Justice League Unlimited

Just to start off - I say Batman's out-of-character, especially in the super-criminal fight with Superman in Metropolis. The idea of Batman saying he likes because he's 'sunny' is wrong on every level, Batman's supposed to be a creature of the night (although less so in the Justice League) and this would have worked if any character other than Batman had said it



Rant over, I thought the Superman/Captain Marvel battle proved intresting, and showed just how strong they both were, the point of that battle though seems rather unknown to me... "I'm trying to be reasonable so you hit me through a wall" seems rather unlike Superman to me, though I do agree with another review that said Marvel should never have challenged him at all.



This is another chapter in the CADMUS Storyline, where Hamilton shows his allegance to CADMUS, if a little cryptically. Luthor obviously set up the entire thing, raising suspicions about him.



Like I said, it's a shame how Captain Marvel quit the League, it would have been interesting to have learned more about him, and his 'share of pretty nasty bad guys'



All in all though, it was a pretty decent episode, so that's why I give it an 8/10

This episode was great, but I was really disappointed with the direction of the writing. Don't get me wrong, it is not my story so I have to accept what is written. That being said, it was nothing wrong with the writing itself, but the direction of the story. Superman had every right to kick Cap'n Marvels [butt]. Superman made a legitimate judgment call and no matter if Marvel agrees with him or not, he doesn't have the right to challenge the Chief of the Justice League. Besides, all he was going to do was dig under that playground and stop a bomb(or at least what actually DID look like a bomb). None of the other damage would have been done if Captain Marvel had any type of discipline and respect for his Boss/Idol. The whole damage was not Superman's fault, not Luther's fault, but it was dumb, arrogant Captain Marvel's fault. AAAAAAAAND, in reality, Marvel is wrong because he just played right into Luthor and Cadmus' hands. Anyway, to shorten this up, I don't agree with the outcome, because Superman should have not been apologetic to Marvel. They should have told him his no-order-following butt was fired and lucky Superman didn't kick his butt worse than he did. one last point: How many times did members of the league disagree with each other on how to handle a situation and NEVER did they erupt into a big fight such as this(Marvel was really taking it full strength at Superman over this). There weren't even any lives at stake. I'm not really that familiar with Captain Marvel, but since he IS a child. He really does THINK like a child. He's far worse than Flash in that sense.



Anyway, great episode nonetheless. But if I had anything to say about it, Marvel would have been KICKED out before he could even quit!

I Must of seen this fight as many times as a human being can blink within a week! I used to have the comic(where is it!?)and i must say that in the comic it was 22 pages or so of nothing but pound after pound!it was delightful,but ''Clash'' didnt have 22 mintues of pounds it was anout maybe a minute and 29 seconds and I was hooked this brawl was so well directed it was delicious!the secret ingredient stirred into this episode made me want to see more!the whole episode so well plotted from beginning to end! very intriging every scene had a twist of climax that left me chatting for another fight! they gotta Dc Direct that fight im sorry but you dont tease me with a minute of geekastic joy and ran off!OVERALL!Supes and Cap fight is to me alot interesting than Doomsday and Supes becuz you can see the balance with that clash but with cap and supes duking it out its by a thin margain.It has always orbited in my mind who could win Supes or Capt? superman is weak against magic! but than yet again supes is older!and more experiened,Caps is young and tangible, but with a arsenal of greek god powers.! hmm what can over come? Powers of the Sun Mixed with Alien DNA? or 5 Greek God Attributes With Human DNA!?..LOL bruce I think we gotta a DC Direct scheme here huh?

in this episode, we see Luthor is not really the good guy that the league thought he already was. this bald headed evil genius just gets his thing done. because of Superman's continuous suspicion of Luthor's hidden schemes, he ended up fighting one of the greatest superheros of the DC universe, captain marvel. as a consequence, they lose him, and the entire reputation of the justice league falls. however, would commend the fight scene. it was very exciting in the sense that two very powerful beings were battling each other out to the flesh. it's like goku vs vegeta. very entertaining.

