The events of the 2018 miniseries Justice League: No Justice saw the world’s finest heroes team-up with some of their most dangerous villains to stop the ancient cosmic threat of the Omega Titans. Characters such a Lex Luthor, Sinestro, Deathstroke and even Starro the Conqueror were brought in by Brainiac to create four all-new teams of Justice Leaguers. Ultimately, the plan was a success — but it came at a cost: the mind-controlling starfish Starro, who had just begun setting himself apart as a new, snarky fan-favorite, sacrificed himself in the battle.
Starro faced the Titans alone while the League rushed countless lives to safety. He was ripped to shreds, going out as a hero instead of a villain. But it was not entirely the end for him: he was survived by a small piece of himself, which was regrown by the League.
Kept in a jar for a time, the appropriately-named Jarro is now the latest recruit of the Justice League and, for all intents and purposes, Batman’s latest adopted son. And, for the past year, Jarro has become an absolute fan-favorite.
But to borrow from the themes of the Justice League series, his story destined set to be doomed. In fact, in Justice League #29, we discovered that the Legion of Doom are regrowing their own piece of Starro — one that they deem the real deal. Therefore, it appears as if an inevitable confrontation is coming between the two... one that is bound to end in tragedy.
The Justice/Doom War
For the past few months, Justice League has been building towards the “Justice/Doom War”. As both sides have been readying for war, Justice League #29 seems to have put the last pieces into place. Now, the Legion of Doom has its own secret weapon in Starro, who will soon regrow to become the conqueror he once was. The League and the Legion both have their mind-controlling starfish, and it seems all but certain that, eventually, the two will meet on the battlefield.
While this is comics, and the good guys will have to win eventually, that doesn’t mean that their ranks are safe. For a long while now, the League has been running behind the Legion, who is always a few steps ahead of the heroes — things can always get worse for DC's mightiest heroes.
Honestly, what could be worse than the team losing their newest, and most adorable, recruit?
Jarro has already proven to be a powerful character, but he might not be a match for the "real" Starro. When faced with Starro, it’s likely that he will be out of his league. Unfortunately, this is a confrontation that just might end the way it began: with a heroic sacrifice.
A Dangerous Relationship
The father and son relationship between Batman and Jarro was as unexpected as it is delightful. It’s truly great to see Jarro trying to live up to the standards of the Dark Knight and build himself up as the greatest Robin of all time. What’s more, it’s refreshing to see Batman’s emotional armor being chipped away at — by an alien starfish, no less. After all, it’s not every day you see Batman hugging a hand-sized creature with warmth and love.
The relationship between Batman and Jarro has contributed to the character’s popularity, and we fear that this has only been built up in our hearts to be brutally torn down.
Regardless of how endearing the relationship between the two might be, there might not be any room for Jarro in the Batcave and the extended Bat-family. This is a union that was born at the start of this new era of Justice League, and it looks like it’s destined to end there as well.
Hopefully, when Starro is fully regrown, he'll remember his heroic turn in No Justice in time to turn on the Legion of Doom. But that sounds too good to be true. The Legion has been ahead at every turn, and its plan spells doom for the entire universe. If there is any hope of stopping and defeating them, unfortunately, the cost might be what none of us wants to lose: Jarro.
Justice League #29 by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Bruno Redondo, Hi-Fi and Tom Napolitano, in available in stores now.