CROSSOVER: WORLD'S FINEST

 

 The DC Animated Universe was the biggest shared universe in animation. While Spider-Man had constantly crossed over with unused characters in his own shows and eventually X-Men: The Animated Series, the DCAU was the crossover of several shows based on DC Comics characters.

The DC Animated Universe.

It all began with Batman: The Animated Series. The show itself was largely insular, restricted mostly to Batman-related characters with a non-powered version of magician Zatanna (Julie Brown) being the only major outside character featured. But then came Superman: The Animated Series from the same crew, and based on its success The WB wanted more episodes of Batman. The New Batman Adventures, while utilizing Superman’s design-style due to a significantly reduced budget, maintained largely the same cast and was treated as an extension of Batman. It would also be paired together with Superman in a block called The New Batman/Superman Adventures.

The long-awaited meeting of these two titans.

Shortly after its debut, Batman (Kevin Conroy) would find himself in Metropolis meeting Superman (Tim Daly) for the first time in the three-part episode “World’s Finest”, written by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Rich Fogel, Steve Gerber and Stan Berkowitz, which was also released as a separate film. A cash-strapped Joker (Mark Hamill) stole a statue made out of a large piece of Kryptonite and went to Metropolis to try and form an alliance with Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown) by promising to get rid of Superman for a big payday. Lex ultimately tries to back out of the deal when Joker fails, leading Joker to steal a LexCorp super jet that will allow him to destroy the city.

Superman helping Robin keep the peace and find his mentor.

Batman returned to the show in the episode “Knight Time”, written by Robert Goodman. When Batman goes missing, Superman disguised himself as Batman to help Robin (Matthew Valencia) deal with the crime in Gotham City while investigating his disappearance. The final crossover episode, “The Demon Reborn”, written by Fogel, saw immortal villain Ra’s al Ghul (David Warner) steal a mythical staff that would allow him to steal Superman’s powers, leaving it to Batman to rescue him.

Bad girls just wanna have fun.

Over on Batman’s show, Batgirl (Tara Strong) and Supergirl (Lauren Tom) got in on the crossover action with “Girl’s Night Out”, written by Hilary J. Bader. Livewire (Lori Petty) escaped a prison transport taking her to Gotham for experimental treatments to remove her electrical powers. She joined forces with Poison Ivy (Diane Pershing) and Harley Quinn (Arleen Sorkin) to help them commit some crimes. With Batman and Superman both away, it became up to Batgirl and Supergirl to stop the villains—which didn’t always go quite that smoothly. This marked the only time a character from another DCAU show would appear on Batman.

Zeta taking the Batmobile for a spin.

At the conclusion of both series, a new Batman spin-off was produced: Batman Beyond, which took place in the future and saw teenager Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle) taking up the mantle with an elderly Bruce Wayne guiding him. The episode “Zeta”, written by Goodman, saw the debut of Infiltration Unit Zeta (Gary Cole), a synthezoid built for the NSA that could disguise itself with holograms in order to gather information through interrogation or impersonation with extreme prejudice. Zeta would develop a conscience and go on the run from his creators, with his adventures continuing in the spin-off The Zeta Project.

Classic hero misunderstanding fight.

Zeta (now Diedrich Bader) would return to Beyond in “Countdown”, written by Fogel and Dini. Zeta and his companion, Ro (Julie Nathanson), came to Gotham in search of Zeta’s creator. Radical Mad Stan (Henry Rollins) rescued Zeta from NSA agents that manage to shut him down, but upon discovering he was a robot believed he was sent by the government to kill him. Stan strapped a bomb to Zeta and made him believe that Ro was being held at the Department of Health as a means to get revenge on the agency for raising the price of pet licenses (as he had a dog, Boom-Boom). The same day that episode aired, Batman would appear on Zeta’s show in the episode “Shadows”, written by Fogel and Bader. Infiltration Unit Seven (Bader) tracked Zeta and Ro down to a mall owned by Wayne-Powers. Their resulting fight drew the attention of Terry and Bruce, with footage making it seem like Zeta reverted to his old programming. Batman arrived and attacked Zeta, believing he was going to hurt an injured Ro in the hospital. Ro tried to convince Batman Zeta was innocent, but it was only with the arrival of IU7 that Batman believed and helped them stop it.

