The Justice League is finally about to make its big-screen debut this fall. But if Warners has its way, they'll eventually be joined by the Justice League Dark. This team of supernatural heroes has its own movie in the works, meaning that characters like John Constantine and Swamp Thing could finally be headed back to the big screen.
But what is the Justice League Dark, and what characters might take the spotlight in the film? Read on to find out everything you need to know about the team and their previous adventures.
The Justice League has gone through many changes and expansions over the years, sometimes spawning entire secondary teams with their own rosters and missions. The Justice League Dark is one such expansion. This team features many of the most powerful magical and supernatural heroes in the DCU. The idea being that these heroes are better quipped to deal with supernatural threats than the regular Justice League could ever be.
The two Justice Leagues rarely cross paths, and for a long time the main Justice League wasn't even aware of this offshoot team operating right under their noses. But were it not for the Justice League Dark, the world would have been overcome by darkness long ago.
Naturally, the powers and abilities of the Justice League Dark varies depending on the team's lineup, but there are a few familiar faces that tend to stick with the group.
John Constantine is the most unlikely member of the team, given his status as a selfish trickster who holds little respect for the costumed heroes of the world. Constantine is a skilled magician, though his true strength comes from his ability to lie and manipulate his way out of any situation.
Zatanna is among the most powerful JLD members, and was the team's leader in the most recent comic book incarnation. Zatanna is a spellcaster who can weave just about any magic as long as she can recite the incantation backwards. She has a complicated romantic history with Constantine, making it difficult for the two of them to remain on the team at the same time.
Deadman is a former trapeze artist who was killed in the middle of his act. Now he remains trapped on Earth as a ghost, though one who can possess living bodies.
Madame Xanadu is another powerful sorceress who specializes in fortune telling and mysticism.
Black Orchid is the physical powerhouse of the team. She has super-strength, invulnerability, flight and the ability to shape-shift at will.
Swamp Thing, arguably the most famous member of the team, is a Plant Elemental who draws power from "The Green," a mystical life force generated by the universe's plant life.
Even the team's headquarters is supernaturally charged -- the Justice League Dark operates out of the House of Mystery, a sentient building that dwells in both the real world and The Dreaming and changes its shape and layout on a whim.
The Justice League Dark was created by writer Peter Milligan and made its debut as part of DC's New 52 relaunch in September 2011. The eponymous series was one of 52 new comics offering a fresh starting point for DC's revamped, streamlined superhero universe. Justice League Dark was a major piece in DC's larger plan to more closely integrate its traditional superheroes and supernatural characters. That process began with the miniseries Flashpoint, which culminated with the Vertigo and Wildstorm universes being integrated with the traditional DC Universe and characters like Constantine and Swamp Thing making their return to DC after a long absence.
The series ultimately spanned 40 issues between September 2011 and March 2015, carving out a new niche for heroes like Constantine, Zatanna and Deadman in that time. The team had their first encounter with the classic Justice League and Amanda Waller's Justice League of America in the 2013 crossover "Trinity War," with both teams surprised to learn there was a third Justice League operating under their very noses. That crossover fed directly into another major storyline called Forever Evil: Blight, as the Justice League Dark teamed up with other mystical heroes like Phantom Stranger and Pandora to battle the living embodiment of evil.
Justice League Dark continued to experience a lot of turnover in terms of creators and team roster leading up to the series finale. DC ultimately canceled the series with issue #40. And while characters like Constantine and Deadman have gone on to appear in various solo projects, the Justice League Dark as a whole has remained dormant ever since.
While the comic series is currently inactive, the Justice League Dark has begun to trickle out into DC's multimedia projects. The team might have eventually made their live-action debut in NBC's Constantine series, as the show was actively building a universe of supernatural characters. Unfortunately, that show was canceled after one season, though the fact that Matt Ryan's John Constantine has made the jump to Arrow leaves room for the team to appear on one or more Arrowverse shows.
Instead, the first non-comic book appearance of the Justice League Dark came in the 2017 direct-to-DVD animated film of the same name. This adaptation featured a slightly reduced team lineup that included Constantine, Swamp Thing, Zatanna, Black Orchid, Deadman and Etrigan. Batman also joined forces with the team, because of course he did.
The 2017 video game Injustice 2 also makes references to the Justice League Dark, including featuring Swamp Thing as a playable character. The team plays a role in one of the game's Multiverse Mode missions called "Powerful Spell."
Warner Bros. also seems intent on adding the Justice League Dark to the growing DC Extended Universe. The film has been in development since at least 2012, originally under the working title "Heaven Sent" and then "Dark Universe." Guillermo Del Toro was attached to direct for a number of years. Currently, the film has no director, but DC reaffirmed its commitment to the project at SDCC 2017.
Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.
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