Episode 20: Endgame
Takes place on June 20, July 4 - 5
Miss Martian and Superboy arrive on Rimbor to use the evidence gathered to exonerate the 6 League members, but the verdict has already been made: guilty. However, they're able to convince the corrupt court that if they show how just they are by overturning the verdict, more people will come to their court, and that means more bribes.
The Team attacks the Reach. Black Beetle destroys Green Beetle's Scarab and tries to do the same to Blue Beetle, but it backfires and his own Scarab is destroyed. When their scarabs connected Blue Beetle learned the Reach's plan: they've deployed 20 drone-guarded devices around the world. They are causing disasters and will use the magnetic field to destroy Earth.
Meanwhile as the Leaguers on Rimbor head home the planet receives a message from Savage: he will no longer tolerate alien incursions to Earth. He then flies by in the WarWorld.
Lex Luthor has made a computer virus that can shut down the devices so the not-busy League members, the Team, and even the Runaways stop them. However they missed one and it's already activated. Flash, Impulse and Kid Flash run counter clockwise to the device so the energy will bleed into their speed trails. Unfortunately, since Kid Flash is slower than the other two energy hits him and he begins to fade away. He tells Flash to tell Artemis and his family that he loves them. *sniff* At this point the screen gets blurry for some reason.
The world saved, the Reach are taken by the Green Lanterns to face trial on Oa. The Leaguers from Rimbor return. Luthor has been made head of the UN. Virgil, now "Static" has joined the Team with Black Lightning as his mentor. The other Runaways (save Arsenal, who remains a solo act) have quit the hero gig. Impulse has become the new Kid Flash and Artemis has changed her identity to Tigress. Robin and Wonder Girl are now dating. Miss Martian and Superboy flirt. Nightwing decides to take a break and the Team now shares the Watchtower with the League.
Meanwhile, the WarWorld approaches Apokolips. Vandal Savage and Godfrey approach Darkseid. Savage and Darkseid shake hands, Savage proclaiming, "Business as usual."
Tropes included in this episode:
- Apocalypse How: Black Beetle attempts to destroy the Earth with a Class X by using Magnetic Field Disruptors to trigger first a Natural Disaster Cascade and then an Earth-Shattering Kaboom, with Blue Beetle's hologram providing Storyboarding the Apocalypse to show what'll happen if the endgame succeeds.
- Bookends: The series ends, overall, on July 4th, just it began. This reflects Season 1 End / Season 2 Beginning which were both New Year's Episodes.
- Though somewhat subverted when the series got Uncanceled.
- Can't Catch Up: Kid Flash is fast enough to tip the scales for a victory, but since he's slower than Flash and Impulse, the dispersed energy hits him like a lightning rod several times until he disintegrates.
- Didn't See That Coming / Underestimating Badassery : The Light's and the Reach's Plans are completely destroyed.
- Although, it seems to be a minor setback for Vandal and Luthor, who still make it out as New Head of War World and United Nations General Secretary, respectively.
- Earth-Shattering Kaboom: What the Reach's Magnetic Field Disruptors will ultimately cause if even one of them finishes charging up its power.
- Face Death with Dignity:Wally: It's no good, Barry. Oh, man, Artemis is so gonna kill me for this! And don't even get me started on Mom and Dad!
- Heroic Sacrifice: The amount of kinetic energy put out by Flash II and Impulse are not enough to stop the energy twister at the Earth's Magnetic North Pole. So, Kid Flash steps up to add the little bit needed, but in doing so, makes himself a target for residual energy being he is significantly slower than the other 2. This Energy forces him to fade from existence. He is able to get a final word in to the Flash.
- Natural Disaster Cascade: The Magnetic Field Disruptors cause global natural disasters by degrading the planet's magnetic field as they build up their power; resulting in lightning storms, a tornado chain and an underwater geothermal fissure at various MFDs' respective locations, plus the Watchtower's screens also show a megatsunami being triggered.
- The Reveal: At the very end of the episode, Vandal Savage is shown to have been in partnership with Darkseid of Apokolips.
- G. Gordon Godfrey's presence on Apokolips suggests that he is, in fact, Glorious Godfrey, a propagandist and political agitator for the New Gods of Apokolips. This is not an unexpected development (G. Gordon is a known alias of Godfrey's in the comics), but it shows that Darkseid's agents have been on Earth since at least the start of the season.
- Storyboarding the Apocalypse: Blue Beetle's hologram shows that if the MFDs build up enough power, they'll engulf the Earth in an energy chrysalis and trigger an Earth-Shattering Kaboom.
- That Woman Is Dead: Artemis decides to switch to Tigress, claiming that the former alias was Wally's "partner" and feels like she should make some distance.
- Weather-Control Machine: The Reach's Magnetic Field Disruptors cause tumultuous stormy weather at their respective locations due to rapidly eroding the Earth's magnetic field, triggering a global Natural Disaster Cascade.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Superman's reaction about Luthor in the news.
- Xanatos Gambit: Once again, the Light gets some benefit to their defeat. With the Reach gone, they turn their attention to another partner, Darkseid, implying that the Reach won't be a nuisance to them.
