Justice League

Screen Shots

Synopsis

Previously in “Metamorphosis” Part One: Simon Stagg’s company will go bankrupt unless he can prove that his Metamorpho Process to create a chemically enhanced worker actually works. Rex Mason, a former US Marine colleague of Green Lantern John Stewart, works for Stagg Enterprises. Rex opposes the illegal transportation of the mutagens involved in the Metamorpho process and announces that he’s transferring to another company with his fiancée (Sapphire Stagg, the bosses daughter). Simon is horrified by his daughter’s decision and decides to use Rex as an unwilling test subject. A lab “accident” transforms Rex into a freakish Metamorpho, but Stagg does manage to plant into his mind the idea that John Stewart is jealous of his success and is using the accident as an excuse to make a play for Sapphire. The new Metamorpho calls Stewart to a Stagg Enterprises test facility and uses his powers to knock his former friend unconscious.

Simon Stagg and his henchmen Java secretly film Metamorpho and Green Lantern’s fight in order to use the footage as evidence that their process works. Metamorpho attacks a vulnerable Green Lantern, but Superman”s sudden arrival blocks the attack. The Man of Steel appears to outclass Metamorpho he instinctively turns into kryptonite – almost without thinking about it – even Metamorpho is surprised by his adaptability, but he doesn’t have a chance to ponder it before Hawkgirl arrives. He drops her out the sky by coating her wings with clay. More Leaguers arrive, but Metamorpho’s malleable body allows him to  escape most attempt to capture him. J’onn J’onzz’s own shape-shifting power matches his for a time, but he is knocked back by Mason’s phosphorus flames.

Green Lantern recovers and buries Metamorpho under a pile rubble, but he escapes by turning into water and flowing into an underground river. Rex makes his way to Sapphire’s apartment through the water system and accuses her of dumping him for Stewart. Sapphire is frightened, but slaps Rex across the face for accusing her. For the first time Metamorpho’s anger clears enough for him to realise that Simon Stagg has been manipulating him. He then flies away as a gas before Sapphire can stop him.

The footage of Metamorpho’s fight against the Justice League convinces Stagg’s clients the potential of his process and they agree to a deal. Stagg then confesses to Java that Mason was just a prototype. Mason overhears this and confronts Stagg. The industrialist runs for his life, but Java freezes Metamorpho solid with a cryogenic gun. Stagg then tells Java to dump Mason, but he thaws out and escapes from Stagg’s henchmen. He returns to Stag Industries to find Simon Stagg manipulating a new batch of mutagens. Metamorpho smashes the machines creating an electrochemical explosion within the mutagen. Electricity arcs through the system that Stagg is controlling and he is knocked unconscious. The strange explosion, the electricity, and Mason’s touch transforms the mutagen into a huge toxic monster – a Synthoid – that rips its way out of the lap and stomps off towards the city.

Batman and Green Lantern arrive to find the Stagg and Metamorpho unconscious. They immediately assume that the devastation is Mason’s responsibility and Lantern doesn’t believe his pleas about the Synthoid until Hawkgirl tells them that it’s stomping through the city. Batman takes a sample of the mutagen and stays behind to analyse it while Mason and Lantern rush to help the rest of the League.  The Synthoid is forcing its way through the centre of town, crushing police cars as it goes, on a single-minded path to Sapphire’s apartment. It’s strong enough to throw Superman around, but soft enough that his punches do no real damage. Hawkgirl’s electrified mace has even less effect. It leaves them unconscious and then continues on its way.

Green Lantern and Metamorpho rendezvous with Superman, Hawkgirl, and J’onn. The Martian tells them that he’s sensed a mind within Synthoid – a fragment, driven only by base desire. Mason rationalizes that part of Stagg’s mind must have been transferred into it during the accident. He then realises that it will he heading for Sapphire. The Synthoid looms over Sapphire’s apartment and she assumes that it’s Rex who has been further mutated. It grabs her and starts climbing a neighbouring sky scraper. It swats away the League with ease. Each of them attack in turn, but the monster is able to hold them off.

