Unleashed

"**Unleashed**" is the fifty-first episode of Justice League Action.

## Summary

With the Justice League decoyed away, the Red Lanterns intend to invade through the Watchtower, and defense of the Earth becomes the responsibility of Krypto, Streaky and Plastic Man - in that order.

## Story

In the Watchtower, a 'Boom Tube' (travel portal) is opened and five members of the Justice League enter (Wonder Woman, Flash, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter and Cyborg) with three more about to join them. Batman says they are ready to go as Superman explains to Supergirl the need to intercept the Red Lantern Corps before they reach Earth. Plastic Man appears, expecting to leave with them, but Superman insists that he stay behind and finds him a job to suit his capability: following Krypto with a pooper scooper.

While outside the Watchtower with Krypto, Plastic Man sees a blue cat clinging to some flotsam out to sea. He rescues it, takes it inside and decides to get it something to eat. While he is gone, the cat starts to wander and uses the lift to make its way to another part of the Watchtower, followed at a distance by Krypto. Arriving at the control panel for the Boom Tube, the cat presses a pendant on its collar, causing a projection of Atrocitus (leader of the Red Lanterns) to appear. The latter addresses the cat as his lieutenant Dex-Starr, instructs it to carry out the next part of the plan and, to avoid detection, not to use its power ring. The cat jumps up onto the control panel and initiates a six-minute countdown to open a Boom Tube. As Krypto suddenly chases the cat away, Plastic Man returns with a cat litter box, sees the countdown progressing and cancels it. Blaming Krypto, he takes the cat away to the kitchen.

Convinced the cat is starving, Plastic Man produces a series of increasingly implausible dishes (sushi, fish, jelly, cheese, cake) which the cat has to eat to avoid suspicion. When it tries to sneak away, Krypto bars its way, but it causes a dish to smash and Krypto is blamed again. Plastic Man takes the bloated cat to watch television but when it is desperate to use the litter box he intercepts it and decides that it needs to eat more. When he is gone, the cat's pendant flashes and Atrocitus insists that it activate the Boom Tube. As it makes for the controls, Krypto again bars its way and a fight follows in which heat vision is used liberally. When Plastic Man returns, he sees the control panels in flames and, deciding that he has had enough of Krypto, locks him in a room with artificial red sunlight from which he cannot escape. Returning to the cat, he asks it what it wants to do now that the dog is gone and it replies by putting its power ring onto its tail to become the powerful and hostile Dex-Starr.

It shoots red bolts from its mouth at Plastic Man, causing him to melt into a puddle on the floor. Captive Krypto hears the commotion and activates the distress signal on his collar which is picked up by Streaky in Metropolis who flies out to the Watchtower. Dex-Starr, still desperate for the litter box, moves to the control panel to activate the Boom Tube, but Streaky arrives and a battle follows between the two cats which bursts through the walls to where Krypto is locked up. Further action punches a hole through to the outside, releasing Krypto to team with Streaky. Dex-Starr brings the roof down on them and returns to finally activate the Boom Tube which begins to appear in the sky outside. Krypto and Streaky break free from the rubble and while Krypto joins in battle with the feline foe Streaky flies outside to intercept the Red Lantern Corps before they can debouch from the portal. Both super pets put up a brave fight but are eventually overcome. Only now is Dex-Starr free to use the litter box and goes and sits inside. A hand appears and removes the power ring from the cat's tail before the entire box changes shape into the revived Plastic Man. He traps Dex-Starr inside him, while Krypto shuts down the portal, causing the Red Lanterns to be sucked back inside and disappear.

Later, Batman, Superman and Supergirl return, realising that they have been useless dupes, while the boastful Plastic Man says that trapping the foe in the litter box was all in the line of 'doodies'.

## Notes

### Trivia

* It goes without saying that some of the foods that Plastic Man gave Dex-Starr are unsuitable and harmful for real life cats: Cheese (which causes digestive problems), Jell-O (toxic to a cat because of artificial sweeteners and citric acid), Sushi (gives cats upset stomachs) and certain flowers (toxic to cats). Cats can eat asparagus, but it has no nutritional benefits nor is it a part of their normal diet as they are carnivores.
	+ The cheese is the reason that Dex-Star had to go to the litterbox, as one of the symptoms of a cat's digestive problems after eating cheese is diarrhea.

### Cultural References

* Upon being hit by Dex-Starr's energy, Plastic Man exclaims *"OH! I'm melting! What a world, what a world!"*, a reference to a famous line uttered by the Wicked Witch of the West from the 1939 *Wizard of Oz* movie.