Batman's Justice League of America Steps Aside for a Brand New Superhero Team

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Justice League of America #29, by Steve Orlando and Hugo Petrus, on sale now.

Things are changing for the Justice League. The No Justice event will unite the DC Universe's greatest superheroes and villains in unique ways, and three new Justice League titles will launch out of the summer storyline. We've known that the core Justice League team will be recruiting, and two new teams will be seen in Justice League Dark and Justice League Odyssey, but the fate of Justice League of America has remained shrouded in mystery - until the series finale in Issue #29 finally gave us the answer.

Following the team's travels through time, the Justice League of America has reopened its Secret Sanctuary headquarters and revealed the fate of the team. As Steve Orlando and Hugo Petrus bring the title to an end, they also introduce the next step in the evolution of the superhero. The Justice League of America Batman put together is no more; in its place stands... the Justice Foundation.

The Mission Comes Full Circle

When Batman first set out to recruit a new team of superheroes, he saw it as an opportunity to improve the reputation of the Justice League. Instead of godlike superbeings descending from a satellite orbiting the Earth, Justice League of America was a group of public-facing superheroes who welcomed everyday citizens with open arms. It's why they conducted press conferences, and why they opened their headquarters to the public. At the end of the day, it was all about trust.

However, over time, the team took on a life of its own, and without Batman to guide them every day, Vixen, Black Canary, Atom, Ray, Frost, and the rest realized there was more to superheroing than simply punching the bad guy. Sometimes you have to stick around and help people get back on their feet. Sometimes you have to defend the community, instead of the world. Sometimes you have to make sure you're actually making the world a better place to live in.

In previous iterations of the team, the Hall of Justice was open to the public in an effort to make the team more more friendly to the outside world. In Justice League of America, the Secret Sanctuary was more than a hideout -- it was a community outreach center. This is why there were so many people in the building when Prometheus launched his attack and attempted to make the public reject the team. In the end, we are all part of the Justice League of America.

This incarnation of the League may have evolved beyond what even Batman initially envisioned, but it successfully created a team that became the true ally of the people. While the main team over in the Justice League series is dealing with UN sanctions and bad press, this group can truly claim to be the champion of the people. It is an optimistic take on superheroes, one we haven't seen in quite some time, and in the end, they leave the universe richer than the way they left it.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='The%20Justice%20League%20of%20America%20Is%20Done%20-%20Say%20Hello%20to%20the%20Justice%20Foundation']

The end of the adventure has arrived, but just like Promethea told Caitlin Snow earlier in the book, "Even the end of the world is not the end of the world." There is always another story to be told, and the Justice Foundation is that story. This new iteration of the team will make the world a better place in ways that a group of vigilantes simply could never have envisioned. Finally, the true might of the Justice League is being harnessed for the good of the people.

The team unveils the newly rebuilt Secret Sanctuary, and announces it as a home for heroes. Superhero comics have long become a battle of good vs. evil while mostly ignoring the social and economic conditions that make these battles happen. However, as Frost puts it, "It's not just super-villains. Never has been." While we may have forgotten that fact, the Justice League of America has not, and it's now time for a change. There's not better place of the next step to take place than in Happy Harbor, the first headquarters of the Justice League, and the birthplace of the superhero.

The group then unveils the Justice Foundation, a true evolution of the superhero game that puts the impossible abilities 0f these comic book characters to good use in the DCU. Instead of functioning as the latest superhero team, the Justice Foundation is described as a superhero think tank, one which will focus on developing advancements in medicine, technology and new concepts that will actually improve the state of the world today.

It's long overdue that superheroes place their immense resources into public projects instead of new tech to fight crime on the streets. In a world that mimics our very real one, a reality filled with untrustworthy tech companies more interested in growing wealth than true innovation for the greater good, the Justice Foundation is determined to open the world up to becoming something better. It's an idea that is currently missing in our world. It's the hope that a better tomorrow starts today

We don't know if the Justice Foundation will be a recurring group seen throughout the DC Universe. There is no title to showcase them in (yet), and considering they won't be fighting any bad guys, it's probably not a concept that would sell. Still, it's a great addition to the DCU and a positive note for Orlando and to Petrus leave on. Who knows, the new Justice League seems to be more coordinated than any other iteration before them. We just may see this superhero workshop, or the fruits of their labor, before too long.