The history of the Justice League is filled with numerous different incarnations of the team. But by the mid-’90s, there were a number of different teams and titles depicting the adventures of DC’s premier team, including Justice League International and Justice League Europe, where DC’s biggest heroes were spread out across various teams. The “Breakdowns” storyline spread across the titles, and lead to the eventual disbanding of all of the teams, heralding the beginning of a new Justice League era that united the so-called ‘Big Seven’ group that is still ostensibly the core of the League’s roster.
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This new version of the League came together in the 1996 miniseries Justice League: A Midsummer’s Nightmare by Fabian Nicieza, Mark Waid and Darick Robertson. The story centered around a world similar to the regular DC Universe, but also eerily unlike it in many ways. Across this new world, many individuals called “Sparkers” were awakening with powers.
One thing that was noticeably missing though was any knowledge of DC’s best-known superheroes. The heroes themselves didn’t even know it. Kyle Rayner was drawing a Green Lantern comic that he believed to be completely fictional. Bruce Wayne was trying to help the orphaned Jason Todd, Clark Kent was a mild-mannered reporter, and Diana Prince was a school headmistress. Additionally, Wally West was a teacher in Blue Valley, J’onn J’onzz lived with his family on Mars and Arthur Curry was the newly appointed board member of a fish packing company.
After an incident at the Daily Planet and an encounter with Thomas and Martha Wayne reminds both Clark and Bruce of their true identities as Superman and Batman, the two meet up to discuss this unfamiliar world. Meanwhile, Wally sees the Green Lantern comic by Kyle and, reminding him of his recent nightmares, sets off to New York for answers.
Batman tracks down the whereabouts of Arthur and Diana and he and Superman set off to remind their friends of their true identities. While Superman takes the gentle approach of an evening flight to jog Wonder Woman’s memory, Batman dunks Arthur’s head in a fish tank to remind him he can breathe underwater. With Wonder Woman and Aquaman on their side, the heroes decide that the only way to stop what’s going on is together.
After reuniting with the newly awakened Green Lantern and Flash, the six heroes determine that the villain behind the extraordinary new status quo is a more powerful Doctor Destiny. They needed Martian Manhunter’s help to track him down, but J’onn isn’t as willing to leave his fantasy as the rest of the heroes were. Only after his fantasy is brought down in flames does he awaken, displeased to be united with his fellow heroes.
Learning that Green Lantern was drawing the location of the source of the world’s changes in his comic, the seven heroes take off to confront Doctor Destiny, only to learn that Destiny isn’t the mastermind. Destiny sold his soul to a villain called Know Man who claims to be Earth’s savior. He thinks Earth’s current heroes aren’t equipped to handle an incoming threat and that an Earth full of powered individuals is the real answer.
With brute force resulting in Superman simply being flung into space, Batman devises a plan that combines the powers of Manhunter and Aquaman with Doctor Destiny’s new ability to turn dreams into reality. Combining their powers, Manhunter is able to reach out to the people of Earth and wake them up from Destiny’s dream world.
Know Man accepts defeat, hoping that the heroes are up to the challenge of the threat ahead. The seven decide that if they are, it’ll be together — as an all-new Justice League. This marks the end of the JLI and JLE era and established a new status quo for the Morrison and Porter JLA run that brought back the team’s most familiar modern roster.
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