Current Events > The old Justice League cartoon has a minor plot hole. *spoilers*

(+) Yeah! (+)

When Lex Luthor is planning to put his brain into an AMAZO body, it's mentioned that he was able to create one because he saw the plans a few months ago and has a photographic memory.

But he'd previously helped Superman develop a weapon that permanently disabled the Justice Lords' superpowers. If he had a photographic memory, he'd know how to remake that weapon.
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Not sure how those points are related?
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It is possible the justice lords powers work just a little differently.
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The power disruptor was one of the worst parts of that show. :-/

Like how do we beat the Justice Lords! Oh, let's just build a gun that sucks away their "powers", despite the fact that their powers were given through many different avenues. Some of them are genetic (Superman, J'onn). Some are tied to a planetary power source (GL). Some are powered by items (Diana).

Kinda silly, especially since it never comes up again. They could have done the same to Doomsday, but instead tossed him into the Phantom Zone.
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Funkydog posted...

Not sure how those points are related?

Ctrl+F Photographic memory
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pegusus123456 posted...

Funkydog posted...

Not sure how those points are related?

Ctrl+F Photographic memory

I'm not sure what some weapon has to do with this body?
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Funkydog posted...

pegusus123456 posted...

Funkydog posted...

Not sure how those points are related?

Ctrl+F Photographic memory

I'm not sure what some weapon has to do with this body?

One instance established that he had photographic memory. Another instance acts like he does not have photographic memory.
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Lex decides to do the right thing because he promised to. Derp. He says so himself.

Now if you want to argue it was a really stupid resolution, I mean, you would absolutely be right, but it's not a plot hole.
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It's possible it was created via tech/materials that lex either couldnt re-obtain or duplicate from the fortress of solitude. As its tech is of great worth even to brainiac.
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pegusus123456 posted...

Funkydog posted...

pegusus123456 posted...

Funkydog posted...

Not sure how those points are related?

Ctrl+F Photographic memory

I'm not sure what some weapon has to do with this body?

One instance established that he had photographic memory. Another instance acts like he does not have photographic memory.

That explains it a little better, thanks!

Does sound like your usual "plot powers when we remember" nonsense.
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DevsBro posted...

Lex decides to do the right thing because he promised to. Derp. He says so himself.

Now if you want to argue it was a really stupid resolution, I mean, you would absolutely be right, but it's not a plot hole.

He made a deal to give the weapon back because it allowed him to be pardoned. There was nothing that said he could never make another one.

It's also pretty silly to say that the reason he won't remove Superman's powers is because he promised Superman he wouldn't. I mean, this is a dude who later teams up with Brainiac to destroy all life in the universe, I don't think he'd be that bothered by breaking a promise.
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pegusus123456 posted...

DevsBro posted...

Lex decides to do the right thing because he promised to. Derp. He says so himself.

Now if you want to argue it was a really stupid resolution, I mean, you would absolutely be right, but it's not a plot hole.

He made a deal to give the weapon back because it allowed him to be pardoned. There was nothing that said he could never make another one.

It's also pretty silly to say that the reason he won't remove Superman's powers is because he promised Superman he wouldn't. I mean, this is a dude who later teams up with Brainiac to destroy all life in the universe, I don't think he'd be that bothered by breaking a promise.

Hey, that sounds like exactly what I said.
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DevsBro posted...

pegusus123456 posted...

DevsBro posted...

Lex decides to do the right thing because he promised to. Derp. He says so himself.

Now if you want to argue it was a really stupid resolution, I mean, you would absolutely be right, but it's not a plot hole.

He made a deal to give the weapon back because it allowed him to be pardoned. There was nothing that said he could never make another one.

It's also pretty silly to say that the reason he won't remove Superman's powers is because he promised Superman he wouldn't. I mean, this is a dude who later teams up with Brainiac to destroy all life in the universe, I don't think he'd be that bothered by breaking a promise.

Hey, that sounds like exactly what I said.

No?

Like I can't even figure out how to explain it more thoroughly.
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You can still have some form of honor even if you intend to destroy all life in the known universe.
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Foppe posted...

You can still have some form of honor even if you intend to destroy all life in the known universe.

Which, again, is stupid but not a plot hole.
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Indeed, it is not a plothole.
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And don't forget Lex was playing an angle and trying to get himself pardoned. Agreeing to hand over the disruptor was trying to earn goodwill towards the JL.
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Maybe he only assisted in building part of one of the items, and so only knew how to build it partway but would not have been able to finish it on his own?
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DevsBro posted...

Foppe posted...

You can still have some form of honor even if you intend to destroy all life in the known universe.

Which, again, is stupid but not a plot hole.

But he's not honorable. I feel like the entire rest of the show is an indication of that.

There's zero indication he did it out of a sense of honor, he just did it because he wouldn't get his pardon if he immediately shot Superman.

Prismsblade posted...

It's possible it was created via tech/materials that lex either couldnt re-obtain or duplicate from the fortress of solitude

jcmason posted...

