Champions

Champions Legion of Super Heroes S1, episode 5 Television » LSH cartoon 250px Previous episode Fear Factory Next episode Phantoms Creators Directors(s) Lauren Montgomery Writer(s) Matt Wayne Guest actor(s) James Arnold Taylor as Mekt Ranzz and Jo Nah, April Winchell as Winema Wazzo, Jennifer Hale as Emerald Empress, Lex Lang as Announcer #1, David Lodge as Announcer #2 and Tharok

Story Synopsis

TV listing

While supporting Lighting Lad as he competes in the challenging Galactic Games, Superman and Phantom Girl uncover a sinister plot by the Fatal Five! Lightning Lad has troubles of his own when he finds his biggest competition from someone close to him.

Expanded synopsis

At the Intergalactic Games on Olympus 12, Lightning Lad is preparing to race in the Dodecathalon. In the Diplomatic Sky Box hovering above are dignitaries from the United Planets. An announcer mentions that the UP's recent peace talks with the Khuns did not go well. Lightning Lad meets his biggest rival in the race - his brother Mekt Ranzz.

Lightning Lad confronts his brother, asking why Mekt has to try to upstage him all the time. Mekt says he's there to "set the record straight". Superboy and Phantom Girl leave Lightning Lad to go sit with the President, Winema Wazzo, Phantom Girl's mother. Superman fumbles his introduction, as he's never met a President before. In the first Dodecathalon event (the Filament Jump, a short race in jet cars through a canyon), Mekt fouls Lightning Lad as a judge deliberately looks away. Despite the foul, Lightning Lad wins the race. Up in the Sky Box, Pres. Wazzo thinks Superman and Phantom Girl are dating, and to avoid her, they go out for snacks. While outside, Superman uses his x-ray vision and sees a Death Bomb attached to the Sky Box. He grabs the bomb and flies into space with it, narrowly escaping its after-effects. Phantom Girl thinks someone is trying to kill her mother. As they look for other threats, Superman sees Tharok disguised as a pinwheel vendor, but he escapes. They figure the Emerald Empress must be cloaking him, and that the Fatal Five is now involved.

Superman, Phantom Girl, and Lightning Lad decide they can't tell the Science Police for fear of starting a panic, so Superman will watch from the sky, Lightning Lad from the competitors, and Phantom Girl from the dignitaries sky box. Lightning Lad completes the first septuple somersault in the event, but Mekt pushes a competitor in his way at the finish so he botches the landing. Superman sees a disguised Mano sabotaging a transport ship so that it will collide with the Sky Box but Superman stops it in time. Phantom Girl fights the Persuader (who accidentally blows up his own ship) while Superman fights Validus. Both villains escape. Back at the 500-Meter Lava Canyon Dash, the various obstacles are tripping up competitors, but Mekt uses a hidden detonator to delay his brother, who stops to help a racer. Mekt finishes first. At the awards ceremony, Mekt presses a button on a device that he claims he doesn't know what it is, but it's to repay a favor. A beam shoots out, disrupting the force field dome over the stadium, and the Fatal Five appear, shedding their disguises (Emerald Empress was the look-away judge from the Filament Jump).

The fight between the three Legionnaires and the Fatal Five begins, with the prize being the President. Emerald Empress admits it was easy since they had inside help (Mekt). Mekt races off, offering "sorry, my bad, good luck" to his brother. Tinya phases Mano through the ground and uses his hand to melt Tharok's robot leg, causing him to fall beneath the rubble he was carrying. The Emerald Eye snares Superman, who can't use his heat vision on it like last time. Suddenly, one of the medalists shows up - Jo Nah of Rimbor, who has powers of his own. He uses his super-strength to knock the Eye out of the arena, his Ice Breath to freeze the Empress, and invulnerability to go after Mano. Other contestants help in the fight, including Camden Mismullion (who eats the Persuader's axe handle). Jo Nah uses his superspeed to team up with Zzok to stun Validus, and then Superman knocks him into the Empress. Later, Mekt tells Lightning Lad that he had no idea he was helping the Fatal Five, all he did was make a deal with a judge so that he'd come in first. At another ceremony, President Wazzo honors the Legion by saying they've proven their value to the safety of the UP, and awards a medal to Superman. Tinya leaves with her mother, who is continually trying to set her up with a nice boy - maybe one of the other medallists or Legionnaires? Jo Nah winks at Tinya as she leaves with her mother.

