Warning: The following contains spoilers for Action Comics #1017 by Brian Michael Bendis, John Romita Jr, Klaus Janson, Brad Anderson and Dave Sharpe, on sale now
While the DC Universe has been inching closer and closer to fully giving into Lex Luthor and Petpetua's idealized future as part of DC's Year of the Villain, the heroes of the Justice League have been struggling to stand tall against Luthor and a host of other threats to the world as we know it. But now, one of their allies has seemingly turned their back on justice and allied with one of the newest villains of the DC Universe.
Even though they've sided with the Justice League for years, Gorilla City has apparently betrayed DC's heroes and sided with the anti-hero organization Leviathan. In Action Comics #1017, the simians even attack Superman.
What is GORILLA CITY?
Gorilla City is a secret city hidden away in a jungle somewhere in Africa. The city is populated by super-intelligent gorillas who have developed their own speech and technology that in many ways surpasses humanity's own. Its residents included Solovar, a noble lord of the city who became a strong ally to the superheroes of Earth before he was killed after the events of Forever Evil. The other, more infamous former resident of the city is Gorilla Grodd, who debuted alongside the city in John Broome and Carmin Infantino's The Flash #106 in 1959.
As a brutal gorilla who possesses psionic abilities, Grodd has always been even more dangerous than the rest of his race. He's been a frequent enemy of the Flash over the years, often attempting to exert dominance across the globe and create a society where gorillas rule the earth and subjugate humanity. Even though he's been exiled from the city, he's also attempted to take over the city on his own multiple times. Still, the city typically allies themselves against figures like Gorilla Grodd and have helped the Justice League whenever called upon. However, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.
Gorilla City Goes Bananas
While chasing a bright light that's zooming in the sky over Metropolis, Superman is bombarded with Leviathan's teleportation technology. The blast sends him hurtling around the globe and sends him to Gorilla City. He's initially convinced that he's been brought there by accident and tries to speak with the Gorillas he first encounters. However, the group is genuinely surprised that Superman doesn't know that Gorilla City had switched sides. The group attacks Superman, with one of them claiming it's nothing personal.
Although Superman escapes the battle, he returns to Metropolis exhausted and despondent. Unfortunately, things only get worse when an explosion occurs moments after his return. It even seems like Superman being teleported away was a distraction to allow for the kind of opening where the attack could take place. When Superman returned to Gorilla City to interrogate them off-panel, none of them budged. But if they were using Leviathan's teleportation technology for themselves, then suggests they're in league with Leviathan and that group's attempts to radically alter the world through its own ideals for society. They are at least willing to forgo their typical alliance with the Justice League over it. Not much of the city is seen either, so there's always the chance that some citizens of the hidden metropolis are still willing to work with the heroes.
However, if the city has fully gone over to the side of the villains, that's very bad news for the humans of Earth. The armies of Gorilla City would be strong enough to cause some serious trouble for the heroes, who are already stretched thin dealing with Leviathan, the Batman Who Laughs, Lex Luthor's Legion of Doom and the other assorted threats of the DC Universe. And an army of technologically advanced gorillas joining the battle against the heroes is only going to push the world closer towards its increasingly inevitable.