The Powerpuff Girls and the Legion of Doom

"The City of Townsville ... was once again saved by its saviors, the Powerpuff Girls, who have thwarted their arch-nemesis, Mojo Jojo. But little did they know, Mojo was about to have the greatest plan yet!"— The Narrator's Opening NarrationThe Powerpuff Girls and the Legion of Doom is a 2027 animated superhero film from Cartoon Network Studios and the second theatrical film to The Powerpuff Girls that is the standalone sequel to The Powerpuff Girls Movie and direct sequel to the main series itself, as well as a crossover with the DC Comics characters. Lauren Faust (of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and DC Super Hero Girls fame) directs, co-writes and co-produces the film (with her husband and franchise creator Craig McCracken). The film released in theaters on July 30, 2027.
The original cast—including Cathy Cavadini, Tara Strong, and E.G. Daily as the titular Powerpuff Girls—has returned for this new action-packed story. Set some time after the show, after several failed plots in taking over Townsville and defeating the Powerpuff Girls, Mojo Jojo recruits a group of villains called the Legion of Doom, led by Lex Luthor (John Lithgow), where he helps them round out and capture every hero of theirs in return.
== Examples: ==
* Adaptational Intelligence: Starfire in the shows was usually usually depicted as naive and had a habit of adding the word "the" in her sentences (e.g. "the Girls of Powerpuff"). Here, she speaks naturally and has more grasp in earth culture during her time.
* Bait-and-Switch: The Stinger has the Girls team up with Shazam and they come face to face with Shazam's villain Black Adam. As the two are about to duke it out, a Smash Cut to a "To Be Continued..." card intervenes and the credits roll. After the credits, however, we're greeted to a "Previously..." card, and cut back to where the Girls and Shazam are fighting and eventually defeating Adam with Buttercup and Shazam tricking him into saying "Shazam".Narrator: Gotcha, didn't we?
* Big "NO!":
** Bubbles after her sisters are captured and subdued by the Legion.
** Lex when his power armor is destroyed by Bubbles and plummeting to his death.
* Butt-Monkey: Blossom is given this role in the film. While downplayed, she receives a number of Amusing Injuries from suffering a concussion after accidentally hitting a stop sign chasing down Princess Morbucks to ending up with a headache from trying to break through the glass of her containment cell.
* Catchphrase Interruptus: Involving the long-running "I'm Batman" catchphase.Blossom: (meeting Batman) Who are you?Batman: (beat) I'm...Buttercup: ...Batman. Pretty obvious from the mask you have on.Batman: You know it's rude to interrupt somebody, but she's right.
* Character Development: With this taking place some time after the show, the girls have much more growth here.
** Throughout the movie, Bubbles has shown no sign of her Prone to Tears traits whenever she gets upset, be it losing her sisters or feeling down.
** Buttercup expresses her emotional side in her care for others and putting other's needs besides her own first. She's even the first to hug Bubbles after rescuing them.
** Blossom is more downplayed, but her Insufferable Genius traits are not present.
* Continuity Nod:
** The Powerpuff Girls' introduction scene in this film starts off with them hanging out with their friend Robin Snyder, accompanied by the song "Signal in the Sky" by the Apples in the Stereo, first heard in the episode "Superfriends".
** As the Girls head out to stop crime in Townsville, their flight to the city recreates one part in the opening sequence with Blossom flying in first, followed by Bubbles and Buttercup with their respective leitmotifs.
** As Lex has Bubbles subdued with a tranquiler dart and hand repulsor at her head, this exchange ascending from "Bubblevicious" is said:Lex: You might as well ball up and cry, little girl. You've lost.Bubbles: (standing back up, scowling) I'm not gonna cry, you dumb doo-doo brain.
** One scene references "Curses", where Blossom intentionally utters a bad word, with a Sound-Effect Bleep in the form of a car horn. Fittingly, she doesn't go unpunished as the credits show her mouth washed out with soap with the Professor disappointed and scolding her.
** As the Powerpuff Hotline rings, Bubbles answers the phone and says "Hi" to the Mayor, then hangs up when the Mayor doesn't greet her back, harking back to the episode "Insect Inside". Only this time, she realizes her mistake and calls him back.
