Justice League - General Discussion

[David T. Cole]

Your JL quotes thread!

[David T. Cole]

Let's talk about the people who bring the characters to life.

[David T. Cole]

Pretty negative name. Maybe look into rebranding?

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well, they kept trying to defeat our heroes, and kept messing up...until they finally got one victory over them, so...

Oh, you mean the name Legion of Doom? I'll check with Lex and git right back to ya on that!

[David T. Cole]

Yeah Legion of Doom isn't going to win the hearts and minds of people. Maybe Legion of Change.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Yes, let's. Just like Kevin Conroy, ruined me for anyone else voicing Bats, I can add Clancy Brown...as Lex Luthor. Until Brown started portraying him, I was meh about Lex. But Brown just the right amount of menace, humor and much needed gravitas to his great character. It's why I wish he were playing Lex in the supposed sequel to the Superman movie...

Then there's Michael Ironside as Darkseid. Scared the bejesus out of me.

I was disappointed that Tim Daly wasn't available to reprise his role as Supes, but George Newbern acquitted himself quite nicely.

Susan Eisenberg as Diana/Wonder Woman--she brought a certain...what's the word...strength mixed in with royalty. I loved her. I could believe she was a Princess as well as a badass super hero. Who also showed shades of cluelessness.

Kevin Conroy--Batman. I could listen to him recited the fucking phone book. He forever erased anyone else who had ever voiced him, and now whenever I read a comic or graphic novel, I hear Conroy's voice. He should be used in EVERY single movie. I still maintain that they should have dubbed in Conroy's voice for the Nolan movies whenever Bale was Batman.

With anyone else, Flash would come off as an annoying frat boy, but Michael Rosenbaum, who was doing double duty--playing Lex on Smallville, and Wally West/Flash here...brought a certain boyish charm, that...well, you had to love him. (A lot of my favorite quotes are ones uttered by him!)

[GHScorpiosRule]

On the heels of "Apokolips Now!" was Supes a true boy scout? or was he seen as an alien whose awesome powers could be controlled by villains and thus he was someone to fear?

There was a theme throughout the series that he knew what was best for everybody. Agree?

I liked it when Bats would call him on his well-intentioned actions.

What I didn't like was how weak Supes was the first season. And Timm totally acknowledges that was his fault.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Let's talk about how Bats isn't really paranoid but plans for ALL contingencies!

[GHScorpiosRule]

Though a Princess and Warrior, Diana still suffered from culture shock and learned how having men around wasn't such a bad thing!

[GHScorpiosRule]

When this famous line was uttered in "Star-Crossed", I thought he had said "Kiss My Ass!" and I was shocked that that had passed the censors!

Though I was hoping for Kyle or Hal, since they were the GL's I was most familiar with at the time...John grew on me.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Poor J'onn. Kidnapped by the government...family all killed. Earth became his new home.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Did you know? He's the fastest man alive!

[GHScorpiosRule]

Shiera--all about attacking first and asking questions later.

[GHScorpiosRule]

At first she seemed to be this evil hand of the government...intent on destroying the League...but who was the bigger danger? The government or these heroes with super powers?

[GHScorpiosRule]

The absolute BEST arc of the series!

[GHScorpiosRule]

I will forever blame Bruce Timm for teasing me with the budding romance between these two awesome heroes and not giving me a payback! Oh the potential!!!

[The Crazed Spruce]

"The plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces are called aglets! Their purpose is sinister!"

"Please. I go through <i>everyone's</i> trash!"

"Aha! Thirty-<i>eight</i> flavours!"

Really, anything The Question evey said, for <i>that</i> matter....

Edited April 4, 2014 by The Crazed Spruce

[vb68]

Well she did always have that big "honkin' mace"!

[vb68]

This is my favorite portrayal of Diana ever.   I really think it was damn near perfect.

And Susan Eisenberg has never gotten enough credit.  She's up there with Kevin Conroy for me.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Yay! A Response!

I run hot and cold with Shiera. Sometimes I liked her, but most times she annoyed the ever livin' crap out of me.

In addition to that "Honkin' Mace" she had that battle cry: "Heeeeyaaaaaaaaaah!!!!". Well, that's how it sounded to me, heh.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Absolutely! I loved her bad assery...how she could be so royal, and loyal to her friends, but naieve at the same time, sometimes.  She was more hardcore Amazonion/Warrior Princess in the dvd movies where Susan voiced her.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Though this should probably go in the favorite quotes thread, I will always love this exchange between Bats and Diana, from "Little Miss Piggy":

Diana: "No. No dating for the Batman. It might cut into your brooding time."