Static on the case with Batman and Robin.

Also airing on Kids’ WB was the series Static Shock, based on the character from Milestone comics that was also under the ownership of DC. Initially, the show was an entity unto itself until it joined the DCAU in its second season with the premiere episode “The Big Leagues”, written by Len Uhley. The Joker came to Dakota to recruit Bang Babies—the powered individuals of the city who all gained the abilities from a chemical unleashed by an explosion—for his new gang after Batman put his old one in jail. Batman and Robin (now Eli Marienthal) follow Joker to Dakota to help Static (Phil LaMarr) put a stop to his plans (while they were from the revamped Batman series, by this point that show was long over and Batman was currently starring in Cartoon Network’s Justice League).

Static and Gear hanging out with the Justice League.

For Static Shock’s third season premiere, “Hard as Nails” written by Dini, saw Bang Baby Allie Langford (T’keyah Keymáh) having trouble coping with her transformation into the hard-skinned and taloned Nails. Static tailed her to Gotham City where she had been communicating with people who could supposedly cure her online, turning out to be Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn who convinced her to help on a robbery. Static teamed-up with Batman to stop them, urging him to go easy on Nails as she needed help, not prison. Later that season, the two-part “A League of Their Own”, written by John Semper, Jr., Ernie Altbacker and Static co-creator Dwayne McDuffie, saw the Justice League call on Static to recharge the Justice League’s Watchtower as it was drained by a cosmic storm and was threatening to crash into Earth. During the chaos, Brainiac (Corey Burton) managed to escape confinement and took control of the Watchtower while the Justice League were off dealing with what turned out to be a false distress signal. That left Static and his sidekick, Gear (Jason Marsden), alone to deal with Brainiac.

Static with the future Batman.

Continuing the one-upmanship of the previous seasons, the final season of Static Shock was crossover heavy with three episodes. “Future Shock”, written by Berkowitz, saw Static in Gotham helping Batman and Robin with a criminal named Timecode. Static trying to free Batman from one of Timecode’s devices ended up shunting him into the future of Batman Beyond. Old Bruce requested Static’s help in rescuing a high-value prisoner taken captive by criminal organization Kobra in exchange for their leader in GCPD custody. Static had no choice but to accept when he learned that the prisoner was his future self. “Toys in the Hood”, written by Semper, Altbacker and John Ridley, presented the first encounter between Static and Superman (George Newbern). Darci (Nicollette Sheridan), the mechanical woman created by the maniacal Toyman (Bud Cort) to be his companion before she escaped, had come to Dakota under the guise of teacher Miss Moore. It seemed as if Toyman had found her and sent his toys after her, drawing the attention of Static and Superman. However, that turned out to be a ruse so she could study Static’s classmate Daisy Watkins (Crystal Scales) in order for Toyman to place Darci into her body and take her place completely. The final one, “Fallen Hero” written by Semper and Berkowitz, saw Static forced to take down his personal hero, Green Lantern (also LaMarr), when it appeared he went on a crime spree. However, after doing so Static learned that it was actually Sinestro (Ted Levine) disguising himself as Lantern utilizing power from his stolen Power Battery. Static teamed-up with Lantern, provided a power source to recharge his ring, and helped take Sinestro down.

The Justice Leagues of two eras working together.

Finally, in the last entry of the DCAU, Justice League Unlimited, there were two last crossover episodes. The two-part “The Once and Future Thing”, written by McDuffie, saw Batman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman (Susan Eisenberg) chasing time thief Chronos (Peter MacNicol) into the Wild West, where people there were equipped with advanced weaponry. After helping that era’s heroes take down the corrupt sheriff, the modern heroes again follow Chronos into the future Gotham City where they encounter that era’s Justice League: Batman, Static and Warhawk (Peter Onorati), who turned out to be Lantern’s son. There they learned that Chronos had decided to abandon his restraint in traversing time and instead became a warlord. However, his mucking about had caused serious disruptions to the time stream: Wonder Woman faded from existence and John Stewart’s Lantern is replaced by his predecessor Hal Jordan (Adam Baldwin). Ultimately, Chronos headed to the beginning of time where he planned to re-write history and become a god.

