DC All-In’s New Justice League Unlimited Roster, Explained

It’s been over two years since the Justice League ended, just after the Dark Crisis. At that time, the founders of the Justice League left things to the Titans for a while. However, the events of Absolute Power have caused the entire hero community to realize the Justice League is still needed.

Mark Waid and Dan Mora are teaming up to release Justice League Unlimited this November. This time, every DC Universe hero can become a member and make an appearance. The goal is to find a way for some of DC’s biggest and best heroes to work with some of the cooler, lesser-known characters. Still, there are a handful of heroes that seem like they’re going to be core members, at least in the first few issues.

Yara Flor Will Have More Help Fighting Threats In The League

First Appearance: Infinite Frontier #0 By Joelle Jones, Jordie Bellaire, Troy Peteri

During Infinite Frontier, Yara Flor was introduced as the next Wonder Girl. After learning about her tragic Amazonian origins during a trip to her homeland of Brazil, she was immediately thrown into the fire of multiple major events. She dealt with the Trials of the Amazon, helped the hero community during the Dark Crisis, and later fought Amanda Waller’s forces in Absolute Power.

In a way, her joining the Justice League has been a long time coming since Yara was shown to be part of the League during the Future State event. She even turned down Jon Kent’s offer to become part of a new Justice League. Her being brought into the expanded Justice League makes sense since she keeps getting pulled into every major event.

Jo Mullein Will Have To Work Outside The Green Lantern Corps

First Appearance: Far Sector #1 By N.K. Jemisin, Jamal Campbell, Deron Bennett

Jo Mullein was introduced in Far Sector and was quickly brought into main continuity in the aftermath of Infinite Frontier. She was meant to be the Green Lantern of a future Justice League, but with the Future State undone, she had to deal with other plans. She eventually found her way to Earth during Dark Crisis, during which she helped fight Pariah’s Dark Army.

Now, she’s another person being brought into the fold of the Justice League. It’s unclear whether she plans to be an active member, but with the new structure, she doesn’t have to be. However, she will have to figure out how to split her time between Earth and the Green Lantern Corps.

Blue Beetle Needs More Experience Working With Older Heroes

First Appearance: Infinite Crisis Vol. 1 #3 By Geoff Johns, Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Andy Lanning, Norm Rapmund, Wayne Faucher, Jeromy Cox, Guy Major, Nick J. Napolitano

A veteran hero at this point, Blue Beetle’s been dealing with major events since Infinite Crisis. The kind of world-ending crises the League deals with is nothing new to him. Technically, even his solo adventures tend to have wide-reaching consequences. Occasionally, he has to battle the Reach, the alien race where his scarab came from.

This isn’t even his first time working with a Justice League, as he’s worked with the Justice League International several times. In short, this feels more like a long time coming for him. Since there’s no major teen hero group, this is a great chance for him to get more experience working with older heroes.

Mary Marvel Offers Plenty Of Experience With The Magic Realm

First Appearance: Captain Marvel Adventures Vol. 1 #18 By Otto Binder, Marc Swayze

Mary has gone through a lot of changes in responsibility lately. Billy was trapped on the Rock of Eternity for a while, leaving her as the sole wielder of the Wizard Shazam’s powers. That’s since changed, but she still worked alongside her brother to deal with everything from the Greek gods to enemies from the monster realm.

With the Justice League expanding its roster, Mary’s more than done enough to deserve a spot. More than that, the experience of working alongside other heroes could only prove good for her. Though she worked with the JLI during their brief stint as the “Super Buddies,” most of her experience comes from working with the Marvel Family. Still, with Waid just recently coming off Shazam, it’s not surprising to see him take Mary Marvel into the League.

Ray Palmer’s Atom Project Will Be A Driving Force Of The Early Issues

First Appearance: Showcase Vol. 1 #34 By Gardner Fox, Gil Kane, Murphy Anderson

Ray Palmer has been a member of the Justice League since the team’s earliest days. However, most of his time with the team comes from those early Satellite Eras, and this is his first time as a major member in a while. And while Atom’s power might involve shrinking, they already have a big role in store for him.

The first issue solicitations mention Ray Palmer’s Atom Project, which will cause a battle between the League and other villains over Earth’s metahuman powers. This seems to follow up on Absolute Power, where many metahuman powers didn’t necessarily return to their owners. Even the second issue will be dealing with the Atom Project, so Ray might need to take center stage for a while.

Martian Manhunter Remains The Heart Of The Justice League

First Appearance: Detective Comics Vol. 1 #225 By Joseph Samachson, Jack Miller, Joe Certa

Martian Manhunter has been viewed as the heart of the Justice League for decades. He is not only a founding member but has been in almost every era of the Justice League since the late ’80s. Unsurprisingly, he’s front and center for a role in the Justice League Unlimited.

J’onn played a key role during Absolute Power, using his telepathy to alter Ollie’s mind so he’d work with Waller. It gave the team an inside agent who turned at the right time to help them turn the tide. Still, he didn’t exactly inform anyone else in the League. He may also be pushing back against some of the Trinity’s ideas in the new book.

Captain Atom Is One Of DC’s Most Powerful Superheroes

First Appearance: Captain Atom Vol. 2 #1 By Cary Bates, Pat Broderick, Bob Smith, Carl Gafford, John Costanza

It’s been a while since Captain Atom was part of the Justice League. Still, Justice League Unlimited looks to be welcoming him back. As one of the most powerful superheroes around, someone like Captain Atom might be necessary while they’re tracking down Darkseid’s heir.

