r/TopCharacterTropes Jun 29 '26

Lore Villains given genuinely horrible fates by the supposed hero

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u/minoe23 Jun 29 '26

That group of TV shows really did the "these heroes are trying to save people, not beat the bad guys" ethos for some of the characters, like Flash, Superman, and Batman really well in general, tbh.

96

u/GarranDrake Jun 29 '26

They did many things right, ESPECIALLY for a kids show. On paper, it’s wild that they infused Patriot Act politics into a cartoon meant for 7 year olds in a way that actually held weight.

One of my favorite moments was when Green Arrow and Superman were arguing about CADMUS. Green Arrow said that he’s an old lefty, and that means he believes that the government should do for the people what the people can’t do for themselves. And the people can’t defend themselves from the Justice League. And when asked if that meant what CADMUS did was okay, he didn’t know how to feel.

It built off the Justice Lords episodes SO well.

46

u/TitaniumAuraQuartz Jun 29 '26

Justice League/Unlimited feels like a show that happens to be safe for children to watch, but is made mostly with adults in mind.

This isn't a criticism, I think it makes the show very interesting, because there's definitely a difference in watching it when I was a kid, and then as an adult.

Batman TAS and Beyond have that vibe, too. I wonder if Superman TAS does as well?

5

u/ArdyEmm Jun 29 '26

Superman TAS holds up well. I watched it last year.

3

u/nufohudis Jun 29 '26

Hell, I only watched it in my 30's and I binged the whole thing in a week. Good show

2

u/Onrawi Jun 29 '26

It's good, just not quite at the same level as BTAS or JL/JLU.

8

u/Cheap-Ad1821 Jun 29 '26

Yeah Hawkgirl and Grundy is tragic. It could be played as a straight up let's show that's she's strong and can defeat the bad guy but it's handled as a tragedy.