# Justice League (US) 6/25/05 (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2005, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861 "2005-06-26T01:24:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/1 "2005-06-26T01:24:57Z")
The Question discovers what happened to Prez Luthor in the alternate universe and decides to wack Luthor in our universe so that Superman can’t and, thus, trigger Armageddon. Luthor tells the Question that his presidential campaign was just to piss off Supes and sets forth to torture the Question to make him give up the files he stole. Luthor seems to be completely free of cancer, but the doctor can’t figure out why. I’m not familiar with the Question in the comics, so what’s the deal with his (lack of a) face? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/2 "2005-06-26T01:39:21Z")
He wears a faceless mask. ‘A is A and Lex is Lex.’ is the best line of the episode. (It was from that one, right? Been a few weeks since that one aired up here.) ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/3 "2005-06-26T01:43:06Z")
The Question is journalist Vic Sage (real name: Charles Victor Szasz), and he has a very normal, even handsome face. Thing is, he’s a famous celebrity, so he uses a special gas to adhere the “faceless” mask to his face, and change the color of his hair and clothes. Steve Ditko created the Question at Charlton Comics in 1967 (or perhaps '66) as a backup feature in Blue Beetle #1. Ditko’s original Question, like his other character Mr. A, was an harsh objectivist, since Ditko himself was enamored of Ayn Rand’s philopsophy. He was more than willing to let a criminal die by falling off a building rather than pull him to safety, simply because he was a criminal. Fun guy. DC Comics acquired all the Charlton characters (Question, Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, Nightshade, Peacemaker, Sarge Steel, Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt, Son of Vulcan, Judomaster and Tiger) in the mid-'80s. Denny O’Neill wrote a Question series that started in 1988, and reimagined the character as a Zenlike philosopher who studied martial arts from the greatest fighters in the DC Universe, Richard Dragon and Lady Shiva. After 36 issues, 2 annuals, and 5 Question Quarterlies, the series was canceled and the character languished in obscurity. Most recently, writer Rick Veitch and artist Tommy Lee Edwards came out with a 6-issue Question miniseries set in Metropolis, and featuring Lex Luthor and Lois Lane as prominent characters (as in tonight’s JLU episode). The Question now had the power to communicate with the city of Metropolis itself, to learn things from the city to solve its mysteries, sort of an “urban shaman.” Needless to say, the Question is one of my favorite comic book characters, so I was marking out throughout tonight’s episode. Even better, last night I found the last issue I needed to complete the 36-issue run of the '80s Question series, so I’m really on a high for this bizarre superhero. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/4 "2005-06-26T01:45:15Z")
I should also add that Alan Moore based the original characters in his groundbreaking 1986 miniseries Watchmen on the Charlton superheroes, and the Question provided the inspiration for the psychotic, disturbed vigilante Rorschach. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/5 "2005-06-26T03:12:03Z")
Holy hell, that was a good episode. I noticed they replaced Captain Atom’s voice - I guess George Eads is too busy over at CSI these days? Whatever. In a couple places, the animation looked a little weak, and that bugged me. I love everything about this episode, and all its implications. Can’t wait for the payoff. Best moments: Huntress’s tactics to get Superman’s attention. The interrogation of the Question. “The plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces are called aglets. Their purpose is… sinister.” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/6 "2005-06-26T07:03:20Z")
The obvious solution to the Luthor problem is that its not Luthor. But then the real question becomes who is he and where is the real Luthor. Presumably he’s human since I think Hamilton would notice the difference there but then he displayed unnatural abilities when teaching the Question a lesson… ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/7 "2005-06-26T07:27:04Z")
A few thoughts…well, actually, I notice now that they’re all questions. Huh. -“What’s that smell…is that _you?_” Such a cute couple. 😃 -Hamilton’s groan after Superman leaves…evidence of mind control, perhaps? (Like a telepathic mind whammy, or a brain slug.) -Jeez, _everyone_ always picks on the guy who tries to harm the huge, crazy, semi-invincible monster. What, like you should give him some snausages and keep him on a leash? -Um…_where_ did they get the video footage of Justice Lord Superman killing Luthor? Justice Lord Batman keeping under his mattress, or something? -Just a thought on Luthor’s new strength/health…remember the “power stealing ray” he used on the Justice Lords? What if it didn’t _eliminate_ their powers, but just _transferred_ them? ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/8 "2005-06-26T15:09:32Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > -Hamilton’s groan after Superman leaves…evidence of mind control, perhaps? (Like a telepathic mind whammy, or a brain slug.) I assume he was just scared shitless confronting Superman the way he did (especially after Superman crashed through the wall and took him by surprise), and breathed a sigh of relief after Supes left without tossing him around a bit–or worse. ---
**Author:** ![audreyayn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@audreyayn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audreyayn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/9 "2005-06-26T18:22:50Z")
Secret messages … encoded in amino acids … of carb-free energy bars. I missed all the other Question episodes, yet I love him for this. “I don’t want to go on a date with the hot chick, I just wanna sit in the dark at my computer.” He’s just … adorably pathetic in this episode, if you’ll excuse the fangirling. I missed the whole Justice Lords thing and am I ever paying for it now. I wonder if they’ll have a marathon, repeats some time? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/10 "2005-06-26T19:02:11Z")
