Justice League: Doom (2012)

Justice League: Doom review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Based on the JLA run for Tower of Babel, Justice League: Doom poses an interesting scenario for Batman. The caped crusader has always been seen as the outsider of the League mostly because he prefers to work alone and doesn’t trust any of them. It’s well known that Batman is especially distrustful of Superman for having a supply of Kryptonite at the ready for whenever the hero should go rogue. There’s a reason why the biggest argument for Batman in versus battles is usually a sentence that starts with “With enough prep time…”

Doom entertains the argument of the fans that Batman has a contingency plan for everything. In this case, however, those plans are discovered by villains who plan to use these newly discovered weaknesses on the Justice League. Thus, the many heroes find themselves attacked and nearly assassinated by expert means with Batman out of the picture. It’s up to the dark knight to undo the damage that he has inadvertently caused his teammates.

This is a film I find far more interesting for the questioning than the execution, considering that Batman is mostly posed as being in the right. There’s a bigger debate here about accountability within the League, that measures should be in place if anyone were to go rogue. However, Batman keeps these plans a secret from the rest of the group making for a dangerous secret that could be easily tracked and used by villains, should they become crafty enough to assemble as a group and divide the League. By the end of the film, however, this discussion is shortened to such a degree that Batman’s case seems sound enough for the League, where the contingency plan against Batman is, well, the Justice League.

The problem is that this resolution essentially involves Batman and the League once more going their separate ways with a coordinated effort to handle this issue together. What if just one member of the League goes rogue, say, The Flash? Is it up to Batman alone to determine how to stop him or is it up to the League? There’s a far grander story here that the film and indeed the comic book is not that much interested in exploring, favoring instead the thrill of villains getting the upper hand on the League with Batman trying to undo the damage he has caused.

Action-wise, the film is par for the course of the DC direct-to-video films. There are some gritty bouts Batman has with Bane and there’s a particularly horrifying moment when Martian Manhunter is set on fire. I did appreciate bringing Cyborg into the mix which I believe marks his first appearance in a DC VOD movie. He plays a more prominent role here than in other films, coming to the aid of the heroes who may be infected with nanites, using all his tech wizardry to save the day.

One thing I can say for certain that makes the Bluray worth picking up is the special featurette on the late Dwayne McDuffie. McDuffie helmed a number of DC animated ventures, including being the central voice behind the inclusive series of Static Shock, and Doom marks his final screenplay. He left a lasting legacy on how all things animated with DC properties appeared. I recall once meeting him at a convention, where he was rather chill with discussing the ins and outs of animation production, noting how Wonder Woman was one of the most expensive characters to license. Even though Doom is far from his best work, it’s pleasing to know he continued working on some quality DC productions for well over a decade.