Newton’s Third Law of Motion dictates that “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” A similar equation exists in the world of superhero comics, where for every team of heroes, there must be a team of villains. In the case of the newly formed Justice League Unlimited, this means another variation on the Legion of Doom. However, there is more to this latest incarnation than is immediately apparent.
Written by Mark Waid, with art by Dan Mora, Justice League Unlimited #5 finds the team investigating a mysterious group called Inferno. The terrorists attacked multiple targets, from a nuclear power plant in Japan to the G20 Summit in Australia. In the middle of multiple conflicts, one Inferno member was revealed to be the Legion of Doom member Gorilla Grodd.
After making his escape, Gorilla Grodd told his fellow Inferno members that there was no longer any point in hiding themselves. The final panel confirmed Inferno to be the Legion of Doom. The line-up also includes Lex Luthor, The Joker, Black Manta, Captain Cold, Scarecrow, Sinestro, and Bizarro.
‘New’ Legion of Doom are time travelers
The introduction of a new Legion of Doom was unsurprising. The villain team was featured prominently on the main cover of Justice League Unlimited #5. However, there was a mystery as to how this incarnation of the team could exist.
As noted earlier in the issue, Lex Luthor lost his memory and was trying to make amends for his crimes. Sinestro too, had reformed, and recently rejoined the Green Lantern Corps. This led Mister Terrific to erroneously conclude the Legion of Doom weren’t involved.
The answer lay in the past, as this Legion of Doom traveled in time. This was foreshadowed by dialogue from the Inferno agents in earlier issues. This revelation will kickstart a six-part crossover with Batman/Superman: World’s Finest titled “We Are Yesterday.”
Justice League Unlimited #5 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