** "Mime for a Change" has a few highlights:
*** During the Powerpuff Girls' introducing in the movie, Bubbles finds a car (the same blue car with the same driver) parked next to a fire hydrant, but rather than toss the car into oblivion, she just gently pushes it out of the way.
*** As Blossom and Buttercup are contained in the Legions holding cells with the other villains, Buttercup threatens to pummel the Joker first.Buttercup: I've dealt with a clown before and I hope to stop another!
** A few towards "Super Zeroes".
*** As Buttercup is paired with Batman in the climax, he introduces herself and starts fangirling over him.Buttercup: The name's Buttercup, (in a sinister raspy voice) but once, I was Mange!Batman: Let me guess, inspired by the comic book hero Spore?Buttercup: (chuckles) Yeah, it didn't work out.
*** After defeating the Legion, Blossom shows Wonder Woman a copy of her Freedom Gal comic.Wonder Woman: I had no idea they would use my likeness for this character.
*** Not in the movie itself, but the poses the girls do in some of the promotional material are the same ones from that episode.
**The Girls deal with Gorilla Grodd with a swirling attack, which they used on Mojo once when he was giant in the climax of The Powerpuff Girls Movie.
**A Call-Back to "Stuck Up, Up, and Away" is brought up when Buttercup brings up Princess Morbucks' obsession of being like her and her sisters after seeing her suit up in her golden armor, with Batman fittingly bringing this line full-circle.Batman: Everybody knows you can't just buy superpowers.Buttercup: That's exactly what I said to her!
**Professor Utonium wears his old superhero suit from "Powerprof." to assist the heroes at the end.
**
* Contrasting Replacement Character: With Tom Kane retired after his stroke, Townsville's news anchor Stanley Whitfield is absent while Metropolis reporter Lois Lane arrives and in giving the reports after the call.
* Demoted to Extra: Compared to the last movie, Professor Utonium takes a back seat from the melee as a minor character. He'd later be seen helping the heroes with the rest of Townsville.
* Determinator: Bubbles nearly fended off the Legion to get to her sisters, but she was outnumbered by them, forcing her to flee. Despite her choice, she was still determined to save them from the Legion.
* Distant Sequel: The Powerpuff Girls Movie was a prequel to the show, whereas this movie takes place sometime after the show's events and way after the first movie with the Girls now at the age of seven.
* The Dog Bites Back: After Lex plans to take over Townsville and disposing of Mojo, Mojo comes back with an army of his own: Townsville's rogue gallery.
* Et Tu, Brute?: Upon successfully detaining every hero of theirs and seeing Townsville in dispair, Lex then stabs Mojo in the back by taking over Townsville himself, with Mojo reacting appropriately.Mojo: You conniving double-crosser! How dare you pull a deceitful act, outwit, dupe, lie, con, hoax, bamboozle, cheat, in other words, TRICK THE EVIL MOJO MOJO?!
* Even Evil Has Standards: As desperate Mojo was in defeating his long time enemies, the Powerpuff Girls, he doesn't go across the line in actually killing them off.
* Foreshadowing: Near the end of the prologue, Lex makes a deal to team up with Mojo if he captures all the heroes. Come the climax, Lex disposes of Mojo after he succeeded in capturing all the heroes.
* Grand Staircase Entrance: Wonder Woman's introduced this way in the Justice League watchtower.
* Groin Attack: Trying to hit Blossom with his umbrella with the latter swarming around him, then spotting her near his feet, Penguin aims but ends up accidentally hitting himself below the belt as Blossom avoids his attack.Penguin: (weakly) My baby eggs. (collapses)
* Hair-Trigger Temper: When finding a flaw in her plans or losing a battle, Starfire can get pretty riled up.Robin: You used to be way worse like that back in the day.Starfire: Oh, don't judge me.
* Has a Type: Wonder Woman, with the Lasso of Truth used on her, reveals that she finds Batman's serious and brooding nature a good asset in a man.
* Heel–Face Revolving Door: After Mojo is double-crossed by Lex, he assembles Townsville's rogues and they later help the heroes in defeating the Legion.
* I Surrender, Suckers: Bubbles and the remaining DC heroes plot a their way of rescuing the captive heroes with her turning herself in as a diversion while the others sneak into the Hall of Doom to free the heroes. This plan backfires when Cheetah gets their scent.
