 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Injustice Society" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(June 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Injustice Society | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | All Star Comics #37 (October 1947) |
| Created by | Sheldon Mayer Robert Kanigher |
| In-story information | |
| Member(s) | See below |
TheInjustice Society (a.k.a. theInjustice Society of the World) is a group ofsupervillains in theDC ComicsUniverse. They are the main antagonists of theJustice Society of America.[1]
The Injustice Society first appears inAll Star Comics #37 (October 1947) and was created bySheldon Mayer andRobert Kanigher. The original group brought together six popular villains fromFlash Comics,Green Lantern, andAll Star Comics:Thinker,Gambler,Vandal Savage,Wizard,Per Degaton, andBrain Wave.[2]
The Injustice Society appear on theDC Universe andCW showStargirl as the main antagonists of the first season, with some members also appearing in its second season.
The initial incarnation of the Injustice Society is founded in the 1940s, led by theWizard, and consists ofVandal Savage,Per Degaton, theThinker, theGambler, andBrain Wave. Fragmenting into individual efforts, the ISW attacks numerous government facilities, with each member of the group being assigned to capture a member of the JSA. AfterHawkman,Doctor Mid-Nite, theFlash, and theAtom are captured,Green Lantern arrives in Uthorium Town just as the armed forces are closing in on the criminals who control the city. Suddenly, the town disappears in a flash of light. Green Lantern begins a search for the criminal army when he discovers the town has re-appeared a few miles away, and the felons are looting uthorium from a lab. Green Lantern zooms in for the attack whenBrainwave appears and blinds him with uthorium. Green Lantern forms an energy bubble for protection while Brainwave and his men finish their job. Recovering later, Green Lantern discovers a radioactive uthorium trail and follows it, discovering Brainwave inside a glass box. When Green Lantern fires a blast of energy at the box, it reflects off the box and knocks him off a cliff. The rest of the JSA are put on "trial", with Thinker as the judge and the Wizard as prosecutor. The JSA are sentenced to death, but are rescued by Green Lantern, who has survived and disguised himself as the Thinker. The JSA defeat defeated the Injustice Society, with the Wizard being caught by a group of children who idolized the Justice Society called the Junior Justice Society.[3][4]
The second incarnation of the Injustice Society is introduced in the late 1940s, formed by Wizard and consisting ofFiddler,Harlequin,Huntress,Icicle, andSportsmaster. They steal national monuments, hoping the American people will vote for the best crime allowing that person to become the leader, and succeeding in erasing the Society's memories after capturing them by the Sportsmaster knocking them out with one of his bombs. Harlequin turns against the group andBlack Canary restores the Justice Society's memories, though a post-hypnotic impulse restores the JSA to their mindless states when they hear fingers snapping, causing them to be recaptured. But their memories are restored again after they are placed in a death chamber, leading to Black Canary becoming a proper member.[5]
The Injustice Society reforms during the 1970s to try and eliminate the reformed Justice Society in two instances. The first attempt is during the annual JLA/JSA team-ups where the Wizard (leader), alongside Sportsmaster, Huntress, Gambler,Shade, and Icicle hypnotizeCary Bates ofEarth-Prime into working alongside them as a villain after he accidentally activates Flash'sCosmic Treadmill and is transported to Earth-Two.Elliot S. Maggin and the JLA find Bates after he travels toEarth-One to askJustice League membersBatman,Aquaman,Green Arrow, Black Canary,Flash, andHawkman to help him find Bates. The JLA are defeated by the Injustice Society after being tricked into "killing" JSA membersRobin,Wonder Woman,Wildcat, Johnny Thunder, Hourman and Doctor Mid-Nite disguised as the Injustice Society after the JSA was defeated by Bates. It took theSpectre to revive the JSA using his Ring of Life and the JLA removing the mental block they received after the JSA's deaths to defeat Bates and the Injustice Society. Bates and Maggin are returned to Earth-Prime, while the Injustice Society are returned to prison on Earth-Two.[6]
The second attempt happens on Earth-Two itself. First, the Fiddler fetchesSolomon Grundy and defeats Wildcat and Hawkman, but they are defeated bySuperman of Earth-Two andPower Girl.[7]
Vandal Savage tricks the JSA into aiding a falseCamelot while Icicle, Thinker, Wizard, and Brainwave capture Wildcat and theHourman.[8] The Thinker and the Icicle are defeated byDoctor Fate, Hawkman, and Jay Garrick, while the Wizard and Brainwave are defeated by Power Girl and theStar-Spangled Kid. The Wizard leaves the Injustice Society for Earth-One, where he joins theSecret Society of Super-Villains.[9]
Brain Wave captures Green Lantern, Jay Garrick, and Power Girl before being defeated in Power Girl's first solo adventure.[10] ThePsycho-Pirate is the final member of the Society after he brainwashes GCPD police commissioner Bruce Wayne into believing the JSA's actions were the result of them going rogue. This leads Wayne to summon via Robin's JSA signaller Wonder Woman,Hourman, and Star-Spangled Kid to fight the so-called rogue JSA members. Doctor Fate uses a spell on Wayne to shatter Psycho-Pirate's hold on him, after which Psycho-Pirate is imprisoned.[11]
