After saving a young girl during a hurricane, Diana begins to feel homesick and decides to return to Themyscira. When she arrives, however, she finds her home in ruins and all of her fellow Amazons turned to stone. She investigates and finds the wizard Felix Faust, who decides to make a deal with her: if she finds three magical artifacts within 24 hours, he will restore the Amazons back to their original selves.
Diana agrees to the deal, and heads out to find the artifacts. However, she is found out by Superman and the others, but they agree to help Diana in her quest (except Batman; he decides to go off and snoop). Each piece is guarded, but the Justice League manages to overcome these obstacles and fetch the artifacts. Meanwhile, Batman has found Faust's apartment, and learned why he wants the artifacts so badly: when combined, they form a key to the gates of Tartarus, and Faust intends to release Hades in exchange for ultimate power and knowledge.
Diana delivers the key to Faust, who holds up most of his end of the bargain and restores Diana's mother Hippolyta. Before he can double cross the two, the Justice League attacks with intention to get the key away from Faust. He manages to fight them off and open a portal to Tartarus, allowing Hades to cross over into the real world. The Justice League pursues him, and after a fight against Hades' army Diana manages to destroy the key, sending both Hades and Faust back to Tartarus and closing the gates for good.
So, the day is saved, but while she is proud of Diana for saving her, Hippolyta is disappointed in her for breaking Amazonian Law and allowing men onto the island. As punishment, Diana is banished from Themyscira, and despite the others trying to argue her case, Diana accepts the punishment and leaves.
Tropes:
- Adaptational Villainy: Hades, as usual.
Bruce Timm and company openly admitted that they based him more off of Marvel's Hades (better known as Pluto) - a recurring foe of The Mighty Thor and The Incredible Hercules - than any of DC's (usually) more mythologically-accurate takes. - Artifact of Doom: Three of them; combined, they form a key to Tartarus, which would allow Hades to enter the mortal realm.
- Badass Boast: From Wonder Woman:"If you break your vow, no magic in the universe will save you from me."
- Bittersweet Ending: Hades and Faust are defeated, but Wonder Woman is banished from Themyscira for bringing the male Leaguers to the island to help her.
- Composite Character: Hades was not an antagonistic figure to Wonder Woman in the comics, but takes on attributes of Ares here.
- Dismantled MacGuffin: The key to Tartarus is in three pieces, and Felix Faust forces Wonder Woman to find them all before he will release her sisters.
- The Dragon: Faust, to Hades. He is also The Heavy for most of the two parter, as Hades isn't actually released until midway through the second episode.
- Exact Words: Faust is promised knowledge of everything by Hades. When the latter is released, he proceeds to torture the former, saying that “Pain and suffering is all man shall know.”
- From Nobody to Nightmare: Faust goes from a researcher of ancient mythology to Hades' Dragon.
- Harmful to Minors: The story opens with Wonder Woman saving a little girl during a storm and returning her to her mother. Their conversation gets Wonder Woman thinking about Hippolyta.Mother: How could you run off like that? You almost scared me to death.
Daughter: I'm sorry.
Mother: I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you. You're my whole world. - Honor Before Reason: The League doesn't immediately go to Themyscira and stop Faust because men aren't allowed on Themyscira, and because Wonder Woman gave her word that she would find the pieces.
- Hypocritical Humor:Wonder Woman: How could any female wear such ridiculous garments?
Superman: (amused) You got me. - Knotty Tentacles: Flash tricks a giant serpent into making itself into a knot (though it frees itself fairly quickly).
- Lawful Stupid: Despite Diana having no other choice but to bring the male members of the League to Themyscira to save them and stop Faust and Hades, Hippolyta, though not happy about it, adheres to the laws of the island and banishes Diana for doing so.
- Let's You and Him Fight: Most of the pieces of the key to Tartarus will summon a monster when they are found to stop anyone from assembling them. When Superman and Wonder Woman find one, they each think this has happened, along with the other hero mysteriously vanishing. What's actually happened is that the piece has cast an illusion so each of them thinks the other is a monster, and they fight.
- No-Sell: Most of the League's attacks don't even make Hades flinch.
- Off with His Head!: Combined with Taken for Granite.Batman: [Faust] swore revenge on those that mocked him, and several later disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
Wonder Woman: I have a pretty good idea what happened to them.
(Wonder Woman points to three horrified stone faces mounted on the wall)
Flash: EW! - One-Winged Angel: Hades' visage is burnt off revealing a triple-tongued, goat-faced, demonic dragon.
- Physical God: Hades.
- Playing with Fire: Hades can breath fire, as can the snake-monster Flash and Martian Manhunter have to fight.
- Rapid Aging: The consequence of being parted with Hades's ultimate knowledge as Faust soon finds out.
- Recycled Animation: For some bizarre reason, during the fight with Faust in the second half, a clip of the Flash from Superman: The Animated Series is inserted into the scene. Especially noticeable considering the drastically different coloring and shading.
- Spanner in the Works: The male League members - had they not come to help Diana after they learned Faust's intentions, she and Hippolyta would've both been Taken for Granite before he went to release Hades (plus, they helped seal him again). Which only makes it more frustrating for them when Hippolyta still abides by the laws of the island and banishes her daughter for breaking them, though with a heavy heart.
- Start of Darkness: Diana's story of Hades.Diana: Long ago, in ancient times, My mother, Hippolyta, fell in love with a god, Lord Hades. When war broke out between the Olympian gods and their ancient foes, the Titans, Hades struck a treasonous bargain with the enemy. He would deliver Mount Olympus into the Titans' hands. In return, he would be given dominion over all humanity. Hades tricked my mother into opening the gates of Olympus to the invading Titans. There was a battle of which the Muses still sing. The gods fought back and eventually prevailed. As punishment for his treachery, Zeus cast Hades into the pit of Tartarus, where he would rule over the dead for all eternity. And for her unwitting role in Hades' plot, my mother was charged with guarding the gateway to the Underworld. To make sure the gate could never be unlocked, its only key was broken up and scattered across the globe. Mother told me she kept one of the pieces in the temple as a daily reminder of her eternal shame.
- Taken for Granite: Every Amazon on Themyscira. They get better after Hades and Faust are defeated.
- Ungrateful Bastard:
- Rules of the island or no, you gotta admit the banishment is pretty harsh just for getting some much needed help. Lampshaded by The Flash. Also see Spanner in the Works.
- Hades thanks Faust for freeing him by upholding his end of the bargain...which is to give the ultimate knowledge of mortality that condemns Faust to a death by Rapid Aging.
- What Does She See in Him?: Diana flat out asks Hippolyta what she ever saw in Hades, to which she just replies, "Ancient history."
- You Can't Go Home Again: Diana is banished from Themyscira for allowing men to come on to the island.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness:
- Faust tries to do this to Diana, but the rest of the Justice League intervene.
- This is ho Hades rewards Faust for freeing him. Unfortunately for him, his method of execution was slow enough for Faust to strike back, distracting Hades long enough for Hippolyta to tackle him, and Diana to destroy the key.
