Black Adam introduced the Justice Society of America to the DCEU, meaning the new superhero team could potentially replace the more popular Justice League. In Black Adam the team consists of Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Cyclone and Atom Smasher – all recognizable names, just not as big as the heavy hitters of the Justice League, such as Batman and Superman. While the Justice Society may not be as popular as the Justice League, the DCEU futures of the various Justice League actors is quite insecure, which means Black Adam‘s new team could take over as the franchise’s primary group of superheroes.
In Black AdamHawkman recruits the other three members of the Justice Society after being tasked by Task Force X leader Amanda Waller to take down Black Adam. While the Justice Society has not been seen in the DCEU before, it is suggested that the team has been around for a while and operates unseen in the background. Given that they got a job from Amanda Waller, it’s likely that the team will serve a similar function to the characters in The Suicide Squad, working for the government to take down new and dangerous metahumans. While it would be surprising, the DCEU could set up the Justice Society to take over the Justice League – so here’s how the Justice Society is different, what happens to them in the comics, and why this takeover would happen.
How the Justice Society differs from the Justice League
While the names may sound similar, the Justice Society and the Justice League in the DCEU are two completely different times. In the stream DCEU canon, the Justice League was not formed until Steppenwolf invaded Earth Justice League, with Batman bringing the team together by enlisting the help of Wonder Woman, Cyborg, The Flash, Aquaman, and later Superman. While the Justice League has made guest appearances in projects such as peacekeeper, Justice League is still the team’s only story in the DCEU, meaning the group still has a lot of room to grow.
The Justice Society, on the other hand, has been around for years, with Doctor Fate, Hawkman, and Atom Smasher’s current uncle having been on the team in the past. Unlike the Justice League, which is a completely independent group, the Justice Society of America has close ties to the US government and completes dangerous missions for Amanda Waller. While the Justice League has six static members, it appears that the Justice Society has a rotating panel of members, with Hawkman introducing Cyclone and the current Atom Smasher as new recruits specifically for this mission. This reflects the main difference between the teams in DC Comics, as the Justice League is usually an assault force made up of the world’s best and brightest superheroes, while the Justice Society has all kinds of heroes, young, old, weak and strong. Compared to the Justice League, the Justice Society of America is more professional, more historic, and has a more diverse membership.
What happened to the Justice Society in DC Comics?
DC Comics has several canons, with the universes resetting multiple times, so it’s a little hard to pinpoint exactly what’s happening to the Justice Society. Most commonly, the Justice Society is portrayed as a precursor to the Justice League, with the Society operating in the Golden Age of comics, and the League forming during the Silver Age. Many members of the Justice League have served in the Justice Society, such as Batman, Superman and other powerful heroes. In the DC Rebirth timeline, the Justice Society of America was operating at its peak around 1943, fighting in World War II. While the Justice Society is currently still present in DC Comics, it has taken a back seat to teams like the Justice League, acting more like a backup squad of heroes willing to help when the time comes.
Will there be another Justice League movie in the DCEU?
Although the Justice League is a household name, the confusion is around Justice League and Zack Snyder’s Justice Leagueas well as the difficulties many of the film’s actors have had with Warner Bros. means it will be hard to ever make a sequel to Justice League. Cyborg Actor Ray Fisher’s Conflicts With Warner Bros. have been incredibly clear, meaning he will likely never return to the DCEU. Ezra Miller’s various controversies also mean they may not return after that The flash finally released. While Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill were hesitant to appear in DCEU movies, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Black Adam show that they are not completely against return. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman both seem to be happy where they are, meaning they would most likely make an appearance if a sequel ever came. While Justice League 2 seems more likely than ever, but it would still be incredibly difficult to put together. Given that DC has had more critical success with recent solo films such as Shazam! and the batter, they may not even have the incentive to make another big team-up movie. If the company ever wanted to make the effort again, they probably would Justice League again instead of a movie based on the much less popular Justice Society. Justice League 2 may be unlikely, but it’s still much more likely than a movie based on Black Adam‘s Right Society.
