Pilot (episode)

## Synopsis

Batman, Superman, Flash and Green Lantern find themselves facing common enemies when mysterious creatures begin popping up across the country.

## Plot

Deep within Gotham City, Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, the bat-themed vigilante, hunts down a mysterious creature. However, the creature proves to be elusive and Bruce loses sight of it. Bruce then arrives at Arkham Asylum in order to interrogate Kirk Langstrom, a self-admitted inmate with the ability to transform into a Man-Bat creature. However, on top of Jeremiah Arkham's pleas of his innocence and Francine Langstrom's evidence of her husband's alibi, Bruce is forced to conclude that Kirk is innocent and Alfred tells him of another sighting in Crime Alley.

In Metropolis, Superman rescues a family just in time and finds himself in a confrontation with a crazed scientist known as Gerard Shugel, empowered by self-administered serums. Superman outlasts Shugel as his serums fade, leaving him crippled, and flies off to let the M.P.D. handle the situation after noticing another alien creature. Superman then investigates the sighting and experiences the same dead-end as Batman, albeit using his super-hearing the hear the words "hail Darkseid" before the alien self-destructs. Superman realises that the police are arriving and swiftly leaves to return to the Daily Planet. Clark tries to convince the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, Perry White, to a run a story on these sightings. However, Perry shuts him down and fellow reporter Lois Lane teases him for his outlandish request. Jimmy Olsen pops up and talks to Clark about how he's also seen the same creature, sparking his interests. Clark asks if he's photographed it and is shown a brief glimpse of it in one of his photos. Clark asks if he can have the photo before leaving to scour the city for any clues.

Bruce arrives at Crime Alley in hot pursuit of the creature, intercepting it and being able to take a blood sample to send to Alfred after realising it's not human. However, the creature self-destructs before Bruce can gain any more information.

Barry Allen, a C.S.I. in Central City, investigates an odd box after defeating the Turtle as the Flash. Barry then decides to contact Silas Stone in Metropolis, leaving Iris West, who had asked for a statement from him. Back in Gotham, Alfred, having been scanning the blood of the creature, reveals to Bruce that the creature is alien in nature. Deciding to retrace his steps to Crime Alley, Batman finds himself plagued by his parents' deaths as he searches for further clues. However, he's instead confronted by Hal Jordan, a member of the Green Lantern Corps..

## Appearances

### Main characters

* **Batman (Bruce Wayne) (debut)**
* **Flash (Barry Allen) (debut)**
* **Superman (Kal-El/Clark Kent) (debut)**
* **Parademons (debut)**

#### Supporting characters

* **Alfred Pennyworth (debut)**
* **Dr. Francine Langstrom (debut)**
* **Iris West (debut)**
* **Dr. Jeremiah Arkham (debut)**
* **Jimmy Olsen (debut)**
* **Dr. Man-Bat (Kirk Langstrom) (debut)**
* **Lois Lane (debut)**
* **Dr. Silas Stone (debut)**
* **Victor Stone (debut)**

#### Minor characters

* **Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) (debut; seen on TV)**
* **Riddler (Edward Nygma) (debut; cameo)**
* **Firefly (Garfield Lynns (debut; cameo)**
* **Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) (debut)**
* **Two-Face (Harvey Dent) (debut; cameo)**
* **Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane) (debut; cameo)**
* **Ultra-Humanite (Gerard Shugel) (debut)**
* **Perry White (debut)**
* **Turtle (Russell Glosson) (debut)**
* **Colonel Steve Trevor (debut; seen on TV)**

### Locations

* **Gotham City (debut)**
	+ **Arkham Asylum (debut)**
	+ **Batcave (debut)**
	+ **Crime Alley (debut)**
	+ **Wayne Enterprises (Gotham City) (debut)**
* **Metropolis (debut)**
	+ **S.T.A.R. Labs (Metropolis) (debut)**
	+ **Daily planet building (debut)(/small>**

	+ **Suicide Slum (debut)**

* **Washington, D.C. (debut; seen on TV screen)**
	+ **White House (debut; seen on TV screen)**

* **Central City (debut)**
	+ **C.C.P.D. headquarters (debut)**
	+ **Queen Industries (Central City) (debut)**

## Mentioned

### Characters

* **Commissioner Jim Gordon (mentioned by Alfred Pennyworth)**
* **Lex Luthor (mentioned by Perry White)**
* **Guardians of the Universe (mentioned by Hal Jordan)**
* **Garrison Slate (mentioned by Silas Stone)**
* **Uxas / Darkseid (mentioned by Parademons)**
### Groups

* **Gotham City Police Department (mentioned by Bruce Wayne)**
* **Green Lantern Corps. (mentioned by Hal Jordan)**
* **Guardians of the Universe (mentioned by Hal Jordan)**
### Companies

* **Wayne Enterprises (mentioned by Bruce Wayne)**
## Trivia

* Batman mistakes a Parademon for being Kirk Langstrom's alter-ego, Man-Bat, presumably due to the two being similar to one another.
* As Batman walks through Arkham Asylum, many of his infamous villains are seen.
	+ The list are as follows: Riddler, Scarecrow, Two-Face and Firefly.
## Behind the scenes

* This episode directly mirrors the first Justice League story, *Origins*, from the *New 52* comics.
* The way Superman stops a car from crashing is similar to the cover of his comic book debut.