Line #21 Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E9QuestionAuthority


1	->''"The plastic tips at the end of shoelaces are called aglets. Their true purpose...is sinister."''
2	-->--'''The Question'''
3
4	The rogue New God Mantis is rampaging through Metropolis. He proves a handful for the combined powers of Superman and Captain Atom, but Superman manages to open a boom tube and a blast from Captain Atom sends him hurtling back to Apokolips. No sooner has the dust settled than Lois Lane arrives and reminds Superman that they have a date. As Superman flies away with her, Captain Atom is surprised to be hailed by General Eiling, in full dress uniform. Eiling informs the captain that his commission in the U.S. Air Force has been reinstated, and it is time for Atom to make a choice between his country and the League.
5
6	Superman and Lois fly toward their date; Lois voices her thoughts to Superman, revealing it seems like she doesn't see him anymore. While Superman admits it has been some time, he wants to make today special, revealing his plans for a romantic picnic for them. During the picnic, Lois gently tells Superman that the Justice League's recent heavy-handed behavior is making some people, including herself, nervous. She also reminds Superman that people haven't forgotten the time when he was under Darkseid's control.
7
8	While Superman admits the Justice League comes on a little strong, he assures her it's for the public's own good. Lois admits that is something Lex would say. Superman then becomes firm and says he is nothing like Lex, Lois assures Superman of the thought, but also says that he needs to assure the public's trust. She gives him a tender kiss and they continue to enjoy their date.
9
10	With Huntress's help, the Question steals a series of high-security files from a government terminal, hoping that it will finally provide proof of a link between Lex Luthor and Project Cadmus. When he's finished, Huntress suggests a date. However, Question says it will take him days to crack the data, to which Huntress then snatches the USB drive from his hands, glaring at him. Question then suggests a date with dinner and a movie, much to her approval.
11
12	Inside Cadmus, Luthor is examined by Professor Hamilton and is shocked to be told that his Kryptonite-induced cancer has disappeared entirely, as if it was never there. Amanda Waller arrives and informs them of the theft.
13
14	In his apartment, Question finally cracks the files and begins to review them. He finds the footage of the Justice Lord Superman assassinating President Luthor in the Justice Lords' alternate dimension, and is shocked. After days of poring over the data, he becomes unhinged, believing that the same thing is fated to happen in their world: Luthor will become President, Flash will be killed, and Superman will attack the government in retaliation-- except that, according to Cadmus simulations, the resulting war between all the metahumans of the Justice League and humans will destroy the planet. Huntress walks in, demanding to know what he's been up to, but Question runs out, determined to put a stop to it all. Huntress views the tape and appears just as shocked.
15
16	Question confronts Superman, who assures him that he would never do what his Justice Lord counterpart did, even if Luthor does become President. Question is unconvinced, and decides that the only way to prevent Armageddon is to kill Luthor before he takes office. He goes to [=LexCorp=] to do so, with the notion that Superman and the League's reputation will be untainted while he, a "well-known crackpot", faces whatever punishment after. Luthor swats him away with a display of inhuman strength that surprises both of them. He confesses that his entire presidential campaign is nothing but a ruse to tick Superman off, “a small part of a much grander scheme”. Question is taken to Cadmus and tortured by Dr. Moon for details on the files he stole. Question blathers about random conspiracy theories during the interrogation, but he doesn't give up any important information.
17
18	After Question disappears, Huntress kidnaps Jimmy Olsen and uses his special watch to call Superman. Telling him about the tape (which she assumes is a fake), they track Question's comlink to a garbage dump. Huntress fears the worst, but Superman points out that they just dumped his comlink, not his body. They conclude that Question has been taken alive by Cadmus. Superman initially refuses to help her, insisting that the League cannot act without legal grounds. But when Huntress points out that Cadmus is interrogating Question under the government's authority, Superman agrees to help, but states they're doing it off the books.
19
20	They smash into Cadmus, and as Huntress fends off the guards, Superman looks through a wall and sees Professor Hamilton. Realizing his role in the conspiracy, Superman confronts him, and Hamilton doesn't deny or regret what he's done, insisting that the world needs protection from Superman and his kind. He reminds Superman of how he himself once threatened Hamilton personally. Superman leaves in anger, but then Hamilton sags, as though exhausted, with a concerned and regretful look on his face.
