Black Adam’s future recruitment into the Justice League may be sponsored by two of its most optimistic members.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from “Justice League” in Infinite Frontier #0 by Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez, Tamra Bonvillain and ALW’s Troy Peteri and Justice League #59 by Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez, Tamra Bonvillain and Josh Leeds, on sale now.
With the Infinite Frontier expanding more each day, the heroes of the DCU are looking for new solutions to old problems. The core Justice League is interested in taking a more grounded approach to fighting crime and being more accessible to the public. But in the Justice League’s case, they chose to expand their horizons by increasing their numbers.
Black Adam is destined to be the newest member of the world’s premier super-team, but he’s not exactly an easy sell. Fortunately for him, he seems set to have some ringing endorsements from both Superman and Green Arrow.
After his past heroic deeds were highlighted in Endless Winter, Black Adam’s turn for the heroic has already been hinted at in Infinite Frontier #0. Even though he had no spoken lines, his actions spoke louder than anything he could have said. He had already handled a hostile fire creature attacking innocents long before Superman or the Flash arrived. And he did so without even staying to boast about how he handled it before two of the world’s greatest heroes arrived to help. This simple fact gave Superman an inkling that Black Adam may be trying to make a change for the better.
This was further elaborated on when Adam visited the grave of his beloved. He found a young boy there mourning his mother who had passed one year ago. Rather than remain stoic or even ordering his subject to leave, Adam related the tale of his own lost love. He then said that she died trying to teach him something he was still struggling to comprehend, perhaps hinting at her wish for Adam to be more than a king. Before he could explain further, they were interrupted by Brutus, a mysterious villain that Adam helped the Justice League fight.
But all of these things together indicate that Black Adam is ready to make a positive change in his life. Barring that, he is on the precipice of making the choice to be better. And for heroes like Superman, the willingness to do good is usually enough to earn a chance from the Man of Steel. Which really is all the endorsement one needs. But Adam might not have only one supporter. Green Arrow has been saying that the League, while efficient, needs a fresh perspective, a little defiance to better handle the new world. They worked well as a team, but their similar perspectives tended to bleed together and create the same solutions when there might be a better way.
This is where Black Adam comes in. He’s a powerful force on his own, but he is so much more than his powers. Adam might actually have the most unique perspective of the team, being an ancient who has lived through trying times. What’s more, unlike the other heroes, he has thrown himself into the politics of his homeland, trying to help his own people flourish from within the system. He could offer insight to the League on how best to handle what the populace needs from them most, while the League could temper any lingering tyrannical notions. And as a former villain, he certainly brings a level of defiance to the Justice League, most likely acting as the voice of decent for tried and failed methods the League has used in the past.
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