During theLegends event, the Wizard gathered both old comrades (consisting of Brainwave, the Fiddler, Gambler, Harlequin, Per Degaton, Shade, Solomon Grundy, Sportsmaster, Thinker, and Vandal Savage) and new super-criminals (Hazard, the Cameron Mahkent incarnation of Icicle, andArtemis Crock / Tigress) into a new Injustice Society, which he called "Injustice Unlimited".Infinity, Inc. battles Injustice Unlimited, which leads to the apparent death of the Wizard.[12] The team later returns to its original name.[13]
Johnny Sorrow appears in late 1999 as the leader of the new Injustice Society (consisting of Cameron Mahkent / Icicle,Blackbriar Thorn,Count Vertigo,Geomancer,Killer Wasp, and Artemis Crock / Tigress). Together, they storm the headquarters of the Justice Society. Wildcat defeats them all and destroys Blackbriar Thorn, but Sorrow uses the diversion to steal an unknown artifact.[14]
Sorrow returns with a larger version of the Injustice Society, having recruitedBlack Adam,Shiv,Rival, and the Thinker A.I. The villains distract the JSA while Sorrow summons the King of Tears, an other-dimensional entity. However, the JSA fend off the Society, during which the Rival is killed and Adam defects from the group. The Flash harnesses Adam's speed to send the King of Tears to another dimension by striking him at near-lightspeed.[15]
The demon Legacy (actually Wizard in disguise) forms another version of the Injustice Society in the miniseriesJSA All-Stars. The lineup consists of Cameron Mahkent / Icicle, Rival, Shiv, and Artemis Crock / Tigress. The new team again confronts the JSA. Unknown to the JSA, their job was just to attach teleportation discs to the JSA members.[16] Legacy is later killed by the Spectre.[17]
The Injustice Society resurfaces again in the seriesJSA Classified. The soul of the Wizard joined forces with Johnny Sorrow to form a new incarnation of the Injustice Society, consisting of theGentleman Ghost, Cameron Mahkent / Icicle,Rag Doll, Solomon Grundy, the Thinker A.I., and Artemis Crock / Tigress. They are tasked to stealPrometheus' Cosmic Key from JSA headquarters in order to free the Wizard and Sorrow. Believing that Rag Doll will betray the group, the Wizard sets him up to take the fall. The Injustice Society tries to enlist theSecret Society of Super Villains to help with the caper, which draws the attention ofTalia al Ghul. Rag Doll takes the Cosmic Key, as Wizard had predicted, and is killed after activating it. Once Johnny Sorrow is brought back to Earth, he and the Injustice Society teleport to Prometheus' Crooked House. After learning that Tigress and Icicle have fallen in love, Sorrow coerces them into sticking with the group.[18]
A later version of the Injustice Society, consisting of Johnny Sorrow, Artemis Crock / Tigress, Icicle, Wizard, Killer Wasp, Geomancer, and Shiv, plots to kidnapStargirl.[19]
In 2016, DC Comics implemented a relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth", which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". Hawkman and Hawkgirl recount their time with the Justice Society and a prior encounter with the Injustice Society in the 1940s. This version of the Injustice Society consisted of Per Degaton, Vandal Savage, Wizard, Gambler, Tigress, and Brain Wave.[20] In "The New Golden Age", it is stated thatDoctor Elemental and his creation Ro-Bear are former associates of the Injustice Society.[21]
In the "DC All In" initiative, a new incarnation of the Injustice Society appears. It is co-led byScandal Savage andWotan and consists of Doctor Elemental,Fog, Gentleman Ghost, Johnny Sorrow,Lady Eve,Red Lantern (Ruby Sokov),Shadow Thief, Solomon Grundy, and their associates: theKobra cult, theDemons Three, andQwsp. The group plots to steal theSpear of Destiny and the Helmet of Fate fromKhalid Nassour to open the portal to the Subtle Realms and release the Unnamed Ones. Despite the Justice Society's efforts, the Injustice Society retrieve the Spear of Destiny fromBlackhawk Island and use it to force the Justice Society into submission. Despite the Justice Society's efforts with help fromKid Eternity, the Injustice Society manages to summon the Unnamed Ones from the Subtle Realms.
Reserve Justice Society membersAtom Smasher,Johnny Thunder, Power Girl, and Stargirl arrive to assist the Justice Society, respectively subduing Solomon Grundy, Gentleman Ghost, Fog, and Doctor Elemental. Wildcat takes down Lady Eve and Khalid reclaims the Helmet of Fate to take down Wotan and Johnny Sorrow. With help from the ghosts of the deceased JSA members, Kid Eternity gives Doctor Fate the information needed to defeat the Unnamed Ones as Johnny Thunderbolt restrains Wotan and Sorrow. Afterwards, the Injustice Society are detained.[22]
This formation included the following additional members:
These members were recruited after the Wizard was believed dead and both the Fiddler and the Shade were imprisoned:
Later recruits included:
The Injustice Society resurfaced again in November 2005 in the pages ofJSA Classified, composed of:
The Injustice Society resurfaced once more, this time in a plot to kidnap Stargirl and to face off against the JSA All Stars. The team was composed of the following members:
An alternate universe iteration of the Injustice Society fromEarth-Three appears inHawkman (vol. 5) #18, led bySky Tyrant.[23]
The Injustice Society makes a cameo appearance inJSA: The Golden Age #4, consisting of the Fiddler, the Gambler, the Harlequin, andPsycho-Pirate.[24]