21
22	Superman and Huntress break into the cell where Question is being tortured. As they are leaving, they are confronted by Captain Atom, who says that he is now following orders from the government to stop them.
23	----
24
25	!!Tropes:
26
27	* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Puns aside, Question manages to get a harsh one in on Superman, one he can't even form a response to.
28	-->'''Question:''' Did [Batman] tell you that all the models predict that a war between the Justice League and the government will devastate the planet?\
29	'''Superman:''' We would ''never'' fight the government!\
30	'''Question:''' Not even if Luthor ''was'' the govenment?
31	* BatmanColdOpen: Superman and Captain Atom taking on Mantis.
32	* BigBrotherInstinct: While Superman is understandably angry at Professor Hamilton for his betrayal, he's particularly furious at what he did to Kara.
33	-->'''Superman:''' You ''stole'' Kara's DNA! Violated her trust! ''My'' trust!
34	* BrokenPedestal: Hamilton explains that he joined Cadmus to protect the world from people like Superman.
35	-->'''Superman:''' Humanity doesn't need protection from us.\
36	'''Hamilton:''' I used to believe that. I thought you were a guardian angel come to answer our prayers. But Lucifer was an angel, too, wasn't he?
37	* ButtMonkey: Jimmy Olsen gets mugged, bound, and gagged by Huntress so she can use his signal watch to summon Superman, who leaves poor Jimmy tied up while he and Huntress talk.
38	* CallBack:
39	** Lois reminds Superman of how his reputation was damaged after [[Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS3E12E13Legacy he fell under Darkseid's control]]--saying not everyone has forgotten.
40	** When Superman ran into Hamilton at Cadmus, while rescuing The Question, Hamilton recalls the above storyline, specifically when Superman manhandled him to get Supergirl's operation after she was injured. Hamilton hesitated for fear of being accused of treason.
41	** Debating Superman over whether he can hold onto his ideals better than his Justice Lord counterpart, the Question reminds him of [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E3TheDoomsdaySanction his recent attempt to lobotomize Doomsday]].
42	** The Question discovers the whole truth about [[Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E11And12ABetterWorld the Justice Lords]] and confronts Superman about it.
43	** Superman and Huntress briefly discuss [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E6DoubleDate her dismissal from the Justice League]].
44	* CasualDangerDialogue: The Question and Huntress engage in banter while she beats up Cadmus security grunts.
45	* CavalryBetrayal: At the end of the episode, Captain Atom shows up and Superman thinks he's there as their backup, until the Captain tells him that he was actually ordered to stop them.
46	* CellPhonesAreUseless: Huntress finds herself needing to contact the League, which it turns out is a problem since she's no longer a member and thus no longer has a comm link. She's forced to kidnap Jimmy Oleson, who has a watch that is able to contact Superman, and lampshades the whole thing by telling Superman that the League really needs some kind of hotline.
47	* CloseEnoughTimeline:
48	** Discussed by the Question when expressing his warnings to Superman.
49	-->"It's the same. A heavily armed Watchtower with an army of pro-active heroes, Luthor running for president--if it's not quite the same, it soon will be."
50	** Even though he learns Lex's run for the presidency was fake, this doesn't stop the Question from fearing similar events to the Justice Lord's Earth will happen anyway.
51	* CurbStompBattle:
52	** Huntress makes short work of a group of Cadmus mooks while the Question steals information about Luthor's connection to Cadmus. She even chats with Question while fighting, clearly not at all worried.
53	** Superman vs. Cadmus' security troops. Calling it a fight would be giving Cadmus' mooks too much credit.
54	*** Not that they fare much better against Huntress.
55	* {{Determinator}}: If Huntress' declaration that the Question was missing for "a week" isn't an exaggeration, then Question withstood Cadmus interrogation for that entire length of time without surrendering any (useful) information.
56	* DidntSeeThatComing: The Question didn't count on Luthor's presidential campaign being a fake, and ''neither'' of them counted on Luthor suddenly developing super strength.
57	* ElectricTorture: What the Question is subjected to. It shows him the Flash being killed by Luthor leading to the end of the world.
58	* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: The Question fears that if Superman kills Luthor, it will lead to a conflict between the League and Cadmus that will destroy the world.
