The same can be said for her appearances on the long-running animated series Super Friends.
The beloved TV series starring Lynda Carter had recently ended in 1979, but lived on in hearts and reruns well into the Me Decade. When the 1980s began, it was a strange time for Wonder Woman. To try and get a feel for some of its comic book inspiration for the film, we’re digging into the Wonder Woman stories that DC published in the decade the film is set. Of course, back then, not even an Oracle could have predicted all of the roadblocks that have stood in the way of actually seeing the 80s-set Patty Jenkins helmed film, which will finally be released in some theaters - but also, notably, on HBO Max - on December 25th. JLU gave us a similar scene in "Doomsday Sanction," which ends with Batman coldly dressing Superman down for sending Doomsday to the Phantom Zone without any due process.Fans have been anxiously awaiting the debut of Wonder Woman 1984 ever since the sequel was announced, following the success of 2017’s Wonder Woman. "The Doomsday Sanction" - Batman telling Superman the last time he ever inspired people when he died in Infinite Crisis is one of the most iconic comic book moments in history because there's nothing better than seeing the Dark Knight put the Man of Steel in his place. In this mind-bending two-parter, time travel becomes a vehicle for a crossover between JLU, Batman Beyond, and even Static Shock. "The Once and Future Thing" - JLU was the seventh installment in the DCAU, and some of its most interesting episodes were dedicated to showing the connective tissue between the others.
"The Greatest Story Never Told" - What does alienated and walking joke of a hero Booster Gold do while the rest of the League is busy saving the day? That's essentially the premise of this fun episode, which is basically the show's take on Buffy's "The Zippo."
The results are silly but also delightful - and like "This Little Piggy," the use of magic once again becomes a way to ignite some WonderBat teasing. But this early episode gave them a break from that by temporarily transforming Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Latnern into adorable little kids. "Kids' Stuff" - With the influx of so many new heroes, the original lineup of Justice League took on more mentor-y roles in Unlimited.
Kin Shriner's Green Arrow would go on to serve as a voice of reason throughout the epic events of JLU, and this episode is a perfect introduction. The JLU creative team introduces us to this larger-than-life superhero show through the eyes of the most street-level vigilante around. With these two episodes, JLU carefully threads the needle between glorifying and interrogating super-heroism. All of this tension builds to the explosive twist in “Flashpoint”: Lex hacks the Watchtower’s big gun and fires on a government building, wreaking havoc in the surrounding area and further driving home just how dangerous the League could be (The sequence purposefully evokes 9/11, because this show was nothing if not topical when it aired). The Question, one of the heroes, is so frightened by the thought of an evil Superman that he does everything in his power to stop that from happening, like trying to kill Lex Luthor before Superman gets the chance. All of this creates a rather complex characterization of the Man of Steel, because we’re shown that he’s just as susceptible to darker human emotions like hubris. Not only that, but he turns around and launches an unsanctioned assault on a Cadmus facility.
Here, Superman’s arrogance is on full display in almost every interaction he was - with Lois Lane, Emil Hamilton, and the Question - because he can’t understand why people would afraid of him and his super-powered friends. government become fearful of the League’s power and develop countermeasures in case it ever broke bad - the series raised complex moral questions like, should the League be allowed to work unchecked? What are the best uses of its power? Is there something inherently dangerous about the League? This thematic exploration climaxed in these two episodes, which are JLU’s smartest and most sobering half-hours because they take the government’s fears very seriously and admit that they may have a point. Through the Cadmus arc - which saw the U.S. Justice League Unlimited was the most political DCAU show, especially in its first two seasons, which were concerned with how the Justice League wielded its enormous power.