The major conceit of the universe of Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles is that everyone is a little different which means that there is a different sort of Superman here.
This Superman is no boy scout. Neither, however, is he a violent sociopath. This is a Superman willing to go to an extreme when called to do so. You get the impression that there is a lot of pain in his life. I’m guessing that is mostly due to the fact that this Superman is the son of General Zod.
The cityscape is lovingly rendered in this one. It’s also lovingly torn apart behind the broadcast featuring Lois Lane. People run panicked through the streets as debris swirls in the air.
In the White House. President (!) Amanda Waller consults with Dr. Sivana. Her aides continue to try to get in contact with Superman. President Waller asks the doctor what he would suggest to stop this out of control being. He suggests a 20 kiloton nuclear strike. Dr. Sivana makes light of the fact that they created Brainiac for the explicit purpose of keeping Superman in check. Things have obviously gone wrong.
Left with no other option, President Waller calls in the strike. The pilot can’t believe that he really has to drop a nuke on an American city, and offers a small request for forgiveness. The warhead is primed.
Like all of these, there is a twist, something that fans might consider shocking, and this episode is no different. I won’t spoil it in the body of the review, but I suggest avoiding my final thoughts until you’ve watched it. I imagine a large number of people were not looking forward to this short, because making Superman edgy usually turns out badly. The people involved in this have your back, though; remember that they were the ones that made Mr. Freeze into a tragic villain.
Final Thoughts:
- Brainiac looks like something out of Akira.
- You know how things will end when Superman says “I can”.
- Is a character voiced by Tara Strong going to die in every short?
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