Maybe he only assisted in building part of one of the items, and so only knew how to build it partway but would not have been able to finish it on his own?

These ones are more reasonable explanations.
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Actually it doesn't wash.

Luthor was actually finishing it at the very beginning of the first episode of "A Better World", (Flash took it apart, so it didn't get used), so it didn't seem like he needed assistance.
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Nah I feel like there are a lot more plot holey things that happened in justice league, specifically how nerfed everyone is (for God's sake, joker was able to take out all the leaguers. Hell he took out Flash using marbles)

I'm gonna go with he didn't have the materials to build another power sucker, plus in the comics the power sucker turned out to not be permanent since they had a whole justice lords storyline in Batman beyond comics where their powers come back and they wreak havoc.

And I don't see why he wouldn't be honorable, it makes sense that he would be, and by the time he's molded into brainiac he'd be going crazy. After all power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, so it also makes sense there.

All in all, not really a plot point that's comparable to how nerfed everyone is when wonder woman, flash and even green lantern should be able to solo most of the season 1 and some season 2 problems.

It's kinda like Austin Powers where Dr. Evil goes back in time to steal Austin's mojo rather than just using the time machine to him when he's in a vulnerable position. There's a method to how these guys do things.

All I know is that my Amazon Queen deserved an animated series of her own. That is one of the great injustices of all time and even Bruce W. Timm has admitted to it.
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Amenadeel posted...

Nah I feel like there are a lot more plot holey things that happened in justice league, specifically how nerfed everyone is (for God's sake, joker was able to take out all the leaguers. Hell he took out Flash using marbles)

True, but it led up to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl_5UwS57X8" data-time="
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Amenadeel posted...

And I don't see why he wouldn't be honorable, it makes sense that he would be

lol?

In the very first episode Lex is in, he stages a robbery of his advanced battle suit so he can give it to Kaznia so the US will pay his company to develop a stronger suit. In his third episode, he convinces the dude from his first episode to become Metallo to cure a fatal disease, conveniently doesn't mention that he will be completely incapable of feeling any physical sensation, and then lies by saying they can adjust the changes so he can feel again despite that being impossible. In his sixth episode, he's illegally selling weapons.

Lex is the definition of the "Corrupt Corporate Executive" archetype. I don't know where ya'll are getting the idea that he's some evil samurai, honoring a code when the dude will lie and scheme and backstab if it means he can give Superman a hangnail.
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pegusus123456 posted...

DevsBro posted...

Lex decides to do the right thing because he promised to. Derp. He says so himself.

Now if you want to argue it was a really stupid resolution, I mean, you would absolutely be right, but it's not a plot hole.

He made a deal to give the weapon back because it allowed him to be pardoned. There was nothing that said he could never make another one.

It's also pretty silly to say that the reason he won't remove Superman's powers is because he promised Superman he wouldn't. I mean, this is a dude who later teams up with Brainiac to destroy all life in the universe, I don't think he'd be that bothered by breaking a promise.

Iirc, he says he was able to build the power disruptor due to "Superman's help" - in addition to the other reasons posters have given (missing materials, only seeing a part, etc), maybe whatever Supes did was instrumental in creating such a device?

As to the honorable part - I agree he mostly espouses the Machiavellian corporate boss archetype. But the very last episode of JLU has him defeating/placating Darkseid at cost to himself (maybe self sacrifice? It's not clear what exactly happened). With his intellect, he could easily have abandoned Earth and started a new business elsewhere. Iirc (again), MM even speaks to this redeeming quality in him...

Ruvan22 posted...

As to the honorable part - I agree he mostly espouses the Machiavellian corporate boss archetype. But the very last episode of JLU has him defeating/placating Darkseid at cost to himself (maybe self sacrifice? It's not clear what exactly happened).

My impression was that it was spite.
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pegusus123456 posted...

Ruvan22 posted...

As to the honorable part - I agree he mostly espouses the Machiavellian corporate boss archetype. But the very last episode of JLU has him defeating/placating Darkseid at cost to himself (maybe self sacrifice? It's not clear what exactly happened).

My impression was that it was spite.

Ehh.. if it was spite, there'd have been some interaction, or even a glance towards Supes. When he came back, (again iirc) his posture and glance was towards Darkseid. Plus, the telepath's words reflected altruism :P

It was spite towards Darkseid because Darkseid destroyed any chance of bringing Braniac back. He also never thought he was in any danger because he's just that arrogant. Anything he does after getting the Anti-Life Equation doesn't really count because there's a very good chance it altered his mind.
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pegusus123456 posted...

It was spite towards Darkseid because Darkseid destroyed any chance of bringing Braniac back. He also never thought he was in any danger because he's just that arrogant. Anything he does after getting the Anti-Life Equation doesn't really count because there's a very good chance it altered his mind.

I remember a line from Lex early in the episode about bringing Braniac back, but once the battle started (even before Lex was ported out by the guy in the chair), was there any evidence of spite towards Darkseid? Words, posture, facial expression? And do you believe MM was mistaken in his reading/words?