59	* EvilIsPetty: Luthor reveals that the whole reason for running for president [[spoiler:or at least pretending to]] was to "tick Superman off". He had a grander scheme in mind.
60	* ExactWords: Dr. Moon demands that the Question tell him "what [Question] know[s]"; the Question replies with various conspiracy theories, things he knows, but not what Moon is interested in.
61	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Luthor's cancer is gone, and he suddenly has super-strength. Luthor clearly didn't do it, because both revelations take him completely by surprise. So... who did?
62	* GenreSavvy: During his confrontation with the Question, Luthor rhetorically asks if the conspiracy theorist knew how much power he would have to give up if he actually became President. In Luthor's case, he'd have to surrender the unrestrained power and influence he has through [=LexCorp=] in order to be a public servant, and would be kept in check by the other government branches and foreign countries. It is uncertain how the Justice Lords' version of Lex managed to get away with it before his death.
63	* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Downplayed; learning the whole story about the Justice Lords' universe does a number on the Question's mental state, but he remains stable enough to come up with a reasonably well-thought solution.
64	* HeroicBSOD: The Question goes through one when he finds out the truth about the Justice Lords...and what it means to ''his'' universe if Luthor becomes President here.
65	* HeroicSacrifice: Nonlethal version. The Question was fully willing to kill Luthor (by strangling him with his necktie no less) and accept the consequences if it means having a world where the Justice League remains noble in its methods and trusted by the people. [[AvertedTrope Too bad for him Luthor had a trick up his sleeve.]]
66	* ImprovisedWeapon:
67	** The Question takes down a Cadmus mook with a computer monitor to the face.
68	** He is later ready to strangle Lex Luthor with his necktie before he gets backhanded across the room.
69	* InternalReveal: A few as befitting a WhamEpisode:
70	** The Question (and Huntress) learn about the Justice Lords.
71	** Superman learns that Hamilton joined Cadmus.
72	* {{Irony}}: Question, the most cynical and paranoid member of the League who sees the worst in things constantly, failed to spot Luthor's plan because he didn't realize how [[EvilIsPetty petty]] a person Luthor can be.
73	* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite Hamilton's treachery, Superman can't make a solid argument against his belief that there need to be countermeasures against beings as powerful as Superman and the Justice League.
74	* JustFollowingOrders: Captain Atom declares that as an Air Force officer he intends to follow his orders to prevent Question from being rescued. He ignores the obvious indications that Question has been tortured in custody (which means that his orders are illegal and his military oath actually requires him to disobey them).
75	* NothingPersonal: Despite, in his own words, having a Brobdingnagian distaste for Luthor as a person, the Question assures him that there's nothing personal behind his attempt to murder him.
76	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: As Huntress puts it, Question begins acting "oddly for him" after seeing the "fake" tape of Superman killing Luthor; when he subsequently disappears, she's worried enough to go to Superman for help rather than trying to handle it herself.
77	* SadisticChoice: Eiling tells Captain Atom that his Air Force commission has been reactivated and he has a decision to make. In the end, he follows orders and tries to prevent the heroes from saving the Question.
78	* ScrewDestiny: Despite believing that a Justice Lords-esque reality is all but inevitable, the Question still chooses to try and avert such a catastrophe by killing Luthor before Superman has a chance to.
79	* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Huntress and Superman ultimately decide to raid Cadmus in order to rescue the Question instead of waiting for legal cause to take down Cadmus. That said, Superman makes it clear that they're operating outside of the Justice League to do it.
80	* SelfServingMemory:
81	** Huntress describes the League's legal restrictions as the reason she quit. Superman accurately points out that she was fired.
82	** Upon discovering Hamilton's motive for defecting to Cadmus (the events of "Legacy"), Superman is furious that Hamilton would betray him 'over one little scare'. However, Clark ''did'' physically threaten Emil when he refused to treat an injured Supergirl as it would technically be an act of treason. Upon seeing Hamilton's scared expression, Clark even admitted to Lois in the next scene that he knew the Professor would ''never'' trust him again.
83	* ShootingSuperman:
84	** Dr. Moon pulls a gun on Superman, who shouts, "Don't be stupid! Drop it." Moon meekly drops the gun.
85	** Cadmus guards do their best. Superman barely even notices.
