"Judgment Day" is the ninth episode of the second season of The New Batman Adventures, and it first aired on October 31, 1998. It was the final episode of the series to be produced.
When a new vigilante is on a spree to serve his own band of justice to Gotham's rogues, Batman must apprehend the mysterious assailant before crossing the line.
Plot
Act one
The Penguin does questionable business with Killer Croc and Two-Face...
In his design studio, the Penguin is conducting illicit business with Killer Croc, fencing a stolen diamond, telling him that he cannot give him very much for it. At the same time, Two-Face arrives and Penguin says that he was able to secure a better price for his stolen goods. Croc becomes infuriated, but takes his money and leaves with Two-Face.
...and gets his comeuppance.
As Penguin stashes the diamond and a wad of money inside, he is confronted by a tall figure dressed in a long black robe, and wearing a ceremonial wig. The figure accuses him of trafficking, but Penguin vouches for the legitimacy of his business, claiming to have no prior knowledge of the origins of the items. The man still proclaims himself as the Law and finds Penguin guilty, swinging a sword at him. Penguin runs and calls out for his henchgirls, only to find them tied up and hanging from the ceiling. He then makes a run for the backdoor and tries to unlock it, while his pursuer sends a giant penguin model rolling towards him. The effigy runs over Penguin, knocking him unconscious.
Next morning, the Gotham Insider reports the attack on Penguin, who is said to be in critical condition. While Killer Croc hears this with relish, Bruce is not pleased. Councilman J. Carroll Corcoran goes on record to publicly condone the actions of the vigilante whom he dubs "Judge", saying that justice must be served. Two-Face listens to this, while flipping his coin.
The Judge trials his second defendant.
Later on, by Gotham's bridge toll booths, two police officers bemoan about their assignment, and as they enter the pick up van, Croc stows away underneath it. He commandeers the moving van and throws the two policemen out. When he rejoices for it, the Judge appears atop the van and starts mauling an oversize gavel against the windshield. He smashes the window in and causes the van to flip over and collide. Croc lunges at the assailant, but the Judge dodges and hits him. He accuses Croc of murder, mayhem, and manslaughter, whilst bludgeoning him with the mallet. Croc climbs up to the top of the bridge, not realizing that the Judge out ran him. From afar, Batman is watching and takes off towards them. The Judge and Croc struggle over the hammer but Croc loses balance and plummets. The Judge announces that the court is adjourned, but Batman saves Croc inches before hitting the ground. The Judge disappears without a trace.
Councilman J. Carroll Corcoran helps The Judge under the table.
In a private conference, Councilman Corcoran bestows the Judge with two diskettes containing police files that will help him in his cause, but not before noting that he cannot be connected to them. Corcoran explains that he has gained popularity since he started endorsing his vigilantism. He states that the Judge's doings work out for everybody. The two men shake hands and Corcoran sneers with conspicuous glee.
Act two
The next day, the Gotham Insider reports that the Judge neutralized the Riddler and his goons, when they laid siege to Gotham's Golden Quill brunch earlier that morning. Corcoran declares that he was well-informed about the Judge's attack and hints at Two-Face as the next target. Upon hearing this statement in a pub, Two-Face expresses his outrage by shooting the TV set. As he leaves, an undercover Batman takes off in his pursuit.
Two-Face's sentence is pronounced.
In his hideout, Two-Face is contemplating to inflict some pain on Corcoran and the Judge, when Batman hits him by surprise. Holding him down, Batman tries to calm Two-Face, claiming he wanted to find him before the Judge did. As soon as Two-Face dismisses his help, however, every exit in his apartment is locked shut. The TV set turns on and a video recording of the Judge pronounces Two-Face's punishment — death by asphyxiation — and gas starts pouring down the air vent. Two-Face quickly opens a concealed trapdoor, only to find that the secret escape hatch, which no one else supposedly knew about, has been shut down as well. Batman pulls Two-Face away from the gas and hurls an explosive batarang at the air escape, causing several explosions, thus setting them free. As Batman struggles to pull himself back up, Two-Face kicks him unconscious, and runs away.
Back in his office, Councilman Corcoran is on the phone with the Judge, who is expressing his aggravation over Batman's second interference and wants to deal with him. Corcoran tries to appease him, stating that he has a primary next week, and a fight between two "heroes" could not bode well for him. The Judge hangs up on him without responding. At that moment, Corcoran is visited by Batman, who inquires about the Judge's whereabouts. Corcoran is elusive and Batman declares he wants to apprehend him before he really kills someone. Corcoran dismisses his concerns and states how the "revolving door" keeps putting criminals back on the streets. He goes on about the will of the people, but Batman leaves before he finishes rambling.
In the underground parking lot, Corcoran walks to his car while rehearsing his speech, when he's intercepted by Two-Face. Corcoran starts backing up and is knocked out by one of Two-Face's goons.
Act three
Two-Face questions Corcoran.
Inside a courtroom, Corcoran is tied to a chair and Two-Face interrogates him about the whereabouts of the Judge. Corcoran swears he doesn't know, so Two-Face decides to make an example out of him. He tosses his coin and it lands on his hand with the good heads up, but he then flips it over to the back of his left hand, making the bad heads looking up. He sees the result and tells his goons to get on with it and they carry Corcoran away. The councilman reveals that he has a slush fund and offers Two-Face kickback money to spare his life. Two-Face declines, saying that it should have been mentioned sooner so that he could have flipped the coin on it. Corcoran is dragged away begging for his life.
The Judge turns the tables on Corcoran.
