With season 2 of Legends of Tomorrow, DC Comics’ original superhero team, The Justice Society of America, arrived on the CW. While it wasn’t their first appearance on-screen (or even on the network), it served as the television debut for several classic characters, as they fight alongside our time-hopping heroes and protect the universe from temporal threats.

  • Black Adam arrived in theaters in October 2022, and with the new movie, the Justice Society returned. While Adam was a villain of Shazam for most of his tenure in comics, he was also a member of the Justice Society long before he ever encountered Billy Batson in modern-day DC Comics. This allowed the DC Extended Universe to introduce the JSA into movies, bringing two of the most important members to the big screen in Doctor Fate and Hawkman. With these characters new to most movie fans, there is a long and storied history of the Justice Society of America in the comics.

While some of the most popular Golden Age veterans of the team didn’t show up, Hourman, Vixen, Doctor Mid-Nite, Stargirl, Obsidian, and Commander Steel played a pivotal role on the series. Given how integral they’ve been to the DC Comics Universe throughout the years, it’s quite possible that the JSA might someday get their own series, thanks to their long and thrilling history full of twists, turns, and parallel worlds.

They Originally Existed On An Alternate Earth

In 1940, All-Star Comics #3 introduced the Justice Society of America as one of the earliest examples of a superhero team, and the first for All-American Publications (which would eventually merge with several other companies to form DC Comics). Featuring a rotating cast of both new and established heroes, the series was a hit. It ran for more than a decade before being canceled with issue #57 in 1951, because of the decline in public interest for superhero comics.

It would be another decade before DC reintroduced the team to the comics in the classic meet-up story, “The Flash Of Two Worlds.” With this issue, DC introduced the concept of the multiverse and posited that their Silver Age heroes (like the Barry Allen version of The Flash) occupied a world known as Earth-1, while the Golden Age heroes (such as the Jay Garrick Flash and the rest of his JSA teammates) existed on the newly discovered Earth-2.

Along with the original version of The Flash, the initial Justice Society roster featured the Golden Age incarnations of Green Lantern (Alan Scott) and The Atom (Al Pratt). Unlike his cosmic-counterpart, the first Green Lantern had a more traditional appearance for the time and wielded a magic ring. Pratt’s version of the Atom lacked powers until the latent effects of a supervillain’s radioactive abilities granted him superhuman strength.

While many other core JSA members eventually received their own Earth-1 counterparts, Scott and Pratt, like Jay Garrick, remained unique across both worlds. As the Silver Age dawned and DC attempted to reinvent and revitalize their superhero roster, readers witnessed the creation of Hal Jordan and Ray Palmer and their new, more science-fiction based versions of Green Lantern and The Atom.

Superman And Batman Were Honorary Members

Clark and Bruce may be ever-present members in the Justice League of America, but that wasn’t the case with the JSA. While the team up book’s popularity was helped by featuring a collection of different heroes, the publishers weren’t keen on pulling all the focus from its solo titles. Any hero who had their own series would eventually leave the team and become an “honorary” member.

While heroes such as Hawkman and the Atom stuck around for most of the group’s history, others, such as The Flash and Green Lantern, departed the team to helm their own titles. Because of this company rule, Superman and Batman became honorary JSA members before the team even existed in the pages of the comics. The book served more as a jumping-off point and home for new heroes that the publisher wanted to test out or who weren’t popular enough on their own.

Wonder Woman Debuted In The Pages Of All-Star Comics

Superman and Batman already existed before the Justice Society came into existence, but the third member of DC’s Trinity did not. A year after the team’s debut, All-Star Comics #8 introduced Wonder Woman, into the annals of comic history. Sadly, her character wasn’t treated with the respect her station deserves. While Wonder Woman has the distinction of being the JSA’s first female member, the writers only saw fit for her to be the group’s secretary.

