Bryan Hitch and Fernando Pasarin's Justice League run added a new dimension to the team's dynamics with the "Legacy" story arc. Running from 2017's Justice League #26-31, the story took place in the year 2037, a dark future where the teenage kids of several League members tried to find a way to save their world from total obliteration.
This led to them coming to the present and a battle that shook the League to its core by showing what tomorrow could have in store for them. With that in mind, CBR is taking a look back at what the arc was about and how it impacted on all the heroes involved.
WHO WERE THE LEGACY HEROES?
In 2037, Hunter is the son of Wonder Woman Superman, who she abandoned when she felt a darkness growing inside him and thought he would become an avatar for evil. The Flash, Barry Allen, and Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz had three kids: Cruise (the speedster Nora Allen), and the Lantern twins who generate the spectrum from inside their bodies, Jenny and Jason. The team of Justice League children was rounded out by Cube, Cyborg's son who had upgraded Mother Box tech integrated to his body.
Serenity, the ruler of Atlantis and daughter of Aquaman and Mera, also existed and acted as a leader as they came together at Mount Olympus, which was dropped in the middle of Midway City. They were stored away by their parents when a mysterious darkness caused an epic war, but sadly, they were never retrieved as the world was overrun. They grew up on their own, leading to this meeting and an eventual time-travel trip they felt would grant them answers and also, an opportunity to change their destiny -- something a dead liaison named Vincent told them was tied to the Forever Stones.
WHO WERE THEIR ENEMIES?
A brawl broke out at this zone against Aquaman, who had a Black Lantern ring which was seen as the source of the darkness. He also had Cyborg-tech fused to him to survive and it was revealed that he was disgraced and exiled after Mera's death. He served Sovereign, a mysterious female warrior clad in black and reminiscent of Marvel's Hela.
Apparently, the children of the Justice League were also were trying to save the future but their methods were warped as they involved killing off certain kids and certain members of the League in the present. While the League ostensibly wanted a better tomorrow, their children saw them cause so much chaos in the future that it was tough to trust them thereafter. To make matters worse, when Aquaman used a Boom Tube to travel to the present, he brought Sovereign along with him.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY MET THE LEAGUE?
After the kids revealed who they really were and what they were trying to prevent, the modenr-day heroes took it hard, especially Superman who found out Jon, Lois and the Bat-family would die in the upcoming war. Barry also had to adjust as he was surprised he didn't end up with Iris West, while Simon Baz was shocked to find out he'd kill Sinestro and marshal the Yellow Lanterns. Things came to a head, though, when Wonder Woman was possessed by the darkness investigating the kids, which then infected the rest of the League.
This resulted in Sovereign unmasking as Hippolyta, Wonder Woman's mother. The Amazon Queen was trying to save her daughter and teamed up with Aquaman against the League who were now in full-blown evil mode. They even fought their kids, trying to kill them after being consumed by the darkness within. Jenny and Jason eventually used their White Lantern and Compassion powers to extract the darkness. In response, Sovereign and Aquaman traveling to another realm to destroy it, sacrifice their lives and right the wrongs of old. The kids returned to their timeline, while the League pondered what would make them pair up the way they did.