Justice League Unlimited
Season 3, Episode 10
“Far From Home” (2006)
Written by Paul Dini & Dwayne McDuffie
Directed by Dan Riba
Original release: April 15th 2006
Running time: 22 minutes
Air time: Saturday evening
This episode is widely believed to have been a backdoor pilot for a Legion spinoff, but this has been denied by people working on the show.
We begin with Brainiac 5 and Bouncing Boy in the 31st century, discussing how they are being hunted by villains we’ll meet later.
Notice there are TWO statues of Ferro Lad in the hallway. I’m going to assume the one with the “Fe” symbol is supposed to be Ferro Lad and the other one to be his rarely seen brother, Andrew Nolan.
They don’t show up in the episode; I’m going to assume they are dead even if other Legionnaires with a statue are very much alive later in the story.
Bouncing Boy is straight out of the Silver Age, while Brainiac 5 is an interesting fusion: he’s MOSTLY the Silver Age version too, but he has the three thingies on his forehead that by this time were a well established symbol for the character… and it makes sense to have them in the DC Animated Universe, since the symbol originated with the Brainiac from the Superman series.
Brainiac 5 is voiced by Matt Czuchry, who is mainly an actor: this is his only voice acting role I could find. He does a decent enough job, although there’s something off about his performance that I just can’t pinpoint. Honestly, he LOOKS like he could play Brainiac 5 in live action!
Bouncing Boy is voiced by Googy Gress, who has a rather extensive amount of roles both as in live action and in voice acting. His voice sells “teenager” perfectly.
He looks EXACTLY how I would imagine Bouncing Boy will look like in his 60s.
The situation is so dire that there are only TWO currently available Legionnaires, so they’ll have to use the Time Bubble™ to find allies.
This is probably the Legion incarnation with the most restrain against time travel.
To do the least damage, Brainiac 5 has selected a period where history says three members of the Justice League traveled to the future… but there’s a catch.
After the title sequence, we cut to the 21st century where we have an extended scene with Supergirl (in her new costume) training with the Justice League.
Green Arrow informs us that she’s now 21, placing this episode somewhere around six years after her debut in the Superman series.
Green Arrow has been something of a mentor for her in previous episodes, and he’s pointing out something that hasn’t really been addressed in this universe: the fact that Earth should be really alien and primitive to her.
This is probably the best part of the episode, as it’s an interesting look at the dynamic between Superman and Supergirl.
You cannot convince me this isn’t a Dwayne McDuffie dialogue. Great work.
Speaking of Supergirl: she’s voiced by Nicholle Tom, who is ALSO more prolific in live action than voice acting and who ALSO looks like that she could play her character in real life.
I wonder if she was chosen because she played a teenager in “The Nanny” around the time she was voicing Supergirl in Superman: The Animated Series.
Back to the episode: Supergirl, Green Arrow and Green Lantern are taken by the Time-Bubble™.
And the first thing she sees in the 31st century is… well…
Once Green Arrow tells her to tone it down, Brainiac 5 gives us one of the most awkward retcons in Legion history, WHICH IS SAYING SOMETHING.
Since this would take too long with the episode’s subtitles, here is the complete explanation:
I’m organic. The universe-conquering Brainiac you knew was my distant ancestor. Over time, he learned how to pass his code down biologically.
I am Brainiac 5. Think of me as the black sheep of my family, dedicated to doing good to make up for my ancestor’s legacy of evil.
BRAINIAC 5
That… doesn’t actually make a whole lot of sense. No wonder this doesn’t help convince the JLA.
Brainiac 5 explains they are now in the 31st century, which causes a few problems.
The Superman episode claimed the Legion was from the 30th century and about a thousand years from the future; that episode was set in the 70s, but I think we can cut it some slack… “about 1,000 years” doesn’t mean it had to be EXACTLY 1,000 years, so maybe it was 1,020 yeas and the Legion came from the 2990s.
It does, however, invalidate the Legion that showed up in the comics tie-in book that explicitly mentioned the 2980s, unless you’re willing to significantly age up the Legionnaires.
And considering Green Lantern would have been told about the Legion by his teammates, the fact that this is all surprising to him works best if the comic is not in the same continuity.