Terry learns the truth about himself.

“Epilogue”, also by McDuffie and Bruce Timm, served as a finale of sorts for Batman Beyond and was intended to be the series finale of Unlimited, bringing things full circle by ending where the DCAU began. 15 years into the future of Beyond, an elderly Amanda Waller (CCH Pounder) revealed to Terry that he was a clone created by her in order to carry on Batman’s legacy as she felt the world would always need a Batman. She initialized a program called Project: Batman Beyond and took Batman’s DNA, found Terry’s parents to be near-psychological match for Batman’s parents, and overwrote his father’s DNA with Bruce’s making Terry his biological son (as was Terry’s brother).

JUSTICE LEAGUE / JUSTICE LEAGUE ULIMITED

 

JUSTICE LEAGUE /

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED

(Cartoon Network, November 17, 2001-May 13, 2006)

 

Warner Bros. Animation

 

 

            Despite good ratings and the fact that The WB wanted a fourth season, Batman Beyond concluded so that Bruce Timm could utilize his crew at Warner Bros. Animation to bring about the next entry in the DC Animated Universe: Justice League. The series saw the previously established Batman (Kevin Conroy) and Superman (George Newbern, replacing Tim Daly who was working on the short-lived The Fugitive revival) forming a team with group of heroes: Wonder Woman (Susan Eisenberg), Green Lantern John Stewart (rather than the Kyle Rayner version that previously appeared in Superman: The Animated Series, voiced by Phil LaMarr), Hawkgirl (Maria Canals-Barrera), Martian Manhunter (Carl Lumbly) and The Flash (Michael Rosenbaum, replacing the unavailable Charlie Schlatter from Superman). Both Batman and Superman received slightly altered designs for the series, with Batman gaining longer ears and blue highlights to his costume and Superman made bulkier and given facial features to make him look older (although Superman’s proved unpopular and he was reverted to his classic design the next season). Flash was portrayed as younger and brasher than his comic counterpart, and Hawkgirl was given a romantic attraction to Green Lantern rather than her counterpart, Hawkman. Initially, Wonder Woman couldn’t be used due to legal issues, but Timm was adamant that she be included in the series. She was a fish out of water, having just come to man’s world from the island of Themyscria, and she and Batman would develop a hinted attraction to each other (as the producers disliked pairing her up with Superman despite fan requests) that would come to be dubbed “WonderBat” on social media.

The Justice League: Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Flash and Hawkgirl.

            Justice League debuted on Cartoon Network on November 17, 2001, becoming the first DCAU entry since Superman to not originally air on Kids’ WB (although it would make its way there in reruns) and the network’s highest-rated premiere (until it was surpassed in 2009 by Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins). While the show was still traditional 2-D animation, the series’ intro was rendered in CGI with a theme by series composer Lolita Ritmanis. Episodes were generally 2-parters, airing in consecutive weeks. For the second season, Cartoon Network would air both parts in an hour-long block and the production was changed to a widescreen format.

            Originally, the show was meant to end at the conclusion of the second season; however, Cartoon Network ordered a continuation. Rebranded Justice League Unlimited with a new intro and theme by series composer Michael McCuistion, the series was overhauled to feature a wide array of characters (including the original seven) from DC Comics. Some were seen in the previous entries in the DCAU, but many made their animated debuts such as the crossbow-wielding Huntress (Amy Acker), brother emissaries of the Lords of Chaos and Order Hawk and Dove (Fred Savage and Jason Hervey, reprising their relationship from The Wonder Years) and sonic-powered brawler Black Canary (Morena Baccarin). Each episode, now mostly stand-alone half hours, centered on a small grouping of heroes sent out as a team to deal with trouble that didn’t require the attention of the entire, expanded League. Unfortunately certain characters were off-limits; such as Batman characters due to The Batman and Batman Begins, members of the Teen Titans until their program ended, Aquaman characters due to the development of the failed Smallville spin-off, and characters from the mature Vertigo imprint. The tie-in comic, however, had no such restrictions, and often featured characters that never made it to the show. There was also meant to be a film bridging the end of season two into Unlimited, but ultimately that ended up scrapped by Warner Bros. Unlimited ended after 3 seasons, marking the end of the DCAU until Darwyn Cooke’s Batman Beyond short in 2014.

