Freedom Fighters: The Ray

• Directed by Ethan Spaulding
• December 8, 2017 to July 18, 2018 (web series) / August 28, 2018 (film)
• Based on Ray Terrill by Jack C. Harris and Joe Quesada

Voice Cast

• Ray Terrill/The Ray-Russell Tovey
• Black Condor/John Trujillo-Jason Mitchell
• Phantom Lady/Jenny Knight-Dilshad Vadsaria
• Red Tornado-Iddo Goldberg
• Overgirl-Melissa Benoist
• Black Arrow, Oliver Queen/Green Arrow-Matthew Mercer
• Barry Allen/Flash, Blitzkrieg-Scott Whyte
• Cisco Ramon/Vibe-Carlos Valdes
• Jacob-Sunil Malhotra
• Dollman-Matthew Mercer
• Grace Terrill-Colleen O’Shaughnessey
• Robert Terrill-Bruce Thomas
• Caitlin Snow-Danielle Panabaker
• Donald-Christopher Corey Smith
• Mari McCabe/Vixen-Megalyn Echikunwoke
• Curtis Holt/Mister Terrific-Echo Kellum

After encountering a dying version of himself from another reality, a man is gifted with superpowers and must go to an alternate world where the Nazis won to fight for freedom.

Freedom Fighters: The Ray is one of many Warner Bros. DC animated direct to video features. It started out as a short form series on the CW’s streaming service before being released as a complete movie. It’s entertaining but not without its flaws.

For one thing our hero The Ray after getting powers goes and threatens a politician named Donald (a bit heavy handed there in their commentary) with the implication of bodily harm in order to get his funding for his job restored and pass a few antidiscrimination laws. This is heroic? Heroes do not threaten people into doing the right thing. They break up crimes and stop villains. Threats or implied threats of physical harm are not in their repertoire.

Ray (his codename and real name are the same-a point made by several in on his secret) has a bit of a crush on his friend and coworker John Trujillo who in his reality is straight. At the end of the film when he decides to stay in the alternate reality he finds that his friend’s counterpart is gay with one left thinking there will come a romance. I’m not commenting on the crush, but it seems kind of weird to travel to another reality to get a date with somebody.

Freedom Fighters: The Ray is connected to the Arrowverse on The CW at the time. I’m not up on much of The CW programming from then or now. As of this writing there has never been too much on there that interests me so I’m not sure how connected this actually is. I just know it has connections of some type.

The story itself was about an individual coming to terms with himself and finding his path as well as being honest with others around him. Ray has not come out his parents and is as well still mourning the death of his brother who died in Iraq. He has a to find his own path and not follow one laid out by others.

As characterization goes, Ray is the main character and he is the only one that really gets any definition as an individual. The others in the story just are. They get no substance and you can easily get confused on who says/does what. You do not need deep biographies but you do need enough to know what’s what.

The action on the other hand is great. And for main villains you can never go wrong with Nazis. They are the easiest to hate villains in the world. It creates endless possibilities in what you can do. You can get a rousing finale by defeating them…which this does not have. I have heard this is continued in a comic book limited series and that is okay but you need a good ending in what precedes it. It is not terrible but not as good as it could have been.

Freedom Fighters: The Ray is a good DC animated feature. It’s not great but you won’t feel disappointed when you watch it. I won’t say go seek it out but if you come across it give it a look. While a weak ending it is still entertaining.