But I’m still including the additions to the membership count from that book since it’s funnier.
For what it’s worth, this episode does put the Legion’s future in the same timeline of the other future of the Justice League we already saw (although obviously further down the line), where Green Lantern has a kid with Hawkgirl.
Speaking of membership: this is the first adaptation of Colossal Boy, Wildfire and Blok!
Although none of them have speaking lines.
Interesting visual choice for Saturn Girl.
The entire Legion has been ambushed and imprisoned by the Fatal Five, which is why Brainy recruited other heroes.
Smooth, Brainy, very smooth.
And this is kind of where the episode begins derailing, because it introduces Supergirl having a crush on Brainiac 5 with the subtlety of the Silver Age.
We also discover that Supergirl never returned to the 21st century. And if you’ve ever read ONE time travel story in your life, this just spoiled the episode’s ending.
This is also Timber Wolf’s first adaptation… and he ALSO has no speaking lines.
In fact OUT OF THE ENTIRE LEGION only Brainiac 5, Bouncing Boy and later on Phantom Girl have ANY speaking lines.
Once the heroes agree to help, they’re ambushed by the Emerald Eye into the first commercial break.
Emerald Empress mentions that Green Lanterns are a rare sight in the 31st century.
She’s voiced by Joanne Whalley, who is also mostly an actress: this is her only voice acting role I could find. Maybe because she’s British, but she plays the “evil aristocrat” role perfectly.
Random trivia: she was married to Val Kilmer. Who would’ve thought Emerald Empress would one day be voiced by Batman’s ex-wife?
Persuader is voiced by Kin Shriner, and you would never be able to tell he’s the same voice actor of Green Arrow because he gives him a very low, gravely voice.
Speaking of Green Arrow, he’s IMMEDIATELY taken out by Emerald Empress and put into mind control by a small device.
Persuader has a very impressive feat, being able to use his Atomic Axe to send Green Lantern’s energy beam back at him.
Bouncing Boy, on the other hand, is anything BUT impressive.
The Legion cartoon series will REALLY sell you how dangerous his powers can be, but here he’s pushed aside with no effort. And I have no idea how the heck Persuader managed not to cut him in half in this scene!!!
That just leaves Brainiac 5 and Supergirl. Who I must point out has been STANDING AROUND DOING NOTHING while the other heroes were being defeated, despite her super-speed.
And apparently the best way to showcase Brainiac 5’s genius is to show him doing martial arts.
Which does make SOME sense if you think about it, since thanks to his force field he can’t be hurt by most opponents. Even if that means Persuader can just knock him around with his superior strength.
This is Supergirl talking, and just TRY imagine anyone attempting to do this scene with the genders reversed.
Everyone is rapidly defeated and put under mind control…
…at least until Brainiac 5 frees himself.
The only thing he manages to do is free Supergirl from mind control, only for both to be zapped by Persuader’s axe.
Because that’s something this version can apparently do.
The attack also frees Green Arrow (great job there, Persuader!) and FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER Emerald Empress decides to leave taking only Green Lantern and Bouncing Boy with them.
That’s an INCREDIBLY stupid idea. Even assuming she doesn’t know Supergirl enough to consider her a threat, they’re seriously letting the last remaining Legionnaire go!?
Wasn’t THE WHOLE POINT OF THEIR ASSAULT to capture the last remaining Legionnaires? They didn’t even know Green Lantern would be there until they arrived!!!
And it’s not like they would think they wouldn’t win the fight… they had the upper hand the entire time, even before controlling Green Lantern.
I get that some heroes HAD to survive, but wasn’t there another way? What about the classic “the villains think they have killed the heroes but didn’t bother to check”? Yes that’s a cliché, but that’s WAY less dumber than this!!!
Okay so far the episode has been okay-ish for me.
This is when it derails.
Because while Brainiac 5 is busy working on the technology left behind by the Empress and find a way to save his teammates…
…everything grinds to a halt to focus on the crush.
Starting with Supergirl bringing soda.
And talking about how on her planet (in the Superman cartoon, Argo was a colony of Krypton in the same solar system) they used advanced telepathic technology to find the remote.
