The fiendish Ra's Al Ghul strikes again, and the heroes are on the case! Robin, Speedy and Aqualad must fight the mad environmentalist, while proving themselves to their mentors.
And that's if they can stop fighting one another, first.
Tropes:
- Actually a Good Idea: Robin decides to adopt a new alias, but it's Batman who picks the Nightwing name. The former Robin is about to protest, only to admit he actually does like the sound of that name.
- Blatant Lies: Green Arrow says he thinks he's always treated Speedy pretty well. Following the Flashback Cut, everyone's giving him disbelieving glares.
- The Cameo: In the opening flashback, Hal Jordan, Red Tornado, Fire, and Black Canary are aboard the Watchtower with the other heroes.
- Dating Catwoman: Very much not the case with Talia, to Robin's disappointment. She only bailed the sidekicks out because she doesn't want anyone getting in the way of her becoming her father's heir. She also explicitly promises to kill Robin should they ever see each other again.
- Deadpan Snarker:
- AQUAMAN turns out to be capable of sarcasm, as shown when he realizes Batman's made a mistake.
AQUAMAN: I think I shall call this adventure "The Time Batman Sent Us To The Wrong Island"!- Aqualad is all sarcasm. Though given who his mentor is, not hard to see why.
- Early-Bird Cameo: In the cold open, Superman and Wonder Woman are part of the Justice League meeting, albeit voiceless and only seen from the back. But they're pretty hard to mistake for anyone else. Martian Manhunter and the Barry Allen Flash also make their first appearances in this scene.
- Evil Brit: As always, Ra's and Talia both speak with refined British accents.
- Flashback Cut: In case anyone believes Green Arrow.Green Arrow: Quickly, retrieve my bow from that crocodile pit!
- Glad I Thought of It: Robin as a kid initially thinks the idea of teaming up is stupid, until he decides he should be in charge. Then he thinks it's great.
- Heir Club for Men: As always, Ra's thinks Talia's too much of a girl to be a worthy heir, but Robin (and not his usual fav, Batman) would be a good fit.
- Hypocritical Humor: Robin adopts a new alias and says that, from now on, he's his own person that gets to make his own decisions. Batman then tells him what the name of his new alias is, and the newly christened Nightwing decides to roll with it.
- I'll Kill You!: Talia frees the sidekicks from her father's deathtrap, then just so Robin doesn't get any ideas tells him it is entirely for her benefit, and if she ever sees him again, he's "a dead man".
- Only Sane Man: Poor Speedy's stuck between the bad-tempered Robin and Aqualad.
- Rage Against the Mentor: Robin and Aqualad had been chafing about their mentors the whole time, but Speedy finally tells off Green Arrow in the last scene and calls him a jerk.
- Reverse Psychology: And reverse-reverse psychology. Batman lists two islands, one that's almost certainly got Ra's and his goons on it, and another one which probably has nothing. Robin figures he's making the second one sound boring so the sidekicks won't go there, but it's actually the important one. So Robin decides to go to that one... which is exactly what Batman had planned (AQUAMAN doesn't get it). And then it turns out the boring one was the right call after all.
- Taught by Television: Speedy grasps how the cannon is being controlled, rattling off the various tech talk in short order. When Robin and Aqualad look at him in surprise, Speedy chalks it up to his history of playing video games.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Robin and Aqualad have been arguing with each other ever since they were kids.
- Villain Has a Point: Talia notes that Robin is still living in Batman's shadow, despite his efforts to be his own man. Ultimately, Robin agrees with her and adopts a new alias (Nightwing, of course).
