Line #17 Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS1E2ForTheManWhoHasEverything


1	->''"You are everything I ever wanted in a son. This...this is everything I ever wanted in a life...But I've got responsibilities Van, and I...have to go now."''
2	-->'''-- Superman'''
3
4	-Written by J.M. Dematteis
5
6	Batman and Wonder Woman are flying in the polar ice caps to Superman's Fortress of Solitude in Wonder Woman's invisible plane. They banter about the fact that it's Superman's birthday, and ask each other what they got him. Wonder Woman is mum on the subject, but Batman remarks "What do you get [[TitleDrop for the man who has everything?]]" Wonder Woman takes this to mean that Batman got him a gift certificate. Actually, it's just cash.
7
8	They arrive at his fortress' interior to find Superman standing in one spot, a distant expression on his face and a huge black-and-purple plant attached to his chest. Batman examines him and notes that he appears to be in a comatose trance. Wonder Woman [[{{Pun}} wonders]] aloud who got this for him and why, before [[HurricaneOfPuns wandering]] off to find anything to help take the thing off of Superman's chest.
9
10	'''''BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!'''''
11
12	Kal-El wakes up in his bed, having had a non-restful sleep. A Brainiac drone hovers next to Kal-El's bed, where he and his wife Loana are blearily getting to their feet, and gives him the daily weather report on Krypton while also reminding him that he and his son Van-El have an appointment with Kal-El's father Jor-El later that afternoon. Kal-El tries to start moving around the house to prepare, but he steps in something, and begins to chastise Van about Krypto leaving "presents" inside. Suddenly, the house begins to shake, but no one really notices anything except Kal-El, who is confused. He looks at Brainiac, who simply says that Krypton's Seismic Institute had predicted that minor and completely harmless tremor. Loana manages to pin the distracted Kal-El down and proceeds to give him a kiss...
13
14	Back in the real world, as Batman tries to free Supes from the plant, Mongul steps out of the shadows with an evil grin on his face and an unconscious Wonder Woman in his hands, and explains that ''he'' sent the Black Mercy to Superman. The Black Mercy is a plant that feeds its victims a vision based on the innermost desires of its victim's heart while it slowly feeds on the body -- the perfect distraction for Mongul to take advantage of in order to subjugate Earth's inferior species. Wonder Woman, who was merely playing possum, chooses that moment to wake up and give him a kick under the chin. Fisticuffs begin to occur between Wonder Woman and Mongul while Batman tries to get the plant off of Superman, but Wonder Woman is very apparently out of her league.
15
16	In Superman's dream, he and Van find themselves at Jor-El's lab. Jor-El is now a tired old man, having spent the last many years rebuilding his reputation after his prediction that Krypton would explode turned out to be false. Yet Kal-El notes that there are a great many tremors still going, and they are increasing. What's more, for one brief moment, Jor-El's voice even changed to Jonathan Kent's. But then finally, he hears a faint voice, a whisper on the wind. [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight "Fight it, Clark."]] Now, he begins to realize the truth, and in a moment of total heartbreak, he confesses his realization to his imagined son.
17
18	-->'''Superman''': I don't think you're real. I don't think any of this is--is real.
19
20	As soon as he says these words, the world around them starts to crumble. Krypton really is being destroyed. Kal-El says his final goodbye to Van-El, promising him he'll never forget. Finally, with a flash, Krypton is gone, and the Black Mercy is pulled free from Superman's chest, returning him to the real world.
21
22	[[ThisIsUnforgivable And]] [[BewareTheNiceOnes he]] [[RageBreakingPoint is]] '''''[[UnstoppableRage pissed]]'''''.
23
24	Without even sparing a moment of thought, he flies straight into the next room, taking Mongul through several walls and relieving Wonder Woman from the fight. Wonder Woman stumbles through the hole Superman had just come through, and discovers that now Batman has the Black Mercy affixed to his chest, and starts trying to pull it free.