LEGION OF SUPER HEROES

 

LEGION OF SUPER HEROES

(CW, September 23, 2006-April 5, 2008)

 

Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation

 

 

MAIN CAST:

Yuri Lowenthal – Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El, Stone Boy/Dag Wentim, Superman-X/Kell-El (season 2)

Andy Milder – Lightning Lad/Garth Ranzz

Kari Wahlgren – Saturn Girl/Imra Ardeen, Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel/Luornu Durgo, Shrinking Violet/Salu Digby, Infectious Lass/Dura Sehpt, Ayla Ranzz (season 2)

Adam Wylie – Brainiac 5/Querl Dox, Colossal Boy/Gim Allon, Computo

Heather Hogan – Phantom Girl/Tinya Wazzo

Michael Cornacchia – Bouncing Boy/Chuck Taine

Shawn Harrison – Timber Wolf/Brian Londo, Ron-Karr

Alexander Polinsky – Chameleon Boy/Reep Daggle, Matter-Eater Lad/Tenzil Kem, Chlorophyll Kid/Ral Benem, Calamity King/E. Davis Ester (season 2)

For the history of Superman, check out the post here.

            The Legion of Super-Heroes was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino in Adventure Comics #247 (1958). While multiple DC Comics continuity reboots have altered various details over the years, the constant is that the Legion was a team comprised of beings from multiple planets and galaxies in the far future inspired by the legendary heroics of Superboy/Superman to be heroes in their own time. Initially starting small, the roster would come to boast dozens of different characters and off-shoot teams, funded by eccentric millionaire R.J. Brande after they saved his life. The initial line-up was comprised of Lightning Boy (later Lad) from the planet Winath with lightning powers; Saturn Girl from Saturn’s moon Titan with telepathy; and Cosmic Boy, their leader from Braal with the ability to generate magnetic fields. They traveled back in time to recruit Superboy into their ranks, and after a series of tests he was inducted into the “club” before being returned to his own time.

The ever-expanding roster of the Legion of Super Heroes.

            Initially intended as a one-off story, the Legion proved popular with readers and was brought back in issue #267 (1959) for another adventure. Their popularity continued to grow, and the Legion was featured in stories in various titles edited by Mort Weisinger. In these stories, the other Legionnaires only hinted at before began to be introduced, including Chameleon Boy, a shapeshifter from the planet Durla; Invisible Kid, who was an Earthling capable of stealth; Colossal Boy, another Earthling with the ability to increase his size (and later decrease it as Micro Lad); Star Boy, from planet Xanthu with the ability to increase the mass, density and gravity of an object; Brainiac 5, initially a descendant of Superman’s villain Brainiac (before he was retconned as being robotic) from the planet Colu with superior intellect and shape-shifting abilities; Triplicate Girl, from the planet Cargg with the ability to split herself into three physical beings; Shrinking Violet, who possessed the ability to shrink to atomic levels like other residents of planet Imsk; Sun Boy, another Earthling who could generate fire; Bouncing Boy, yet another Earthling who could inflate his body allowing him to bounce really high and become impervious to injury; Phantom Girl, hailing from the 4^th dimensional planet Bgztl with the ability to phase through solid matter, fly and travel between dimensions; and Ultra Boy, from Rimbor who could only use his super strength, speed, flight, x-ray vision, heat vision or invulnerability interchangeably. Superman’s cousin Supergirl would even become a member. In Adventure Comics #329 (1965) the Legion Flight Ring was introduced, granting each member the ability to fly and survive in vacuums when they wore it.

The very first Legion of Super-Heroes issue.

