For other uses of Justice League, see Justice League (disambiguation). |
For alternate versions of the Justice League, see the Justice League' Organization Hub. |
- "This guy's probably fought hundreds of thousands of other super-beings on the other planets he's destroyed, right? And we have to assume that he's won."
"I don't care how many demons he's fought in how many hells. He's never fought us. Not us united." - ―Barry Allen and Bruce Wayne[src]
The Justice League is a superhero strike force comprised of the world's greatest superheroes, led by Batman. They serve as the stalwart protectors of life, dedicated to protecting the world as the first line of defense against terrestrial, extraterrestrial, inter-dimensional and supernatural threats. Founded by Batman and Wonder Woman following the sacrificial death of Superman by the hands of the Kryptonian monstrosity Doomsday after foiling Lex Luthor's machinations, the Justice League was formed when the New God known as Steppenwolf invaded Earth with his army of Parademons.[2]
Having lost the world's greatest protector a year prior and inspired by his selfless sacrifice, Batman and Wonder Woman set off to assemble an elite team of powerful metahumans and other superpowered beings, recruiting Aquaman, the Flash, and Cyborg to confront the invaders and save Earth from destruction, in which they emerged victorious with the aid of a resurrected Superman, killing Steppenwolf and ending the invasion spearheaded by Steppenwolf's master Darkseid, becoming recognized globally for their triumphant victory by the populace of Earth and attracting many fans, such as young superhero fanatics Freddy Freeman and Amon Tomaz.
The Justice League later reunited - Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Aquaman - after being called in by Amanda Waller to aid the 11th Street Kids during their final assault on the invading extraterrestrial Butterflies at Coverdale Ranch, but arrived in the immediate aftermath of the battle too late to provide any useful assistance, and the quartet of heroes were promptly scolded and insulted by Peacemaker for their delayed arrival.
The League were called once again when the Aquamarines attacked the Wayne Science and Technology Conference, with Wonder Woman, Aquaman and the Flash arriving to stop them. The League would convene once more with Batman, Wonder Woman and the Flash chasing down Al Falcone in Gotham City in order to prevent him stealing a deadly virus that could wipe out half of the city, apprehending him and going their separate ways after exchanging farewells.
History[]
Team Formation[]
A Warning from the Future[]
- "I'm too soon! You were right about him! You've always been right about him! Fear him! Find us, Bruce! You have to find us!"
- ―Flash to Bruce Wayne[src]
Right after experiencing a vision from an apocalyptic future, Bruce Wayne awoke from his position atop the Batcomputer to see a traveler partially emerge from a portal. The traveller called out to Wayne giving him vague warnings about Lois Lane being central to something. The traveller then realized that he had arrived at too early a point in the timeline before then issuing another warning about a "him" that Wayne was supposedly right to fear. As the traveller was pulled back into the portal, he begged Wayne to "find us". Soon after, Wayne slid into unconsciousness before then reawakening in the Batcave once more, looking around at the papers flying around as a result of the traveler's brief visit.[2]
The Trinity Unites[]
- "Is she with you?"
"I thought she was with you." - ―Superman and Batman about Wonder Woman[src]
Shortly after confronting Batman in Gotham City, Superman witnessed the birth of the Kryptonian deformity known as Doomsday on the Metropolis Scout Ship. The two engaged in a duel in the air before being hit by a government-sent nuclear missile. Batman joined the battle to provide a distraction for the creature, while Wonder Woman intervened to restrain the monster with her Bracelets of Submission. The three heroes then joined in combat against Doomsday.
Realizing that the Kryptonite-laced Spear was the only weapon capable of defeating Doomsday, Superman, after rescuing Lois Lane from the rubble of a building, grabbed the spear from the bottom of a pool and and flew at full speed at the creature, managing to impale the monster with the spear, followed by Batman firing the last round of his Kryptonite smoke grenades into the creature's face, weakening its powers. However, as he was being impaled, Doomsday impaled Superman with a partially regenerated bone. With his last effort, the Kryptonian pierced the creature's heart, killing it moments before succumbing to his wound.[2]
Forming the League[]
- "The others like me, why did you say they'll have to fight?"
