JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time

In the present day, Lex Luthor leads the Legion of Doom in launching cryogenic rays from orbital satellites to freeze the polar ice caps, lowering sea levels and creating new islands to rule. Superman and the Justice League confront the threat and manage to destroy the satellites. Captain Cold overloads the remaining satellite, triggering a blast that freezes Luthor; he is believed dead.

In the 31st century, Dawnstar and Karate Kid visit a museum dedicated to the League's exploits, where they accidentally release Lex Luthor from suspended animation. Luthor roams the museum, discovers Superman's secret identity, and finds the Eternity Glass, an artifact that can manipulate time and space. Taking Captain Cold's weapon, he freezes Dawnstar and Karate Kid and releases Time Trapper from the Eternity Glass, returning to the present.

Luthor, now free, orders Time Trapper to send his forces back in time to prevent Jonathan and Martha Kent from adopting Kal-El in Smallville. The young heroes enlist the League's help and travel to the Hall of Justice in Washington, D.C., to coordinate. They explain their story and verify it with Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth.

Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg travel into the past to disrupt the Legion's plan to send Kal-El back into space. Meanwhile Superman and the rest of the League attempt to stall Luthor's Legion in the present. The conflicting efforts threaten to fracture the timeline as events unfold across multiple eras.

Despite the League's efforts, the Legion succeeds in sending Kal-El's ship away from Earth, creating a temporal paradox that erases the present League from history. With the League erased, the Legion pillages the world and leaves Washington, D.C., in ruins. The new timeline becomes unstable, casting doubt on the heroes' existence.

Dawnstar and Karate Kid realize they can prevent the erase by ensuring Luthor never obtained the Eternity Glass. They manage to free Luthor's past self from his ice prison, but Time Trapper remains immune to paradox because he exists outside time. With Luthor freed, he regains the power to shape events again.

Time Trapper banishes future Luthor from existence and tries to remake the world in his image. Superman and the League, restored by the absence of Time Trapper, confront the villain. Time Trapper proves too powerful for the heroes.

Karate Kid discovers Time Trapper is made of dark matter, and only Dawnstar's light-based powers can defeat him. Dawnstar charges Time Trapper and the League defeats him, restoring the Eternity Glass and imprisoning Time Trapper again. The immediate threat is neutralized for now.

The League thanks the young heroes and offers them a place among the team, but they decline and return to their own time. The adults reaffirm their commitment to protect Earth and its history. Peace is restored, at least for the moment.

Luthor is sent to Blackgate Penitentiary, and Gorilla Grodd surges to control of the Legion of Doom. Grodd's rule marks a power shift that threatens the balance of villainy in the world. The heroes prepare for future confrontations from the shadows.

After returning to their own time, Karate Kid and Dawnstar discover a statue of Luthor has replaced Superman's statue, hinting that history may have been altered. Believing the timeline has shifted, they decide to travel back to the 21st century to help the League again. The cycle of time travel continues as the heroes race to set history back on course.