No other score but a 10 can be given to this episode, and, it must be said, to the whole Cadmus plot that is developed in this season 4 of Justice League Unlimited. Along episodes like "Flashpoint", "Panic in the Sky", and "Doomsday Sanction", this "Clash" tells us not only an interesting story, but one that actually matters.



This episode is special in many, many ways. It's well writen, well developed, well ploted. Good dialogues, a villain with a good plan, and, the best of all, shows a human perspective about those guys we call heroes. Superheroes, in fact. JLU is a cartoon series of superheroes that, believe it or not, questions the role and the place a hero should occupy in the world, and tries to understand the impact guys like that would have in a daily life. If this is not a great show, well, then I've never seen one. Anyway, this episode here is just that: a way of saying that is not the power that makes the hero, but the other way around. It's also and episode where we see how hopes and expectations can be easily broken, and it deals a lot with responsibility. All and all, it's a great moment, and anyone that is a fan of action and big fights will have a great time too. I tell you, I'm a big fan of comics and movies about heroes, and I would still say that this episode of JLU is one of the best approaches I've ever seen of superheroes. I love this cartoon because I'm constantly thinking how it's a show that it's eaqualy fun for kids and adults, and how it's a positive influence on a child. It deals with interesting issues, and makes an effort to show heroes as heroics, but also capable of mistakes and strong emotions. It's very well writen, has good dialogues, and it's action packed. And, best of the best: Batman is always right. You gotta love it.

Superman and Captain Marvel become part of Lex Luthor’s plot to discredit the Justice League. There are few memorable episodes in “Justice League Unlimited” that highlight the notable level of dramatic intensity, top-notch writing and exciting action that make this show so great. “Clash” is certainly one of them. Fans have anxiously waited for the appearance of Captain Marvel in the series. He is well presented as the ideal friendly superhero. Lex Luthor appears to enjoy his new charitable persona and really lays it thick during the opening speech. The fight sequence between Captain Marvel and Superman is absolutely riveting. It’s certainly the best fight sequence in the animated series. Captain Marvel’s heartfelt resignation speech had a profound impact on Superman and the League. The ending proves Luthor’s involvement with Cadmus and leaves the audience ecstatic with what is in stored for the Justice League in the next episode.

Superman does not act as he should in this episode, you kind of feel frustrated with him. But the fight with Captain Marvel is one of the coolest fights ever. In this fight noone holds back, the property damage is so much that I cannot believe noone was hurt or even killed during this fight. This is a must see!

The thing I like most about this episode is that Superman's demeanor to Captain Marvel accurately reflects DC's demeanor towards Fawcett Comics in the 40's.



When Captain Marvel was first published by Fawcett Comics in the 1940s, Superman's publishers at DC were very worried about the fact that Captain Marvel was outselling Superman. This lead to a long legal battle in which DC claimed that Captain Marvel, a black-haired, flying strongman in a cape, was an infringement on their copyrighted character. This lawsuit eventually lead to the cancellation of Captain Marvel. DC would later buy the rights to the character and incorporate him into their universe.



The fact that Superman's initial problem with Captain Marvel is simply that he's more popular is just fantastic. All through Justice League, they've strived to give Superman more personality, and this episode showcases it very well. Unlike in the comics, this Superman has a real problem with Luthor running for President, and isn't above intimidating a fellow Leaguer by bringing them before the Founding Members for censure. Unlike many versions, this Superman is openly affectionate to Lois Lane, even while on duty. And unlike almost any version, this Superman can be a victim of jealousy.



But maybe we can give Superman the benefit of the doubt here. Up until this point all the people he has met with his level of raw physical power have been evil. Perhaps he only thinks the Captain is too good to be true. I get the idea that Superman runs a tight ship. Just look at the Flash's face when Superman makes his comment about not endorsing products or politics on television, which the Flash did in the episode "Eclipsed." That look gives you the feeling that Superman has bawled the Flash out a time or two about that one.



