The Justice League just got a major power boost from Naomi’s world, and it may be too much for some members of the team.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Justice League #61 by Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez, Tamra Bonvillain, and Josh Reed, on sale now
The Justice League are among the Earth’s most powerful figures, with the team usually being capable of saving entire realities. But the newest incarnation of the team is getting a real reminder that they can always be stronger, even to the point where it even becomes a genuine problem for the team.
By venturing into the world of their new teammate Naomi in Justice League #61, the team ends up with some serious power boosts. And while it helps some of the team, other members of the group are even brought down by their upgrades.
In the DC Multiverse, there exists a reality where the arrival of super-powers in select beings led to the end of the world as it was then known. As the Earth’s various protective layers of ozone were depleted by years of humanity’s growth, 29 people were given amazing abilities from the resulting radiation. Within a month, the resulting battle had decimated what remained of the Earth, leaving only 15 of the original 29 alive. Of that 15, seven gave up on humanity and ventured into the cosmos. The remaining eight tried to maintain peace in the ruins of their world, only for Zumbado to take control through bloodshed. Naomi was the first child born to these super-powered beings, and to escape Zumbado’s grasp she was taken to Earth-0 and hidden.
But now, the barriers between the core DC Universe and Naomi’s home reality have grown thinner, with Zumbado trying to attack her and another member of the 29 — Brutus — briefly attacking Superman and Black Adam. The Justice League, including new recruits Black Adam and Naomi, ventures into the reality to learn more about what’s happening and how they can stop it. But upon arrival, it becomes clear that the unique attributes of this world also have a huge effect on the Justice League. For normal humans like Batman and Green Arrow, there appears to be no real change. But both Hawkgirl and Black Canary feel amplified heading into battle. Black Canary’s Canary Cry is far more powerful, and Hawkgirl describes the sensation as feeling stronger than she’s ever been before.
But it appears this sudden power boost can be both a blessing and a curse: As he explains to Batman over a comms link, Superman’s heat vision has gone out of control due to the power boost, and he’s unable to actually turn it off, which results in him flying blindly into the sky to avoid hurting anyone. He’s so overwhelmed that he doesn’t realize Brutus has found him, only seeing the powerhouse just before he took a punch to the face. Meanwhile, it appears that Aquaman’s connection to sea life has been enhanced as well — but judging by the general state of the world and the sheer depth of loss he feels, it doesn’t look too good for the oceans of this world. It’s such an overwhelming effect that the King of Atlantis faints from the effect and is dragged away by some unseen force.
All of this goes a long way to set up just how powerful Naomi might really be, considering how she’s been affected on the world as well. It also implies the battle with the other powered beings of this world might be far more difficult than the Justice League really realized. Even with these power boosts, Black Adam and Superman are able to seemingly do little to Brutus, who seems to have a full awareness of how to use his powers in this world.