"Just a feeling." - ―Diana Prince and Bruce Wayne[src]
A few days later, at Clark Kent's funeral in Smallville, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince briefly discussed Kent's death, with Wayne proposing to find several metahumans observed in LexCorp's archives in hopes of combating future threats. When Prince questioned him about his motives, Wayne simply claimed it was a hunch, failing to mention that he was actually heeding the words of a time-traveler he saw in a vision, who pleaded with him to "find us", as well as Alexander Luthor Jr.'s cryptic warning.[2]
Assistance from Amanda Waller[]
- "That's the difference between us, Mr. Wayne - you believe in friendship, I believe in leverage."
- ―Amanda Waller to Bruce Wayne[src]
After the events in Midway City were successfully foiled by her Task Force X, Amanda Waller met up with Bruce Wayne to request protection from rumors about the Midway City attack, which Wayne complied to in exchange for the metahuman files Waller was reported to have collected, with the files of Arthur Curry, Victor Stone, and Barry Allen among them. He then told her to shut down the Task Force X program, stating that he and his "friends" would handle any future problems.[3]
War for Earth[]
Recruitment of Metahumans[]
- "They said the age of heroes would never come again."
"It will... it has to." - ―Diana Prince and Bruce Wayne[src]
With the files provided by Amanda Waller, Bruce Wayne would set out on a world-wide journey in search of metahumans, traveling to a remote village in Iceland to recruit Arthur Curry. There, Wayne had a heated encounter with the village elder, offering a large sum of money in exchange for speaking with Curry on the shores of the village. Curry, however, refused to work with him, claiming that working alone was better than working as a team and that he owed the world nothing, before retreating to the seas.
Back in Gotham City, Wayne was visited by Diana Prince, who recounted to him Darkseid's previous attempted invasion of Earth centuries ago, as well as Steppenwolf's attempts to terraform the planet with the Mother Boxes, inspiring Wayne and Prince to recruit the other metahumans and defend the planet. Wayne traveled to Central City, where he introduced himself to Barry Allen, acknowledging his super-speed abilities, despite Allen's attempts to deny them. After revealing to him that he was Batman, Allen immediately agreed to join his team and traveled with him to Gotham.
Meanwhile, Prince took the initiative to recruit Victor Stone, taking a less direct and forceful approach than Wayne's. Stone contacted Prince via the Batcomputer, agreeing to meet in an abandoned alley in Gotham City. There, Prince attempted to convince Stone that the team needed him and that he needed them in some way, recalling how losing a loved one made her lose faith and want to get away from it all. However, Stone, still unwilling to be part of the group, refused to join Prince and flew away.[4]
Skirmish under Gotham Harbor[]
During their investigation into the kidnappings of the S.T.A.R. Labs scientists, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Flash met up with Commissioner James Gordon, where they were soon joined by Cyborg in rescuing his father Silas Stone. The team managed to track them to Gotham Harbor, where they arrived in time to save the scientists and engage in battle against Steppenwolf, who caused a flood in the harbor tunnel. Fortunately, before they could drown, Aquaman came to their aid and managed to hold back the flood long enough to allow the others to reach higher ground.
Knowing that Steppenwolf had already come into possession of two Mother Boxes, Stone rushed to retrieve the final Box he had hidden for the group to analyze. At Wayne Aerospace Hangar, Stone revealed that his father used the Mother Box to rebuild his life after a near-fatal accident. Knowing the properties of the Mother Box, Wayne suggested using its power to resurrect Superman, not only to help them fight off Steppenwolf's army, but to restore hope to humanity.[4]
Resurrection of Superman[]
- "It's like they were afraid of him."
"Yes. They were afraid of him. This is the only way. There are six, not five. There is no "us" without him." - ―Bruce Wayne and Barry Allen[src]
The League exhumed Kal-El's corpse from the Smallville Cemetery and brought it to the Scout Ship's Genesis Chamber in Metropolis, which noted that the circuits were not fully functioning due to Lex Luthor's experiments with Doomsday. Barry Allen offered to use some of his Speed Force energy to activate the Box, successfully reviving the Kryptonian. However, Kal-El awoke disoriented and attacked the group shortly after Stone's self-defense system fired a projectile at him. On the verge of killing Bruce Wayne, Lois Lane intervened to calm Kal-El and flee to the Kent Farm.