            The Legion spent most of their early existence sharing a title with Superboy in the pages of Adventure Comics, Action Comics and Superboy. It wouldn’t be until 1973 that they would get their own book titled The Legion of Super-Heroes; although it was only a four-issue series reprinting earlier Adventure stories. In 1980, they took over the Superboy title completely with #259, leading to their second solo series. The Legion book would be cancelled and restarted several more times, navigating through inter-office politics that saw Superboy removed from their history entirely to be replaced by the similar Mon-El and then later re-introduced, an ever-expanding roster, new origin stories for the various members, and little tweaks to the Legionnaires overall. Spin-off titles, such as Legionnaires and The Legion would see publication, and several members would get books of their own, including Cosmic Boy, Timber Wolf and Valor.

Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy and Cosmic Boy make their animated debut in 1998.

            In 1998, the Legion made their first jump to animation with the Superman: The Animated Series episode “New Kids in Town”. Chameleon Boy (Jason Priestly), Saturn Girl (Melissa Joan Hart) and Cosmic Boy (Chad Lowe) travelled back in time to keep Brainiac (Corey Burton) from killing a teenaged Clark Kent (Jason Marsden). Other Legionnaires appeared in silent cameos. In 2004, their arch-villain Mordru appeared in the Justice League Unlimited episode “The Greatest Story Never Told” before the Legion themselves reappeared in 2006’s “Far From Home”, where Bouncing Boy (Googy Gress) and Brainiac 5 (Matt Czuchry) recruited Supergirl (Lauren Tom) to help rescue the others from the Fatal Five (more on them later).

Reciting the Legion's oath outside of their HQ.

            Many fans assumed that this episode was actually a backdoor pilot to the newly announced Legion of Super Heroes animated series developed by Amy Wolfram. However, producer and character designer James Tucker set the record straight in revealing that the show came about because Cartoon Network wanted their own Superman-centric series that could air around the time Superman Returns hit theaters. It had no connection to the DC Animated Universe that began with Batman: The Animated Series. The series saw the Legion—Lightning Lad (Andy Milder), Saturn Girl (Kari Wahlgren), Brainiac 5 (Adam Wylie), Phantom Girl (Heather Hogan), Bouncing Boy (Michael Cornacchia), Triplicate Girl (Wahlgren), Timber Wolf (Shawn Harrison) and Chameleon Boy (Alexander Polinsky)—journey back in time to recruit a young Superman to join their ranks. Unfortunately, they ended up going too far back and encountered a Clark Kent who was not yet in full control of his abilities; requiring them to train their inspiration as well as fight alongside him. While the series centered around the core 8 Legionnaires, other members of the Legion would appear in various episodes either as guest stars or cameos.

The main Legionnaires (from top): Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Lightning Lad, Superman, Timber Wolf and Bouncing Boy.

            Original promotion for the show called Superman “Superboy”, much like he had been known during his earliest encounters with the Legion. However, there was ongoing litigation between DC Comics and the families of Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster over the rights to Superman and Superboy. In March of 2006, a judge ruled in favor of the Siegel family over the copyright of the Superboy character, but Time Warner, DC’s parent company at the time, owned the trademark. Although a retrial would rule in DC’s favor, at the time DC had to use creative ways to get around outright calling any version of Superboy by name.

Triplicate Girl is beside herself.

            Legion of Super Heroes debuted on September 23, 2006; however, Cartoon Network ended up passing on the show (although they would air it in reruns). Instead, The CW, also looking for a cartoon centered around a young Superman to compliment their long-running Smallville, picked it up and aired it in their Kids’ WB programming block. It was written by Wolfram with Matt Wayne, Scott Sonneborn, Rob Hoegee, John Esposito, Rob Hummel, Stan Berkowitz, Marty Isenberg, David Slack, Michael Jelenic, Greg Weisman, J.M. DeMatteis, Eddie Guzelian, Keith Damron, Joseph Kuhr, Steven Melching with Hoegee serving as story editor for season 1 and Jelenic for season 2. The theme was composed by Kristopher Carter with him, Michael McCuistion and Lolita Ritmanis composing the rest of the series’ music.

The Fatal Five: Persuader, Mano, Emerald Empress, Tharok and Validus.

