Reviews - Justice League Unlimited "Epilogue"
Review (Zach Demeter)
 During the
original airing of Justice League Unlimited’s second season (and planned
series) finale “Epilogue,” long-time fans of the DCAU were treated to a
surprise appearance by none other than Phantasm herself. Although a
decidedly older looking Andrea Beaumont was seen briefly, her role in
the episode was very limited and she was never referred to directly,
only as an “assassin.” Fans of course knew full well her history and
this marked the only appearance of her in animated form outside of the Mask
of the Phantasm film. Indeed, this was the only appearance or
reference, outside of the comics, that the character received since the
film. Although the film was no doubt a big part of the animated Batman
mythos, her character never really had a reason to come into play again
and anytime lost loves of Wayne ever popped up, Andrea was never made
aware of.
While her character appearance was limited, it wasn’t without warrant.
During a retelling of the origin of Terry McGinnis, the DCAU’s second
Batman that was mentored by Bruce Wayne, Amanda Waller recounts the
assassin hired to kill the parents of Terry McGinnis. The assassination
attempt failed as Beaumont refused to carry it out.
Undoubtedly they could have used any assassin to fill the role, but the
inclusion of Phantasm served two purposes: one, it gave fans something
else to explode with excitement over (as if that entire episode wasn’t
enough). Two, it also gave us a reasonable explanation for why the
assassin wouldn’t carry out the order. Any other assassin we would’ve
questioned what kind of assassin they really were, but since fans knew
Phantasm’s history, it was instantly more believable.
While it’s sad this was only her other appearance in animated form
in all of the DCAU and that it is limited to a twenty second segment in an episode
of Justice League Unlimited, it only further served to appease
fans who are such big continuity freaks. I know I loved it when she
appeared, as it really just added further depth and layers to the
episode, as well as the character herself. Sure, we’d seen her
repeatedly in the comics, but there’s something about seeing her brought
back, by none other than producer and co-director of Phantasm
Bruce Timm who co-wrote the script (although I heard rumblings that it
was co-writer Dwayne McDuffie who thought off including her) that really
just made it all the better.
For more information on her Justice League Unlimited appearance,
please refer to the "Epilogue"
review and her JLU bio page. |
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