Today, we look at how Darkseid led to the creation of the Justice League in two different versions of DC's continuity.

This is "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking," a feature spotlighting notable examples of retcons that don't fit into the framework of Abandoned an' Forsaked, which is specifically about stories that outright "overturn" older stories. There are many examples of "retroactive continuity" that do not actively abandon the works of the past (especially cases where the overall continuity was rebooted). Some of them are minor, some of them are major, all of them are interesting enough to me that I figure that they are worth writing about.

It's interesting that, for one of the Justice League's biggest enemies, Darkseid has been at least indirectly responsible for the League forming in at least two different continuities, and that's not even counting the fact that he was the driving force for the League forming in Zack Snyder's Justice League!

The Justice League In The Snyder Cut

So let's take a look...

RELATED: When Did Batman and Catwoman Really Fall In Love?

DARKSEID FIRST BREAKS UP THE JUSTICE LEAGUE

The very concept of the 1986-87 crossover event, Legends, was that Darkseid decided to mess with Earth and its heroes by turning the people of the planet against its own protectors, as seen here in Legends #1 (by John Ostrander, Len Wein, John Byrne and Karl Kesel)...

One of Darkseid's agents, Glorious Godfrey, established himself as a famous psychologist (in a riff on Fredric Wertham) and turned the people of Earth on superheroes through some carefully exploited propaganda and framing heroes for deaths they did not cause...

It was soon to the point where Batman and Robin are attacked by a mob when they show up to stop a crime...

(By the by, I never bought that particular scene. No way does Batman ever leave Robin in that situation, even with Gordon's assurances that his men will protect Robin).

Things come to a head where President Ronald Reagan signs an executive order declaring martial law and banning superheroes...

In Justice League of America #258 (by J.M. DeMatteis, Luke McDonnell and Bob Smith), Martian Manhunter reacts to the President's order by disbanding the Justice League...

Sadly, despite the League being technically disbanded, the old Justice League enemy, Professor Ivo, still attacks the remaining members of the team with special androids and at the end of #258, one of the androids murders Vibe...

Later, another android murders Steel, leaving only Martian Manhunter and Vixen left of the then-current roster of the Justice League (Gyspy had gone back to her family and Elongated Man had gone on a long trip with his wife). They defeat Ivo and Martian Manhuntr is compelled to reform the League...

Vixen tells him that if he's going to do it, he'll have to do it himself...

The issue ends with Manhunter responding to an alert.

THE LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE FORM A NEW JUSTICE LEAGUE IN DEFIANCE OF DARKSEID

Over in Legends, things are getting worse and worse for the heroes of the DC Universe, but in Legends #5, when Godfrey threw a rally in Washington D.C.....

Doctor Fate put together a collection of current superheroes to fight back...

In the final issue of the series, Martian Manhunter joins the other heroes...

Darkseid just stops playing around and outright launches an invasion of Earth with Parademons and Hounds of War...

Wonder Woman, who was ostensibly a new hero at this point, makes her big debut in "Man's World" among the other heroes...

After Martian Manhunter saves President Reagan's life, the President revokes his executive order banning superheroes (you mean, a politician changed their minds after being personally affected by a policy? Why, I never!)...

Now that Darkseid's forces are defeated, Doctor Fate suggests that the heroes who showed up should all form a new superhero team, and they agree (well, Flash, Changeling and Wonder Woman don't) and Blue Beetle suggests that the new team's name should be the Justice League...

RELATED: Wonder Woman: Where Did the Amazons Get a Gun?

HOW DID THE JUSTICE LEAGUE FORM IN THE NEW 52?

Roughly 25 years later, Justice League #1 (by Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair) launched (the very first comic book launched as part of DC's then-new continuity reboot known as the New 52), and this brand-new superhero continuity opened with Green Lantern meeting Batman when an alien device shows up in Gotham City...

The two heroes suspect one of the only aliens they know, Superman, and he shows up and fights them for a bit, thinking that they were out to get him for some reason. In the fight, Green Lantern calls in his friend and fellow hero, the Flash, and after a brief 3-on-Superman fight, the four heroes then all decide to team-up...

They are then joined by Wonder Woman, fresh into Man's World...

and Aquaman, who is not happy that his kingdom is also being invaded by Darkseid's creatures...

One of the alien devices, called Mother Boxes, merged with an injured young man named Victor Stone to turn him into a Cyborg-like being (he appropriately takes the name Cyborg). Stone agrees to help the others...

And they soon see that Darkseid is here...

After the superheroes fight back against Darkseid's attempted invasion of Earth, the heroes decide to remain together as the Justice League. That, of course, is the same basic plot of Zack Snyder's Justice League, which was based on this initial New 52 story of the formation of the Justice League (the only difference is that Green Lantern is not part of the DCEU Justice League just yet).

It is pretty funny, then, in two different continuities, Darkseid's actions formed the creation of two different major Justice Leagues! Talk about having unintended consequences to your actions! The most evil guy helped form the Justice League twice (although, to be fair, he also shut down a Justice League, as well, so he's more 1-2 rather than 0-2).

Okay, folks, feel free to suggest more examples of this sort of thing! Obscure ones, famous ones, whatever! Send your suggestions to brianc@cbr.com!

KEEP READING: Why Did Batman and the Original Robin Split Up as Partners?