Justice League Unlimited facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Justice League Unlimited |
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| Genre |
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| Based on | Justice League by Gardner Fox |
| Directed by | Joaquim dos Santos Dan Riba |
| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Michael McCuistion |
| Composer(s) | Kristopher Carter Michael McCuistion Lolita Ritmanis |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 39 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Editor(s) | Joe Gall |
| Running time | 21–23 minutes |
| Production company(s) | DC Comics (2005–2006) Warner Bros. Animation |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | Cartoon Network |
| Picture format | 480i 1080p (Blu-ray) |
| Original release | July 31, 2004 – May 13, 2006 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Justice League |
Justice League Unlimited (often called JLU) is an American animated TV show. It features many superheroes from the DC Comics universe. The show aired from 2004 to 2006 on Cartoon Network. It was made by Warner Bros. Animation.
JLU is a direct follow-up to the Justice League animated series. It continues the stories from that show. It also takes place before the Batman Beyond series. JLU first aired on July 31, 2004, and finished on May 13, 2006. It is the eighth and final series in the DC Animated Universe. This universe of shows began with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992.
The show was also rerun on Boomerang and The CW's Vortexx block.
Contents
What is Justice League Unlimited About?
The show Justice League Unlimited was created after the success of the Justice League series. The original Justice League show was supposed to end with the episode "Starcrossed." But Cartoon Network asked for a new series, which became Justice League Unlimited.
An Expanded Team of Heroes
JLU starts shortly after the first Justice League series ended. It shows a much larger team of heroes. The original members are now called "founding members." Many other superheroes from the DC Universe join them. In the first episode, more than 50 characters appear! Some of these heroes had appeared in the first Justice League show. But many others made their first animated appearances in JLU.
Each episode usually focuses on a small team of heroes. They work together to solve a problem. The show highlights both action and how the characters interact.
Major Storylines and Villains
Most episodes tell a complete story on their own. But the series also has bigger story arcs that last several episodes. One main storyline involves a secret government group called Project Cadmus. This plot builds on events from earlier DC Animated Universe shows. It was resolved in a four-part story at the end of the second season.
The third and final season focuses on a new group of villains called the Secret Society. This group is similar to the Legion of Doom from the Super Friends cartoon. They form to fight against the growing number of superheroes.
Character Restrictions and New Focus
Towards the end of the series, some characters could not be used. This was because of other TV shows or movies being made. For example, characters like Blue Beetle and Hugo Strange were off-limits. Also, many characters connected to Batman were restricted. This was due to the new The Batman animated series and Christopher Nolan's live-action The Dark Knight Trilogy movies. Aquaman was also unavailable because of a planned live-action show.
To make up for this, the creators focused on other DC Comics characters. These included heroes like Deadman and Warlord.
Show Details and Relationships
Justice League Unlimited was animated in widescreen. It also had new theme music and an intro that was nominated for an Emmy award.
The show also explored some romantic relationships between characters. For example, Question and Huntress developed a bond. Black Canary and Green Arrow also became a couple. There was a love triangle between Green Lantern (John Stewart), Hawkgirl, and Vixen. The show also hinted at a connection between Batman and Wonder Woman. However, Batman was hesitant about a relationship due to his duties and Wonder Woman's immortality.
Episodes
Voice Cast
Here are some of the main voice actors and the characters they played:
- Amy Acker – Huntress
- Adam Baldwin – Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Jonah Hex
- Morena Baccarin – Black Canary
- Michael Beach – Mister Terrific, Devil Ray
- Powers Boothe – Red Tornado, Gorilla Grodd
- Clancy Brown – Lex Luthor
- Corey Burton – Brainiac, Weather Wizard
- Maria Canals-Barrera – Hawkgirl, Fire
- Jeffrey Combs – Question
- Kevin Conroy – Batman, Bruce Wayne
- Dana Delany – Lois Lane
- Susan Eisenberg – Wonder Woman
- Mike Erwin – Speedy
- Oded Fehr – Doctor Fate
- Nathan Fillion – Vigilante
- Will Friedle – Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)
- Jennifer Hale – Zatanna, Giganta, Killer Frost
- Mark Hamill – Trickster
- Michael Ironside – Darkseid
- Phil LaMarr – Green Lantern (John Stewart), Steel, Static
- Carl Lumbly – Martian Manhunter
- George Newbern – Superman, Bizarro
- Ron Perlman – Orion
- Michael Rosenbaum – Flash, Deadshot
- Scott Rummell – Aquaman
- Kin Shriner – Green Arrow
- J. K. Simmons – General Wade Eiling
- Nicholle Tom – Supergirl
- Gina Torres – Vixen
- Michael T. Weiss – Etrigan the Demon
- Michael York – Ares
Other Heroes Who Appear
Many other DC Comics superheroes are shown as Justice League members, even if they don't speak. Here are some of them:
- Creeper
- Crimson Fox
- Doctor Mid-Nite
- Gypsy
- Hourman
- Ice
- Johnny Thunder
- Nemesis
- Obsidian
- Plastic Man
- Ray
- Rocket Red
- Sand
- Starman
- Vibe
- Waverider
Home Video Releases
You can watch Justice League Unlimited on DVD and Blu-ray. Warner Home Video released the entire series. The episodes are presented in their original broadcast order.
| DVD/BD Name | Release Date | Episodes | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season One | October 24, 2006 | 26 | This set includes episodes from the first two seasons as they originally aired. It has special features like "And Justice for All" and creator commentary. |
| Season Two | March 20, 2007 | 13 | This set is actually the third season from the original airing. It includes features about the "Cadmus" storyline and music from the final episode. |
| The Complete Series | November 10, 2015 | 39 | This Blu-ray set includes all 39 episodes. It also has many of the special features from the DVD releases. The episodes are shown in the correct story order. |
There was also a larger DVD set called Justice League: The Complete Series. It included all episodes of both Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.
Soundtrack Music
A soundtrack for the original Justice League show was released in 2016. A soundtrack for Justice League Unlimited might be released later, depending on how well the first one sold.
Other Versions and Adaptations
Comic Books
DC Comics published a series of comic books based on the Justice League Unlimited TV show. There were 46 issues released between 2004 and 2008. These comics were part of the "Johnny DC" line, which was made for all ages.
Film Connection
In 2019, Warner Bros. Animation released a movie called Justice League vs. the Fatal Five. This film looks very similar to Justice League Unlimited. It also features many of the same voice actors. However, it's not fully clear if this movie is part of the same story universe.
See also
In Spanish: Liga de la Justicia Ilimitada para niños