25
26	Inside of Bruce's head, a familiar Noir-esque scene plays. A young boy and his father and mother are walking through an alley after a performance of Zorro, when a mugger arrives, brandishing a gun and demanding they hand over their valuables. But this time, Thomas Wayne charges forward and pushes the gun aside before beating the tar out of the mugger, to the joy of his son.
27
28	Outside, Superman and Mongul are trading punches, with Superman demanding to know if Mongul had any idea what he did to Superman. Mongul smugly replies that he fashioned a prison Superman couldn't escape from without sacrificing his heart's desire, before rubbing salt in the wound by saying it must have been like tearing off his own arm. He then taunts Superman with a sneering "Happy birthday, Kryptonian. I give you oblivion." Superman doesn't take that well.
29
30	-->'''Superman''': '''''[[RedEyesTakeWarning BURN!]]'''''
31
32	Meanwhile, Wonder Woman is successfully wrestling the Black Mercy free. And just like with Superman, this means that in his head, Bruce is starting to see things go horribly, horribly wrong. As a familiar voice from far away calls his name, the mugger starts to gain the upper hand in the shadows, before finally, the scene vanishes with the sound and flash of a gunshot.
33
34	At once, Wonder Woman finds herself fighting the Black Mercy as it tries to ensnare her, and the fight takes her away from the room. Batman, however, does not rejoin the fight, instead caught up in what he just saw.
35
36	Mongul, meanwhile, is still holding his own against Superman, even continuing to hold the upper hand, before sourly informing Superman that he should have stayed in the happy prison the Black Mercy granted him. Superman, barely holding on before, finally snaps. Only a few punches is all it takes to send Mongul through a wall and into the room with the statues of Jor-El and Lara-El, where he goes to town on Mongul's face.
37
38	-->'''Superman''': '''[[RageBreakingPoint HAPPY!?]]''' [[LastOfHisKind Do you know what I've lost!?]]
39
40	The statue above them starts to crumble, ever so slightly.
41
42	-->'''Superman''': What I've--!?
43
44	Superman finds himself distracted by the statues above him. This momentary distraction proves nearly fatal, as Mongul is able to take control of the fight once again, and grabs a boulder to finally end the Last Son of Krypton once and for all.
45
46	But Wonder Woman gets Mongul's attention before he can finish. She has successfully gained control over the Black Mercy, and before Mongul can react, she tosses it right at him.
47
48	With the fight finally over, they reveal the presents they brought him for his birthday. Wonder Woman shows him a new breed of rose that had been cultivated, called the Krypton. After the fight, it has been damaged, but Superman accepts it gratefully. Then, they go and stand over Mongul, who is lying on the ground with the Black Mercy on his chest, his face twitching and looking almost peaceful.
49
50	-->'''Wonder Woman''': I wonder what he's seeing.\
51	'''Batman''': Whatever it is, it's too good for him.
52
53	As the screen closes in on Mongul's face, it fades to black as we hear the sound of [[NothingIsScarier distant screams...]]
54
55	----
56
57	!This episode contains examples of:
58
59	* AdaptedOut:
60	** Jason Todd doesn't appear in the JLU adaptation, as he was never introduced in the DCAU. Similarly, Tim Drake, who held the title at the time the story was set, did not appear. This may have been because of [[ExiledFromContinuity the Bat-Embargo]], which went into effect partway into this season's production.[[note]]This also led to Hugo Strange being abruptly dropped after a cameo in "The Doomsday Sanction".[[/note]] According to quotes on [[http://jl.toonzone.net/episode27/episode27.htm this page]], the creative team had some say in this; Bruce Timm and others "didn’t hesitate for a moment to cut Robin" (though Dwayne [=McDuffie=] tried to keep him in before relenting).
61	** Likewise, Mongul's dream is left up to the viewer's imagination, instead of being shown, like in the original comic.
62	* AllJustADream: Courtesy of the Black Mercy.
63	* BadassBoast: Courtesy of Mongul, who illustrates how screwed everyone is when Wonder Woman, one of the next-strongest Leaguers after Superman, [[PunchPunchPunchUhOh only hurts her own hands trying to punch him out]].
