Justice League

Screen Shots

Synopsis

It is the fall of Camelot. King Arthur’s knights defend the embattled stronghold of Camelot against the inhuman forces of the sorceress Morgaine Le Fay. The walls may have yet held if it was not for the treachery of Jason Blood, one of Arthur’s Knights and the Morgaine’s secret lover. He opens the gates to the invaders believing that Morgaine will reciprocate his love. However, Blood is just a pawn in Morgaine’s campaign to place her infant son, Mordred, on Camelot’s throne. She poison’s Blood and then leaves him to die in the dirt as the battle ranges about him. Merlin’s ghost appears to the dying knight and admonishes him that “all my great dreams are undone in the name of thy tainted love.” He then curses Blood to live until the day his monstrous deed is atoned for and marks his soul by  binding him to “a creature from the pit” – a demon called Etrigan.

In the present day, Gotham City police attend a robbery at an antiquarian book seller. The elderly bookseller mumbles to the paramedics about a stone of power hidden at Castle Branek and then passes out. They dismiss his ramblings while failing to notice the a bat-shaped shadow glide above them. In the bookstore Batman finds a book about the Philosopher’s Stone with a page torn out. He’s interrupted by the arrival of Jason Blood, an old ally, who informs him that,

According to legend it [the Philosophers Stone] was a gem from the hilt of Excalibur and the true source of the sword’s fabled power.

He also points out that the elderly bookseller who the paramedics took away was only 32-years old and that he was a noted expert in Arthurian Lore. He was attacked by Morgaine Le Fay who is seeking the Stone. After Camelot fell, Merlin hid the stone. With it Morgaine will be able to resurrect Camelot and place Mordred on its throne.

At Castle Branek a lone tour guide is surprised by a youth, Mordred, who is slicing apart the displays of weapons and armour. The guide’s admonishment is cut short when the boy’s mother, Morgaine Le Fay, places her withered hands on his head and drains the life from him. They find Merlin’s Arc, but the Stone is not inside. Le Fay’s talisman flashes indicating the presence of Jason Blood and she prepares a trap for him and the Batman. Blood senses her presence only after they’ve open the Arc. Medieval weapons fly off the walls towards them and the ancient suits of armour begin attacking them. The Batman duels with the glowing suits, but there are too many of them. Suddenly Jason Blood intones “gone, gone, the form of man, rise the demon Etrigan!” and is transformed into his cursed alter ego. Etrigan’s hell fire easily reduces the walking suits of armour to ash.

The Batman summons Wonder Woman, Flash and J’onn J’onzz from the Justice League to help track down Morgaine before she finds the Stone. Etrigan tells them that he and Morgaine have fought a cat-and-mouse battle through the centuries, but her magical amulet has kept her hidden from him for the last generation. J’onn J’onzz tries to find her telepathically, but Morgaine senses his probe and casts an illusion back at him. J’onn sees his home on Mars, his wife My’ria’h, and their children again. The pain of losing Mars is so great that J’onn allows himself to be seduced by the illusion until Etrigan enters the dream and forcibly drags him back to reality. Etrigan warns Batman not to trust the Martian as Morgaine now has her teeth into him.

J’onn wasn’t able to learn Morgaine’s location, but he did hear Mordred’s suggestion that one of the archaeologists who unearthed Castle Branek may have taken the Stone. At the Hall of Records Morgaine drains the life out of one of the librarians whilst Mordred finds the information they are looking for. They discover that Castle Branek was excavated shortly after World War Two and that the only surviving participants are Professor Henry Moss and Harve Hickman. Independently the League discover the names and separate to reach both of them before Morgaine does. Batman, J’onn, and Etrigan go after Professor Moss while Wonder Woman and the Flash go after Harve Hickman.