1963 Saw The JSA And JLA Team Up For The First Of Many Crises

With the reintroduction of the Golden Age Justice Society into the modern world of DC Comics, it was only a matter of time before the JSA had to join forces with the Justice League of America to fight a threat too big for any single group to handle. Two years after DC introduced the multiverse during the meeting of The Flashes, the JSA and JLA came together for the first of many annual crossovers with “Crisis on Earth-One!” and “Crisis on Earth-Two!”

Appearing in the pages of Justice League of America #21-22 in 1963, the story centered on a group of villains from both Earth-1 and Earth-2 teaming up to commit crimes and wreak havoc across the multiverse. With such a varied threat, the two teams had to join forces in order to thwart their foes. The tradition of both teams banding together to save their respective worlds proved so popular that it would continue every year until 1985.

It Took Nearly Four Decades To Get A JSA Origin Story

The Justice Society of America weren’t actually given an origin when they first appeared back in 1940. Even when the team was reintroduced in the ’60s, giving rise to the concept of the multiverse, there was still no solid explanation for how all these titans came to work together. It wasn’t until August1977 in the pages of DC Special that “The Untold Origin of the Justice Society” was finally told.

Almost 37 years after they were first introduced, the tale revealed that the team initially came together when President Roosevelt tasked Flash and Green Lantern with taking down Hitler, who had come into the possession of a powerful artifact known as the Spear Of Destiny. Eventually, the two “mystery men” were joined by Doctor Fate, Atom, Hourman, Spectre, and Hawkman. Together they stopped the Nazi threat and brought FDR back to life after he was killed by a Valkyrie.

After Crisis On Infinite Earths, Many Earth-2 Counterparts Were Killed Off

1985 was an important year in comics. While DC had been using the concept of the multiverse for a few decades and had over 20 years of crossovers between heroes and villains from both worlds, things got convoluted. The solution was one of the biggest crossover events in comic book history, and the first instance of what’s now become standard for both DC and Marvel - the company-wide reboot.

During the year-long Crisis On Infinite Earths event, DC orchestrated a massive coming-together of all of their heroes and villains, culminating in a universe-saving mission that resulted in several characters deaths from both worlds and the merger of Earth-1 and Earth-2. While many characters like the Flashes, Atoms, and Green Lanterns of the Golden and Silver Ages continued to exist side-by-side, the JSA became an older superhero group that pre-dated the Justice League.

The Members Of The JSA Actually Look Like They’ve Aged

One of the tried and true comic book tropes is that both heroes and villains never seem to age, despite many of them having existed since the 1940s. The characters often retain their decades-worth of memories and relationships, but they always seem to remain in peak physical condition and appear to be in their 20s/30s, including those characters who supposedly have no superhuman abilities.

The Justice Society of America post-Crisis allowed DC to present a group of characters who appeared to be in their 40s and 50s. This not only allowed the characters to reflect on real historical events they’d been through in the DC universe, but also to exist as mentors for the younger characters all around them, giving writers a chance to explore something rare in comic books: the wisdom of age.

Doctor Mid-Nite Was The Original Blind Superhero

Over 20 years before Daredevil appeared in Marvel Comics, Doctor Mid-Nite was in DC. Once a brilliant surgeon, Charles McNider was blinded by the grenade of a mobster while saving a witness’ life. After his recovery, he was shocked to find that he could actually see when in complete darkness. Since this was the 1940s, he was then able to invent special lenses that let him see in the light.

His signature blackout bombs allowed him to plunge his surroundings into total darkness, thus giving him an advantage over his enemies. As Doctor Mid-Nite, McNider adopted an owl as his familiar and joined the nascent Justice Society Of America. Over the years, a few different people held the mantle.

Huntress And Power Girl Were Introduced In The ’70s Revival Of All-Star Comics

Unlike Wonder Woman’s inauspicious debut in the pages of All-Star Comics during the 1940s, Huntress and Power Girl earned their rightful place when they joined the Justice Society of America in the pages of the revived title in the 1970s. The beginning of 1976 saw the return of All-Star Comics and a number of classic characters from the original run, and it also proved to be a fertile testing ground for new heroes.