64	-->'''Mongul:''' You don't understand. ''He'' was the only obstacle in my way. The rest of you ''are already dead.''
65	* BatmanGambit: Batman surmises Superman was overtaken by the Black Mercy because it was in a container made to look like a birthday present.
66	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Averted, in a departure from the original comic. The Krypton he imagines really ''is'' a paradise -- making it all the more painful for Superman to reject it.
67	* BewareTheNiceOnes: You do ''not'' want to remind Superman of what he lost on Krypton, or what he would have had it never blown up. Once he wakes from his dream, he decides to make Mongul pay for twisting that knife. If Superman didn’t glimpse the statue of his parents and come to his senses at the very last moment, Mongul would be ''dead''.
68	* BigDamnHeroes: Mongul's about to deliver a nasty blow to Wonder Woman when Superman swoops in.
69	* BirthdayEpisode: This entire episode is set around Superman's birthday.
70	* ABirthdayNotABreak: Mongul crashes Superman's birthday.
71	-->'''Mongul:''' Happy birthday, kryptonian. I give you ''oblivion''.
72	* BloodlessCarnage: Mongul beats the living daylights out of Wonder Woman. While she demonstrates some bruise marks here and there, it should look far worse than it does.
73	* CastingGag: The mugger who shoots the Waynes (Joe Chill) is also voiced by Creator/KevinConroy, the voice of Batman.
74	* ComesGreatResponsibility: Superman leaves his dream world because of his belief in his responsibilities as a hero.
75	* CompositeCharacter: Superman's ideal wife, Loana, is a composite of his love interests Lois Lane and Lana Lang in name, appearance, etc. Perhaps the writers were inspired by [[http://www.comics.org/issue/17678/cover/4/ this]] Silver Age comic.
76	* ContinuityCameo: Krypto and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to "little Zod".
77	* CurseCutShort: Wonder Woman's "Go to hell!" is cut off by her firing the {{BFG}}.
78	* DarkReprise: When Superman flies off to take on Mongul, a brief metal minor-[[{{Scales}} key]] snippet of the original ''Justice League'' theme plays, showing that, for the moment at least, Superman is certainly not the heroic character he was in that series.
79	* {{Determinator}}: It's quickly shown that Wonder Woman is outmatched against Mongul, but she fights bravely nonetheless. After Superman enters the fray, Diana manages to pry the Black Mercy off of Batman despite barely being able to stand. She's even strong enough to keep the plant from latching on to her and uses it to subdue Mongul.
80	* DreamApocalypse: It provides a video example for the trope, as Krypton explodes around Clark when he escapes the Black Mercy. For Bruce, he has to watch his father and mother be shot again before he can be free.
81	* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
82	** Mongul is unable to see what fantasy the Black Mercy is showing Superman, but instead of envisioning Superman's actual dream -- living a peaceful, quiet life with a loving family on Krypton -- he imagines Superman is "sitting on a throne, ruling the universe, all you human garbage fawning at his feet. More honest, don't you think, than this pretense of being a selfless hero?". This is another departure from the comic, where Mongul instead guesses correctly that Superman is living a peaceful and happy life.
83	** It's implied at the end that -- like in the comic -- Mongul is perfectly content with whatever fantasies of bloody conquest the Black Mercy is giving him. Superman was able to break free because, being a hero, he was able to comprehend ''something wrong'' with the fantasy he was given.
84	* EvilGloating: Invoked; Batman actually has to ''stop'' Wonder Woman from fighting Mongul so he can explain to them what the Black Mercy is. As with most examples of this trope, this eventually becomes the villain's downfall, as the information is what they need to break Superman out of his fantasy.
85	* FateWorseThanDeath: Mongul is trapped by the Black Mercy. [[DownplayedTrope Not that he minds.]]
86	* FightingFromTheInside: While trapped by the Black Mercy, Superman has a pained expression, and he starts noticing flaws in the fantasy even before Batman starts pulling the plant off of him, implying that he's resisting the plant's power. By contrast, Batman has a blissful smile on his face during his own dream, which only starts falling apart when Diana starts prying the Black Mercy off of him.