The Flash is amazed to discover that the Harve Hickman he and Wonder Woman are looking for it the same Harve Hickman who publishes his favourite magazine (which the Flash proclaims he “only reads for the articles”). Hickman’s annual Halloween Party is underway and their costumes allow them to blend in with the guests in line. Security tries to exclude them until Hickman arrives. Much to Wonder Woman’s bemusement Hickman is charmed by her and invites her into the party.

Etrigan gets to Henry Moss first, but his gruesome visage causes the elderly Professor to collapse from shock. J’onn and the Batman arrive moments later, but J’onn’s telepathic scan shows that the old archaeologist has no knowledge of the Stone’s whereabouts. They then stage a trap of their own, Etrigan and Batman lay in wait while J’onn disguises himself as Moss. Morgaine and Mordred appear in a puff of smoke and approaches “Moss”, but she senses that he’s actually J’onn. Etrigan and Batman rush the room, but are thrown back by Morgaine’s magic. She again bewitches J’onn with her My’ria’h illusion just long enough to make her escape. Etrigan is furious and accuses J’onn of letting her get away.

Commentary

Morgaine Le Fay

Arthurian mythology is rather fluid is its characters and themes. The Christian pomp and fluff of the later French romances and Grail saga hides an older saga from 5th and 6th Century England, from between the withdraw of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Other elements, including the folk characteristics of Merlin and Morgaine, may be even earlier. It has been argued that the roots of Morgaine’s character can be traced back to a primal Celtic mother goddess called Modron. She has also been identified as a daughter of the King of the Isle of Apples, a Princess of Avalon. The “le Fay” after her name is an old name for an elf or fairy. The point to make is that, in this form at least, she isn’t an evil character and there has been much effort amongst modern feminists to re-appropriate Morgaine as an example of an empowered emancipated woman.

Whatever her lineage Morgaine enters the Arthurian legends in the work of Geoffrey of Monmouth (circa 1150) as the chief priestess/sister who takes the mortally injured Arthur to his solitude in Avalon. The characters then get taken up by French and Norman writers who overlay on them their curious ideas of Christian and knightly virtue. They believe that all sorcerers are evil because magic comes from the devil. So they introduce the notion that Merlin’s father was a demon and that Merlin is only a good guy because he was “saved” by being baptised. Likewise, Morgaine the strong independent woman is threatening to these “Christian” writers so they debase her and turn her into a figure of evil and seduction. (Overstated? Probably, but I’m seriously not a fan of the sanctimonious “romances”).

This all reaches a head with Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur wherein we get the classic version of Morgaine as the daughter of Gorlois, the Duke of Cornwall. Uther, Arthur’s father, lusts after Gorlois’ wife Igraine and with Merlin’s help disguises he himself as the Duke so that he can have his wicked way with the Duke’s wife. Uther then kills the Duke and takes the Igraine as his own wife. Igraine and Uther’s child is Arthur. Merlin schools Arthur and then manipulates events to that Arthur succeeds Uther as King of Camalot. Morgaine, who has seen her mother raped and her father murdered, is obviously rather upset by all this and swears revenge on Merlin and Arthur (her half-brother). She becomes a powerful sorceress and tries several times to destroying Arthur and Merlin. She is ultimately successful – that’s what many people forget, Morgaine wins! (See Mordred below).

The comic book origin of the Demon as presented in The Demon #1 and adapted for the opening sequence of “A Knight of Shadows” picks up after King Arthur is already dead/gone to Avalon and Morgaine is in the process of destroying what remains of Camelot itself. Merlin summons the Demon Etrigan to bolster the defenders, but even that isn’t enough. This isn’t the first time that Morgaine has been referenced in the DCAU. An episode of Batman The New Adventures, “The Demon Within”, featured Etrigan’s first animated appearance. Its plot centred around an artefact that was described as Morgaine Le Fay’s personal branding iron.

There is a series by Matt Wagner called Madam Xanadu which is retelling the life story of the mystic of the same name. Madam Xanadu was originally one of the fair-folk called Nimue. Her sister Morgana is a supporting character in the book and it has just been revealed to be Morgaine Le Fay. The series is a Vertigo title meaning it’s not technically part of the DC Universe, but nobody seems to have told that to Wagner.