But she also asks why Brainiac 5 freed her first, instead of any of the other heroes.
Green Arrow disagrees, saying that freeing Green Lantern would have been the most logical choice.
This is supposed to be proof that Brainiac 5 has a crush on Supergirl, which… okay it does end up being true, but that’s just dumb.
Because yes Green Lantern is (debatably) more powerful than her in this period, but you know why freeing her first makes the most sense?
SHE HAS SUPER-SPEED!!! Why wouldn’t your first choice be freeing the only person in the room that can free the others in the blink of an eye!?
But no, once Green Arrow sends Supergirl to get him a soda (???), he has a talk with Brainiac 5 about his feelings. Because this is definitely the best time for this topic.
Brainiac 5 finds the idea ridiculous, owing to his being Coluan.
Wait… Brainiac is from Krypton in this universe and you said you’re descending from him… does this mean that the original Brainiac “passed down his code biologically” by having children with a Coluan woman or what?
But all it takes is Green Arrow repeating the same line and Brainiac 5 suddenly agrees.
Focusing the first proper introduction of the Legion on the relationship between Supergirl and Brainiac 5 is not a bad idea in itself… but this doesn’t match the tone of the rest of the episode.
AT ALL.
Back to the Fatal Five, Tharok is UNDERSTANDABLY upset about the colossally idiotic decision to let the heroes go.
We get a VERY cool reveal of his half-robot nature; his voice is also interesting, since we hear the human talk but at the same time it’s like there’s a second electronically modulated voice on top of it… it’s hard to describe, but it stands out.
He’s voiced by Tomas Arana, yet another actor that doesn’t do a lot of voice acting.
He was in a VERY minor role in the Guardians Of The Galaxy movie: he’s the Kree ambassador being yelled at by Ronan.
Emerald Empress has a rather brutal retort.
Mano and Validus also show up here. They have no speaking lines.
I’m not entirely sure whether Tharok or Emerald Empress is supposed to be the leader, which feels rather on brand for them.
But enough cool stuff, back to awkward romance.
No, Kara, it really wasn’t.
But the two eventually figure out that they can track Green Lantern thanks to technobabble.
Green Arrow has been upgrading his arrows with 31st century technology. Because obviously that’s something he can do.
Once they have tracked the Fatal Five, they figure out they’re going to attack the capital of the United Planets. Which I assume is not Earth in this continuity.
In order to intercept the Fatal Five, Brainiac 5 takes his “personal cruiser”.
You purposefully used the word “cruiser” and you couldn’t call it the Legion Cruiser!?
Okay I suck at Interlac but this is just gibberish, right?
Brainiac 5 and Green Arrow are going to board the Fatal Five ship, while Supergirl is going to FIGHT THE ENTIRE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES and Green Lantern.
Only now Brainiac 5 reveals that Supergirl doesn’t get out of this.
But you know superheroes.
This leads into a kiss and I think I just figured out why this episode doesn’t work for me.
I get ZERO chemistry between these two. It feels like they fall in love just because the script says so.
The Fatal Five’s 2006 computer graphics are not enough to stop Brainiac 5 from crashing his cruiser into their ship.
Time for the Big Dumb Fight of the episode, the first action scene to ever feature the full Legion of Super-Heroes!!!
Which shows Supergirl one-shotting Ultra Boy, Saturn Girl attacking physically for some reason…
…and Colossal Boy providing the only interesting visual of the fight, before being one-shotted by Supergirl.
Look, I know this isn’t their show so I don’t expect the Legion to be the stars… but did they HAVE to show them as utterly ineffective mind-controlled cannon fodder!?
Well at least they get more respect than Mano… who is just tripped by Green Arrow and falling through the ship.
This is also not a great showcase of the Fatal Five. You mean to tell me these guys took out THE ENTIRE LEGION but can’t deal with Brainiac 5 and Green Arrow!?
Green Arrow manages a trick shot that ricochets against Validus’s dome, SOMEHOW cracking it (???) and against the device that powers the mind-control forehead thingies.
Because I guess that’s something he can identify.
And not a moment too soon because Supergirl is FINALLY having some trouble fighting the entire Legion, especially the barrage of energy attacks.
