The Justice Society of America is known as one of the first superhero teams in comic history. They recently got brought back in DC’s Doomsday Clock event. At one point, Doctor Manhattan erased them from the timeline. Yeah, I am not sure why either. The team has become somewhat of a hot topic, showing up in the recent Death Metal storyline and taking centerstage in CW’s Stargirl. We also got the confirmation that the JSA will be making their way to the DCEU in the highly anticipated Black Adam film.
The roster will consist of Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Cyclone, and Atom Smasher. With this news, many may begin to wonder why the team roster seems so small. Also, why is it missing so many key members that made the golden age so special? So far, we can figure out from the news of the upcoming film and knowledge of past iterations of the team that this probably isn’t the first incarnation of the JSA within the DCEU.
The first piece of evidence stems from a line said by Wonder Woman in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. In a conversation with Bruce, Diana tells Bruce that “They said the age of heroes would never come again”. It could be possibly referring to the gods of Olympus, but I feel as though the line could mean a whole lot more. Wonder Woman has been part of the JSA on multiple occasions. She even leads the team in the upcoming animated feature Justice Society: World War II. In Wonder Woman 1984, Diana may have stayed out of the public eye, but she was still active in her efforts to help people.
In Adventure Comics #466, following the end of the war and a decline in supervillains, villain Per Degaton had taken full advantage of the Red Scare and coerced the US government into believing these masked heroes could serve as a threat to the country. Consequently, the government forced these heroes to reveal their identities if they wish to continue. The team concluded that to keep themselves and everyone they loved around them safe, the best course of action would be to retire and disband the Justice Society. This storyline could serve as a reason why Superman was one of the first heroes to pop up and why the US government had been so critical of Clark’s actions.
Another intriguing detail about the golden age team is the chosen roster for their upcoming appearance in Black Adam. It isn’t just the roster but also how they are going to get introduced in the film. These details come from casting info for a character known as Ma Hunkel, a member of the original JSA who will appear in the upcoming film. The breakdown states that Hunkel will be the caretaker in Hawkman’s museum. In Geoff John‘s run, she served a similar role. She was the caretaker of the JSA headquarters when they were brought back into the modern-day DC universe. Ma Hunkel’s inclusion isn’t the only brow raiser, as the roster itself includes characters known as Cyclone and Atom Smasher. They will be played by Quintessa Swindell and Noah Centineo respectively.
These iterations of the characters are early recruits like they were in John‘s team. The original lineup included iconic characters that have evolved and inspired new iterations, such as DC staples like Green Lantern and The Flash, two notable absences from this roster. These absences may serve to tell even more stories in the DCEU, such as period piece set during WW2 featuring iconic members such as Hourman, Dr. Midnite, Starman, Sandman, Johnny Thunder, Mr. Terrific, Wildcat, and more.