Power Girl was the Earth-2 version of Supergirl. Like Green Lantern and Flash, her costume harkens back to the attire of Greek and Roman gods. Huntress was the Earth-2 daughter of Batman and Catwoman. Much like how Power Girl was meant to mimic Supergirl, Huntress was designed to be the Earth-2 answer to Batgirl. Her Earth-1 counterpart, Helena Bertinelli, appeared in the DCEU movie Birds of Prey.

Obsidian Is The Son Of The Original Green Lantern

Obsidian appeared as part of the Justice Society of America on Legends Of Tomorrow, but he wasn’t part of the original team. He shares a connection with them. Todd James Rice grew up with abusive adoptive parents, which instilled some negative habits into the man who would one day become the shadow-powered Obsidian. Rice was actually the biological son of the original Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott.

Over the years, writers also danced around Rice’s sexuality. The idea of Obsidian being gay had been hinted at before, but in Manhunter #18, writer Marc Andreyko confirmed it by having Rice kiss Damon Matthew, an out character who was revealed to be Obsidian’s boyfriend.

Green Lantern Guy Gardner’s Name Is An Homage To The JSA’s Creator

While Alan Scott and Hal Jordan served as the first two Green Lanterns in DC Comics, there have been quite a few of them over the years. Introduced in 1968 in Green Lantern #58, when Abin Sur crash-landed on Earth, his ring originally sought two individuals to take his place - Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner. Jordan’s proximity ensured he became the Lantern of Sector 2814.

Gardner served as a backup for several years. Eventually, he stepped up and took his place with the other Lanterns and even joined the Justice League for a stretch. As is often the case with the alter-egos of many superheroes, Gardner’s name is a reference to a classic DC creator. It alludes to Gardner Fox, the writer who created the Justice Society of America and penned many of their early adventures.

Stargirl Is Based On Geoff Johns’ Late Sister

Just as creators often fashion a character’s name after someone they admire, sometimes the entire look and personality of a creation is based on a real-life counterpart. One of the most touching examples of this is how Geoff Johns based the look, name, and personality of his character Stargirl on his deceased sister, Courtney.

Originally adopting the moniker of Golden Age hero, the Star-Spangled Kid, Courtney Whitmore joined the Justice Society of America and donned the name Stargirl once she received the cosmic staff of Starman. Johns reinvented several DC characters and reintroducing classic JSA members to comics, with Stargirl as one of his new creations.

Jesse Quick First Appeared During The ’90s JSA Run

After being absent since the aftermath of Crisis On Infinite Earths, the Justice Society of America reappeared in the pages of 1992’s Armageddon: Inferno. In the story, we Jesse Chambers appeared as a DC legacy hero, like the Huntress and Obsidian. Chambers was the daughter of Golden Age JSA members Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle, granted the superhuman speed and strength of her respective parents.

Eventually, Chambers took the name Jesse Quick and soon began working alongside the Wally West version of the Flash, bringing her closer to the version shown on The CW’s The Flash. That show shared her comic counterpart’s Earth-2 origin and a connection to Wally West.

Legends of Tomorrow Isn’t The JSA’s First TV Appearance

While Arrowverse fans met the Justice Society of America on Legends of Tomorrow, and they are next appearing in Black Adam, the team appeared before. On film, they had a cameo in the animated adaptation of DC: The New Frontier. On television, they appeared in episodes of the animated series Batman: The Brave and The Bold, Young Justice, and both Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.

However, they also had a live action appearance before the Arrowverse. The Justice Society of America’s most powerful members, Doctor Fate, Hawkman, and Stargirl all appeared in several episodes of Smallville. Hawkman and Stargirl played a role in several Season 9 and 10 episodes of the show. Geoff Johns penned the double-episode Absolute Justice which featured many members of the team in flashbacks, including Doctor Mid-Nite, Black Canary, Wildcat, Red Tornado, Flash, Atom, and Green Lantern.