Legion of Superheroes S02 E10: Trials

"Trials"was directed by James Tucker and written by Steven Melching.

Original Airdate: March 15, 2008.
Review by Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Mission Monitor Board: Bouncing Boy, Phantom Girl, Starboy, Superman, Superman X, Timber Wolf, and White Witch.

Opponents: Mordru. And possibly Zyx? We will have to see.



On the magical planet of Zerox, also known as the Sorcerers' World, the young wizard Zyx has been brought before the governing council for multiple violations of their code.

He is found guilty and forced to wear a band that blocks the use of magic. It can only be removed if he proves himself worthy by completing the Trial. Before we can learn what the Trial is, the evil wizard Mordru arrives seeking revenge. His own powers had been removed as punishment for his crimes but he refused to complete the Trial. Instead he sought out the Lamentation Pentacle, a talisman that givens him tremendous power.

Mordru quickly subdues the council members but not before one is able to transport Zyx away. Zyx is not exactly happy to see that he has been sent to the Legion. Although he does not want to help Zerox, he does explain to the Legion what has happened. Our heroes are very familiar with Zyx, having dealt with him in the Season 1 episode "Child's Play," and are skeptical of his story.

Superman convinces them they cannot take the chance and the team heads to Zerox, taking Zyx along with them. While Mordru uses the talisman to absorb the council members' powers, the Legion arrives without being detected.

Zyx warns them they do not stand a chance of defeating Mordru's magic, so Superman asks if there is a way to get Zyx back to full strength. He explains that he could if he completes the Trial but admits he probably would not make it even if he wanted to try. Superman insists he try and the team elects a reluctant Superman X to help him.

Zyx activates the band he was given by the council and a message from the White Witch appears. She explains that the Trial is actually a series of trials and that his first task is to find the cave of Lore on the far side of the Swamp Sea.

While Superman leads the team against Mordru's demon army, Superman X leaves with Zyx. In the Swamp Sea, they are soon confronted by a monster and Superman X discovers that he is unable to use his powers.

He still tries to fight the beast but Zyx notices a sack of eggs hanging off of a tree branch and realizes it is only trying to protect its young. Superman X is thrown into the tree and it starts to topple but Zyx moves in time to save the eggs.

The grateful beast leaves and the White Witch appears to congratulate the young Wizard for passing the first trial. Meanwhile, the Legion are confronted by Mordru and do not do well against his magical powers.

Superman X and Zyx enter the cave of Lore and the White Witch appears to tell him that the next trial is a test of reasoning: he must solve a riddle. After it appears, the roof of the cave starts to collapse, leaving him little time to work it out. Fortunately, Zyx figures out that the answer is wisdom, and a door opens allowing them to leave the cave.

The room they enter contains several figures encased in rock and Zyx realizes they are the wizards who failed the trials. Suddenly, the surrounding rock starts to attack, but Superman X and Zyx are able to get away.

The White Witch appears and tells them that they passed the final test, which was a test of teamwork. She explains that a wizard must learn to trust his comrades, and that Zyx has proven himself worthy of a second, but final, chance. She removes the band that prohibited him from using his powers and they leave to help the Legion. Superman X confront Mordru, who turns the Legion into hulking monsters that do his bidding.

While they battle Superman X, Zyx goes after Mordru. Superman X uses a magical spell that Zyx was trying to teach him earlier and restores the Legion to normal. The team attacks Mordru while Zyx tries to destroy his talisman. He succeeds and Mordru collapses. The council is also restored and they unite their powers with Zyx to trap Mordru in a steel prison, which Starboy then sinks deep into the ground.

The council congratulate Zyx for passing the trial, and Zyx tells them he could not have done it without the help of Kal. The council leader thanks Kal, noting that he had the hardest job of all...putting up with Zyx.

This is a great episode of the series, and there are several reasons it should not have worked as well for me as it did. It revolves around a potentially annoying character like Zyx and the only Legionnaire that gets any real focus is Superman X, who I have never quite warmed up to. While one of the most classic Legion villains shows up, Mordru's plan of conquering Zerox is fairly mundane by his standards. And while we get to see the White Witch, she only appears as a holographic guide.

Nevertheless, despite everything going against it, this episode is highly enjoyable. It was fun to see Zyx rising to the occasion, and Superman X as well, given how unenthusiastic he was about helping at first. The scenes of Mordru overcoming both the council and the Legion were exciting and well done, as was having Mordru use the mutated Legionnaires against Superman X. Letting magic play a central roll was also a nice change of pace and gave the animators an excuse to get a little more creative than usual. While nothing unpredictable really happens, that did not take away from the fun and suspense of the episode at all.

Next: In Your Dreams