Summary: During the time period between Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, the Justice League must combat the menace of the Crime Syndicate. In addition, Wonder Woman acquires her famed Invisible Jet.
JL Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, J’onn J’onzz
CS Roll Call: Ultraman, Superwoman, Owlman, Johnny Quick, Power Ring
Featured Character: ???
Villains: The Crime Syndicate
Bruce Timm on “World’s Collide” (circa 2004): “Yes, there is a Justice League DTV in the works…kind of. What happened was, the Home Video division commissioned us to write a JL DTV, right around the time we were gearing up for Season Three. Dwayne McDuffie and I came up with the story, Dwayne wrote a terrific script, I designed loads of new characters, we started story-boarding, Andrea Romano had assembled a killer cast, and we were just getting ready to record it, and then Home Video slammed on the brakes, and it was put on the shelf for the time being. This is a good thing, really! The original plan was to do the DTV and Season Three concurrently but, long story short: we would have been stretched way too thin. JLU is a difficult enough show to do by itself, without having to prep a feature-length movie at the same time. Home Video is still interested in making it, apparently, so hopefully it’ll happen (courtesy of The World’s Finest).”
Bruce Timm on the Crime Syndicate (circa 2005): “Fun fact: ‘A Better World’ started out as a straight-up Crime Syndicate story, but evolved into something else while we were ‘breaking’ the plot. Another fun fact: ‘Worlds Collide,’ the currently still-on-hold Justice League DTV, featured the Justice League versus (you guessed it) the Crime Syndicate (obviously, we like alternative universe stories, too). Maybe someday (courtesy of Toon Zone).”
Bruce Timm on Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet: “Here’s the deal with the Invisible Jet: while it’s an obvious nod to traditional Wonder Woman lore, it’s an invisible jet, not necessarily the Invisible Jet…and, no, it’s not just a cloaked Javelin. There actually is an origin story for it—the currently ‘on indefinite hold’ Justice League DTV explains where it came from. It’s a particularly clever idea of Dwayne [McDuffie’s], so I’m not gonna spoil it now, just in case the DTV ever gets back on track (courtesy of Toon Zone).”
Bruce Timm on “World’s Collide” (circa 2005): “'World's Collide' was going to bridge Seasons Two and Three; besides the origin of the Invisible Jet, it also set up the entire super-sized 'JLU' concept. I don't wanna say anymore about it, just in case it ever does get made (there's still a chance, albeit a slim one at the moment, seemingly).
"[As for comparisons between 'World's Collide' and 'A Better World'], there are quite enough differences between the Justice Lords and the Syndicate to make doing the story worthwhile. For instance, the Lords were merely misguided, but the Syndicate folks are 100% evil. Also, although the individual motifs are similar, the Syndicate guys aren't exact doppelgängers for the Justice League (Ultraman isn't Clark Kent / Kal El, Superwoman isn't Diana of the Amazons, Owlman isn't Bruce Wayne, etc.). In any case, 'World's Collide' is vastly different than 'A Better World,' in general tone and specific story beats. Keep your fingers crossed, maybe someday (courtesy of Toon Zone).”
Commentary
"Your story's fantastic, Luthor. This 'Crime Syndicate' is an evil Justice League?"
"It began with Ultraman: he was human once, a deep space astronaut everyone thought dead when his ship imploded into hyperspace. Then he came back; something...out there had attempted to repair him with only limited understanding of human physiology. They gave him a superhuman body and sent him back home, but his mind was...twisted. Owlman, Superwoman, and the others came after. Bad became worse. That's why I'm begging you to come back with me and end the tyranny of the Crime Syndicate."
An exchange between Superman and Alexander Luthor from "JLA: Earth 2"
Commentary coming soon!
Image courtesy of Toon Zone.