Taking advantage of the Mother Box being unprotected, Steppenwolf appeared on the ship's premises and rushed to obtain the artifact. Quickly, Silas Stone took the cube and brought it to the electron laser chamber, activating it to superheat the Box with him in the chamber, causing his own death from the extremely high temperature. Steppenwolf took the Box and escaped via a Boom Tube just as the League arrived. At that, Wayne deduced that Silas did not plan to destroy the artifact, but to superheat it in order to have a heat signature and track Steppenwolf's base.[4]
Battle of Pozharnov[]
Having located the Unity's base at Pozharnov, the heroes rushed to stop him aboard the Flying Fox, which had been successfully repaired by Victor Stone. The League's plan was for Batman to take down the base's defenses with attacks so that Cyborg would synchronize with the Unity and receive a large amount of energy from Flash, while Wonder Woman and Aquaman confronted Steppenwolf and the Parademons. Concurrently, Kal-El finally regained consciousness and doned a black Supersuit, ready to aid the League at Pozharnov.
Upon arriving, the Justice League fought their way through the Parademons, though they were unable to distract Steppenwolf long enough for Cyborg to separate the boxes. Fortunately, Superman arrived in time to subdue Steppenwolf and help the League stop the Unity's synchronization. However, when Darkseid and his elite showed up, the Unity synchronized and caused the destruction of the world, causing Allen to go back in time to save it, before Superman and Cyborg separated the Mother Boxes. Superman, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman then sent Steppenwolf back to Apokolips together, where he was ultimately killed by Darkseid.[4]
Formalizing the Team[]
Deciding to make the team's formation official, Bruce Wayne named it the Justice League, establishing their base in the abandoned Wayne Manor, which he eventually decided to rebuild, planning to place a round table in the center with room for more team members. After awakening from a second vision of the apocalyptic future, Wayne was visited by J'onn J'onzz, who informed him of Darkseid's future coming to Earth, offering his help to confront him. Wayne accepted without any problem, so J'onzz flew away from the place.
Public Heroes[]
Hailed as Heroes[]
Immediately after the heroes' victory, Lois Lane wrote an article in the Daily Planet detailing their efforts to stop the forces of Apokolips from destroying Earth. The title of her article dubbed them the 'Justice League'. By 2018, various merchandise had been created in honor of the seven heroes, including collectible action figures, toys, costumes and teddies for children, replicas of items such as a Batarang or Batman's Utility Belt, among others.
Freddy Freeman's bedroom contained a Superman hat, while action figures of Batman and Wonder Woman were seen on display. Taped to the bedroom wall was a newspaper page announcing the return of Superman, while another claimed that Batman and Wonder Woman helped fight off Lex Luthor's plans. Freeman showed off these items when he met his new foster brother Billy Batson.[5]
Project Butterfly[]
- "You're late, you fuckin' dickheads!"
