Karate Kid/LSH cartoon/episode
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Contents
Story Synopsis
TV listing
When the dreaded Legion Auditions produce just one potential new member (Nemesis Kid), Superman and Chameleon Boy go out recruiting, and finds an unlikely candidate to join the Legion. A perpetual underdog, Karate Kid has no super powers, which goes against Legion membership rules, but Superman believes he has the heart to be a Legionaire. As the Legion hunts down Grimbor the Chainsman, both Karate Kid and Chameleon Boy believe that they can be essential to the team, while the others worry that they're only putting themself in harm's way.
Expanded synopsis
A transport ship arrives at a space station orbiting Earth. The director, accompanied by a security team, announces that the highly classified prototype requires Level 9 security. The transport's deck opens, and a ball drops out. From the ball, a net emerges and binds many of the security officers. There's a man inside the ship. The security chief orders some of his remaining men to open fire, but the shots pass harmlessly through him. It's a hologram - and a trap! The real prisoner drops down from above, swinging chains that block shots and bind the officers. He swings his chain again, opening up a box with some weaponry. Suddenly a blue and red blur knocks the prisoner down. Superman confronts him, but he escape by creating a diversion. The man heads towards Cosmic Boy and Chameleon Boy towards the only exit. Cosmic Boy trips a tripwire and captures himself in a net, while Cham is fooled by a hologram and the man escapes.
On board a Legion cruiser orbiting Earth, Cham claims that the man, Grimbor, wouldn't have gotten away with the prototype had he not left his post. Cosmic Boy says that they made Cham a primary on this mission to see if he was ready for leadership - and it's obvious that he's not. Superman explains that they didn't have their usual manpower due to the war with Imperiex. He calls up a miniature Mission Monitor Board. Timber Wolf says that these are tough times and we'll have to pick up the slack, but Superman replies that they're overextended and they should consider -- he can't finish, as Lightning Lad says "no, anything but that!" It's Audition time again. Applicants, some of whom we saw last year, wait in a holding room as they try out one by one. First up: Calamity King, who causes bad luck wherever he goes. Cosmic Boy asks how his power manifests itself, as Chameleon Boy trips and spills his drink on Lightning Lad's head. Next up is Nemesis Kid, but as he's dismissed he tells the Legion that they're missing out on a way to stop Grimbor. He stops to explain that he's been tracking Grimbor as part of a special unit of the Science Police. And now that the Legion's on the case - he wants in, and he even has a super-power of his own: he neutralizes other super-powers. Chameleon Boy tests it out, attacking as a large creature, but with a wave of his hand and some green energy, Cham is turned back into his normal self. Superman has seen enough, and welcomes Nemesis Kid to the Legion. Back on board the Cruiser, Nemesis Kid explains that Grimbor is an expert on locks and restraint technologies, but lately he's been stealing things. They're not sure why, but Cosmic Boy says that what Nemesis Kid knows is enough to allow him to replace Chameleon Boy as a primary on the case. Cham protests, but Cos says that his experience makes him more qualified for this job. Cos, Lightning Lad, and Timber Wolf swear in Nemesis Kid as their newest member, complete with belt buckle and flight ring, but Superman and Cham go off to work on something else. They take a small fighter ship to Asteroid K-19, which Cham thought was a myth, so that Superman could look for more recruits. If they're looking for someone tough enough to join the Legion, this is where they'll find him. A guard tosses out one teenage boy, telling him that for years they've kept kicking him out, but the youth notes to himself that for every obstacle, there is a solution. Inside the arena on K-19, super-powered individuals are fighting in matches. One creature, who can turn himself into forms of water, defeats another who can shoot energy beams from his eyes. Superman, in disguise, challenges the victor. His super-breath freezes the former champion. Superman takes on and defeats all challengers to the delight of the audience, but then the youth reappears, calling himself the Karate Kid, challenging Superman. The ringmaster tells Superman he doesn't have to fight Karate Kid, who doesn't have super-powers of his own, but Superman accepts the challenge. He is largely ineffectual against Superman when punching, but he manages to trip Superman out of the ring, becoming the victor to the surprise of everyone. Superman removes his cloak, showing his costume, and offers Karate Kid membership in the Legion.