Overall, I thought this was a great episode. I love the deepening of Superman's character, I love seeing Captain Marvel, and I love the huge DBZ-esque fight between the two. I only wish Marvel would have stayed on longer, I would have liked to have seen more of him.

I would have liked to have seen a Kindgdom Come story line for this one maybe set in the future or a dream episode. I'm a big fan of Captain Marvel. I really like all the comics were Sups and Cap.Marvel fight or team up. This story was a bit of a stretch as for Superman being so implusive. I hope to see more of Captain Marvel in the jla unlimited.

SHAZAM!

This is one of the best episode yet it was a clash of the titans Superman vs Captain Marvel.It was a action packed edisode it also revealed lexs involement with cadmus. Here, however we see Luthor manipulating public feelings toward the League by setting up Superman. It's a nice touch that Lex didn't plan on Captain Marvel's involvement but it worked out in his favor. Typically it's the heroes who get all the lucky breaks.

When I read the advance preview about this episode, I was extremely happy to see that it was going to feature the introduction of Captain Marvel aka Shazam. After viewing this episode, I can say that I wasn't disappointed in the show I watched.

The portrayal of Captain Marvel, as well as his youthful alter ego, are pretty accurate in speech and mannerisms. For some, the scenes between him and Superman seem a bit odd until one realizes that Superman, in a much darker mood from the events of the past few seasons, possibly sees a bit of himself in past days with an attitude similar to Marvel's energetic and humble approach.

The other part of this episode that really stood out for me was the phenomenal fight between Captain Marvel and Superman. As a result of a misunderstanding, the two titans slug it out in what is nothing short of an epic battle. Buildings are destroyed, holes are battered as the battle rages above and below the surface of the city. Although the conclusion is a bit predictable, the viewer also sees the true nature of how this whole confrontation was rigged and who is conspiring against the league.

A very solid episode highlighted by tremendous action and the speech by Captain Marvel at the end that really speaks to what he feels is the essence of a hero.

I was very disappointed in this episode. While it is always difficult finding a storyline where 2 heros ending up in battle against each other, this episode was a serious letdown. As a big CM fan, I was expecting more originality. The final fight sequence was a complete takeoff from the Kingdom Come graphic novel. The story was lame and they could have done a much better job with the entire episode. While CM's speech at the end was probably some of the best writing from the team, the episode was just far from being what I had hoped for. I hope they think twice before blowing a storyline for such a great character again. It's great that I could see one of my favorite all time comic characters and be able to watch it with my son, but it was a real letdown for both of us.

From the moment "Clash" starts, we get two very cool moments that fans of the original Batman Animated Series and Superman Animated Series will instantly love. First, we have the unforgettable theme from Batman's show playing during his first appearence. It's a nice way to tie it in.



The second is, again, playing the theme from the Superman show as the Man Of Steel saves a falling plane. It's two nice touches, and really adds to the episode.



Now, with that out of the way, we have the first(and probably only) appearance of Captain Marvel in the Bruce Timm/Paul Dini DC Animated Universe(or DCAU for short). And it's a hell of an appearence. As Marvel takes down Parasite, we are greeted to Superman inquiring on who Captain Marvel is. They apparently recruited him while Superman was away.



From here, it's a constant stream of bickering and arguing between Superman and Captain Marvel. While Superman doesn't seem like himself, a jealous and paranoid hothead, it's a nice way to convey the fact that Superman knows there's more to Cadmus. He knows that Cadmus is planning something, but can't figure it out.



As the show progresses, you can't help but feel something bad is going to happen. And it does. At a charity event for Lex Luthor's Lexor City, Superman overhears Luthor asking if his escape route is ready. Fearing the worst, Superman finds that an explosive device is right underneath Lexor City. As Superman's temper gets the best of him, Captain Marvel attempts to calm him down.



Now, Justice League has had it's fair share of amazing, super-powered fight scenes. The Justice Lord Superman vs. Doomsday, Galatea vs. Supergirl and our world Superman vs. Doomsday come to mind. But this one tops them all. A furious and brutal fight that tears down Lexor City. It's really surprising what they got away with. The fight is no-holds barred, absolutely vicious, and a joy to watch.