Cast

Legionnaires

The following appear in the episode:

• Lightning Lad
• Phantom Girl
• Superman

Villains

• Mekt Ranzz, brother of Lightning Lad
• Emerald Empress
• Mano
• Persuader
• Tharok
• Validus
• Khuns, a race at war with the United Planets (mentioned but not seen)

Other Characters

• Winema Wazzo, mother of Phantom Girl and President of the United Planets
• Zzok, a member of the Sephian race and the gold medal winner in the Standing Spin Burrow with a distance of 46.233 meters (his third gold)
• Stadium audience at the Intergalactic Games
• Athletes at the Intergalactic Games including Tarl, Jo Nah, Drake Burroughs, Mota, Tenzil Kem (all Filament Jumpers), Camden Mismullion (Flare Surfer and Canyon Dasher), Oda and Karl McGrekk (Canyon Dashers)
• Frank and his partner, announcers for the Games
• Science Police officers
• various United Planets dignitaries

Miscellaneous

• A Death Bomb creates a tiny speck of Dark Matter that can swallow half a planet
• Little Deepzorg Snack Cakes, a sponsor of the Games

Locations

• Olympus 12, site of the 343rd Intergalactic Games
• Rimbor (mentioned as Jo Nah's home planet)

Trivia about the episode

• The Standing Spin Burrow and the Dodecathalon are events at the Intergalactic Games. The Dodecathalon includes the Filament Jump, Flare Surfing, and the 500-Meter Lava Canyon Dash.
• The name of the planet Winath is pronounced "Why-nath".
• The Terraform Act will fund the Climate Reconstruction Bill, not the Climate Reclamation Bill.
• Among the contestants in the Filament Jump, as seen on the Leader Board written in Interlac, are Jo Nah, Drake Burroughs, and Tenzil Kem.
• During the Flare Surfing contest, signs reading "Flare Surfing" and "Bat Man Lives" are written in Interlac. At the end of the Canyon Dash, signs for "Finish" and "Mekt Wins" appear.
• During the Canyon Dash, Camden Mismullion is wearing green and black and takes a bite out of an obstacle which tripped him up. He appears again later and bites through the Persuader's Axe. It's clear this was intended to be Tenzil Kem, but it's unknown why the name was changed.
• Since Jo Nah of Rimbor was a medalist, and Drake Burroughs and Tenzil Kem are mentioned, but none are revealed as Legionnaires, they must not be members of the Legion at this point (as Ultra Boy, Wildfire, and Matter-Eater Lad, respectively).
• Little Deepzorg Snack Cakes are the snack that made Deepzorg famous.
• At the final medal ceremony where Winema Wazzo thanks the Legion, Camden Mismullion and Zzok are wearing meadls along with Superman and Lightning Lad. Curiously, Jo Nah does not wear a medal.

Quotes

• Superman (looking at buffet table): "Mmm. Hey, crab legs!" Ambassador (who looks like a plate of crab legs): "Hey, monkey face!"
• Phantom Girl (mocking Superman): "Aww, shucks, ma'am, I ain't never met nobody! Uh-huh! Uh-huh!"
• Phantom Girl (at the awards ceremony): "You know, Lightning Lad, I'm really surprised how well you're taking this." Superman: "Obviously you didn't see what he did to the locker room."
• Announcers: "We've got a super-villain brawl a-brewing here, and it looks like it's going to be a doozy! We'll be right back after a word from our sponsors." (cut to commercials)
• Announcers: "And Lightning Lad's down! That's another notch on the Persuader's axe. Waiting for Lightning Lad to get up, our coverage of this attack is brought to you by Little Deepzorg Snack Cakes. Little Deepzorg, the snack that made Deepzorg famous."
• Winema Wazzo, to Tinya: "Your friend in gold looks good. Is he single?" Phantom Girl: "Mother, please!" Winema: "Well, now that you've broken up with Superman..." Phantom Girl: "Mom!" Winema: "Don't you worry, dear, there are plenty of nice boys out there. Maybe if you change that costume of yours. Something more colorful?"

Adaptations

• None