Superman and Chameleon Boy introduce Karate Kid to the rest of the Legion as the newest recruit. He is grateful for the cameraderie, but when they find out he has no actual powers, they are skeptical. Superman sticks up for him, saying that Karate Kid developed his skills, unlike the others who were born with or given their abilities, but Cosmic Boy and Lightning Lad say that without powers, it's too dangerous for him in the field, so the best they can do is give him a support role on the ship. Shortly, he walks with Chameleon Boy, questioning his role in the universe, when Nemesis Kid drops off a load of laundry with Karate Kid. Back on Earth, Grimbor uses restraint devices on some guards at a building he's entering. He breaks into a vault and steals a device, as Nemesis Kid reveals that they're watching some security camera footage. Grimbor looks back at the camera and makes a peace sign before the camera goes off. So far he has stolen one device that disrupt electrical fields and another which can control cells on a molecular level. Others are similarly varied, and Cosmic Boy explains that there's something that they're just not seeing. Cham whines that it's a good thing they took him off the case, but Superman shows him footage of Karate Kid practicing against a holographic Grimbor to improve himself. Later, on the bridge, Karate Kid works as a one-man cleaning crew, using his tools as practice weapons, as he and Chameleon Boy discuss their standings: Karate Kid, even in his menial role, feels one step closer, while Cham feels one step further away. An alarm sounds, indicating another Grimbor robbery, but rather than get the other Legionnaires, Cham decides that he and Karate Kid should take this one. They fly to the surface of the planet, Cham using his flight ring and Karate Kid using a sky cycle. They see Grimbor escaping, and give pursuit over the landscape, which is pulsing with geysers. Karate Kid gets close enough to engage Grimbor, but he slaps a bomb on Karate Kid's cycle. He has to jump off and watch Grimbor flee. Cham approaches using his flight ring, but before he can get too close, Cosmic Boy and Nemesis Kid show up and distract him long enough for Grimbor to toss a bolo-net at Cham. Grimbor throws a chain which knocks out Cosmic Boy's ring, and Nemesis Kid can barely hold on when he catches Grimbor's bike, only to be tied up, punched, and tossed off the back. Cosmic Boy and Karate Kid go back to retrieve and free Cham and Nemesis Kid, but Nemesis Kid's bindings had a separate bomb. Three Legionnaires flee using their flight rings, but Karate Kid can only run. Cham goes back to protect him from the blast. Nemesis Kid and Cosmic Boy return, declaring they have found that Chameleon Boy isn't fit for a leadership role, and without powers to protect himself, Karate Kid doesn't belong in the Legion. Cosmic Boy declares that his time in the Leigon is over.
Karate Kid prepares his duffel bag to leave. Cosmic Boy announces that they found a clue to Grimbor's whereabouts: he left a residue of powdered xanithium where he grabbed Nemesis Kid, and the only place where it is mined is on the outer moon of Venus. They plan to ambush Grimbor there, everyone except for Chameleon Boy, who is suspended. Cham goes to commiserate with Karate Kid, who notes that every time one obstacle is overcome, a bigger one replaces it. Cham says that he does have a power - determination, which is every bit as good as flight, strength, or heat vision (though of course not as good as shapeshifting). The Legion lands at the xanithium mining facility, and Nemesis Kid says he can't pick up any other life forms, but the radiation might be blocking the readings.. Cosmic Boy orders them to split up and try to track down Grimbor, who is secretly watching from above. Back on the ship, Cham and Karate Kid come to the realization that on Grimbor's last theft, he didn't actually take anything; maybe he left something, like the dust on Nemesis Kid's shirt to lure the Legion to his turf. Cham can't get through to the Legionnaires on the planet, so he decides to go down even though he was suspended. Deep inside the facility, Timber Wolf smells Grimbor, but the villain shoots him with a ray which removes his powers. He then chains up Timber Wolf. Lightning Lad is next to fall, his powers similarly disrupted. Cosmic Boy manages to destroy several of the chains Grimbor sends to him before finally succumbing. Even Superman is neutralized by a green net. Nemesis Kid is next, and Grimbor says that he was the inspiration for the gun's capabilities. Nemesis Kid and Grimbor blast at each other, until the Legionnaire finally falls. He tosses the trussed-up Legionnaires together, revealing that he has captured them as a result of a bounty put on their heads by Imperiex. Chameleon Boy arrives, only to get neutralized and bound like the others, but Karate Kid is close behind. He roundhouse kicks Grimbor, who recovers and starts swinging chains at Karate Kid. The Legionnaire ducks them all, and is unaffected by Grimbor's neutralizing gun. Karate Kid defeats Grimbor, but to no avail, as Imperiex's mechanical army arrives en masse. Grimbor escapes. Chameleon Boy manages to wriggle his way out of his bonds, and uses the gun to reverse the effects on the rest of the Legionnaires. While they take out the robots, Karate Kid goes after Grimbor. During the fight, a bomb is activated and Grimbor is apparently killed. The Legionnaires escape in their cruiser. Back on board, Cham and Karate Kid discuss the events: Chameleon Boy is still suspended, but they've let Karate Kid stay - and be inducted into the Legion.