Morgaine is played by Olivia D’Abo. The English-born singer/actress is the daughter of Manfred Mann’s Mike D’Abo and model Maggie London. The accent she uses for Le Fay and for a number of other characters give them a very distinctive voice. She has voiced Ten in Batman Beyond, Star Sapphire and Morgaine in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, Carol Ferris in Green Lantern: First Flight.  She has also voiced Luminara in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Black Widow in Ultimate Avengers. Sci-fi fans may also know her as Amanda Rogers, the Starfleet Cadet who is the daughter of two members of the Q-continuum in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “True Q.” There is a slight in-joke in the casting here, the Demon is voiced by Michael T. Weiss while Morgaine is voice by Olivia D’Abo. At the time that this was released Weiss and D’Abo were the voices of Disney’s Tarzan and Jane.

Mordred

Mordred is again a character who dates to a very early version of the Arthurian mythology. The “historical” Mordred first appears in a 6th-Century record that just tells that Arthur and Mordred (“Medraut”) fell at the Battle at Camlann. It’s just a single line:

Year 93 (c. AD 537) The Strife of Camlann in which Arthur and Medraut fell and there was death in Britain and in Ireland.

Annales Cambriae

There is nothing in that record to say that Arthur and Mordred were on different sides or even that they killed each other, but from that single mention the entire downfall of Arthur’s kingdom has been spun.

In the myths Mordred is King Arthur’s son and nephew. It’s actually one of Morgaine’s sisters, Morgause who (inadvertently in some tellings) seduces King Arthur resulting in the conception of Mordred. However, Morgause’s character is often folded in with Morgaine and the seduction is portrayed as Morgaine using the same tricks that Merlin used to allow Uther to rape their mother. The product of either half-brother/half-sister union is the bastard Mordred.

In the Normal Romances Morgaine makes sure that Arthur is forced to accept Mordred into his Round Table of Knights. Mordred bided his time until Lancelot’s treason is discovered and then uses that situation as an excuse to launch a rebellion against Arthur and plunge Camelot into a civil war. It finally comes to ahead at the Battle of Camlann where Arthur and Mordred meet in battle. Arthur eventually kills Mordred, but not before he has been mortally wounded himself.

The Mordred in this episode is something of a departure from the legends. They side-step the entire incest part and streamline the fall of Camelot so that’s its all Morgaine’s doing. Mordred is voiced by Soren Fulton who would have been about 10-11 when he recorded the part. This Mordred owes more to Harry Potter’s blonde-nemesis Draco Malfoy, but could even pass as a young Robert Addie – the adult Mordred from John Boorman’s Excalibur. There is a young Mordred in Excalibur. He’s cruel brat of a child who takes delight in the plight of Arthur’s as they hunt for the Grail. He was played by Charlie Boorman (see the picture below) long before he started undertaking endurance motorcycle rides with Ewan McGregor.

Harve Hickman

Harve Hickman would seem to be Hugh Hefner, the publisher of Playboy, – or least as close as you can get in a WB cartoon. Hefner’s Halloween Ball is one of the most famous parties of the year. The guests at Hickman’s fancy dress ball contain nods to a number Jack Kirby characters including members of the Forever People and Darkseid’s lieutenants.

Hickman is voiced by Dave Thomas, Russell from Grace Under Fire. And following the theme of this episode he also voiced King Arthur for the Animaniacs. The bouncer on the door is voiced by Jim Wise who is a writer for the Jay Leno Show and MADtv.

The Philosopher’s Stone

In Medieval Alchemy the Philosopher’s Stone was the ultimate materia – a substance that could turn base metal into gold and could bestow immortality. The base work of an Alchemist was to hunt for a recipe or procedure that could distil or purify the Stone from normal matter. It is the original wonder drug and vapour-ware – a device that promises everything, but didn’t actually exist.

