To most of the world, the Hall of Justice is synonymous with DC Comics and the Justice League. In truth, this iconic building hasn't always been the headquarters of the most powerful team of heroes in the multiverse. The Justice League had stationed itself in caves, satellites, and even brownstones in Brooklyn long before they finally built the Hall.
Within its historic walls, the Hall of Justice is sure to hold the famous round table that the members of the Justice League meet at, their symbols carved into the backs of their seats to make sure Green Arrow never mistakenly sits in Flash's chair. But what else is hidden within the halls of one of DC's most famous bases? Here are 10 secrets about the Hall Of Justice every fan should know.
10 Introduced On Super Friends
Like Jimmy Olsen and the Batcave before it, the Hall of Justice wasn't introduced in comics, but in another form of entertainment.
In 1973, the animators at Hanna-Barbera introduced new and old fans to the Hall of Justice on Super Friends. Created as a simple place for the Super Friends to meet and get information for whatever adventure they were on, the Hall of Justice was never much more than a single room with a computer, but it was more than enough to grab the attention and imaginations of the fans.
9 The Real-Life Location
In the Super Friends series, the location of the Hall of Justice was never given. It seemed to be somewhere between Metropolis and Gotham, but no one can say for sure. The actual building that the Hall of Justice is based on is much easier to pin down. Designed by Hanna-Barbera background supervisor Al Gmuer, the Hall of Justice is based on the Cincinnati Union Terminal in Ohio.
The Cincinnati Union Terminal gives the state of Ohio its second important connection to DC Comics; as the terminal opened up in 1933 Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were 300 miles away in Cleveland inventing the superhero genre with Superman.
8 It Made Its In-Universe Debut In 2007
While the Hall of Justice quickly became an iconic location in the overall existence of DC Comics, the headquarters only existed in cartoons, toys, and alternate realities for over 30 years.
It wasn't until 2007's Justice League of America #7 that the iconic base finally made its way into continuity. Built on the location of the previous bases of the Justice Society of America and the All-Star Squadron, the Hall of Justice was designed by the Green Lantern John Stewart and Wonder Woman and built by hand by Superman. Batman, being the only billionaire of the group, covered the costs. It seems like Flash, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter took that week off.
7 The Original Super Computer Is Still Working
Introduced in Super Friends, the TroubAlert Super Computer System was, for the 1970s, pretty impressive. It could detect trouble across the planet, analyze clues, act as a television, and keep everyone in constant contact.
By today's standards, the TroubAlert is about as impressive as a toy phone. But that doesn't mean the Justice League just tossed the ancient computer system away. In the critically acclaimed Wonder Twins series, the TroubAlert room is used by Zan and Jayna, who are interns at the Hall, as their own base of operations.
6 All Heroes Are Welcome
These days, the Hall of Justice isn't just a meeting place for the Justice League; all heroes are welcome to use it. While the three Justice League teams have their own areas in the Hall - Justice League Dark apparently claimed the basement for themselves, the other heroes of the DC universe also have access to the Hall's technology, meeting rooms, and laboratories.
Looking to keep the heroes all connected, the Justice League opened their doors to the masses, and so far it looks like it has paid off. The heroes of the DC universe are closer than ever, working together to keep the world safe.
5 The Gift Shop Often Has Sales
Along with welcoming all the heroes of the DC universe, the Justice League has opened the doors of the Hall of Justice to everyday people as well. A section of the Hall is a museum that chronicles not only the history of the Justice League but of superheroes in general. Citizens can choose to take in the museum on their own or be part of a tour group, but whatever they choose, they'll get a close up look at all of Black Canary's costumes and Batman's old gear.
As with any museum, there is a gift shop where people can buy shirts, toys, posters, or other merchandise of their favorite heroes. Where the money from those sales goes hasn't been explained just yet, but chances are it all ends up in the hands of charitable organizations.
4 The Lost and Found
While the public-facing museum in the Hall of Justice shows off some amazing recreated or decommissioned props from past adventures, there is a second, secret trophy room that is only accessible to members of the Justice League.
Along with one of Flash's Cosmic Treadmills (another can be found at the Flash Museum), this room, nicknamed "The Lost and Found" contains dangerous items the League has acquired over the years, including some things that they can't explain, like the Book of Destiny from Sandman and the Android Hourman's Viking styled timeship.
3 There's A Lot Of Dead People Stored In The Basement
The most macabre thing about the Hall of Justice is the shockingly large mausoleum it has hidden in the sub-basements. Used to house the corpses of dead heroes and villains whose bodies could be used by mad scientists or other sickos to cause some real trouble, the Hall of Justice mausoleum is the final resting place for a number of DC's dearly departed.
Whether the Justice League gets the permission of these people or their families before moving them from their graves and into the Hall of Justice isn't known. Hopefully, they have all the proper paperwork because no one wants to see Cyborg arrested for grave robbing.
2 Hall of Justice Has the Same Rules as a Foreign Embassy
If you happened to be an American who finds themself in Germany and framed for murder, you could try to make your way to the United States Embassy and claim asylum. This means that the German authorities can't come and arrest you unless the US government agrees to it. It's the kind of thing that rarely happens, but every country likes to have the rule there just in case.
For the superheroes of the DC universe, the Hall of Justice works the same way. If, for example, Adam Strange was framed for the assassination of a Thanagarian senator, he could fly over to the Hall of Justice and claim asylum until Elongated Man got around to solving the case. It's rarely used, but good to have.
1 Turns into a Ship
The evil version of the Hall of Justice is the equally iconic Hall of Doom. The Hall of Doom is usually located in Slaughter Swamp, but it can also fly around the galaxy whenever Lex Luthor or whichever supervillain is in charge at the time wants to take it out for a spin.
For decades, this has been one of the biggest things the Legion of Doom could lord over the Justice League. That all changed recently when Batman revealed to the world that the Hall of Justice is also a huge ship that can be used for battle. Suddenly, the Legion of Doom lost some bragging rights.