Speed Demon

"**Speed Demon**" is the fourteenth episode of Justice League Action.

## Summary

When Batman shuns his dark side, Brother Night bewitches the Batmobile in revenge, and the Justice League must stop its destructive fast-and-furious progress.

## Story

From a rooftop in Gotham City, a possessed-looking Harley Quinn threatens the citizens below with her newly found magical powers, while waving her fool's scepter like a wand. Immediately, Zatanna steps forward and casts a spell that forms a bubble around Harley, refecting her power back on her and knocking her out. The bubble bounces to the ground, leaving the unconcious villainess lying at the feet of Batman. Zatanna tells her colleague that this must be the work of Brother Night, and together they go to visit the sorcerer.

In another part of town, at a hilltop hall called "Brother Nights Club", the villain holds court over his *clientèle* of demons. Batman arrives and brushes aside the bouncers, while Zatanna neutralises Ember who tries to intervene. The two superheroes accuse Brother Night of collaborating with Gotham's criminals, but he insists he is only giving them what they want and suggests that Batman wants the same, showing a vision of him as an evil, supernatural crime-fighter. Batman rejects this and leaves with his companion. Snubbed, Brother Night picks up a discarded 'Bat' weapon, enchants it, and lets it fly off to infect the Batmobile which is parked outside.

There, the two superheroes see the vehicle change its appearance to a menacing, demonic charicature of itself with a mind of its own, and it drives straight at them. After dodging it, Zatanna attempts to remove the spell but becomes bound and gagged by its braking 'chute, dragged into the trunk and locked in. In continuing to evade it, Batman only ends up in one of its seats where, over the video link, Brother Night tells him that he and Zatanna are doomed. Unable to control the car, Batman starts a fire and is ejected, and thereafter manages to stay ahead of it by moving to the rooftops and swinging from building to building. Eventually, he reaches the house of Jason Blood where he frantically asks him to call Etrigan. Blood refuses flatly at first bit when Batman tells him brother night has cursed the batmobile Blood transforms into the demon only for the Batmobile to crash in and land on Etrigan.

The demon shrugs it off but is chased outside. Batman then has to stop him from using his fiery breath as it would harm Zatanna, and they both become swept along on top of the vehicle. On reaching a park, Etrigan falls off so that he is now free to call on his master, Merlin, for aid. When the wizard materialises, the demon asks him to enchant a nearby police car, but the Batmobile wrecks it, and so Etrigan turns to look at an ice cream van. Batman, in the meantime, is finally able to prise open the trunk to release Zatanna (still bound) but is still trapped on the Batmobile. But Etrigan, in the magical ice cream van, intervenes so that Batman is able to get clear and untie Zatanna. The Batmobile and the van face off at opposite ends of a street, and, as they race towards each other, Zatanna casts a spell to move them, Batman, and herself to Brother Night's club. There, as the vehicles crash together, the sorcerer, Ember and the demons similarly move and disappear, thus ridding Gotham of their menace. Only now is Zatanna able to remove the spell from the static Batmobile.

Rejoicing, Etrigan, in the wrecked van, offers ice cream all round, and Batman, frustrated at his inability to repair the similarly wrecked Batmobile, unenthusiastically orders chocolate flavor.