            Villains for the series included the aforementioned Fatal Five comprised of Emerald Empress (Jennifer Hale & Tara Strong), wielder of the Emerald Eye of Ekron which gave her access to immense mystical power; Mano, a mutant with the ability to disintegrate anything he touched; the Persuader (David Sobolov), who used an axe that could cut through anything; Tharok (David Lodge), a cyborg with immense intelligence; and Validus, who possessed immense physical strength; Alexis Luthor (Strong), the richest girl in the galaxy and descendant of Lex Luthor who turned to villainy when she felt Superman’s heroic duties left him little time to pay attention to their friendship; Mordru (Richard McGonagle & Jim Ward), a powerful sorcerer; Brainiac (Burton, reprising his role from the DCAU), Brainiac 5’s android ancestor; and the Legion of Super-Villains (aka the Light Speed Vanguard), an antithesis to the Legion comprised of Lightning Lord (James Arnold Taylor), Lightning Lad’s brother with similar powers; Esper (Strong), a telepath; Hunter (Khary Payton, using an Australian accent), a master hunter and trucker; Ron-Karr (Harrison), who possessed the ability to become totally flat; Wave, who could use her hair like an appendage; and Tyr (Payton), a warrior whose right arm was a bionic gun.

            On request from the network, the second season of Legion was given a darker tone than the first with such occurrences as Lightning Lad losing an arm and getting a robotic one, and one of Triplicate Girl’s duplicates being lost in a temporal anomaly leading her to take the new codename Duo Damsel. Set two years later, Superman returned to the future to help the Legion deal with the looming threat of Imperiex (Phil Morris), a powerful being from the 41^st Century who came back to conquer the Legion’s present. He was aided by the Dominators: a technologically advanced alien race whose rigid hierarchy was determined by the size of the red circle on their heads. Aiding the Legion was a second Superman: Superman-X (Lowenthall), a clone of the original created by an android named K3NT (Amy Hill & Sab Shimono) to battle Imperiex. Superman-X possessed all of the original’s abilities and none of his weaknesses; in fact, he was given the ability to produce and channel Kryptonite energy. However, since he regarded himself as a living weapon, he was far more aggressive and cold-blooded than the actual Superman. A focus was also placed on Brainiac 5’s relationship with his ancestor, culminating in Brainy’s eventual corruption to the dark side.

An older Superman returns to help his friends.

            A third season was planned but ended up being cancelled when The CW handed their children’s programming over to 4Kids Entertainment, changing Kids’ WB into The CW4Kids. The series would have again time-jumped three years after the conclusion of the second season with an older and more experienced Superman returning. The primary focus would have been Brainiac 5’s return after he quit the team due to events of the previous season. Legionnaires Blok and Dawnstar would have been elevated from cameos to major characters. Superman-X would have returned with a reduced role, replaced by fallen Legionnaire Ferro Lad’s (Dave Wittenberg) long-lost twin brother. Brainiac would have returned as well.

Superman and Superman-X.

During its run, Legion was nominated for three Creative Arts Emmy Awards. In 2007, DC Comics began publication of a tie-in comic titled Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31^st Century, distinguishing it from both the main Legion books and the more youth-oriented Adventures titles set in the DCAU. The first issue was given out on Free Comic Book Day that year as well as sold in comic shops. The series ended after 20 issues and one collection of the first 7 issues. McDonald’s featured toys based on the characters in their Happy Meals that came in their own book-like case with a trading card, and the collectible miniatures game HeroClix by Wizkids produced a special starter set with the Legion and “Young Superman”. A proper action figure line wasn’t made due to a lack of retailer interest.

The second season DVD cover with Imperiex front and center.

            Warner Home Video released the first season across three DVD volumes from 2007-08, which was collected as a three-pack in 2009. In 2020, Warner Archive released both the second season on DVD and the complete series on Blu-ray. The series has also been made available for streaming on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video and DC Universe. Individual episodes were included as bonus features in several direct-to-video animated movies: “Phantoms” in Justice League: Gods and Monsters, “Man of Tomorrow” in Justice League vs. The Fatal Five and “Dark Victory” in The Death of Superman.