Bats: "One: dating within the team always leads to disaster. Two: you're a princess from a society of immortal warriors; I'm a rich kid with issues... lots of issues. And three: if my enemies knew I had someone special, they wouldn't rest until they'd gotten to me, through her."

Diana: [Crushes a stone gargoyle head with her hand] "Next?"

Sigh...

Then how Circe blackmailed him into singing...and how Diana was humming that very same tune at the end...which, gave me, er, I mean us, a very rare smile from Bats.

[vb68]

She was OK.  I think the big problem was that she was just never going to be on the same level as Diana.   I guess that's probably  why they upped the "bad cop, ask questions later" part of her personality.

Although, and maybe this is just my memory,  didn't she soften some after they took the mask off?

I always loved her retort to Diana about Hera, "do you have to say that EVERY time?" even though they overused it in commercials.

Edited April 7, 2014 by vb68

[GHScorpiosRule]

She was OK.  I think the big problem was that she was just never going to be on the same level as Diana.   I guess that's probably why  upped the "bad cop, ask questions later" part of her personality.

Although, and maybe this is just my memory,  didn't she soften some after they took the mask off?

I always loved her retort to Dianna about Hera, "do you have to say that EVERY time?" even though they overused it in commercials.

Oh absolutely. And yeah, they softened her in the last JL episode before Star-Crossed. Which, I have my own issues with, because if they could write a romance for her and GL, WHY NOT Bats and Diana, huh? At least with the latter, neither of them were engaged to someone else, unlike the former!

Yes, I'm still bitter.

Sue me.

[vb68]

I am so bad with episode titles, but I loved when she tried to play diplomat and blurted out that her mother might take military action over climate change.

Cue the OMG faces.   Hee.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I am so bad with episode titles, but I loved when she tried to play diplomat and blurted out that her mother might take military action over climate change.

Cue the OMG faces.   Hee.

That was "To Another Shore" which I loved! Because there was a nod to the 70's Wonder Woman show when Diana did the spin, and the ball of fire from her "diplomatic suit" to her Wonder Woman gear...also loved the animation of the Viking story that Grodd was narrating.

I always get chills at the end, as Diana reads the eulogy of Viking John, I think it was?

 

And yes, the OMG I can't believe she said that look on all those other diplomats' faces!

[Ltg.jon]

That was "To Another Shore" which I loved! Because there was a nod to the 70's Wonder Woman show when Diana did the spin, and the ball of fire from her "diplomatic suit" to her Wonder Woman gear...also loved the animation of the Viking story that Grodd was narrating.

 

 

One of my favorite things about JL and JLU was the creators' willingness to call back to earlier incarnations of the characters. 

[Ltg.jon]

The decision to have Ed Asner voice Granny Goodness was so totally inspired. 

[vb68]

I always loved Dana Delany as Lois too.  She captured her better than a lot of actresses have doing live action.

But I say that as a total fanboy going back to China Beach.

[vb68]

Another favorite Diana moment for me was  when she knocked on the helicopter of the kidnappers with Princess Audrey.

"You give up, right?" 

Edited April 14, 2014 by vb68

[GHScorpiosRule]

That was "Maid of Honor" and my favorite part was the ending:

Wonder Woman/Diana: "You know, we never did get to finish our dance."

Bats: "I don't know what you're talking about."

Wonder Woman/Diana: "If you say so. But you're still taking me dancing."

Diana takes Bats by the arm and they walk away...

Me: SIGH...

[KirkB]

Now I have this image in my head of Alfred coming up to bring Bruce breakfast, only to have Diana answer the door in one of his shirts.

[KirkB]

When you're the guy on the team who can't run at the speed of light, survive in space or throw buildings, you need to be a little paranoid just to survive. The fact that nine times out of ten he was the last one standing really tells you something.

[KirkB]

I saw a compilation once of all the times Superman got knocked out in the first season. It was kind of pathetic. But let's be fair. Having the most powerful man in the world on the team makes you wonder what he needs the rest of the team for. Which is why they basically switched from him getting knocked out constantly to him hardly ever being there.

[starri]

I have to go to with the episodes that made me cry.  No, I'm not too proud to admit it.

Grundy:  Bird-nose, do you think Grundy's soul is waiting for him?

Hawkgirl:  Grundy, I don't believe....Yes.  Yes, it's waiting for you.

Grundy:  Then Grundy gets his reward.

