"Hat Trick" is the fifteenth episode of Justice League Action.
Summary[]
Felix Faust steals Zatanna's hat to use it to allow a powerful demon into the world, and the Justice League are in a race to retrieve the hat to try to stop him.
Featuring[]
| CHARACTER | VOICED BY |
|---|---|
| Heroes | |
| Zatanna | Lacey Chabert |
| Batman | Kevin Conroy |
| Etrigan (Jason Blood) | Patrick Seitz |
| Villains | |
| Felix Faust | Jon Cryer |
| Ghast | - |
| Others | |
| Merlin | Patrick Seitz |
Story[]
In a shopping precinct of Gotham City, the mannequins in the windows turn into supernatural ghouls that smash through the glass and attack the shoppers. Batman and Zatanna combat them while Jason Blood looks on. The latter then changes into the demon Etrigan, who joins the fight. A ghostly figure reaches out behind Zatanna and grabs her hat and then dematerialises with it. After the ghouls also disappear, Batman identifies the figure as sorcerer Felix Faust and Zatanna says that he could use her hat as a portal to other dimensions. She detects that one of her in-hat rabbits is transmitting from the Scottish Hebrides, so Etrigan calls skywards to his master, Merlin, who appears and opens a travel portal for them.
In a ruined castle, an aged Faust attempts, by magic, to raise a demon from the hat to grant him youthfulness but initially only Zatanna's rabbits appear. As the Justice League arrive nearby, the spell finally succeeds and the demon Ghast rises from the hat as a huge, floating monster. When Faust begs for his reward, Ghast violently injects energy into him that restores his youth. But then the demon goes on a rampage across the countryside, sucking up everything below, and the three superheroes go in pursuit. As Zatanna turns back to deal with Faust, Batman and Etrigan jump on the back of Ghast as it makes across the sea to the nearest town.
Zatanna finds Faust about to leave and demands the return of her hat, but Faust animates two stone gargoyles and sets them on her, which leads to a lengthy struggle. Once Zatanna smashes the monsters, she overcomes Faust and chains him up, recovering her hat. She then begins the spell to recall the demon.
Batman tries bat-bombs and Etrigan demon fire, but nothing will stop Ghast. When it reaches the town, Batman jumps down to help the people but is caught in the demon's updraft and has to be saved by Etrigan. As Zatanna's spell begins to work, Ghast is drawn back across the sea, and eventually Batman and Etrigan jump off just before the demon disappears back into the hat.
Only now is Zatanna is able to don her hat again. While the superheroes are distracted, the bound Faust attempts a final, hopping escape, only to be tripped by the rabbits.
Video Excerpts[]
Notes[]
- In the DVD release this is also episode 15 but comes between Speed Demon and Field Trip.
- The monster that Zatanna pulls from her hat near the beginning shares its name, Audrey, with the man-eating plant from the Little Shop of Horrors (1986) movie.