87	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Mongul is defeated by the very plant he used to immobilize Superman.
88	* HopeSpot: A deeply cruel one for Batman: in his dream, he sees his father overpower and savagely beat Joe Chill, but as the Black Mercy is pried off him, Chill overpowers Thomas and shoots him dead.
89	* InnocuouslyImportantEpisode: In a sense to the Cadmus arc, which hadn't even started yet. [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E12DividedWeFall Superman is angrier than he's ever been and about to kill his despised enemy, but he hesitates at the last moment because he's]] TheCape.
90	* InvulnerableKnuckles: Averted. Wonder Woman's knuckles are visibly, painfully bruised from her punching Mongul.
91	* KarmicDeath: Mongul's fate. Death being figurative here, of course. Depending on if Mongul's dream turns sour or if he's dissatisfied with it, he got exactly what he wanted and was satisfied with it. Batman bitterly states that whatever he sees is "too good for him".
92	* KickTheDog: Mongul positively revels in taunting Superman about the loss of the peaceful fantasy the Black Mercy gave him.
93	-->'''Mongul''': I fashioned a prison you couldn't leave without sacrificing your heart's desire. It must have been like tearing off your own arm...
94	* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Bruce and Diana's banter at the start of the episode plays out very much like this, which is rather fitting given the UnresolvedSexualTension between them.
95	* LotusEaterMachine: The Black Mercy, a telepathic parasitic plant, subdues victims by showing them a perfect mental simulation of their greatest desires. For Superman, it's a fusion of a living Krypton and the life he's led on Earth (he lives and works on a Kryptonian farm, and his wife is an amalgam of Lana Lang and Lois Lane), and for Batman, it's his father overpowering Joe Chill and preventing the deaths of himself and his wife. Mongul's specific dream isn't seen, but sound effects imply he's living out his fantasy of bloody conquest.
96	* MadeOfIron: Mongul stands out as ridiculously tough even compared to Superman and Wonder Woman. Diana painfully bruises her knuckles from punching him, and none of her blows do more than stagger Mongul. Superman does better, but his heat vision, though painful, doesn't severely injure Mongul, and despite the savage beating the villain suffers, all he needs is a moment's reprieve to get back up and regain the upper hand.
97	* ManlyTears: "I promise you, I'll never forget."
98	* MeaningfulName:
99	** Wonder Woman (Batman in the comic) bred a new rose as a gift for Superman, calling it "The Krypton". It's ruined at the end of the story.
100	** And Superman's wife Loana. See Composite Character above.
101	* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown:
102	** Wonder Woman does a lot better here then she did in the original comics, actually putting up a good fight and being the one to pull the Black Mercy off of Batman to use on Mongul. This doesn't change the fact that Mongul outclasses her, though -- by the time Superman is out of his fantasy and intervenes, she's been beaten so badly that she can't even walk, forcing her to pull herself forward on one arm.
103	** Mongul himself, courtesy of Superman. His face is seriously battered and he himself believed Superman would have killed him had it gone on any longer. It's worth noting, however, that Mongul in the comic also did a lot better than the episode implies. Namely, his face in the original story was perfectly fine after fighting against a bloodlusted Superman.
104	* NothingIsScarier: Unlike the comic version (where we see Mongul's fantasy of victory and conquest), we never actually get to see what it is that Mongul sees in his fantasy. And yet, it is so much worse...
105	* NotSoAboveItAll: When Diana asked if Batman brought Superman a gift certificate as a birthday present, Batman replies with a rather uncharacteristically defensive no... Before specifying that it was cash.
106	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
107	** Superman's not trying to stop Mongul; he's trying to kill him.
108	** Batman has a blissful smile on his face while under the Black Mercy's power.
109	* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: A very brief version in the animated adaptation, in which Superman overpowers Mongul, who previously had the upper hand, while falling through several floors in thick smoke.
110	* OhCrap: Wonder Woman and Batman when blows from the former don't do more than amuse Mongul.
111	* PapaWolf: In Batman's fantasy, Thomas Wayne lays a major beatdown on Joe Chill in defense of his wife and son.