YTV showed the Justice Lords episodes just before they got to the last 3 JLU. It really puts the whole Cadmus thing into a new perspective. And Batman’s recent behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/11 "2005-06-26T19:07:13Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > -“What’s that smell…is that _you?_” Such a cute couple. 😃 I should point out that this is not out of left field. The huntress was left for dead, floating downstream, in her series in the Mid-90s. The Question, and his Martial arts sensei found her, saved her life, and retrained her. (Echoes of his origin!) There was hints of a relationship there, too. I only have one of those issues, however. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/12 "2005-06-27T02:59:04Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > Just a thought on Luthor’s new strength/health…remember the “power stealing ray” he used on the Justice Lords? What if it didn’t _eliminate_ their powers, but just _transferred_ them? So he’s AMAZO now? I just watched the episode. Holy… I… but… WOW! The Huntress was my favorite part of the lastest Birds of Prey and now she goes all bad-ass here. Sweet! A guy named Emile is a traitor? You don’t say. 😛 I’ll probably be back when I sort out all the things running though my head. Oh, Captain Atom, take the stick out. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/13 "2005-06-27T08:52:49Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > A few thoughts…well, actually, I notice now that they’re all questions. Huh. > > -“What’s that smell…is that _you?_” Such a cute couple. 😃 > > -Hamilton’s groan after Superman leaves…evidence of mind control, perhaps? (Like a telepathic mind whammy, or a brain slug.) > > -Jeez, _everyone_ always picks on the guy who tries to harm the huge, crazy, semi-invincible monster. What, like you should give him some snausages and keep him on a leash? > > -Um…_where_ did they get the video footage of Justice Lord Superman killing Luthor? Justice Lord Batman keeping under his mattress, or something? > > -Just a thought on Luthor’s new strength/health…remember the “power stealing ray” he used on the Justice Lords? What if it didn’t _eliminate_ their powers, but just _transferred_ them? One major Supes villain, more dangerous than Lex, has yet to make his appearance or should I say reappearance! ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/14 "2005-06-27T18:35:13Z")
Captain Atom switched sides real fast, didn’t he? I know that the show has only 30 minutes, and that C.A. isn’t a focal point, but the reasoning was weak. Other than that, Superman is becoming a bigger dick by the episode. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/15 "2005-06-27T18:38:52Z")
To be fair, Cap hasn’t turned into a super-villain. He was a military man first and foremost, and he sees his duty to the USAF and his government as outweighing his commitment to the League. He is “just following orders,” and to a man of his background, training, and moral values, he is doing the right thing. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/16 "2005-06-27T18:53:32Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > To be fair, Cap hasn’t turned into a super-villain. He was a military man first and foremost, and he sees his duty to the USAF and his government as outweighing his commitment to the League. He is “just following orders,” and to a man of his background, training, and moral values, he is doing the right thing. Seems dubious. They are rescuing a guy (admittedly, an attempted murderer) from torture and illegal detention. If the Captain is determined to play by the book then he shouldn’t stop them. And even though Supes is performing an illegal search (has the Justice League _ever_ acquired a search warrant?), as far as I know, this is a private Cadmus facility and not an Air Force facility. Representatives of the Armed Forces aren’t supposed to have any particular authority on civilian property unless martial law is declared. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/17 "2005-06-27T19:08:36Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Seems dubious. They are rescuing a guy (admittedly, an attempted murderer) from torture and illegal detention. If the Captain is determined to play by the book then he shouldn’t stop them. And even though Supes is performing an illegal search (has the Justice League _ever_ acquired a search warrant?), as far as I know, this is a private Cadmus facility and not an Air Force facility. Representatives of the Armed Forces aren’t supposed to have any particular authority on civilian property unless martial law is declared. Well that’s real life, but General Wade Eiling seems to be Captain Atom’s commanding officer, and he has been shown to be in league with Amanda Waller, who is in on the conspiracy with Max Lord and Lex Luthor. So I’m sure Atom, being a good soldier, was only briefed on what they wanted him to know, and Eiling is following orders from outside and above the typical military structure. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/18 "2005-06-27T19:29:54Z")
Good soldier? Guarding a quasi-military installation detaining and torturing a prisoner for several days is, to the best of my knowledge, illegal under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Therefore, a good soldier is not only obligated to disobey orders, but is duty bound to report to appropriate authorities. So now, the question becomes does C.A. know what happened to The Question? Logic expended, I know return to discussing what a dick Superman is. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/19 "2005-06-27T19:40:54Z")
I imagine the sitch with CA will be explored more next time - perhaps Supes will even try to persuade Atom to see things his way regarding the question of the Question’s questionable questioning. I thought Superman showed a little improvement this time, too. 😉 He did agree to help the Huntress, even after she kidnapped Jimmy. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861/20 "2005-06-27T19:58:53Z")
That Jimmy Olsen kidnapping thing made me laugh out loud. Superman. Dude! That’s your pal. He’s just been kidnapped, bound and gagged and his signal watch was used to lure you to that location by a woman you just kicked out of the JLU. Jimmy Olsen is mumbling through his gag and your big REACTION is to say, “A minute, Jimmy,” and talk to Huntress??? Without freeing your boy?? You have super-speed and super-strength. What, exactly, is the fucking hold-up? If there is an argument for casting Chris Rock as Jimmy Olsen in the upcoming Superman movie, this is it. Chris/Jimmy wouldn’t stand for being treated like a red-headed stepchild. Superman Is A Dick. We never did see him untie Jimmy, did we? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justice-league-us-6-25-05-open-spoilers/309861.md?page=2)