In the Batcave, Batman is examining the Judge's gavel he retrieved from the police impound, as Alfred comes in holding a service tray. On close examination, Batman discovers that the mallet is actually the Marshall Award, a trophy bestowed annually by the Bar Association to a judge or attorney for excellence. When he pulls down a list of past winners, Alfred exclaims in shock upon recognizing one of the names.
Back at the courthouse, Corcoran is blindfolded and ties to the base of the statue of Lady Justice. As Two-Face's thugs pull out their guns to murder him, Corcoran tries to offer them the money Two-Face had previously rejected. However, the goons are discouraged by the thought of betraying Two-Face. Suddenly, they see two magnetic cuffs being attached to their wrists, disarming and binding them together. When they try to run for the exit, the Judge is blocking their way out and draws his sword. He takes charge at the restrained thugs and pins them to the ground with a wooden adornment.
The two vigilantes duel.
Corcoran, who has managed to take off his blindfold, goads the Judge to kill them as they sure were about to do him in. The Judge replies that the councilman is in no place to judge others, for he is also a transgressor of the law he swore to uphold. As the Judge prepares to execute Corcoran, he is disarmed by a batarang. Batman jumps in and is about to reveal the vigilante's identity, when the Judge hurls two magnetic cuffs at him. Batman is restrained and a fight ensues. Though even with his both hands bound, Batman is able to knock the Judge down. However, the Judge is not defeated and hurls yet another pair of cuffs at Batman's feet. While he reaches for his sword, Batman pulls out a grappling gun and reels himself up. The Judge jumps on his back and the two vigilantes struggle.
"Guilty... guilty... guilty..."
Batman finally manages to shake him off and the Judge plummets to the ground. Batman takes the keys from his unconscious body to unlock the cuffs. Worried for his reputation, and that news of his slush fund would come out, Corcoran pleads for Batman's help. Batman declares that it is worse than he thinks and then he unmasks the Judge. Corcoran is shocked to find out that the "hero" he endorsed was none other than Two-Face. As the police and reporters enter the building, Batman exits, leaving Corcoran lost for words.
The next day, Bruce is reading the newspaper about Corcoran's indictment and subsequent loss of primary, while Alfred tries to make sense of what had happened. They conclude that the Judge was a third personality, separated from the rest, that Harvey Dent had unknowingly created to fight crime. A personality so separate, he even tried to kill himself without knowing it! This explains how the Judge was aware of the secret underground passage in Two-Face's apartment. The Judge knew everything about Two-Face, except that he was Two-Face. Alfred pities Two-Face and wonders what's going to happen him now.
In Arkham, Two-Face is sitting in his cell standing trial inside his mind. Once the Judge asks him how he pleads, Two-Face repeatedly declares himself guilty, with a haunted look on his face.
Continuity
- Two-Face's half-colored apartment previously appeared in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Shadow of the Bat, Part I".
Background information
Home video releases
- Batman: The Animated Series, Volume Four (DVD)
- Batman: The Complete Animated Series (DVD)
- Batman Super-Villains: Killer Croc (DVD)
- Batman: The Complete Animated Series (Blu-ray)
Production inconsistencies
- Right after the Judge says, "May heaven have mercy on your souls, Two-Face. Both of them", Two-Face's "halves" have flipped. His good half is on his left side, while his bad half is on his right.
- The Judge's mallet falls and breaks after he attacks Killer Croc, but it is intact again when Batman examines it in the Batcave.
Trivia
- Last appearances of Killer Croc, the Riddler, Two-Face, and the Penguin in the series. However, Riddler and Penguin reappear in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Knight Time" and Penguin later reappears in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, Killer Croc, Riddler and Two-Face make brief appearances as training robots in the Batman Beyond episode "Terry's Friend Dates a Robot", and Two-Face's alternate reality counterpart makes a non-speaking appearance in the Justice League episode "A Better World".
- At the start of the first scene with The Judge and J. Carroll Corcoran, a male version of Lady Justice is seen outside. Rather than a blindfold, he wears sunglasses as a more modern take on the adage "Justice is blind".
- This is the second time an alternate persona of Two-Face secretly plots something against the other. In the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Second Chance", Two-Face kidnaps Harvey Dent from the hospital, with the latter being none the wiser. In this episode, the Judge attempts to execute Two-Face, with both unaware that they are in fact the same person.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Kevin Conroy | Batman/Bruce Wayne |
| Efrem Zimbalist Jr. | Alfred Pennyworth |
| Richard Moll | Two-Face |
| Malachi Throne | The Judge |
| Paul Williams | The Penguin |
| Brooks Gardner | Killer Croc |
| John Glover | The Riddler |
| Jodi Baskerville | Anchorwoman |
| Steven Weber | J. Carroll Corcoran |
| Peter Jason | Manny |
| Loren Lester | Mo |
Uncredited appearances
Quotes
The Penguin: (to Killer Croc) Don't forget, as a legitimate businessman, I have my expenses too: taxes, overhead, labor. |
The Penguin: I had no actual knowledge that the items were stolen. Given that, I don't see how the law can touch me. |
Guard #1: Another day, another toll pickup. Wish I had a nickel for every car that's been through these gates. |
The Judge: You are accused of murder, mayhem, manslaughter. How do you plead? |
Two-Face: (reading about Corcoran and the Judge) Relocation, eh? I'd like to dislocate them both. |
The Judge: May heaven have mercy on your souls, Two-Face. Both of them. |
(Last line of the series and his final line in the DCAU) |
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