Cast
Legionnaires
The following appear in the episode:
- Brainaic 5 (as a holo image only)
- Blok
- Bouncing Boy (as a holo image only)
- Chameleon Boy
- Colossal Boy (as a holo image only)
- Cosmic Boy
- Dream Girl
- Duo Damsel (as a holo image only)
- Element Lad
- Karate Kid (joins in this episode)
- Nemesis Kid (joins in this episode)
- Shrinking Violet
- Superman
- Timber Wolf
- Tyroc
Villains
Other Characters
- The director at an unnamed space station
- Security chief and guards on the space station
- Comet Queen, Quake Kid, Fire Lad, Night Girl, Polar Boy, Calamity King, and others at the Legion tryouts
- Ringmaster, various fighters, and crowd at the fights on Asteroid K-19
- Security guards at the building where Grimbor broke into the vault
Miscellaneous
- Legion Cruiser
- small two-person cruiser
- Karate Kid's sky cycle
- flight rings
- xanithium powder
- Mission Monitor Board
Locations
- Earth orbit
- space station above unnamed planet where Grimbor stole the weapon prototype
- Asteroid K-19
- unnamed planet with steam geysers where Chameleon Boy and Karate Kid try to stop Grimbor
- The outer moon of Venus
Trivia about the episode
- On the Mission Monitor Board were symbols for Chameleon Boy, Chemical King, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, Dawnstar, Star Boy, Matter-Eater Lad, Quislet, Saturn Girl, Polar Boy, Timber Wolf, Element Lad, Lightning Lad, Dream Girl, Superman, and Shrinking Violet.
- Among those seen at the Legion tryouts were Comet Queen, Fire Lad, Night Girl, and Polar Boy.
- Nemesis Kid's powers here are different from those in the comics. There, he has the ability to develop the appropriate power to counteract someone else's powers being used against him, whereas here he has the ability to cancel and neutralize another's powers.
- The planet Venus (which in most universes has no moons) has two moons. Xanithium is mined on the outer moon.
Quotes
- Lightning Lad: "Look, unless you have the power to make us forget this day ever happened, go home."
- Superman: "Look, we were all born with or given our abilities. His are the result of nothing but hard work and determination. Where I come from, that means something." Cosmic Boy: "Inspiring, but this isn't the Legion of Guys Who Try Really Hard."
- Chameleon Boy: "Tough break, you must be pretty bummed." Karate Kid: "I was, but then I just reminded myself, there is a solution for every obstacle." Cham: "Yeah, did you get that from the motivational poster in the break room?"
- Cham: "His attitude is too perfect. And guess what, it's annoying!"
- Karate Kid: "For every obstacle, there is a solution." Cham, mockingly: "Oh, thank you for that, Lacking a Firm Grasp on Reality Lad!"
Adaptations
- In Adventure Comics #346, Karate Kid was inducted into the Legion along with Princess Projectra, Ferro Lad, and Nemesis Kid. He was suspected of being a traitor until the traitor turned out to be Nemesis Kid.