As this collosal showdown comes to a close, we are treated to an homage to the Kingdome Come comic storyline(IMO, one of the best comic stories ever). As Captain Marvel utters that 6-letter word and holds Superman in the path of the lightning, striking him. It's at this point that Superman wiggles out of Marvel's grip and holds the lightning hits Marvel, turning him back into Billy Batson. The "Fight's over, son" line as Superman covers Billy's mouth to ensure no more transformations is classic.



Now, here's where it gets sad. Captain Marvel, while a powerful being, is still a boy in a man's body. He has the same dreams and desires a young boy would have. He's looked up to his heroes. Superman was his hero, but now his dreams have been shattered. The speech he gives to the League at the end of the episode is heartbreaking.



"You guys don't act like heroes anymore."



That line is the last we hear of Captain Marvel, and it speaks volumes. This boy's dreams have been ripped to pieces, and it crushes me to realize this.



As one would expect, the Cadmus storyline is pushed forward as it's revealed that Lex Luthor is pulling the strings.



All in all, "Clash" is a truly amazing episode. The end is a downer, but I like it that way.

"Clash" proves to be a critical episode, if for no other reason that it gives us a reason to believe the public fear the League (or Superman as its public face). "Dark Heart" is really the only episode that gave us reason to believe the public might "fear" the League, even if much of that remains unexplained.



Here, however, we see Luthor manipulating public feelings toward the League by setting up Superman. It's a nice touch that Lex didn't plan on Captain Marvel's involvement, but it worked out in his favor. Typically it's the heroes who get all the lucky breaks.



Clancy Brown as always gives an entertaining performance as Lex Luthor - he plays up the swarmy "I'm reformed" angle a bit too much, and you'd think Superman would wonder why he was being quite so obvious. But it's always a pleasure to have him working on the show.



That brings us to Captain Marvel. Jerry O'Connell really doesn't do much with the role - one suspects he might been told not to play up the character's more (supposedly) child-like aspects. It's difficult to make out it's him, for good or for ill. Shane Haboucha really doesn't have much to do. Lisa Edelstein (slipping over from the House soundstage?) also doesn't do much. John C. McGinley oddly spends more time playing the uncredited role of the talk show host O'Bannon then he does the Atom.



This is another episode that moves along pretty quickly but crams a lot in. There's the big slug out, of course, and an awe-inspiring "invoking the magic to blast Superman" (which isn't unique to just Kingdom Come). But we also get the whole "Has Luthor reformed?" angle (and more on his Presidential bid), and a brief appearance by the Cadre (the villains Batman and Superman are slugging it out with), and even the Parasite and a few "cameo" Leaguers who actually do something (and giving us Jeremy Piven - always amusing as the Elongated Man).



Overall this was a decent episode. I'm still not convinced that the show has really intelligently shown us how the League are getting too big for its britches - "Question Authority" does so a little better, but a bit too late in the game. There are still a few believability gaps but I suppose that's an advantage of the shorter 30-minute format - the writers aren't expected to develop it too much. Using Cpatain Marvel was a nice touch - we get a character naive enough to demonstrate how the public is turning against the League.



Overall, I'd give it a 7-8 rating.

First off Let me state that I have had a "Love/Hate" reaction to the Justice League series. There have been many great episodes but others, including some of the early "Unlimited" episodes--with the clubhouse-like Watchtower and the greatly expanded roster, left me cold.



Many episodes seemed to fall into category that my cousin and I call "Beat-down TV" where the characters have these city-leveling fights, with little regard for their surroundings or the citizens that might be killed or injured. The battles may be spectacular but at the same time there's no character or plot development.



This episode felt like a return to that formula. It felt like an excuse to show Superman having a no-holds-barred brawl with an opponent who could take the pounding.



