Rage of the Red Lanterns

"**Rage of the Red Lanterns**" is the nineteenth episode of Justice League Action.

## Summary

When Lobo asks for sanctuary to escape the Red Lantern Corps, the Justice League need to establish his unlikely innocence to avoid having to hand him to his brutal pursuers.

## Story

In the Watchtower, Superman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg are tracking a meteor that is entering the atmosphere and said to be heading for "downtown Blüdhaven" (near Gotham City). In the background, Batman is more focused on a spider-shaped artefact which he says contains immense power, but, when the meteor changes course and makes for the Watchtower, Batman locks away the artefact, as the other three go outside. There, Cyborg sees that the fiery object approaching is actually Lobo on his 'space hog' and shoots him down while hurling abuse. First Cyborg, then Wonder Woman fight with the villain, but only when Superman intervenes does Lobo cease and make an appeal for sanctuary. He does not say why and is roughly manhandled into the Watchtower and strapped to a chair.

As the League interrogates him, five angry members of the Red Lantern Corps appear outside, making it apparent who Lobo is fleeing from. Superman and Wonder Woman go to speak to them, and their leader Atrocitus demands that they hand over Lobo for stealing some power rings. While the two superheroes go back to check the story, and the angry Red Lanterns bicker, Atrocitus sends Dex-Starr to break in. The League cannot find the rings on Lobo and are still suspicious of him but their principles of justice dictate that they cannot just hand him over. In the meantime, Dex-Starr sneaks through a ventilation duct and opens the door.

While the League discuss his fate, Lobo frees himself from the chair, removes the rings from the heel of his shoe and leaves them where they can be found. The Red Lanterns suddenly enter the Watchtower, find the rings and accuse the superheroes of deceit and theft. Lobo stirs up a fight between the two groups so that a battle royal ensues, and then, implementing his predetermined plan, slips away and finds the box that Batman had put the artefact in. Breaking it open, he takes out the object (he calls it the "Spider Gauntlet") and then produces a key that transforms it into a flaming super-powered glove on his right hand.

As the others continue to fight, Lobo appears and uses the super gauntlet to blast most of them through the Watchtower's canopy and out into the open, but leaving Batman and Dex-Starr buried inside under rubble. Superman and Atrocitus agree to combine their teams' forces but their joint counterattack is easily repulsed. However, Batman and Dex-Starr belatedly join the fray, and while Batman lassoes Lobo's arm and gets him to punch himself silly, the cat finishes him with a red power ring blast.

Afterwards, before they depart, the Red Lanterns, as an act of gratitude, agree to let the Justice League incarcerate Lobo in a prison at the edge of the galaxy.

## Notes

* In the DVD release, this is also episode 19 but comes between Plastic Man Saves the World and Freezer Burn.
* The Spider Gauntlet that Lobo wields holds a striking resemblance to Thanos` Infinity Gauntlet in Marvel.