her to rejoin the league, as he believes everyone deserves a second chance. Worth mentioning is that Hawkgirl no longer has her mask.

2. Destroyer (Justice League Unlimited: Season 3, Episode 13): The grand finale of the DC Animated Universe, this episode sees all the major heroes and villains team up to fight Darkseid and Apokolips, after Lex Luthor unintentionally brought him back in the episode prior, due to his obsession to bring back Brainiac. Even the Martin Manhunter, who took a leave of absence several episodes prior, returns, now having better understood humanity. But Darkseid himself proves almost impossible to defeat, even when Batman, Superman, and Lex Luthor take him on all at once. In the end, Lex Luthor obtains the secret to the universe, and with it he is able to sacrifice himself to stop Darkseid, seemingly forever. And the rest of the villains get a fifteen second head start, before the Justice League chases after them, Wonder Woman delivering the last spoken line in the entire DC Animated Universe, and the episode ending with a close up of Batman as he comes rushing into the camera. But the real highlight, and what has led many to consider George Newbern the best voice of Superman, is the famous "World of Cardboard" speech that Superman gives to Darkseid. Words cannot do it justice, go look up the actual clip and you'll understand how famous it is. So, what could top an episode as amazing as this?! Well, before we find out, let's look at some honorable mentions.

Honorable Mention 1 - Legends (Justice League: Season 1, Episodes 16-17): A tribute to Gardner Fox, a Gold Age writer who created both the Justice Society and the Justice League of America, this two parter sees the entire Justice League be teleported into the comic book world of the Justice Guild, who battle supervillains and always save the day. But it soon turns out to be nothing more than an illusion, the actual Justice Guild was killed in a nuclear war, and only one member, a little boy, survived. This two parter ends on quite the downer ending, which is really heartbreaking considering who this two parter is dedicated to (Gardner Fox died in 1986 on Christmas Eve).

Honorable Mention 2 - Wildcards (Justice League: Season 2, Episodes 21-22): The final appearance of The Joker and Harley Quinn in the DC Animated Universe, this two parter also serves as a hidden crossover with Teen Titans. That's because the Royal Flush Gang that is featured so prominently here, shares the same voice actors/actresses as the Titans (10 is voiced by Khary Payton who also voices Cyborg, Jack is voiced by Greg Cipes who also voices Beast Boy, Queen is voiced by Tara Strong who also voices Raven, King is voiced by Scott Menville who also voices Robin (Dick Grayson), and Ace is voiced by Hayden Welch who also voices Starfire), and the designs of them are apparently moddled after the voice actors. This two parter also confirms the relationship between Hawkgirl and John Stuart, when she uses her mace's electrical powers as a makeshift defibralator to shock John's heart back into action when a blast shuts it off. It's cram full of action, as The Joker buys some airtime and announces that he's hidden bombs all over the Las Vegas strip that will go off in twenty four hours if the league doesn't find and defuse them all. But it turns out he anticipated this, as his real strategy was to get people to watch their t.v.s and be hypnotized by Ace's pyschic powers. Mark Hamill remains in top form as The Joker here, delivering every line with sadistic pleasure and that voice that contains just a hint of creepy. And if you thought you'd seen the last of Ace after this two parter, well join me a bit later on.

Honorable Mention 3 - Comfort and Joy (Justice League: Season 2, Episode 23): The only stand alone episode of Justice League, this episode is basically the Christmas episode for the series. With Batman on Watch Tower duty and Wonder Woman not being mentioned at all, the rest of the Justice League heroes decide to take a break for the holiday and spend it with those they love. The Flash spends it with some children in an orphange, where he gets them a very special toy that is all but sold out, and helps one of his villains realize the importance of giving to others. Hawkgirl and Green Lantern spend it showing each other how they do things on their respective home worlds and get into a snowball fight, and Superman invites Martin Manhunter to spend the holiday at the Kent family farm, something that the Martin has a hard time doing at first as he can't help but feel like an outcast. It's always nice to see our heroes taking a well deserved break to enjoy a holiday.