86	* ShootTheDog: Question decides the best way to prevent the Justice Lords from coming into existence is to kill Luthor himself so that Superman won't be able to; as he's a "well-known crackpot", the League's reputation [[RogueAgent will survive his actions]].
87	* SoftSpokenSadist: Dr. Moon never raises his voice while interrogating the Question, and he never loses a smug sense of pleasure in the deed.
88	* SuperStrength: Luthor, much to the Question's surprise.
89	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute:
90	** Dr. Moon stands in for Hugo Strange, who appeared earlier in the season but was later declared off-limits due to the infamous Bat-Embargo.
91	** The Question is depicted as his ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' {{Expy}} Rorschach.
92	* TortureTechnician: Dr. Moon handles the Question's "[[ElectricTorture interrogation]]".
93	* WhamEpisode: The final confrontation between the Justice League and Cadmus begins with this episode.
94	** Luthor's cancer is [[{{Foreshadowing}} mysteriously]] gone, and his health has improved to superhuman levels.
95	** The Question finds out the secret about the [[CallBack Justice Lords]], and realizes the possibility of a superhuman war with Earth's government is happening.
96	** In an attempt to stop that future war, The Question tries to ''kill Luthor'' in order to stop him from becoming President and to stop Superman from following in his Justice Lord counterpart's steps.
97	** Luthor instead crushes The Question, revealing his Presidential campaign is a ruse to draw Superman and the other heroes into his "much grander scheme."
98	** Superman and Huntress raid the Cadmus compound where The Question is being tortured, where Superman finds out his former friend Dr. Hamilton has turned against him. Worse, by raiding Cadmus, Superman has escalated the hostilities between the League and Cadmus to open war.
99	* WhamLine: Several this episode.
100	-->'''The Question:''' A heavily-armed Watchtower with an army of proactive heroes, Luthor running for president -- if it's not ''quite'' the same, it soon will be!\
101	'''Luthor:''' You're going to kill me so that Superman can't.\
102	'''The Question:''' I'm a well-known crackpot. The Justice League's reputation will survive my actions, and Superman's legacy will remain intact.\
103	'''Luthor:''' Interesting plan. Unfortunately for you, it's not really an option.\
104	'''Luthor:''' "President"... Do you know how much power I'd have to ''give up'' to be President?\
105	'''Superman:''' A lot of things are starting to make sense now. When did Cadmus recruit you?\
106	'''Professor Hamilton:''' Recruit me? ''I went to them''.
107	* WhamShot: Luthor effortlessly knocking the Question away.
108	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Where did Mercy go? Last we saw [=LexCorp=], she ran it, and she was quite done with Luthor. Now he's back in charge, despite saying he wasn't interested in the business any longer.
109	* WhatTheHeckIsAnAglet: According to the Question, their true purpose is sinister.
110	* WholePlotReference: To ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''. An important story element of that series is Rorschach falling under the impression that there is a serial killer hunting down superheroes and supervillains--an impression that Adrian Veidt, the true mastermind, proceeds to feed by ordering a fake hit on himself, killing Moloch, and tipping off the police to arrest Rorschach. A very similar thing happens with The Question and Luthor: The Question, who is the original basis for Rorschach and copies a lot of his mannerisms and traits in this series, [[EntertaininglyWrong gets stuck on a theory that is incorrect but logically sound]], and he is then misled further by a genius industrialist who plants a perfectly incorrect trail of red herrings. Additionally, just like how Rorschach's attempt to kill Veidt [[UnderestimatingBadassery fails miserably]] due to his scrappy CombatPragmatist nature being curbstomped by Veidt's CharlesAtlasSuperpower, the exact same thing happens with Question and Luthor (though Luthor is explicitly superhuman at this point).
111	* WhoShotJFK: According to the Question, the Illuminati forged a magic bullet.
112	* YouCantFightFate:
113	** The Question reasons that what happened in the Justice Lords universe is inevitable here, even if some of the details are slightly off.
114	** He still tries to subvert it by confronting Luthor before that war can happen...but the Question's beatdown and torture [[NiceJobBreakingItHero actually leads]] to Superman directly confronting Cadmus and starting the war anyway.
115	* ZeroApprovalGambit: The Question knows that, because most people already think he's a crackpot, he figures that he can ShootTheDog without discrediting the entire League.

Context Recap / JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E9QuestionAuthority