Injustice For All

Justice League episode
"Injustice For All"
Airdate:	September 6, 2002 September 13, 2002
Production Number:	08-09
Airdate Order:	18-19
Animation Services by:	Koko Enterprise C.O., LTD.
Written by:	Stan Berkowitz
Directed by:	Butch Lukic

"Injustice For All" is the 18th and 19th episodes of Justice League. It first aired on September 6 and 13, 2002.

Plot

Part I

Lex Luthor's criminal activities are finally exposed in a sting by the Justice League, when Luthor lords it over a Superman rendered helpless by Kryptonite, who turns out to be J'onn J'onzz in disguise, with Batman and Green Lantern recording the conversation. Luthor flees the LexCorp tower in a personal aircraft. Superman flies after him, but Luthor has an unexpected seizure, and Superman must act quickly to keep him from crashing.

Luthor awakens in a hospital bed. Superman and a doctor inform him that he is suffering from an incurable form of blood cancer caused by long-term exposure to the Kryptonite's radiation. Luthor loses interest in defending his case, and so is sent to prison.

He convinces Ultra-Humanite, who occupies the next cell, to help him escape in exchange for a large sum of money. Once free, he summons a group of other super-criminals: Cheetah, Copperhead, The Shade, Solomon Grundy, and Star Sapphire, for one purpose: to destroy the League.

In their first attack, they lure the League into a trap, but quickly find that the League is too well-organized for them to overcome. Both sides suffer one casualty: Batman is wounded by Copperhead's venom, while Copperhead is taken captive.

While Luthor is ranting about the Gang's failure, Joker appears. Luthor orders him out, but Joker says they need him, as he is the one who knows Batman best – to demonstrate, he plucks a bat-shaped homing device off Luthor.

Refusing to rest after being cured of the venom, Batman follows the signal to the Gang's hideout, but is ambushed and knocked out.

Part II

Batman comes around encased in full-body titanium restraints, and a stasis field shielding him from J'onn's telepathy. With various members of the Gang taking turns to guard him, Luthor takes his utility belt to his lab.

Superman and the Flash interrogate Copperhead in jail. He refuses to talk, and when Superman physically threatens him, he mocks him by calling him a boy scout and comparing him to a school bully. As Copperhead is taken back to his cell, having revealed nothing, Superman wonders aloud, "How does Batman do it?"

In his cell, Batman works his magic on Cheetah, his current guard. He listens with sympathy to her story of how she was forced to use her experimental genetic techniques on herself, and, feeling a rush of attraction, she kisses him.

Luthor manages to disable the anti-theft devices in the utility belt, and finds a remote control for entry into the Watchtower. Shade, Sapphire, and Grundy infiltrate the tower, knock out J'onn, and plant a bomb. On Earth, Luthor has another seizure. Afraid that he won't live long enough even to see his revenge, he asks for help. Humanite agrees, for an extra fee.

The League returns to the Tower. While they are ministering to J'onn, someone telephones the Tower and warns them about the bomb. Conducting a hurried search, they manage to find it and Flash throws it into space seconds before it explodes.

Seeing his plan has failed, Luthor takes out his anger on the Gang, who decide to quit. He only manages to keep them around by offering to triple their pay.

In the cell, Joker, who is guarding Batman, is also disappointed to see the plot has failed. But he decides to disobey Luthor's orders and kill Batman anyway. Fortunately, Grundy arrives and forces Joker away. Batman thanks him and asks for a glass of water. Grundy gives it to him, and Batman spits it into the stasis field, disabling it. Immediately, J'onn knows where he is.

In another part of the hideout, Humanite devises a treatment that temporarily stabilizes Luthor's condition, which involves encasing his chest in a containment suit. Grundy comes running to tell him that the League is on their way. Before preparing their last ambush, Luthor says they need to expose the traitor who tipped off the League. He checks the surveillance videos and sees Cheetah kissing Batman. Grundy drags her away, even as she screams that she's innocent.

The League enters the hideout and attacks. They seem to be winning, but Luthor appears in an armored battlesuit that harnesses the kryptonite radiation his body has absorbed. He is about to use it to kill Superman, but Humanite disables him, and surrenders, revealing himself to be the traitor.

Joker decides to run, but not before finishing Batman off. He runs back to the cell, and finds that Batman has already freed himself from the restraints. "I could have escaped at any time," he explains, knocking out Joker.

As Luthor and the Gang are taken into custody, Humanite asks Batman "you'll keep our bargain?" Batman agrees – "double what Luthor was paying." It seems that he suborned Humanite while he was being guarded.

