Warning: Spoilers for Justice League Unlimited #3Superman’s powers make him an invaluable asset to theJustice League, but he can also be their biggest problem due to his own weaknesses. For all his strengths, Superman is not invincible, as evidenced by his vulnerability to Kryptonite and magic. Thankfully, the Justice League has finally found a way to solve this problem and make it so that Superman no longer holds the team back.
InJustice League Unlimited#3 by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, and Ariana Maher, a strike team of Justice League powerhouses is deployed byRed Tornadoto put out a fire that’s ravaging the Amazon rainforest. However, as Superman attempts to interact with the pillars that are creating the flames, he gets burnt and realizes he won’t be of use to the mission.
As it turns out, the fire is magical, andmagic is one of Superman’s key weaknesses.In past eras, losing Superman in the middle of an operation would derail the Justice League’s efforts, but the team’s revamped format allows for reinforcements.
The Justice League’s New Structure Gives Superman the Support He Needs
If Superman Gets Weakened, His Allies Can Send Reinforcements
As a Kryptonian, Superman boasts impressive powers and enhanced durability that grants him immunity to many standard attacks. Unfortunately, hisalien biologyalso has a critical drawback in the form of his innate vulnerability to magic. He is incapable of harnessing magic himself and is susceptible to extra damage from it, soInferno’s mystical flames have a similar effect on him to Kryptonite. A problem then arises:since Superman is one of the Justice League’s most powerful heroes, his powerlessness to help leaves the team without a crucial member. Luckily, the Justice League is now prepared for situations like this.
Superman’s weakness against magic was first revealed inSuperman#14 by Jerry Siegel and Leo Nowak.
As soon as Superman announces that he can’t do anything to contain the fires, rather than calling off the mission to regroup, Wonder Woman asks Red Tornado if he can call in sorcerers to come to their aid. Within seconds, magic users Zatanna, Xanthe Zhou, andDoctor Occultarrive on the scene via Boom Tube teleportation. Red Tornado then provides other options, including the Metal Men. Superman suddenly shifting his focus to helping survivors doesn’t interfere with the team’s operation at all, becausethe Justice League can simply call in more allies to replace him at a moment’s notice.
The Justice League’s Former Selectivity Was Its Greatest Downside
By Limiting Its Roster, DC’s Heroes Were Backed Into Corners
As one ofDC’s most powerful characters, Superman has been known to stand strong against many threats that come his way. Therefore, when Superman does manage to be defeated, that means the Justice League is in real danger. The Justice League’s teams historically haven’t been huge, consisting of a few key players with a few deviations from the norm here and there. For the most part, though, the team has had a limited supply of heroes.Red Tornado’s strategy of replacing those who are knocked down becomes impossible with a smaller roster, so Superman being inhibited spells trouble for most Justice League line-ups.
A Justice League Icon Just Betrayed the Team, Teeing Up a DC Civil War
One of the Justice League’s members has turned his back on his allies, pitting DC’s heroes against each other and disrupting the unity of the new era.
An iconic story that brings down Superman along with the Justice League isJLA: Tower of Babelby Mark Waid and artist Howard Porter, in which Ra’s al Ghul steals Batman’s contingency plans for his allies and uses them to his advantage. Superman gets exposed toRed Kryptonite, and it causes his skin to become translucent due to its transformative properties. With Superman down, the rest of the Justice League falls as well, with no reinforcements to back them up. If this situation had occurred now, however, the Justice League would have no shortage of heroes to send in his place.
Thanks to the Justice League’s Unlimited Roster, DC’s Heroes Always Have Back-Up
The Justice League Can Now Call In More Superheroes At Any Time
Superman’s weakness against magic doesn’t pose a huge problem to the Justice League now thatDC’s sorcererscan swoop in to take over when he proves insufficient for the task at hand, and the same can be said for all Justice League members. If one hero encounters an obstacle that they cannot conquer on their own, more can be deployed in the blink of an eye to come to their aid. TheJustice League’s new era unites the hero community for the purpose of supporting each other, especially when a teammate likeSupermanhits a roadblock.
Justice League
Superman
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