That said, when Captain Atom joined the Justice League International, he was always at odds with everyone else. Eventually, it got bad enough that he broke away and started his own team in Extreme Justice. That experience might even help him better work with this version of the team. Or maybe he’ll cause the friction any good team book needs.

Black Lightning Will Have To Adjust From His Time In The Outsiders

First Appearance: Black Lightning Vol. 1 #1 By Tony Isabella, Trevor von Eeden, Frank Springer, Liz Berube, P.G. Lisa

Black Lightning is one of DC’s premiere black superheroes. Despite that, the character hasn’t gotten much attention in the last decade. That changes with Justice League Unlimited, which looks to feature the character in a bigger role.

This isn’t the first time the character has joined the team. Despite initially having reservations about joining the team, he joined in the aftermath of the Infinite Crisis. Still, he’s more used to working with the Outsiders than the League. This will represent a shift for the character in the modern era.

Star Sapphire Is Learning How To Become A Superhero On Earth

First Appearance: Showcase Vol . 1 #22 By John Broome, Gil Kane, Joe Giella, Gaspar Saladino

Recently, Carol Ferris not only accepted her powers as Star Sapphire again but also decided to actively be a superhero. In the past, she mostly operated off Earth and dealt with problems within her Lantern Corps. When all that died down, she tried to go back to a normal life. As ever, though, the call of being a hero is persistent.

Interestingly, this isn’t Carol’s first time working closely with the Justice League. She was briefly part of Captain Atom’s Extreme Justice squad in the ’90s. This will be her first time working as an active hero, however. More than that, Waid confirmed he wants Carol to be a core hero in the book so fans can follow her journey as she adjusts to the superhero life.

Wally West Is The Main Flash Once Again

First Appearance: The Flash Vol. 1 #110 By John Broome, Carmine Infantino, Murphy Anderson

In the aftermath of Absolute Power, Wally West is currently the only man holding the title of the Flash. Trying to shut off the Earth from the rest of the multiverse to beat Waller’s army cut Barry Allen off from the Speed Force. However, Wally has extensive experience working with the Justice League. He was around for most of the Justice League International era and was also part of the JLA when the team faced some of its most dangerous foes.

Of course, Waid’s no stranger to writing Wally West as the main Flash. He’s responsible for creating one of the best Flash runs ever, with Wally as the only Flash. Going by that, Flash fans should have nothing to worry about. However, the real question is whether he can help Barry get his powers back.

Booster Gold Is Lost In The Elseworld

First Appearance: Booster Gold Vol. 1 #1 By Dan Jurgens, Mike DeCarlo, Tom Ziuko, Augustin Mas

Booster Gold is one of a handful of characters who were personally invited to the Justice League Unlimited by Superman himself. Even Booster viewed it as an exciting time, pointing out how the Justice League Unlimited era was a time of unprecedented peace. Though he’s usually one of the lovable losers in the DC Universe, he seems to be taking his time with the League more seriously than ever.

However, Booster and Skeets find themselves in trouble before the book begins. After Darkseid’s attack on the new satellite, Booster and Skeets follow him into the new world he chose to inhabit. They become trapped in a world where Darkseid seems to be in charge of everything. The Justice League have all agreed he needs to be rescued, but can they make it in time?

Batman Will Have To Deal With Dissension In The League

First Appearance: Detective Comics Vol. 1 #27 By Bill Finger, Bob Kane

Like the other members of the Trinity, Batman is at the forefront of the new Justice League Unlimited. Yet Batman has a heavier burden to bear than Superman or Wonder Woman. In Absolute Power, one of Waller’s greatest weapons was Failsafe, a robot created by Zur-En-Arrh, Batman’s alternate personality. Like Batman, Failsafe had plans to defeat the Justice League. While the team won in the end, the damage Failsafe caused is still partially the Dark Knight’s responsibility.

Of course, the Justice League is rarely the League without Batman. Waid has already stated he’s going to be a core member, so fans can expect him to be involved from issue one. The second issue’s solicitations even mention him dealing with some early friction within the team.

Wonder Woman Has Been Instrumental In Forming The New Justice League

First Appearance: All-Star Comics Vol. 1 #8 By William Moulton Marston, Harry G. Peter

Like the other Trinity members, Wonder Woman wears the burden of disbanding the League. Lately, she’s been busy with some new enemies, but she’s still front and center for this book. She’s also a major reason the League stood a chance against Darkseid while he was fused with Spectre. While the others came up with a plan, it was Diana who held him down from attacking.

It’s unclear what Diana’s role will be in this new League, but Waid’s made it clear she’ll be part of the core cast. Given that she was one of the first to volunteer to travel to The Elseworld, perhaps she’ll help establish first contact with the new Absolute heroes? If nothing else, she’ll have to help the League deal with the power vacuum that Darkseid’s disappearance has caused.

Superman Is Once Again The Leader Of The Justice League

First Appearance: Action Comics Vol. 1 #1 By Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster

Superman is the face of the new Justice League Unlimited. Superman was instrumental in shutting down Amanda Waller’s forces during Absolute Power, even without his abilities. Still, the experience led him to believe the League could do a much better job than prior versions had.

The DC All-In Special showed him delivering a handful of cards to heroes he wanted to speak to himself, like Booster Gold. He also played an instrumental role in this new League’s first battle, battling a Darkseid imbued with the Spectre’s powers. Though he was victorious, Darkseid’s mysterious escape will haunt the Man of Steel in the coming months.