Including from Shadow Lass, because I guess shadows are bright pink in the future.
Good thing energy blasts can be punched away!
Well she IS Superman’s cousin, and he was punching cartoon lasers in the 40s.
Once the mind control stops, Supergirl has taken a serious beating from both the Legion and from Green Lantern.
The fight against the Fatal Five is still going, showcasing how you SHOULDN’T use Persuader.
Why would he fight without using THE SHARP END OF THE AXE???
It looks like the Fatal Five are going to win…
…except Supergirl shows up, punching a hole through Validus’s robot body.
Wait, WHAT!?!? Why would you make Validus a robot!?!?
Also Bouncing Boy manages to do the only cool thing he’s allowed in the episode.
With the Fatal Five defeated, the Legionnaires freed and Supergirl fine, the three members of the Justice League are made honorary members.
As previously mentioned, Phantom Girl is the only Legionnaire with a speaking role here… is she the leader of the team? That would’ve been interesting to see, she’s never been leader.
As you probably guessed, Supergirl is going to stay in the 31st century.
In the epilogue, Green Arrow and Green Lantern deliver Supergirl’s farewell message to Superman.
Honestly I’m hoping we will see this development for Supergirl someday: every time she’s been in the Legion she was either time traveling on her own or stuck in the future against her will.
The next time a Supergirl book doesn’t sell, why not have her move into the future for a while?
These are canonically the last words she says to Superman. She doesn’t even follow this with a “goodbye”.
Superman takes things remarkably well, and we close on the ONE joke that I liked.
Historical significance: 6/10
This is the final appearance of Supergirl in this continuity, and the last speaking role of Green Arrow (he only has cameos in the following episodes).
The Legion does have ONE future appearance in this continuity that I’ll cover next, but I don’t think any of this influences it.
Does any of this show up in regular continuity?
Supergirl does join the Threboot incarnation of the Legion, but not to stay with Brainiac 5… this is more based on the pre-Crisis version.
Silver Age-ness: 6/10
Some thought is put into the time travel stuff… and not much into anything else.
Does it stand the test of time? 4/10
Justice League Unlimited is such a great series that even its underwhelming episodes can be great… and if I didn’t care about the Legion I would most likely be kinder to it.
It starts pretty nicely, Brainiac awkward retcons notwithstanding. It sells you the stakes, it makes the wise decision to concentrate on a few Legionnaires, and the Fatal Five have a good introduction.
And then it derails almost everything.
Like I said Brainy and Supergirl don’t have enough chemistry in the episode to base the entire story around them. Green Arrow, who had a FANTASTIC interaction with Superman early in the episode, feels out of place in later scenes.
The Fatal Five lose all credibility FAST, and as an interaction to the Legion… oh boy.
Assuming you don’t know anything about the Legion before watching this, what impression do they leave?
They’re a team of nondescript heroes without personality that can be defeated by Supergirl in rapid succession, and the team that managed to defeat them off-screen can be taken down by Green Arrow and one guy without powers.
And speaking of Brainiac 5: he’s not exactly impressive here. For all his talk about how smart he is, he only seems to be able to figure out stuff when Supergirl or Green Arrow suggest something first.
We are Legion
I’m working on the assumption that the Legionnaires previously seen but that are not in this episode are active members. Also Supergirl is counted as an active member even if we only see her mentioned as honorary, because if she’s staying with Brainiac 5 I can’t imagine her NOT joining the Legion.
14 active members
-Saturn Girl
-Cosmic Boy
-Chameleon Boy
-Ultra Boy
-Phantom Girl
-Live Wire (possibly Lightning Lad)
-Brainiac 5
-Bouncing Boy
-Umbra
-Wildfire
-Blok
-Colossal Boy
-Timber Wolf
-Supergirl
7 reserves
-Dream Girl
-Sparks
-Triplicate Girl (possibly Duo Damsel)
-Kid Quantum
-Andromeda
-Laurel Kent
-Dawnstar
2 deceased members
-Ferro Lad
-Andrew Nolan
2 honorary members
-Green Lantern
-Green Arrow
25 people have been members