 

Hawkgirl:  He was happy at the end.  I still don't understand why.

Aquaman:  It's faith, Hawkgirl.  You're not supposed to understand it.  You just have it.

 

Dr Fate:  Solomon Grundy's grave is empty.

Aquaman:  Tell me where to find those responsible, then dig more graves.

 

Dr Fate:  The creature knows only rage and seeks only oblivion.  Your mace may by the only object on Earth that can grant him peace.

Green Lantern:  What are you saying?

Hawkgirl:  Your favorite movie is Old Yeller.  You know exactly what he's saying.

 

Superman: I'm not the man who killed President Luthor.  Right now, I wish to heaven that I were, but I'm not.

 

Waller:  I've known Bruce Wayne for over fifty years, and I've been keeping an eye on you your whole life.  You're not his clone, you're his son.  There are similarities mind you, but more than a few differences.  You don't quite have his magnificent brain, for instance.  You do have his heart though, and for all that fierce exterior, I've never met anyone who cared more deeply about his fellow man than Bruce Wayne except maybe you.

[starri]

I don't know where I fall on which side of the coin Waller falls on (although she says herself that when she meets God, she's got a lot to answer for), but I do have to say that I always found it incredibly remarkable that a cartoon for children managed to create a character so complex and compelling.  

We've seen Waller in the flesh played by both Pam Grier (Smallville) and Angela Bassett (Green Lantern), and while they both kick an enormous amount of ass, neither one of them could hold a candle to what CCH Pounder did with just her voice.  There was a JLU Waller action figure that I've always wanted.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I never saw Green Lantern because I don't like Ryan Reynolds and don't think he's that good of an actor, so I can't speak to Basset's Waller, though I love Basset. And I like Grier as well, but her performance of Waller is nothing, NOTHING compared to the badassery and complexity that CCH Pounder gives her, and WAHOO! We get CCH Pounder again in an upcoming Batman dvd movie set to come out later this year. Arkham Madness or something like that.

I detested her in her initial appearance..."The Ultimen" or something like that? And how she and Bats went head to head, with his "Mine are bigger than yours" and her snappy come back that she knew who he was with "Rich boy."

Or when Bats caught her while she was in the shower (Y'all know what I mean!!!), and how the animators so deftly showed how her hand was shaking after he'd gone.

And I ended up, if not loving her, definitely liking and respecting her. She was no 'stache twirling villain.

Edited April 21, 2014 by GHScorpiosRule

[GHScorpiosRule]

I have to admit, there is one quote from the pilot "Secret Origins" that I absolutely love:

 

Bats: I'm not really a people person. When you need help, and you will, call me."

 

Twilight:

Supes: "You don't know Darkseid like I do."

Bats: "We know he used you. Humiliated you. Brainwashed you. Wound you up like a tin soldier and turned you loose against Earth. Cry me a river.

          On the outside chance that this isn't another one of his schemes, we have to take action. So I suggest you GET OVER IT!"

"Panic in the Sky"

Bats: "You want me to do what?...This is the single dumbest plan I've ever heard! If you're feeling guilty, clear your own name! Don't stand on the sidelines waiting for someone else to do it!"

Diana: "We've already voted. Five in favor."

Flash: "Six."

Diana: "You have to come with us, Bruce." {Me: awww! She called him Bruce!}

Batman: "I don't have to do anything! I'm a part-timer, remember?"

And Bats ends transmission...

Diana: "Actually, he took it a lot better than I'd expected."

[GHScorpiosRule]

Now I have this image in my head of Alfred coming up to bring Bruce breakfast, only to have Diana answer the door in one of his shirts.

I would have LOVED if this would have happened! Instead, I have to settle for the liplock she planted on him in "Star-Crossed" and not get to see what could have been.

Yes, I'm still bitter.

[starri]

Waller:  Hey, Lex!  That android is CADMUS property.  You're going to have to have to find somewhere else to keep your brain.

[zaps android with BFG]

Waller:  A nano-disassembler beam.  Your design, I believe.

Luthor:  Arrogant cow!  It will take me weeks to build another android body.

Waller:  You ain't got weeks, baldy!

[starri]

I'm glad they're using the old, heavyset version of Waller in Assault on Arkham instead of the rebooted version.  It's just the fact that a larger woman can be that much of a badass that makes the character so memorable.