Batman radios Green Lantern to tells him that the Synthoid is made of an artificial protein that can be destroyed with a complex polypeptide (a “designer amino acid”), but it’ll take days to synthesise. Metamorpho says he’ll turn into the acid himself, but Green Lantern tells him that it’s a suicide run. Mason knocks Lantern out and gets Batman to tell him the formula. Metamorpho confronts the creature as it reaches the stop of the skyscraper and tells it to release Sapphire. Whatever is left of Simon Stagg’s mind growls “Never”.

Metamorpho turns into the formula and then high dives into Synthoid. His orange body bubbles and he forces himself throughout the green beast causing it to release its grip on Sapphire. She caught by Green Lantern, but the Synthoid howls in pain as Stagg’s mind snaps back into his proper body. Its lifeless body then explodes raining orange sludge down on the streets below, but there appears to be no trace of Rex Mason. Green Lantern tells Sapphire that Rex was a real hero, but she can’t hold back her tears. Suddenly some of the orange residue starts to move calling out Sapphire’s name. Lantern and the League prepare for Stagg’s monster to reconstitute itself, but it’s actually Rex who reforms out of the sludge. He then embraces Sapphire.

Commentary

Cartoon Chemistry

Metamorpho’s powers are never really explained in this episode. He has the ability to turn himself into any element found within the human body, although what elements writers think are found in the human body seems to be a rather hazy (kryptonite?). In the comic it’s not unusual for Metamorpho or another character to describe what he’s changing into.

The flame attack he uses could be generated by turning his arm into phosphorus (atomic no 15). It’s a white element that burns violently. Phosphorus was an ingredient in early matches and has been used in incendiary bombs during World War II.

There is one scene in the first act where he causes a large explosion by turning one arm into water and the other arm into a gas. This could be the reaction of water and one of the alkali metals (Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium, etc) as this video from the Science Abuse show demonstrates…

He also uses an old trick that Clayface used in Batman: The Animated Series. He throws parts of himself as projectiles – either as rock-like spikes or that stuff (lead?) he coats Hawkgirl’s wings with. There is, however, one scientific principle that Metamorpho completely disregards – the conservation of mass. He can fire those projectiles or streams of water without depleting his own body. The only explanation must be that he is unconsciously drawing material from his surroundings to keep up his body’s bulk.

Chemo

The monster that Metamorpho fights is only called a “Synthoid” in this episode, but it is very close to a comic book villain called Chemo. Metamorpho calls the toxic monster a synthoid – its a generic cartoon word for an synthetic life form, something that isn’t truly alive so can be killed without  worrying about killing a living thing. The Synthoid’s growls are voiced by Dee Bradley Baker who has also voiced Chemo in Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Cinderblock in Teen Titans. He’s also played the Clock King in Brave and the Bold.

Notes

• J’onn J’onzz turns into a dragon. It’s something of a favourite shape of his as he uses also uses it against the Justice Lords in “A Better World”.
• It’s never said in the cartoon that J’onn is vulnerable to fire as he is in the comics, but you’ll notice that when he does get knocked back or knocked unconscious – like he does in the first act fight against Mason – its done by fire or flame.
• “Not this time Flintstone” – Java is a caveman who Stagg reanimated.
• “What I wouldn’t give for a couple of biplanes about now” – A reference to the conclusion to the King Kong films where the giant ape climbs to the top of a skyscraper and is killed by a biplane.

Opinion

Highlights

Metamorpho’s transformations. He does more constructs/forms in two episodes that Green Lantern does all season.

Oddities

Simon Stagg’s feelings for Sapphire. Really not healthy.

My thoughts

I think it is safe to say that the second part of “Metamorphosis” is weaker than the first. There is some nice McDuffie dialogue, but the Green Lantern subplot is almost completely abandoned. What drama had been built up during part one is squandered as this second part devolves into a King Kong pastiche. The animation for episode suffers from some lack luster framing and I have a theory about why.  The series was animated so that it would work in a letterboxed 16:9 format and a full screen 4:3 format. You can sometimes tell where a scene seems to favour the 16:9 frame as it will ignore the top and bottom of the 4:3 frame. This makes the shot feel empty and uninteresting. The best solution is to watch this on a widescreen TV and crank the zoom up until the top and bottom are lost. Most of the other episodes don’t suffer this, but it seems quite noticable here.

2.0