* Jerkass Ball: As Bubbles splits the Girls and other DC heroes into groups, Blossom wants to be paired with Wonder Woman after she was paired with Robin, with Bubbles reminding her about their dire situation.
* Joker Immunity: Even after defeating Lex and sabotaging/destroying his armor, he ends up plummeting from a great height. Though presumed to have died from the fall, he was just unconscious. Joker, the trope namer himself, lampshades it before and after the Legion's defeat.
* Leaning on the Fourth Wall: According to the Joker, he and Penguin have known each other for 84 years, which is 1944 (the year they started an alliance in Batman #25: "Knights of Knavery"). Penguin even lampshades this. 
* Leeroy Jenkins: Discussed. Starfire has a habit of planning an attack and hoping for a bloodbath in the aftermath, harking back to her early comic counterpart.Starfire: Sorry, it's the warrior side of me. 
* Leitmotif: While the Powerpuff Girls have their signature theme, various leitmotifs from previous DC iterations are used for the main DC heroes.
** Batman's uses Danny Elfman's theme from Tim Burton's 1989 film while Neil Hefti's theme from the 1966 TV series is used for when he and Buttercup duke out a number of baddies.
** Superman's are the John Williams theme from the 1978-2006 film series and the Sammy Timberg theme from the Fleischer shorts.
** Wonder Woman's is the 1977 TV series theme by Charles Fox.
** The leitmotif for the remaining DC heroes is a mix between the Justice League (2001) and Teen Titans (2003) themes.
* Lighter and Softer: The first film had a more heavy storyline and action due to the network encouraging the crew to make it for older audience. This film primarily focuses more on the action aspect while doubling down on the dark tone.
* Manipulative Bastard: Lex Luthor, no doubt. He makes Mojo welcome, but truly uses his assistance in capturing all the DC heroes with his help before cutting him loose in the third act.
* Mythology Gag: This is the second time the Powerpuff Girls had taken on the Legion of Doom after an old Cartoon Network ident depicted them rescuing a tied up Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
** Towards the main franchise:
*** While the last syllable is censored, Blossom says to the heroes "What do you say we open up a can of whoopass", a subtle reference to the title of their pilot incarnation Whoopass Stew.
*** Joker mockingly calls Buttercup a princess during the climax. Her 2016 counterpart was called that by Man-Boy in the reboot's episode "Man Up".
** Towards DC:
*** The design of Lex Luthor's armored suit takes elements of his suit's designs from Action Comics #544, JLA: Created Equal #1, Superman/Batman #6, and Action Comics #890.
*** Wonder Woman's design is an amalgamation of her previous comic designs: her hair and tiara are akin to that from the Golden Age to the Silver Age, while her waistband is the same color as the stars on her tights as it was from her debut appearance in the Golden Age to the Silver Age.
*** Starfire's design takes elements from her first appearance, notably her massive teardrop-shaped hair, with her suit being a combination of her suit from her debut in DC Comics Presents #26 from 1980 and the Titans comic series from 1999.
*** Cyborg's appearance is similar to his original comic design while he lacks his afro and has sleeves on his figure like his Teen Titans counterpart.
*** Batman's suit is similar to that of his classic gray suit while the cowl and cape are in the darkest shade of blue. The cowl's ears are long and pointed backward as his DC Animated Universe incarnation and has a black spot where his eyes and nose are, reminiscent to his early comic appearances and animated incarnations.
*** Robin's suit sports the iconic red, yellow and green colors from the classic comics to onward. The design of it is a mix between his first appearance and Tim Drake's first Robin suit and Tim Drake's suit introduced in Batman #457 while sporting laced boots and longer sleeves.
*** Joker and Penguin's friendship dates back 83 years, which was the year they joined forces in Batman #25: "Knights of Knavery".Penguin: Has it been that long?
*** During the climatic battle, Superman catches a thrown car, referencing the cover of his first appearance in Action Comics #1, with said car resembling the one from the cover.
*** During Batman and Robin's introductions in the prologue, Batman at one point has a thug in his arm and swinging off, referencing the cover to Detective Comics #27 (Batman's first appearance) while Robin confronts one in Amusement Mile and unintentionally bursts through a paper hoop as he pursues him, which references the cover to Detective Comics #38 (Robin's first appearance).
