Copyright Screen Rant
The animated series Justice League Unlimited is widely regarded as one of the best things to come from DC, and these 10 episodes are better than any of the movies DC has released. Some of the best episodes of Justice League Unlimited are also some of the best stories DC has ever put to screen. Any one of them would make a great live-action movie, and some are even better than the main movies we do have. While not all the DCEU movies were created equal, there were also some highlights among them. This list isn't saying that live-action DC movies were all awful, it's simply pointing out that Justice League Unlimited is unbelievably good. So good that these 10 half-hour episodes were better than all the DC movies we've gotten so far. Clash Season 2, Episode 7 Shazam's (then known as Captain Marvel) first appearance in Justice League Unlimited was one of his best stories to date, and certainly better than Shazam! Fury of the Gods. In JLU season 2, episode 7, Shazam's kid side is on full display as he innocently navigates serious ethical questions about redemption and the social power superheroes wield after endorsing Lex Luthor for president. "Clash" isn't just a great JLU episode, however, it's also a great chapter in Shazam's story. The show has more respect for the character than to boil him down to a kid stuck in a man's body, but it also has enough intelligence to examine the unbridled optimism of childhood. Like many of JLU's best episodes, "Clash" presents a smart discussion of politics and philosophy as well as the more standard superhero fare that would make it a great movie. The Once and Future Thing Part Two: Time, Warped Season 1, Episode 13 While it is the second part of a two-episode story, "The Once and Future Thing Part Two: Time, Warped" and its predecessor are still good enough to be a standalone movie. Batman and Green Lantern face off against the time-traveling villain Chronos, who is himself one of JLU's best-written and most engaging villains. Batman's solution to the problem — sticking Chronos in a time loop — is also one of the show's more memorable endings. The best part of "Time, Warped," however, is what it meant to both Bruce and John. John met his grown-up son, Warhawk, whom he had with Hawkgirl despite being in a relationship with Vixen during the present day. Meanwhile, it was the first time Bruce met his older self and Terry McGinnis, better known as Batman Beyond. Both of those were great crossover moments that DC movies have yet to top. Task Force X Season 2, Episode 4 While 2021's The Suicide Squad did a lot to rehabilitate the team's image, it was Justice League Unlimited who did it first. The appropriately titled "Task Force X" was a rare departure in subject, as it followed Amanda Waller's first Suicide Squad. "Task Force X" is also a great heist story in itself, and it's certainly better than 2016's Suicide Squad, even if it doesn't have the same roster. One of the notable strengths of "Task Force X" that makes it better than many DC movies is the way it set up future stories. The exquisite Cadmus arc wouldn't have worked if "Task Force X" hadn't established the lengths Cadmus and Waller were willing to take to undermine the Justice League's power. As an added bonus, it's offered such a fascinating change of pace from JLU's normal episodes. Ultimatum Season 1, Episode 9 The Justice League faced off against teams of villains fairly frequently, but one of the best was the Ultimen of "Ultimatum." Created by Cadmus to overtake the Justice League, the Ultimen was made up of silver age characters from Super Friends. That unique team, coupled with being an episode that highlights Wonder Woman well, makes "Ultimatum" a great, movie-quality story. However, "Ultimatum" didn't stop there. The episode reveals that all the Ultimen are clones, and that they have less than a year to live due to genetic problems. That itself is a great moral quandary, but "Ultimatum" goes a step further and adds another layer of tragedy through Long Shadow. That setup makes for one of the most emotionally rich endings in JLU's history. For The Man Who Has Everything Season 1, Episode 2 No DC movie has ever come close to understanding what makes its two most popular characters — Superman and Batman — tick as the JLU episode "For the Man Who Has Everything" did. The episode centers around a dream Superman and later Batman are trapped in where they live perfect lives with living parents. It then examines exactly why these heroes are who they are and the cost of being a hero in expert fashion. Not only does "For the Man Who Has Everything" pack an emotional punch with some longstanding heroes, it also more than carries its weight in action. Wonder Woman's fight with Mongul is some of the best fighting in JLU, and it somehow makes the somber emotions of Batman and Superman's dreams even more potent. This episode fires on all cylinders in a way the DCEU never managed. Flash and Substance Season 3, Episode 5 The Flash has probably the lowest bar to surpass in terms of movies, but even still, Justice League Unlimited blows it out of the water. In "Flash and Substance," all of Flash's rogues gallery teams up to take him down. That makes for some great fight scenes, a deep dive into Flash's character, and a look into how the other members of the League view Flash. The real gold of "Flash and Substance," however, is the way it shows the audience that Flash is the heart and soul of the Justice League. His focus on rehabilitation, the way he genuinely cares for people, even villains who are trying to kill him, and the way he grounds his fellow heroes all take center stage. Flash may be a speedster, but it's his heart that makes him a hero, and "Flash and Substance" is a terrific reminder of that fact. Epilogue Season 2, Episode 13 Even for a kids' show, Justice League Unlimited knew when not to pull punches and go right for the heart. There's probably no more emotional episode than "Epilogue," the end of the Cadmus arc. "Epilogue" managed to add whole new layers to the long-standing antagonist Amanda Waller, it tied into Batman Beyond in tremendous fashion, and, most importantly, it gave Batman immense heart. The true star of "Epilogue" is, unsurprisingly, Bruce's final interaction with Ace, a superpowered kid who could change reality itself. Batman was given the ability to kill Ace and end all the problems she was causing, but instead, he sat with her and empathized with her situation. "Epilogue" paints the brooding Dark Knight as a caring man with a hurt past, and is much more emotionally authentic than the litany of Batman movies. Question Authority Season 2, Episode 9 Like The Flash, it isn't hard for a Question-focused episode of JLU to surpass his movies, as he's never appeared in a film before. Still, "Question Authority" basically works as a proof of concept for a Question movie. The episode basically has everything you'd want from a Question story: funny moments, a focus on his relationship with Huntress, and a huge highlight on his excellent detective skills. What really makes "Question Authority" special and makes me want to see a full-blown film, however, is the metatextual questions it raises. Throughout the episode, The Question is, well, questioning the power dynamics of Superman and the Justice League as a whole. JLU takes a more nuanced and intriguing look at the question than Zack Snyder ever did. Divided We Fall Season 2, Episode 12 Almost every episode of Justice League Unlimited was a team-up - that was the idea of the show - but some of them were better team-up episodes than others. The second best JLU team up was "Divided We Fall," the end of the Cadmus arc. In it, Lex Luthor merged himself with the intelligence and physical prowess of Brainiac, which made him a world-ending threat. The threat of a Brainiac-Luthor hybrid was the perfect stakes for a full Justice League teamup, but "Divided We Fall" also saw its set-up through to the end. Eventually, The Flash had to sacrifice his life by tapping into the Speed Force just to take Luthor down. Not only was that a great display of The Flash's true power, it also demonstrated that JLU knew how to truly challenge its heroes in a way the DCEU never did. Destroyer Season 3, Episode 13 The single best Justice League team-up we've ever seen, in live-action or animation, was JLU's series finale, "Destroyer." In the episode, the Justice League teams up with the Legion of Doom to fight back against Darkseid, the show's ultimate villain. That leads to some great moments, from heroes and villains working together, Superman letting his full power out, and even Batman keeping up with Darkseid. What really makes "Destroyer" better than any DC movie, however, is how earned this final confrontation with Darkseid was. Everything in JLU was building up to this fight, and it somehow didn't disappoint. Every character is handled well, the actual fights have weight and suspense, and Darkseid truly feels like a villain worthy of the full might of the Justice League.
