Justice League Unlimited 3.07

Patriot Act

The show takes a step back from the Legion of Doom story for a one-off that is a bit of a callback to the Cadmus story from the previous two seasons. General Wade Eiling (J.K. Simmons) breaks into a government lab and injects himself with a super-soldier serum. It makes him big, strong, and deformed. He bears a certain resemblance, after the transformation, to the Hulk, not so much in his appearance as in his mannerisms.

After being transformed he goes looking for Superman. He still doesn't trust superheroes and is convinced that the military is the best defense for the United States. He sees superheroes as a threat and probably has at least since the events of the Starcrossed story, at the end of season 2 of Justice League. Instead of Superman he finds a bunch of heroes who have volunteered to fill in for Superman at a parade.

The heroes (Green Arrow, Shining Knight, Vigilante, Star Girl, STRIPE) do their best but can't beat the General. He is ready to kill them until an old woman shames him into backing down. Unlike the Hulk, he has not lost the ability to reason. He runs off in the end never to be seen again.

This episode is notable for a couple more things. First, the groups of heroes that comes together and fights General Eiling were at one time known as the Seven Soldiers of Victory in the comic books. In this episode they are just thrown together by chance and Mr. Terrific. Speedy (Green Arrow's former sidekick) and Crimson Avenger show up in mid-fight to help out. The Seven Soldier of Victory had a run that lasted 14 issues in Leading Comics in the 1940s.

Second, the Newsboy Legion shows up in this episode. The Guardian, a costumed hero who usually appeared with the The Newsboy Legion, does not. The Newsboy Legion helps to get people to safety while General Eiling is fighting the costumed heroes but that's about the extent of their role in this episode. The Newsboy Legion were created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Star Spangled Comics in the 1940s.

Third and finally there is also an appearance by Spy Smasher in a flashback to World War II. It is this sequence that introduces the super-soldier serum and tells the story of how Spy Smasher stole it from the Nazis before it could be used to create a Nazi super-soldier. It is presented in back and gray tones and made to look like a newsreel.

Overall this is a middling episode in my opinion. I like it more than episodes 2,3,5 but not as much as 1,4,6. I think it tries a little too hard to pull in too many elements and is a little too fan service laden. Despite that fact I think it is fun even though it is lacking in the sort of serious character moments that I like so much.