*** As the heroes battle the Legion, Superman says to Bubbles that she reminds him of his cousin, referring to Kara Zor-El/Supergirl.
*** Mojo finds hung photos of Joker on a wall listing him as "Legionnaire of the Month", with two distinctive photos of him: one with long hair and eyeliner (in reference to Heath Ledger's portrayal in The Dark Knight) and one of him having sported slicked hair and silver tooth caps (referencing Jared Leto's portrayal in Suicide Squad).Joker: As cool as they were at that time, I then dropped those looks as it wasn't the real me.
*** One scene with Lois Lane preparing to head out to Townsville shows an old photo on her desk of her overweight as she was in "The Fattest Girl in Metropolis" from Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #5.
*** As Bubbles arrives back to Townsville, the citizens of Townsville say the following lines originating from the Adventures of Superman TV series from 1952.Civilian #1: It's a bird!Civilian #2: It's a plane!
*** During the climatic battle, a quote from Tim Burton's Batman is brought up when involving Princess Morbucks suited up in her armored suit after her jetpack stalls.Joker: Where does she get those wonder toys?
*** As Batman and Buttercup battle a row of villains, the use of onomatopoeia (fight captions) from the 1966 series is present when they serve their blows.
*** The shipping between Batman and Wonder Woman, which dates back to the DCAU and later comics, is referenced near the end with Bubbles using her Lasso of Truth on her to answer Buttercup's question of what she thinks of him. During the credits, she and Batman are on the rooftops of Gotham having ice cream cones together.
*** Much like how Wonder Woman has ice cream, Starfire's seen in the credits drinking a bottle of mustard.
*** Shazam's appearance resembles that of his first appearance in Whiz Comics #2.
* Non Sequitur, *Thud*: During the Girls' confrontation with Townsville's villains, Blossom chases Morbucks, then inadvertently hits a stop sign face first.Buttercup: Are you okay, Blossom?Blossom: (dazed) Red means stop, green means go.
* O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Buttercup shows more concern over Bubbles than she has in any previous episode of the original series. After they were freed along with all the other heroes, Buttercup was the first to hug Bubbles and both she and Blossom cry Tears of Joy.
* Out of Focus: Blossom and Buttercup are sidelined as supporting characters where they end up caught by the Legion and spend the remainder of the film trapped and conversing with the trapped DC heroes until the third act.
* "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After Lex betrays Mojo after the latter helped the Legion capture the remaining heroes.Lex: Well, don't feel bad, my simian marsupial. But our alliance has come to an end. While you've succeeded in assisting us capturing every hero, your lack of commitment to true evil potential is what disappoints me. And your reputation as a reviled villain with half-witted schemes doesn't help your case either! This city deserves a true villain to rule it, and that will not be you! (mockingly waves "good-bye") Good day, Mr. Jojo.
* Real Song Theme Tune:
** The final confrontation between Bubbles and Lex is accompanied with Junkie XL's remix of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation".
** The film's credits start with Smash Mouth's "Everyday Superhero".
* Revisiting the Roots: As the series had become Denser and Wackier with its last two seasons, the movie takes a step back and recaptures the early seasons' humor and atmosphere as best as it can.
* Shout-Out: When Princess Morbucks' jetpack is compromised, she summons and suits up in her golden armor a la Iron Man.
* Sound Effect-Bleep: After Blossom, Buttercup and the other DC heroes are freed, Blossom declares they "open up a can of whoopass", with the word "ass" censored by a car horn.
* The Stinger: The Girls meet with Billy Batson who spends his time in Townsville. When they get word of Black Adam's presence, Billy turns into Shazam and they join forces to battle him.
* Theme Music Power-Up: The Powerpuff Girls' end credits theme song, both the original and "Powerpunk" from the first movie are utilized after Buttercup and Blossom are freed and are kicking ass on the Legion with Bubbles.
* Those Two Guys:
** The Joker and the Penguin are close friends as the two had worked together before the former met Lex.
** Green Lantern and Aquaman are this as well, as they both feel like underappreciated.
*Vitriolic Best Buds: Batman and Robin, apparently. The two were seen at each other's throats when the latter left to form his team and be his own hero. In spite of that, they still care about each other.