112	* PlayingPossum: Mongul sneers at Wonder Woman for apparently going down in one hit, but she was just trying to get him to talk a little more about what he did to Superman. Unfortunately, he really is much stronger than her.
113	-->'''Wonder Woman''': We "inferior specimens" call it "playing possum".
114	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: As in the comic, Mongul makes a number of blatantly sexist remarks toward Wonder Woman.
115	* PragmaticAdaptation: Creator/AlanMoore's ''ComicBook/ForTheManWhoHasEverything''. They took out some of the darker aspects which gave it its own unique effect while sticking to the overall idea. Notably, this is the only adaptation of his work that he's allowed his name to be used on.
116	* ProperlyParanoid: Superman just can't shake the feeling that something is wrong with his perfect life.
117	* RedEyesTakeWarning: '''BURN!'''
118	* SayMyName: Wonder Woman shouts Batman's name twice while trying to get the Black Mercy off of him. The second time is even heard in the midst of Batman's dream.
119	-->'''Wonder Woman''': Bruce! ''BRUCE!''
120	* ScreamDiscretionShot: After Mongul's mind gets trapped in the Black Mercy plant, Wonder Woman wonders what he's dreaming about. The camera then zooms in on his smiling face — to the sounds of horrific screaming.
121	* ShadowDiscretionShot: In Batman's desire, he see direct shots of Thomas Wayne kicking Joe Chill's ass. However as the Black Mercy is pulled off of him, we switch to only seeing their shadows as Chill slowly recovers and turns the gun on Thomas, and finally close in on Bruce's horrified face.
122	* SelfServingMemory: Amusingly, Mongul tries to accuse Superman of that:
123	-->'''Mongul:''' You recognize me? I'm flattered. I suppose Superman told you [[Recap/JusticeLeagueS1E12And13WarWorld about our previous encounter]].\
124	'''Batman:''' [[DeadpanSnarker You mean how he humiliated you?]]\
125	'''Mongul:''' A...''jaundiced'' account.
126	* SequelEpisode: To Season One's [[Recap/JusticeLeagueS1E12And13WarWorld "War World"]], picking up (and resolving) Mongul's fate after he was deposed.
127	* SpottingTheThread: The tremors were already enough to have Superman suspicious, but what really clues Clark in that something is wrong is when Jor-El's voice briefly changes to that of Jonathan Kent.
128	* StockScream: The "Howie Scream" is played as Wonder Woman fires her {{BFG}} at Mongul.
129	* SuplexFinisher: Wonder Woman to Mongul. Though not a finisher move -- it barely fazes him.
130	* ThouShaltNotKill: Superman still can't bring himself to kill Mongul, who mocks him for it.
131	* TitleDrop: This is Batman's explanation for giving Superman cash.
132	-->'''Batman:''' I mean, what do you buy for the man who has everything?
133	* TookALevelInBadass: Mongul comes across as ''far'' more menacing and dangerous than his first appearance.
134	%%* UnreliableNarrator: Subverted, much to Mongul's irritation.
135	* UnstoppableRage: Superman comes this close to beating Mongul to death. He only hesitates when seeing the statues of Jor-El and Lara.
136	* VillainRespect: Played with. While Mongul is misogynistic towards Diana for the entire episode, he does give Batman a nod of respect (albeit still condescending and mocking) for his intellect and deductions re: the Black Mercy.
137	* WhamShot: Wonder Woman lays into Mongul with all her rage, causing him to stagger back. Then Wonder Woman cries in pain, and Mongul reveals he barely felt anything.
138	* TheWorfBarrage: After being physically overpowered by Mongul, Wonder Woman tries firing an alien energy weapon (a "neural impactor" according to the villain) at him, to no effect at all.
139	* TheWorfEffect: Mongul's [[TookALevelInBadass increased]] threat level is solidly established when he tanks blows from Wonder Woman and throws her around like a ragdoll.
140	* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Wonder Woman trying a German Suplex on Mongul at one point.

Context Recap / JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS1E2ForTheManWhoHasEverything