12 Best Justice League Episodes
The best episodes from one of the best animated TV series ever put to screen.
One of the best written shows not only of the era, but of the past few decades, Justice League - and its followup Justice League Unlimited - were both enjoyable, intelligent series' that were able to replicate the tight, masterful storytelling of its predecessors (such as Batman: The Animated Series, among others) but on a much larger, team-based scale.
They were mature, action-packed and enjoyed as much by adults as the kids they were being aired to. In these shows, the creators always had something important to say, and weren't afraid to say it, even when their medium was classified as a 'children's cartoon'.
This isn't even mentioning the show's fantastic art direction, animation, and musical score, as well as the legendary voice acting cast by the equally legendary Andrea Romano.
A series enshrined in the memories of all the 90s and early 2000s kids who watched it, Justice League and its Unlimited followup were a masterclass in animated television. And as hard as it is to pick only twelve out of almost a hundred compelling stories, here's a list of some of the series' best episodes, showcasing the best examples of its storytelling prowess.
12. Epilogue
More a sendoff to the previously ended Batman Beyond series than a season finale to Justice League Unlimited, Epilogue is an episode set in the Beyond-verse a number of years further into the future, where an adult Terry McGinnis confronts an aged Amanda Waller about his discovery regarding his deeper connection to Bruce Wayne.
It's a deep, introspective look at Batman's legacy in the DCAU, asking questions about what it means to be Batman and how Bruce Wayne touched the lives of those around him.
It's the episode with one of the most memorable scenes in the entire series too: in which Bruce's Batman meets Ace, from the Royal Flush Gang, whose ability to induce visions has mutated into a reality-bending power that was slowly killing her. This scene encapsulates everything Batman truly is, when he sits with her and holds her hand as she dies.
The twist in which it's revealed that Terry is biologically Bruce's son (through some DNA splicing and manipulation by Waller) isn't particularly inspired, but the message behind it—that blood isn't what makes a Batman, but true goodness of spirit—is one that resonates with all of Batman's best incarnations.