Back in Stryker's Island, Luthor pounds on the wall of his cell, yelling that Humanite will pay for his treachery. Humanite, who is watching an opera program on public broadcasting, serenely ignores him. The program concludes, "this program was made possible by a gift from the Ultra-Humanite, and viewers like you."

Continuity

• This marks the end of Luthor's career as a "legitimate" businessman, after which he is either a prisoner or a fugitive from justice.
• The harmful effects of Kryptonite on humans were first referenced in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "World's Finest," when it is revealed that all the multiple owners of the "Laughing Dragon" statue died prematurely.
• Although Luthor's condition is stabilized, he is not finally cured for some time.

Background Information

Trivia

• First appearance of Ultra-Humanite and Cheetah.
• First appearance of Joker on Justice League.
• During the final battle between the Justice League and Injustice Gang, Hawkgirl can be seen crashing into statues of the Wonder Twins Zan and Jayna.
• In order of production, this is the first appearance of Copperhead, Solomon Grundy, Shade, and Star Sapphire, but they also appeared in the episode "Fury," which was aired first.
• Although Cheetah is dragged away to be executed, she is seen imprisoned in the van along with the rest of the Gang after they are taken into custody, and appears in future episodes of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. How she escaped is not explained on-screen. However, Bruce Timm explained that Cheetah was in fact suppposed to be killed off, and was merely "spared" due to an animation/continuity error.
• Luthor says, "Et tu, Humanite?" This is a reference to the famous line from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, spoken by Caesar to Brutus, whom he realizes has betrayed him.
• Joker's last words to Batman before falling unconscious are "You're dethspicable!" a la Daffy Duck.
• Luthor's Kryptonite poisoning was a major story arc in the comics, received as a result of wearing a chip of Kryptonite on a ring for several years. Luthor avoided dying by transferring his brain into a stronger, younger clone of himself (with a full head of hair). However, his clone body aged prematurely, forcing Luthor to sell his soul in order to avoid becoming a permanent cripple.
• Luthor's battlesuit is also based directly on one made famous in the comics.
• During Luthor's confession to "Superman", he mentioned "Stafros" (from "Fire From Olympus") accepting a bribe while working for a shipping company. This may indicate that Lex Luthor may have had some involvement with Maxie Zeus' rise to power, since Stafros worked for Maximillian Shipping Lines and was planning on talking to Gordon when Maxie used his weapon on him.

Cast

Actor	Role
Maria Canals	Hawkgirl
Kevin Conroy	Batman
Susan Eisenberg	Wonder Woman
Phil LaMarr	Green Lantern
Carl Lumbly	J'onn J'onzz
George Newbern	Superman
Michael Rosenbaum	The Flash
Clancy Brown	Lex Luthor
Ian Buchanan	Ultra-Humanite
Olivia d'Abo	Star Sapphire
Mark Hamill	The Joker Solomon Grundy
Jason Marsden	Snapper Carr
Stephen McHattie	Shade
Sheryl Lee Ralph	Cheetah
Jose Yenque	Copperhead
Grant Heslov	Doctor

Quotes

Superman: Lex, if there's anything I can do-- Luthor: You've done more than enough.

Star Sapphire: Common criminals. Is this what I've been reduced to? (Lex Luthor and the Ultra-Humanite reveal themselves to the others) Luthor: Criminals, yes. But common? Most certainly not. Shade: Lex Luthor? Well, the plot thins.

Hawkgirl: That's fast. Flash: Fastest man alive. Hawkgirl: Which might explain why you can't get a date.

Joker: You're not going to leave him like this,are you? Luthor: Why? Joker: Hello, he's still alive! Luthor: And he's going to stay that way until I say we don't need him anymore! (The Joker tries to get Luthor's gun) Joker: Lex, Lex, take it from someone who knows. Don't wait...do it now. Luthor: You don't like my decisions? Leave! (Luthor elbows the Joker in the gut.) Joker: And they say I'm crazy!

Copperhead: I keep telling you, I don't know anything! I'm just an innocent (Superman and the Flash join in) victim of circumstances. Flash: Yeah, yeah, we know.

Batman: So what happened then? Cheetah: My research opened up whole new worlds. There was so much to do... Batman: But so little funding. Cheetah: You know about that? Batman: You didn't have enough for test subjects, so you used yourself. Cheetah: And now I'm a freak. Batman: That's not what I see. I see someone who was willing to sacrifice everything for a cause she believed in. Cheetah: How do you know so much about me? Batman: Let's just say, cats aren't the only creatures who are curious. Cheetah: Too much curiosity can be dangerous. Batman: Maybe I like danger. Cheetah: Do you? Batman: (whispers) Try me.

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