Justice League: Doom

DC Comics has given comic book geeks such as me the royal hook up by giving us a new movie/cartoon titled Justice League: Doom. Our heroes come together to ensure that the human race does not become enslaved as a result of Vandal Savage’s diabolical plan. Indeed, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Martian Manhunter and Cyborg bring their forces together in an attempt to save the world. Except it comes with a twist.

Savage has recruited enemies of the heroes to facilitate a plan to bring the League down to its knees. And the Legion of the Doom (as they call themselves) actually succeeds thanks in large part to an unlikely ally: Batman.

Savage gets Mirror Master to infiltrate the Batcave by hiding out in the Batmobile and he is able to plug into the Batcomputer and download information detailing the weaknesses of each and every Justice League member.

And with that, the League is brought down to their weakest point and seems all but defeated until Batman figures out what occurred and rescues his allies and explains to them what happened and how.

The remainder of the adventure centers on the League’s ability to cooperate and save the world from Savage, but also their willingness and ability to trust a man that they feel betrayed them. The idea that Batman had set up plans to neutralize people that he considers to be friends invariably creates friction and somewhat of a state of paranoia vis-à-vis the League and Bruce Wayne.

Batman defiantly offers a compelling argument for his actions and leaves most of the League completely dumbfounded.

It’s intriguing that Doom took this direction given that for the most part Batman has predominantly been cast as somewhat of a team player with a touch of defiance in other installments of Justice League cartoons. But Doom captures the true nature of the relationships between each and every member.

Indeed, Superman is the proverbial boy scout that can interact and lead every one of his allies whereas Wonder Woman is the combative spirit of the group, always looking for a fight and rarely looking to reason with others. The Flash and Green Lantern enjoy a relationship in which they are playful with each other but never over the top. Cyborg on the other hand is the new guy that just wishes to fit in; while the Dark Knight is a solo act whose intellect is practically unmatched in the group, which consequently usually leads to him barking out the orders and getting the team organized.

Make no mistake though, Batman is not a team player.

The Justice League works well in concert but Doom illustrates that at times you can only go so far when the point man always thinks he knows best.

In the end, the League has to find a way to put their differences aside with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. It may seem like a cheesy cliché, but the truth is that even heroes have their owns faults and they have to work through them to save the day.

As important as the end result is, appreciating the journey is paramount as it pertains to getting to the finish line.