What I thought was really excellent about this episode was the introduction of Captain Marvel and how perfectly the writers conveyed his wonder at being among his heroes. Marvel's characterization was great and you really got the sense that he is literally a child in a man's body. What was also well done was the development of Lex Luthor, and the way he carefully choreographs his every move to suit his own ends. We get to see him the way the people in that world see him, --as a suave, intelligent, man. We have to wait until the end to learn his plan rather than knowing it from the beginning and I think the rest of the episode took away from those areas



The parts I that found most out of character and tedious were:

1.The inference that Superman was jealous of Marvel. --Jealous enough to dwell on it and gripe about to Batman.

2. That Batman "Mr I-Take-Nothing-At-Face-Value" likes Marvel and is "OK" with the inexperienced Boy-with-the-powers-of-gods. BTW, when did mortal Batman get strong enough to kick super-dense, super-strong villains THROUGH cars??

3. If Superman was so sure that Luthor was up to something, why didn't he scan the area FIRST?

4. Once the device was discovered, why does Superman (who's supposedly concerned for the people's safety) and Marvel(who's trying to stop Superman from needlessly destroying the park)proceed to spend nearly 3 minutes trying to beat each other unconscious with everything at hand?



The show basically felt like a TV wrestling event, where Superman and Marvel come off as two dumb jocks in a ‘roid rage. ..Even more so since I was able to see the awesome “Panic in the Sky” episode (which has aired in Canada already) before this one.

This is the episode that I have been waiting for since the show began. It's been twenty years since I've seen Captain Marvel on the small screen. To see him in flight once more was just awesome. But despite the joy, I've must tell you that I have some problems with it. Overall, I felt the episode wasn't long enough. I felt that maybe it could've done better as a two-parter concentrating more on the life of Billy Batson and how he became Captian Marvel, and have more dialogue between the boy and other characters of Fawcett City. It just seem like there should have been more of a story about the character before Superman and Captain Marvel had there big tango toward the end of the episode. But seeing the Captain meet Superman and the Justice League and referring to them as idols and symbols were great, I could see the boy coming out of the hero, but it seemed that the Wisdom of Solomon didn't kick in until the words between Supes and Cap were swapped at the unveiling of Lex Luthor's Luxor City project before the initial clash.

It was at that point when I felt I saw the real Captain Marvel materialize. And, the way Cap used that lightning on Supes... WOW. (I heard this action on an audio version of a DC Comic project called, Kingdom Come. There, a future Superman ended up brawling with a future Captain Marvel when Lex Luthor has manipulated Billy Batson into his will. Marvel used the lighting on some super-villians when he came to his senses.)

Then finally when he gave that speech to the JL and then walked away was when I began to think, "Time for a Captain Marvel series."

And, if they do, find some better people to do the voices of Billy Batson and Captain Marvel cause Jerry O'Connell was all wrong for the part of the mightiest mortal and Billy Batson sounded like seven than rather twelve.

Other than that, I like to say again that it was a joy to see the Big Red Cheese take flight again and hope to see him next time. Just can't wait to find out more about Amanda Waller and her plot to destroy the JL. Thank you.

This was the type of Justice League that defines things. It was nice to see Batman and Superman working together and definitely nice to see Lois Lane... Cadmus is really pulling out all the stops and manipulating the Justice League. It seems the show isn't going to last much longer, which is sad, cause it is AMAZING.

The images that come to mind when you hear Superman vs. Captain Marvel is one of “Put up your dukes”, “Time to rumble”, “Slugfest of the Century” or whatever else you can think of comes to mind is where it’s at with this episode.



That’s just the dressing, not the gravy! What makes this episode so outstanding is Captain Marvel’s view of the Justice League and how it changes and why. Questions we seem to face more and more frequently in today’s reality of just what a hero is and why? Can the adult audience recapture for the brief while that sense of justice in Captain Marvel’s eyes that they once had themselves?



Not to give the plot away for those who haven’t seen this yet, but this is what cartoons do when they are at their best! They tell a story, let you have a fun time and learn something about humanity without trying to do so!