- ―Peacemaker[src]
As the alien species known as the Butterflies grew in number and prepared to attack Earth, Leota Adebayo suggested to her mother, Amanda Waller, that they contact the Justice League for reinforcements in the face of the large number of infected adversaries. The League, with the exception of Cyborg and Batman, eventually arrived at Coverdale Ranch with the intention of aiding the 11th Street Kids. However, upon arriving, the battle had already ended, causing Christopher Smith to scold the heroes for their late arrival, much to the heroes' discomfort.[6]
Attack on the Wayne Science and Technology Conference[]
This section requires expansion |
The League were called once again when the Aquamarines attacked the conference. Wonder Woman, Aquaman and the Flash arrived to stop them.[7]
Chase of Al Falcone[]
When Al Falcone and his crew robbed Gotham City General Hospital and stole a deadly chemical weapon, Batman asked Alfred Pennyworth to assemble the Justice League. Finding Superman unavailable due to the recent volcanic eruption in Guatemala, Alfred instead contacted Barry Allen in Central City, who promptly arrived at Gotham City. As Batman gave chase, the Flash saved the civilians at the hospital. Later, when Batman finally caught up to Falcone, he was left dangling over a bridge with both the criminal and the weapon in tow, nearly dropping him before Wonder Woman saved them with the Lasso of Truth. Flash arrived and the three exchanged words before the Amazonian departed, citing it was "always a pleasure".[8]
Flashpoint[]
After Flash traveled back in time to save his mother, he accidentally changed the timeline, resulting in the Justice League as he knew it not existing in this reality. Its various members either were unborn, were changed, or lacked the abilities of their primary counterparts. The group later inspired Allen to create his own version of the team to fight Dru-Zod and the Sword of Rao.[8]
Members[]
Current Members[]
Batman[]
- Name: Bruce Wayne
- Species: Human
- Activity: 2016, 2017, 2022
- Status: Alive
- Description: Co-Founder and Current Leader
Wonder Woman[]
- Name: Diana of Themyscira
- Species: Amazonian-Old God hybrid
- Activity: 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022
- Status: Alive
- Description: Co-Founder and Member
Cyborg[]
Aquaman[]
- Name: Arthur Curry
- Species: Human-Atlantean hybrid
- Activity: 2017, 2021, 2022
- Status: Alive
- Description: Member
Superman[]
- Name: Clark Joseph Kent
- Species: Kryptonian
- Activity: 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022
- Status: Alive (formerly deceased)
- Description: Inspiration and Member
Former Members[]
Flash[]
- Name: Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen
- Species: Metahuman
- Activity: 2017, 2021, 2022
- Status: Alive (off-reality)
- Description: Former Member
Relationships[]
Allies[]
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Enemies[]
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Trivia[]
- In the comics, the original seven Justice League members were Aquaman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Superman and Wonder Woman.
- The Justice League in the DC Extended Universe is the third live-action incarnation of the Justice League as well as the first to appear in live-action film, after the versions seen in the failed 1997 TV pilot and Smallville.
- In Zack Snyder's Justice League, the team does indeed take the team name of "Justice League" for themselves, as evidenced by their destroyed headquarters shown in the Knightmare future. However, the theatrical version of the film never mentions the name, or any name for the team.
- The first known instance of the League being referred to as "Justice League" in-universe, is shown in the tie-in book Shazam!: Freddy's Guide to Super Hero-ing, which includes the newspaper article that showcases Lois Lane's final words from the film Justice League, bearing the article title: 'Justice League: Heroes Among Us'.
- The first live-action instance of the team being referred to as the "Justice League" is heard in the Peacemaker episode It's Cow or Never.
- Unlike most versions of the Justice League, this roster is only made up primarily of six members.
- This was likely done intentionally to mirror the number of members seen the Marvel Cinematic Universe film The Avengers.
- Ironically, the promotional art of Aquaman for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice read "Unite the Seven", leading fans to speculate there would be seven members. However, the promo art was referring to the Seven Kingdoms of Atlantis.
- Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman are the only members of the Justice League known to have any surviving parents. The Flash only lost his mother, but his father has been imprisoned since his childhood, and Batman's parents were murdered when he was 9. Aquaman is a notable exception, as both his parents turn out to be alive and well despite one of them being presumed dead for some time. Superman is also an odd exception, as he's lost both his biological parents, though he was adopted by the Kents.
- This represents an ongoing trope with DC Comics, in that their character roster is largely comprised of orphaned heroes.
- The correct members of the Justice League can be counted as the modern version of the original unity that was formed to fight Darkseid in the Invasion of Earth: Diana represents both the Amazons and the Old Gods, Bruce, Barry and Victor represent the different tribes of men, Arthur represents the Atlanteans, and Clark represents the aid from other worlds.
References[]
External Links[]
Justice League | |
Members | Batman (leader) | Wonder Woman | Cyborg | Flash | Superman | Aquaman |
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Associates | Alfred Pennyworth |