"Unleashed" is the fifty-first episode of Justice League Action.
Summary[]
With the Justice League decoyed away, the Red Lanterns intend to invade through the Watchtower, and defense of the Earth becomes the responsibility of Krypto, Streaky and Plastic Man - in that order.
Featuring[]
| CHARACTERS | VOICED BY |
|---|---|
| Heroes | |
| Plastic Man | Dana Snyder |
| Krypto | - |
| Streaky | - |
| Batman | Kevin Conroy |
| Superman | Jason J. Lewis |
| Supergirl | Joanne Spracklen |
| Cameos by Wonder Woman, Flash, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg | - |
| Villains | |
| Red Lantern Corps | |
| Dex-Starr | - |
| Atrocitus | Michael Dorn |
| Cameos by Bleez, Skallox and ten others | - |
Story[]
In the Watchtower, a 'Boom Tube' is opened and five members of the Justice League enter (Wonder Woman, Flash, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter and Cyborg) with three more about to join them. Batman says they are ready to go as Superman explains to Supergirl the need to intercept the Red Lantern Corps before they reach Earth. Plastic Man appears, expecting to leave with them, but Superman insists that he stay behind and finds a job to suit him: following Krypto with a pooper scooper.
While outside with Krypto, Plastic Man sees a blue cat clinging to some flotsam out to sea. He rescues it and takes it inside to get it something to eat. While he is gone, the cat starts to wander and makes its way to another part of the Watchtower, followed by Krypto. Arriving at the control panel for the Boom Tube, the cat presses a pendant on its collar, causing a projection of Atrocitus to appear. The latter instructs the cat to carry out a plan and, to avoid detection, not to use its power ring. The cat jumps up onto the control panel and initiates a countdown to open a Boom Tube. As Krypto chases the cat away, Plastic Man returns with a cat litter box and cancels the countdown. Blaming Krypto, he takes the cat away to the kitchen.
Plastic Man presents a series of dishes which the cat has to eat from to avoid suspicion. When it tries to sneak away, Krypto bars its way, but the super dog is blamed for a broken dish. Plastic Man takes the bloated cat away but, when it is desperate to use the litter box, he decides that it needs to eat more. When he is gone, Atrocitus again insists that it activate the Boom Tube, but as it makes for the controls, Krypto intervenes and a fight follows. When Plastic Man returns, he sees the control panels in flames and locks Krypto in a room with artificial red sunlight. Returning to the cat, he asks it what it wants to do now, and it responds by putting its power ring onto its tail to become the hostile Dex-Starr. Shooting red bolts from its mouth, Plastic Man is hit, melting into a puddle on the floor.
Captive Krypto now activates the distress signal on his collar which is received by Streaky in Metropolis who flies out to the Watchtower. Dex-Starr, still desperate for the litter box, moves to activate the Boom Tube, but Streaky arrives and a fight follows between the two cats which bursts through walls, releasing Krypto. Dex-Starr brings the roof down on them and returns to activate the Boom Tube which appears in the sky outside. Krypto and Streaky recover and, while Krypto joins in battle with the feline foe, Streaky flies outside to intercept the Red Lanterns before they can exit the portal. Both super pets put up a brave fight but are eventually overcome. Only now is Dex-Starr free to use the litter box and sits inside. A hand appears and removes the power ring from the cat's tail before the entire box changes into the revived Plastic Man with Dex-Starr trapped inside him. Krypto shuts down the portal, causing the Red Lanterns to be sucked back inside and disappear.
Later, Batman, Superman and Supergirl return, realising that they have been useless dupes, while the boastful Plastic Man says that trapping the foe in the litter box was, "all in the line of 'doodies'."
Video Excerpts[]
Notes[]
Trivia[]
- It goes without saying that some of the foods that Plastic Man gave Dex-Starr are unsuitable and harmful for real life cats: Cheese (which causes digestive problems), Jell-O (toxic to a cat because of artificial sweeteners and citric acid), Sushi (gives cats upset stomachs) and certain flowers (toxic to cats). Cats can eat asparagus, but it has no nutritional benefits nor is it a part of their normal diet as they are carnivores.
- The cheese is the reason that Dex-Star had to go to the litterbox, as one of the symptoms of a cat's digestive problems after eating cheese is diarrhea.
Cultural References[]
- Upon being hit by Dex-Starr's energy, Plastic Man exclaims "OH! I'm melting! What a world, what a world!", a reference to a famous line uttered by the Wicked Witch of the West from the 1939 Wizard of Oz movie.