I don't know if I grew to love her either, but I think I did grow to understand her, and what her motivations were.  She admits to Terry McGuinness that she came to respect and trust Bruce's judgment, to the point that the idea of being too old to continue or slow enough that someone would manage to kill him would leave the world without a Batman, and that thought was unacceptable.  So, she did something unscrupulous, but even at that point, she couldn't dishonor what he stood for by ordering a murder.  She says it herself, angels need sharp swords too.

My one regret after the final season (that went one beyond what the producers had planned) is that we never got to see her acting as a liaison to the JLU, just because I think that would have been an interesting dynamic.

[Maverick]

Oded Fehr as Dr. Fate was awesome.  The voice casting on this show was outstanding but he was one of the best.  Carl Lumbly as Martian Manhunter was great too.   Also loved:  Nathan Fillion as Vigilante, Gina Torres as Vixen and Kin Shriner as Green Arrow.  Special mention to George Eads as Captain Atom (but boo to him bailing after one turn and being replaced by Corey Cox) and Dennis Farina as Wildcat.  

[Maverick]

The Walking Dead is the #1 show on cable; I think Legion of Doom is sexy enough to sell.  It's all about location, location, location.   Get out the swamp, baddies.  If you can't get WiFi, how you gonna Tweet?

[starri]

Just in terms of how perfect they were for the parts, I'd have to go with CCH Pounder's Amanda Waller and Jeffery Combs' Question.  I really can't picture anyone more perfect as either.

Also, just for comedy, the pairing of Tom Everett Scott (who I don't even have great affection for) and Billy West as Booster Gold and Skeets were terrific.  So much so that they reprised the roles on Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

[GHScorpiosRule]

This has to be my favorite episode in the second season of JLU:

"The Great Brain Robbery:

Flash (In Lex's body-but voiced by Clancy Brown): "What's going on here? My speed's gone, and some totally hot chick is calling me Lex..."

And when he looks in the mirror...

Flash: "Oh, that is just wrong!"

Later...when Tala takes "Lex" to a room...

Tala: "You need a rest."

Flash: "That's not restful."

Me: Hee!

Flash addresses the Legion of Doom, who thinks he's Lex:

Flash: "My fellow bad guys, I, Lex Luthor, your leader, will speak now about my, Lex Luthor's, plan. My villainous, villainous plan. Question the plan at your peril."

Flash pauses...looks around...

Flash: "Uh... any questions?"

Angle Man: "We all get a cut, right?"

Flash: "Watch your step, my evil little minion. You presume too much. One of these days, you'll go too far."

As Flash gets ready to leave the bathroom where Polaris (voiced by Rosenbaum) has found him, panicking, talking to himself...

Polaris: "You gonna wash your hands?"

Flash: "No! Because I'm eeeeeevil!"

[greenbean]

I frelling love this character, and I'm glad to hear she'll be heavy set in the new animated movie. Her interactions with Lex are also good. I like how she's human, but moves amongst all these superheroes and villains with such conviction.

 

ETA: I also like the subtle humour she brings. This is one of my favourite scenes, she cracks me up throughout.

 

 

From the way she barges past the guard, to her reaction to Lex injecting himself. I love how at one point she warily puts her hands up to stop Lex moving closer, and says "How long?" (CCH did such a good job with the vocals.) Her raised eyebrow, "Supplements?" To her looking confused by Lex's proposition. She's just a fun character to watch, and tbh I agree with her stance. The JL needs oversight.

Edited May 1, 2014 by greenbean

[greenbean]

I think Superman is so misunderstood. It annoys me that more and more people expect him to be some brooding anti-hero like Batman. Who I do like, don't get me wrong, but that's just not Superman. There is depth there, he doesn't need to stop being the boyscout to show character. I've always thought the conundrum of being God-like, (the thing that people criticise him for), was a big issue to wrestle with already. Though no writer seems to have properly tackled that, well not in any of the mediums I've seen.

Edited May 1, 2014 by greenbean

[greenbean]

The Green Lantern movies should have been based on him.

[NCChic]

He will always and forever be my superhero. He's not from another planet or galaxy. He's got brains, brawn, and cool toys (which, having all that $$$ comes in handy).

[KirkB]

To be honest the Hulk is and will always be my favorite, but he's not really a superhero. Batman is. In fact, he is THE superhero. Superman and Wonder Woman are demigods, Green Lantern and Flash get their powers from otherworldly sources, even Aquaman is a freaking king, and yet who are all the criminals the Justice League encounters afraid of? Batman. He beat a bunch of white Martians by himself, he once avoided Darkseid's Omega Beams, and the best part of it is technically with enough time and money someone could actually be Batman. Or at least closer to it than a Kryptonian or an Amazon.