When Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was first connected to the character of Black Adam, most fans assumed he would be playing the villain in Shazam!, which noticeably did not feature the DC Comics' character. Years have passed since the initial announcement, and while we know there are plans for a solo Black Adam film, not much else had been revealed until recently.
Johnson recently revealed that the Justice Society of America would be introduced along with Black Adam in the upcoming film. The return of the team to live-action coincides with the JSA's return to the DC universe in recent issues of Justice League as well, so it's time to get to know the first team of super-heroes a bit better.
10 FIRST TEAM OF COMIC BOOK HEROES
When we say the first team, we actually mean that the Justice Society of America was the very first team of comic book super-heroes, having formed in the pages of All-Star Comics #3 in 1941. This predates Timely/Marvel Comics' All-Winners Squad by a few years and helped kick off the Golden Age of comics that would inspire decades of heroes and teams.
It would be re-imagined versions of JSA members who would later usher in the Silver Age for DC Comics, as new versions of Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman would form together to create the pre-Crisis Justice League of America.
9 DC'S MOST POWERFUL HAVE JOINED THE JSA
The team was initially formed through an inter-company crossover, as not all of the characters were yet owned by the company that would become DC Comics, so the Justice Society became the first team-up comic for these various characters to share their adventures, which included the aforementioned Golden Age versions of Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman.
They were joined by the first Atom, as well as Sandman, Hour-Man, Doctor Fate, and the Spectre. Not only are Doctor Fate and the Spectre some of the DCU's most powerful magical characters, but the team has also welcomed powerful genies, multiple Kryptonians, speedsters, and other heavy hitters from across the DCU and even the timeline.
8 THE PRE-CRISIS JSA EXISTED ON EARTH-TWO
While the JSA and most of the other superhero comics faded away when the popularity of comics dropped after the war, the success of the Silver Age recreations of the characters led to the return of the classic JSA, which first happened in the classic "Flash of Two Worlds" storyline that first introduced the Golden Age Jay Garrick to the Silver Age Barry Allen.
The JSA would eventually make their Silver Age reappearance, where it was revealed the team was actually from an alternate reality that became known as Earth-Two, which would herald the debut of DC's Multiverse. The Multiverse would continue to grow and explore new versions of our favorite heroes until the Crisis on Infinite Earths, which we'll talk about soon.
7 THE JSA AGED (MOSTLY) NORMALLY
Before the Crisis, Earth-Two existed on a different sliding timescale than the regular DC universe on Earth-One, who rarely aged much as decades passed to the readers. Earth-Two's timeline moved in real-time, which meant that the WWII-era JSA aged through the decades and had children while still serving as active heroes.
Of course, as the characters neared their 60s it became harder to believe that they could still be active superheroes, so it was then introduced that the heroes had been exposed to the energies of one of their villains, Ian Karkull, which had slowed down their aging process, retroactively explaining their youthful vigor.
6 THE JSA'S CHILDREN FORMED THEIR OWN TEAM
Earth-Two's quicker timeline meant that the teams saw a natural evolution over the years. The All-Star Squadron (which featured the retro-active adventures of the Earth-Two heroes) turned into the JSA, and those members had children or passed on their roles to their successors, who became the heroic team known as Infinity, Inc.
The team was formed by former JSA member Star-Spangled Kid, and consisted of members like Jade and Obsidian (Alan Scott/Green Lantern's twins), Nuklon (son of the Atom), the Huntress (daughter of Earth-Two's Batman and Catwoman), and many more generational heroes who would eventually be incorporated into the DCU after the first Crisis.
5 THEY WERE ERASED FROM CONTINUITY
The Crisis on Infinite Earths effectively erased the DC Multiverse and unified all of the heroes and villains into one Earth, with one timeline. This meant that the JSA's pre-Crisis continuity was incredibly problematic, and the decision was soon made to solve that problem by sweeping it under the rug.
The Last Days of the Justice Society of America saw the aged heroes contemplating retirement after the Crisis before they were sent back in time to WWII to stop a world-ending spell. The JSA end up being transported to DC's Asgard, where they were merged with the Norse Gods and stuck in the mythical neverending battle Ragnarok, saving the DC Universe in their sacrifice.
4 THE NEW JSA TRAINED YOUNG HEROES
At least, until the next decade, when the heroes were revealed to have been stuck in a simulation that was created by Odin in order to delay the true Ragnarok, and the team was brought back to the DCU. Unfortunately, they returned just before the Zero Hour event, and they had the age-slowing energies removed from their bodies, which resulted in the death of most of the team.
The main surviving members -Wildcat, Alan Scott/Sentinel, and Jay Garrick/Flash - decided to reform the JSA alongside a wave of new and old heroes, including legacy characters like Stargirl and Liberty Belle, as well as new versions of Doctor Mid-Nite, Johnny Thunder, and more.
3 BLACK ADAM WAS A FORMER MEMBER
It was this iteration of the Justice Society that would first welcome Black Adam on to the team, though he would begin as a villain to the team, attacking them while under the control of a recently revealed evil personality. Black Adam would eventually turn away from this villainous side and work with the team to help defeat Johnny Sorrow and his Injustice Society.
Black Adam would soon join the team and seek redemption, and throughout Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer's run on JSA, the former villain would be completely redefined. The fact that this version of the character and team might serve as the basis for the upcoming live-action adaptation is very good news for fans of this version of the character.
2 JSA CHARACTERS GOT A NEW 52 REBOOT
The JSA, along with the rest of the DC Universe would get a complete overhaul and redesign thanks to the events of Flashpoint, which would lead to the New 52 reboot. Much like the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the New 52 attempted to simplify the complicated timeline of the DCU. This again left the JSA with no place in this world, so the New 52 gave them their own again.
Earth-2 saw the return of the DC Multiverse as it again explored the heroes of an alternate Earth, though characters like Alan Scott and Jay Garrick had been given a New 52 facelift as well. The team never really reformed as the JSA we know and love, and the characters were again lost in continuity.
1 THE JSA HAVE BEEN SEEN IN LIVE-ACTION BEFORE
Black Adam won't be the first time fans will have seen the Justice Society in live-action, as members of the team first appeared on the two-part Smallville episode "Absolute Justice." A version of the team would also appear in Legends of Tomorrow, with both cinematic versions of the team representing heroes who were active in the past of the DC universe.
And fans are patiently waiting for DC Universe's Stargirl series, which promises to bring JSA members like Starman/Star-Spangled Kid, Hourman, Wildcat, and Dr. Mid-Nite to live-action once again. So while the JSA has been seen in live-action before, Black Adam will mark their first foray into theaters, and fans of the original super-team couldn't be happier.