Honorable Mention 4 - For The Man Who Has Everything (Justice League Unlimited: Season 1, Episode 2): This episode's title and story are actually an adaptation of a famous comic by Alan Moore for Superman Annual #11 back in 1985. Batman and Wonder Woman visit Superman in his Fortress of Solitude to celebrate his birthday, but find him possesed by a flower that shows the heart's greatest desire, and it turns out to be a gift from an alien named Mongul. For Superman, his greatest desire is a world in which Krypton was never destroyed, he is married to Lois Lane and has a family, and is adored as the greatest man in the world. But he slowly begins to realize the world he's in isn't real, and he is sadly forced to confront this reality, as the illusion crumbles via explosion. The plant then posses Batman, who's greatest desire is to see his dad attack the man who would kill both him and his wife (interestingly, Joe Chill, the name of the crook, is voiced by Kevin Conroy. Fans have pointed out that this may have been to hint at how Bruce Wayne is viewing his Batman persona, how he feels that Batman is why he can never be happy). Wonder Woman manages to wrestle away control of the plant and destroy it, and Superman very nearly kills Mongul for what the plant did. It's a powerful story of how what we want may be out of reach, no matter how much we wish otherwise.

Honorable Mention 5 - Double Date (Justice League Unlimited: Season 2, Episode 6): Obsessed with revenge against the crime boss Steven Mandragora, to the point where she tries to murder him, Huntress is kicked out of the Justice League. But she finds a sympathetic partner in a faceless man called the Question (voiced perfectly by Jeffry Combs), who agrees to aid her in exchange for information on his many conspiracy theories. But they must contend with Green Arrow and Black Canary (Green Arrow's girlfriend), who have been assigned to protect Mandragora, even though they're not too thrilled with some of his comments towards them. As it turns out, Huntress resents Mandragora, because he killed her parents while she was hidden away in a closest as a young girl and was forced to watch (you know, for kids). And in a surprising twist, Mandragora is revealed to be working to secure the release of his son from another crime boss, so that they could escape and live in hiding together, and the Question knew this. Huntress realizes that revenge is not the answer, especially when doing so would make her as bad as the man she wants dead, though that doesn't stop her from injuring Mandragora. That does it for the honorable mentions, and now it's time to find out what the number one episode of Justice League/Justice League Unlimited is!

1. Epilogue (Justice League Unlimited: Season 2, Episode 13): The originally planned grand finale of the DC Animated Universe, the intent of this episode was to show how everything had come full circle. Don't let the intro fool you though, this is a Batman Beyond episode in practically all but name. The only reason it's not airing as the final episode of Batman Beyond, is because by this point Batman Beyond had wrapped up and had been wrapped up for several years. They weren't about to air another episode of it and make people think there was more on the way. Basically, this episode touches on some leftover plot points left by Batman Beyond's conclusion a few years back. Terry McGinnis learns that he is actually a clone of Bruce Wayne, created from a project headed by Amanda Waller to continue Bruce Wayne's work when he was no longer around. She recounts her experiences working with the Justice League, and how she came to realize the importance of needing a Bruce Wayne to be Batman. Frustrated by this discovery, Terry McGinnis refuses to join the new Justice League, and even breaks up with his girlfriend out of fear that his enemies would use her to get to him. But Amanda Waller manages to convince Terry that he is still himself (by this point Terry is now a young man, and Bruce is really getting old), in spite of his origins and his similar lifestyle. The episode even ends on a similar note to how the first episode of Batman The Animated Series began, even bringing back the theme and giving it a futuristic rock undertone. But the real highlight of this episode, is the flashback to Batman's battle with the new Royal Flush Gang, and the death of Ace. Tasked with making sure Ace's pyschic backlash upon her death from a cerebral hemorage doesn't kill everyone in ranger, Batman is tasked with getting close to Ace (exploiting her trust of him) to use a special device to kill her. But as it turns out, Batman never intended to kill Ace, and she knew this too. Ace tells Batman how she knows she's dying and that she's scared of the fact, after recounting how she was cheated out of her childhood at Project Cadmus. And she asks Batman if he'll stay with her, to which he agrees. This act of compassion is enough to keep Ace from killing everyone with a pyschic backlash, and as Amanda Waller puts it "He sat there with her until her time came". It really helps to remember that Batman is still human, and he knows what it's like to be robbed of your childhood. Where everyone else saw a powerful weapon just waiting to explode and kill everyone, he saw a scared little girl afraid to die and who just needed a comforting hand. Someone to be there for her until the end, someone she trusted. And that was what convinced Amanda Waller that the world needed another Bruce Wayne, someone who could be compassionate and understand the plight of others. There's also a touching moment when Terry acknowledges Bruce as his father, before he leaves to suit up. For all the reasons I've mentioned, this episode easily takes the number one spot.

And there you have it, come back next week when we'll celebrate Mother's Day with a look at the Top Ten Mothers in Animation.