Alchemy later evolved into the science of chemistry, but the mystique of something like the Philosopher’s Stone remains. It was the original name of the first Harry Potter book before it was rechristened as “The Sorcerer’s Stone” by patronising publishers who believed that American’s wouldn’t know who a philosopher was.

The Stone has made several appearances in the DC Universe. It a weapon sometimes used by a Flash villain called Doctor Alchemy and a post-modern version of it appears as the Worlogog (another Jack Kirby creation) – a map of the universe that can be used to rewrite the shape of reality.

Notes

• “gem from the hilt of Excaliber” – In the legends the scabbard of Excalibur had its own powers and prevented the bearer from loosing blood from wounds. Morgaine Le Fay tried to steal the scabbard, but managed to lose it for both Arthur and herself. Without its protection Arthur was vulnerable to injury by Mordred at the Battle of Camlann.
• Castle Branek – the name means defending or place of glory. The second Demon story is actually called “My tomb is Castle Branek” and refers to it as the location of Merlin’s Tomb (in this episode called his “Merlin’s Arc”). In the comics it most recently featured as Morgaine Le Fay’s fortress in Kurk Busiek’s Trinity series.
• Michael T Weiss replaces Billy Zane from Batman: The New Adventures “The Demon Within” as the voice of the Demon/Jason Blood. Weiss voiced Tarzan for Disney’s Tarzan TV series, as noted Oliva D’Oba, here voicing Morgaine Le Fay, voiced Jane for the same series. Weiss reprises the role of Etrigan for a cameo in “The Balance.” He also provides the voice of Adam Strange in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
• We briefly see J’onn J’onzz’s life on Mars with Morgaine disguising herself as his wife. She is voiced by Pam Grier who is currently playing Amanda Waller in Smallville. Two children are shown, but not named. In the comics J’onn only had a daughter called K’hym.
• Kirby’s version of Merlin briefly appears in the teaser. You really shouldn’t need me to tell you that he was voiced by W. Morgan Sheppard. Amongst other roles he’s played Ira Graves (Data’s “grandfather”) in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode The Schizoid Man, the Professor (the hologram) in Sea-Quest, and the Soul Hunter in Babylon 5.
• According to IMDB the Michael Gough who voices Professor Moss isn’t the same Michael Gough as played Alfred in the Batman films. This fellow is a voice actor so one assumes that SAG rules about actors having the same screen name don’t apply to animation. Jim Meskimen, who voices the nameless Knight in the teaser, voiced Slam Bradley in Justice League: A New Frontier and Captain Super/Archer in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. Cam Clarke who voiced the paramedic is the voice of Cartoon Network He-Man.

Opinion

Highlights

The fall of Camelot and the cursing of Jason Blood.

Oddities

Castle Branek as an archaeological site. Normally on an archaeological site you get a few stones sticking out of the ground, but that Castle is freaking huge. They must have had to shovel some dirt to uncover that thing.

My thoughts

This episode feels rather like an old episode of Batman – in a good way that is. His team-up with Jason Blood takes up most of the first half of the episode and its only really the Flash/Wonder Woman fancy dress sequence that doesn’t involve him. The comparison with “The Demon Within” is unavoidable given the guest-star, but I think this is probably the stronger of the two stories. Klarion was an interesting villain, but he was more of a pest than anything. The addition of Morgaine Le Fay, with D’Ado’s instantly recognisable voice, gives the League a mastermind level villain that they can really spar with. The last couple of villains have been a plot device (“Legends”) and a damp squib (“Fury”) so it’s nice to get back to the League fighting a really high profile super villain.

I don’t normally comment on the music or sound much in these episodes, but the sound track to “Knight of Shadows” is particularly good. It adds important weight to the moments of myth and magic. I like the sequence in Castle Branek with the Batman and Blood falling into Le Fay’s trap.

3.5