Before it even started, the DCU may have set the stage for a famous superhero team’s introduction three years after it made its big-screen debut in the DCEU’s Black Adam. The Creature Commandos officially led the DCU’s first installment in their eponymous animated series, and David Corenswet’s Man of Steel becomes the face of the DCU’s first chapter in James Gunn’s Superman. Key DC characters like Batman and Wonder Woman are confirmed for future projects like Andy Muschietti’s The Brave and the Bold and the yet-to-be-тιтled Wonder Woman reboot, and dozens of other heroes and villains will make their first appearance soon.

Both Creature Commandos and Superman introduce a wide variety of DC characters, from lesser-known cameo villains like Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man and the Crimson Centipede to the Justice Gang. Compared to the DCEU, James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU is expanding extremely quickly. Part of the reason why the DCU’s fast evolution works so well is that audiences have grown acquainted with DC lore through previous movies, shows, and franchises like the DCEU and the Arrowverse.

The Justice Society Tends To Be Retconned Into Existence Due To The Justice League

The JSA Often Finds Itself In An Awkward Timeline Position

The Justice Society of America often occupies an awkward position within DC continuity due to its origins as the first superhero team in comic book history, debuting in 1940’s All Star Comics #3. Since the Justice League typically marks the beginning of most universes’ “Age of Heroes,” their first public appearances clash with the JSA’s seniority. To reconcile this, DC often places the Justice Society in an alternate timeline and explains their absence through time displacement or the multiverse.

Usually, the Justice Society originates from Earth-2 — a parallel world first introduced in the Silver Age to separate the Golden Age heroes from their modern counterparts. On Earth-2, the JSA fought during World War II and aged in real time. However, after events like Crisis on Infinite Earths, Flashpoint, and Doomsday Clock, DC has repeatedly restructured its multiverse, and the JSA has been reintegrated into the main continuity. The DCEU, Smallville, and the Arrowverse have provided different explanations for the JSA’s absence, but their sudden return often paints the superhero community’s origins in a different light.

The DCU Is Avoiding A Common Superhero Introduction Problem

Superman And Other A-List DC Heroes Aren’t The First Superheroes In Their Universe

Unlike most live-action DC universes, James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU doesn’t introduce the concept of superheroes during its first stage. By the time David Corenswet’s Kal El stars in Gunn’s Superman, all kinds of metahumans, superheroes, supervillains, and vigilantes had already been common knowledge for years. Creature Commandos suggests the events of The Suicide Squad took place roughly the same way as they did in the DCEU, and Peacemaker season 2 might do the same. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have all been active superheroes for several years before the DCU’s “Gods and Monsters” chapter begins.

The dilemma of introducing the Justice Society in a universe where the Justice League are known as the first generation of superheroes is a recurring issue, even in non-DCU superhero franchises. For instance, the MCU presents superheroes to the world during “Fury’s Big Week” in 2010, when Hulk, Thor, and Captain America join Iron Man as the first four publicly-known Avengers. Yet, Marvel Studios later revealed that several superheroes like Captain Marvel, Ant-Man, Wasp, Black Panther, and Namor already existed before the Avengers surfaced. The DCU will avoid this problem.

The DCEU Proved The Justice Society Could Be A Goldmine For Future DC Movies

The Justice Society Is A Major Highlight Of 2022’s Black Adam

One of the most popular elements of Jaume Collet-Serra’s Black Adam was the Justice Society. The JSA’s long off-screen history allowed them to function more like a family than the Justice League, and even though they had limited screentime, their evident experience and their close bond made them instantly compelling. Fortunately, fans of Black Adam‘s take on the JSA may not have to wait too long to see the Justice Society again. Superman introduces Hawkgirl and Guy Gardner, and Lanterns introduces Hal Jordan and John Stewart, which suggests that key JSA members like Hawkman and Alan Scott could make their DCU debut soon.