Challenge of the Super Friends: Trial of the Superfriends

"Trial of the Super Friends" is the fifth episode of the animated superhero action series Challenge of the Super Friends. It was directed by Ray Patterson and Carl Urbano with a script written and developed by Jeffrey Scott. The episode first aired on ABC on Saturday morning on October 7th, 1978.

Synopsis
The Super Friends have agreed to guard the Acme Chemical Research Plant in the foothills of Metropolis where two scientists have discovered a way to convert ultraviolet radiation into liquid format, giving birth to literal liquid light. One scientist remarks about how such a discovery could solve the energy crisis, but could become terrible if it fell into the wrong hands.

On that note, those pesky trouble makers in the Legion of Doom have their own agenda. Brainiac, the Scarecrow, and Cheetah attack the facility and engage Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. Using Brainiac's illusion-generating technology, and some of the Scarecrow's pet crows, they succeed in stealing the Super Friends super-gadgets. Cheetah baits Wonder Woman into attacking numerous illusory versions of herself so she can grab her magic lasso. Brainiac uses a magnetic device to pull Green Lantern's ring from him, and the crows lift Batman and Robin high into the sky and steal their utility belts. This paves the way for Black Manta and Bizarro to make off with the liquid light. They overturn a container of it, letting it spill out everywhere. Later, the four heroes are teleported to the Hall of Doom, where Lex Luthor presides over a mock trial. They are charged with committing acts of heroism, doing good deeds and confounding the efforts of the Legion of Doom. Grodd serves as bailiff, swearing them by enforcing that they must tell "...the untruth, so help you Grodd". Sinestro serves as prosecutor. Batman thinks the entire affairs is absurd. The trial naturally goes against their interests, and as punishment, Luthor has Brainiac create robot duplicates of the four of them, which are now gifted with Wonder Woman's lasso, Green Lantern's ring, and all of the tools of the utility belt.

Meanwhile, the other members of the Super Friends must contend with all of the liquid light that is rolling down the foothills towards population centers. Superman picks up an abandoned dam and drops it on some buildings to block the flow, but the liquid light burns right through it. Black Vulcan flies down and saves some kids in a lake before the liquid light can engulf them. The Flash creates a super-speed vortex that siphons the liquid light into the atmosphere where it is broken down into simple light rays. Elsewhere, the Legion of Doom transports the captured Super Friends to remote locales and has them fight up against their robot duplicates. They must find a way to defeat them without the benefit of their weapons. To avoid being eaten by a swarm of ants, Wonder Woman uses her mental control to bring her lasso back to her, then uses it to bind her robot doppelganger. Batman and Robin end up in a jungle. Their opposing duplicates launch bat-webs from the utility belts, ensnaring the heroes. Batman flings a rock at his duplicate, activating the bat-invisibility ray on his belt. When the robots try to figure out what has happened, Batman and Robin escape. The robots then ensnare themselves in the web. In a desert canyon, Green Lantern faces his duplicate. The robot uses the ring in an effort to put a green energy bubble around Green Lantern, but the hero blocks it with a road sign, reflecting the effect back upon the robot, trapping him.

The Legion of Doom meanwhile take control of the Acme Chemical Research Center. Maintaining a hold on the remainder of the liquid light, they attempt to blackmail the world's nations into giving them control over all of the oil on the planet or else they will unleash liquid light upon the entire Earth. The Super Friends arrive just in the nick of time and fight them. They succeed in securing the remaining liquid light, but the Legion of Doom escape via the flying Hall of Doom.

Voices

 * Jack Angel
 * Marlene Aragon
 * Lewis Bailey
 * Michael Bell
 * Bill Callaway
 * Ted Cassidy
 * Melanie Chartoff
 * Henry Corden
 * Danny Dark
 * Al Fann
 * Shannon Farnon
 * Ruth Forman
 * Bob Hastings
 * Louise Williams


 * Bob Holt
 * Buster Jones
 * Stanley Jones
 * Casey Kasem
 * Don Messick
 * Vic Perrin
 * Renny Roker
 * Stanley Ross
 * Dick Ryal
 * Michael Rye
 * Olan Soule
 * Jimmy Weldon
 * Frank Welker

Notes & Trivia

 * This episode is included on disc one of the Challenge of the Super Friends: The First Season DVD collection. The collection was produced by Warner Home Video and released in Region 1 format on July 6th, 2004.


 * Iwao Takamoto is credited as a creative producer on this series.


 * Voice actor Stan Jones is credited as Stanley Jones in this episode.


 * Voice actor Stanley Ralph Ross is credited as Stanley Ross in this episode.


 * Voice actor William Callaway is credited as Bill Callaway in this episode.

Super Oddities

 * The liquid light can apparently melt through anything; except for the giant vat that was containing it originally. Why didn't the heroes use a container made from the same material?


 * Superman's a dick. He makes certain that the dam is abandoned before lifting it up out of the ground, but then he drops it on top of buildings without bothering to check if they are occupied.


 * Green Lantern repels the impenetrable green force barrier with a yellow sign, reflecting it back upon his robot double, trapping him. Okay, that's fine. But then he reaches inside the bubble himself to retrieve his ring. Whaaaat?


 * Superman's a super-dumbass. He gets his power from the sun. He should've just dove into the flood of liquid light and gotten super-charged. Then he would've been able to take care of the whole mess in two seconds.


 * Black Manta fires a laser atom-smasher at the Flash. The Flash spins around at super-speed using friction to repel the blast back towards Black Manta. Not sure if the science here works, but okay. However, the laser beam should have shot through Black Manta's chest, instantly killing him. You're going to tell me that the guy who can't escape the grip of an octopus can somehow deflect laser blasts? As Colonel Potter from M*A*S*H* used to say, "Horse feather!"


 * Apparently Wonder Woman is a useless bag of crap without the benefit of her magic lasso. She's not strong enough to hold onto it, and apparently ants can kill her. Friggin' ants! Ants can't kill a baby, let alone an Amazon princess.


 * Green Lantern's ring energy is powered by willpower. A robot should not be able to use it.


 * So Batman and Robin get their utility belts stolen, right? They couldn't have had Superman or the Flash super-speed them back to Wayne Manor so they could get replacements? Hell, they probably have a few extra belts tucked away in the bat-trunk of the Batmobile.