Justice League Unlimited 'Question Authority'

[FaxModem1]

Review

This is a very solid episode setting everything up for the rest of the season while also giving us rising tension in the conflict between Cadmus and the Justice League. But, I have a problem with it.

This is where I think they made a mistake with Superman's character, albeit unintentionally. Supes decides to go on a date with Lois, having a picnic prepared for her at the top of a bridge. Clark has given up on romancing Lois as Clark, and is now doing so fully as Superman. The purpose of the scene is for Lois to be giving him a reality check on Justice League actions over the past season, but it also brings up the sad fact that Clark Kent isn't who he is anymore. He's Superman, and that's all he ever will be.

Is Clark making the choice to date the woman he's been pining for by presenting only an image of who he is, not his true personality? It makes one wonder if he just decided to give up on trying to have a fulfilling life as Clark Kent, and only focus on the Superman persona he engages as while on the clock.

The DCAU never really seemed to make Clark a priority, and because of this, it shows Superman becoming the dominant part of his life. No wonder he reacted badly whenever a part of that life, such as Professor Hamilton, seemed to go against him. It's like watching an actor slowly become the role they play on televison, to the detriment of who they really are.

[clearspira]

Review

This is a very solid episode setting everything up for the rest of the season while also giving us rising tension in the conflict between Cadmus and the Justice League. But, I have a problem with it.

This is where I think they made a mistake with Superman's character, albeit unintentionally. Supes decides to go on a date with Lois, having a picnic prepared for her at the top of a bridge. Clark has given up on romancing Lois as Clark, and is now doing so fully as Superman. The purpose of the scene is for Lois to be giving him a reality check on Justice League actions over the past season, but it also brings up the sad fact that Clark Kent isn't who he is anymore. He's Superman, and that's all he ever will be.

Is Clark making the choice to date the woman he's been pining for by presenting only an image of who he is, not his true personality? It makes one wonder if he just decided to give up on trying to have a fulfilling life as Clark Kent, and only focus on the Superman persona he engages as while on the clock.

The DCAU never really seemed to make Clark a priority, and because of this, it shows Superman becoming the dominant part of his life. No wonder he reacted badly whenever a part of that life, such as Professor Hamilton, seemed to go against him. It's like watching an actor slowly become the role they play on televison, to the detriment of who they really are.

I don't disagree, but the DCAU as a whole never really focused on the civilian identities of these characters. Bruce probably lucks out the most. I think the whole purpose of the picnic scene (which I was surprised that Chuck did not go into) was to contrast the dinner scene that Lord Superman has with Lois where he was essentially saying the exact same things as League Superman.

As I was saying over on the discussion about Henry Cavil's Superman, Dean Cain was my personal favourite Superman as that show wasn't technically about Superman, it was about Lois and Clark. Not only was this a great way to save the budget that they clearly did not have, but we got something that we haven't really seen on-screen before or since.

[Wargriffin]

Once the DCAU transitions into the JL era

Bruce and Clark's Civilian lives pretty much vanish... Hell I think Starcrossed is the first time we see Alfred in Ages

[Deledrius]

That makes sense. When you open the cast up to the entire JL and the extended members that entails, you really don't have time for that sort of thing outside of a specific episode that might focus on it for reasons that still pertain to the rest of the show.

[TrueMetis]

Given that the League has expanded and there are more people to carry the burdens of being superheroes it's entirely possible that Clark is actually spending more time as Clark. But we don't get to see that because that's not what the story is about.

[Jonathan101]

Honestly, I'm just annoyed that he STILL hasn't told her that he is Clark Kent. Heck I don't think he EVER told her in the DCAU.

Also- holy crap, her eyes are purple!

[Linkara]

Going to disagree with Chuck on something - I always interpreted Hamilton's intense breathing and exhaustion afterwards not because of his intense fear of Superman and surviving that encounter, but rather because of the emotional baggage of now confessing to someone whom he once considered a friend what he'd been doing - that it honestly DID affect him to be betraying his trust like that.

[Jonathan101]

Going to disagree with Chuck on something - I always interpreted Hamilton's intense breathing and exhaustion afterwards not because of his intense fear of Superman and surviving that encounter, but rather because of the emotional baggage of now confessing to someone whom he once considered a friend what he'd been doing - that it honestly DID affect him to be betraying his trust like that.

Kind of depends on how you interpret Hamilton.

For instance, does he actually think that he IS betraying Superman? Or does he think that Superman betrayed HIM and furthermore the planet?

I mean, his attitude back in S:TAS finale was very much "I'd love to save your cousin Superman but might get in trouble wit the government so guess she's gonna die OH GOD YOU'RE THREATENING ME FINE I'LL DO IT PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

It is entirely possible that Hamilton is and always WAS a fundamentally amoral jerk / emotionally stunted idiot who never really saw Superman as a friend in any meaningful sense to begin with (or anyone else), only ever teamed ups with him in the past because he saw him as interesting from a scientific point-of-view, and still fails to understand that Superman being angry for him being willing to let his "cousin" die just to save his own skin is actually a perfectly legitimate grievance.

I don't think Hamilton is the most fleshed-out character on the show, so both interpretations are possible, but looking bad I'm not sure they were ever especially close; their relationship was always somewhat formal.

[RobbyB1982]

I've always had a bias on Hamilton because in the comics he was a *major* longtime friend and ally of Superman, an ongoing recurring character who then went over to the Superboy comic for a while, and you just generally saw him all over the place and he was a good guy and Superman's friend. (He also got a robot arm at some point.)

So, even though the animated version is a different universe, I take it at face value that he genuinely DID like and trust Superman... until he didn't because of things that happened. So his betrayal probably hit me a little harder, and felt a little more wrong, than it did for anyone who only watched the show where he was a minor character at best.

[Jonathan101]

As I understand it he was originally INTRODUCED as a villain, albeit a sympathetic one who became heroic later on. There were also various times he became a villain because someone else brainwashed him. So, presumably he is more morally ambiguous villainous here because of that basis.

Then there is the whole "Ruin" fiasco of course, but that came later.

Regardless, I think it's fair to say that DCAU Hamilton is just a different character and isn't beholden to his comic book incarnation, same way Brainiac is an AI from Krypton rather than a Coluan scientist.