  

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Man of Tomorrow” (9/23/06) – Three Legionnaires go back in time to recruit Superman to help them defeat the Fatal Five, but end up arriving before Clark Kent becomes the man of steel.

 

“Timber Wolf” (9/30/06) – A scientist asks the Legion to help capture a dangerous creature, but they soon discover it’s not the dangerous one.

 

“Legacy” (10/7/06) – Superman becomes fast friends with Alexis after rescuing her, and she decides to do something about it when his Legion duties keep him neglecting her.

 

“Phantoms” (11/4/06) – Superman accidentally opens the gateway to the Phantom Zone, freeing someone with his powers and trapping the Legion.

 

“Champions” (11/11/06) – Superman and Phantom Girl uncover a plot by the Fatal Five while Lightning Lad competes in the Galactic Games.

 

“Fear Factory” (11/18/06) – The Legion takes refuge in an abandoned space station to escape a storm, only to be confronted by their worst fears.

 

“Brain Drain” (2/3/07) – Superman and Timber Wolf head to an inhospitable planet to find an element to restore Brainy’s IQ, but a transporter accident leaves them following not-so-Brainy’s lead.

 

“Lightning Storm” (2/10/07) – Lightning Lad is offered membership in an older, “cooler” team but discovers they aren’t exactly the heroes they appear to be.

 

“The Substitutes” (2/17/07) – Legion recruitment isn’t going well until the team finds themselves overwhelmed by a mysterious foe and a group of rejected Legionnaires band together to help.

 

“Child’s Play” (2/24/07) – A sorcerer arrives and causes trouble on Earth, introducing Superman to his weakness to magic.

 

“Chain of Command” (3/3/07) – The Legion goes to help Lightning Lad’s home planet, but more trouble arrives when their original leader Cosmic Boy returns.

 

“Sundown, Part 1” (4/28/07) – The Legion finds themselves unable to stop the ancient weapon known as the Sun Eater.

 

“Sundown, Part 2” (5/5/07) – The Legion recruits their enemies to help save Earth from the Sun Eater while Superman discovers who’s controlling it.

 

Season 2:

“The Man from the Edge of Tomorrow, Part 1” (9/22/07) – A Superman clone from the future comes to the Legion for help in defeating warlord Imperiex.

 

“The Man from the Edge of Tomorrow, Part 2” (9/29/07) – Imperiex frees the Legion’s foes from prison to help in his conquest, resulting in their calling Superman back from the past to help.

 

“Cry Wolf” (10/6/07) – The Legion try to catch Timber Wolf when it seems he attacked his father, but Chameleon Boy and Phantom Girl work to clear his name.

 

“Chained Lightning” (10/13/07) – Imperiex attempts to harness a stormy nebula with the aid of Lightning Lord and attempting to stop them costs Lightning Lad his arm.

 

“Karate Kid” (10/27/07) – Spread thin, the Legion looks for more recruits in order to stop Grimbor the Chainsman’s crime spree.

 

“Who Am I?” (11/3/07) – Chameleon Boy infiltrates Imperiex’s ranks but ends up losing himself in the process.

 

“Unnatural Alliances” (11/17/07) – Everyone wants to protect a young boy named Abel from robotic cowboy Terra-Man, despite Abel being the one to eventually give rise to Imperiex.

 

“Message in a Bottle” (12/1/07) – Superman learns that Brainiac 5’s ancestor played a part in the destruction of Krypton.

 

“In the Beginning” (3/8/08) – The Legion must rescue their founder once again when he ends up being kidnapped.

 

“Trials” (3/15/08) – Zyx comes to the Legion for help freeing his homeworld from Mordu.

 

“In Your Dreams” (3/22/08) – Realizing the prophetic Dream Girl is helping the Legion beat them, the Dark Circle kidnap her to use her themselves.

 

“Dark Victory, Part 1” (3/29/08) – Imperiex tries to force Brainy to unlock Brainiac 1.0 so that he can use him in his plans for conquest.

 

“Dark Victory, Part 2” (4/5/08) – Brainiac 5 defeats Imperiex and takes over his army, as well as his plans to conquer the universe.