Over Comic-Con weekend, James Gunn revealed the mother of allSupermanEaster eggs:the complete mural seen in the Hall of Justicethat documents the history of metahumans in the DCU. Unlike the MCU, which slowly built up its mythology over time, DCU entries likeCreature CommandosandSupermanhave more in common withStar Wars, dropping the audience into a world with a pre-established history filled with superhumans.Superman’s opening text reveals that the existence of metahumans has been known for 300 years, and withSupermantaking place in 2025, that suggests the first encounter was roughly around 1725.
The mural in the Hall of Justice documents this history with 26 characters that chronicle the progression of time in the DCU. Some predate the first metahuman encounter, with folk heroes and legends making way for the superheroes that dominate the DCU, similar to the transition in the comics. James Gunn and company have pulled from the rich history of DC, including characters not only from DC’s Golden Age but from companies like Fawcett and Quality Comics that they acquired, as well as some more modern characters who have been retroactively made part of DC’s history. Here are all the characters in the Hall of Justice mural, explained.
23Sister Symmetry/Madame Xanadu
First Appearance:Sister Symetry -Justice League DarkVol 2 #8 (April 2019)/Madame Xanadu -Doorway to Nightmare#1 (February 1978)
Created by James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno (Sister Symmetry), David Michelinie and Michael William Kaluta (Madame Xanadu)
Madame Xanaduis a DC sorceresswho is, in fact, Nimue, aka The Lady of the Lake, from the King Arthur legend. She is best known for her use of tarot cards to interpret what she senses and tell the future of others. When she dons the Cloak of Cyra, a magical item created by a female Lord of Order similar to the helmet of Doctor Fate, she becomes the heroSister Symmetry. Her presence as the first hero on the mural suggests she is one of the first recorded metahumans in the DCU. However, her presence as a piece of an Arthurian legend would mean that the DCU’s history with metahumans is even further back than the 300 years teased inSuperman.
22Silent Knight
First Appearance:The Brave and the Bold#1 (August 1955)
Created by Robert Kanigher and Irv Novick
Silent Knightis Sir Brian Kent and was a knight in 6th-century England. Another example of predating the 300-year-old metahuman emergence established in Superman, Silent Knight doesn’t contradict that, as he has no superpowers. He has ties and connections to the likes of King Arthur and Morgana la Fey, which also ties him in with Sister Symmetry. He is alsoone of the reincarnated souls of Hawkman, linking him with the Justice Gang member Hawkgirl. A recent comic has revealed that the Silent Knight might also be the ancestor of Superman’s adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, making his inclusion inSupermaneven more meaningful.
21Exoristos
First Appearance:Demon Knights#1 (November 2011)
Created by Paul Cornell and Diogenes Neves
Exoristosis an exiled Amazon of Themiscarya whose sword later becomes one of the signature weapons of Wonder Woman. Including Exoristos hints that she was the first Amazon the world encountered, and also pays homage to the idea of an Amazon (typically Wonder Woman’s mother, Hippolyta) being a superhero in other comics continuities. Exoristos' inclusion here feels like a set-up for both the Amazon-led prequel seriesParadise Lostandthe upcomingWonder Womanfilm.
20Black Pirate
First Appearance:Action Comics#23 (April 1940)
Created by Sheldon Moldoff
Black Piratewas really Jon Valor, a 16th-century privateer who had many adventures. His story typically ends in tragedy as he is framed for the murder of his son, Justin. Black Pirate is hanged in the port of what will become Opal City (home of the hero Starman) and becomes a ghost, haunting the city to clear his name. Black Pirate is undoubtedly a deep pull, but is another case of crime fighters in the DCU before the emergence of the first metahuman encounter.
19Whip Whirlwind/Max Mercury
First Appearance:National Comics#5 (November 1940)
Created by Jack Cole and Chuck Mazoujian
Maxwell Crandall appears on the Hall of Justice mural twice, first in the 1800s era under hisWhip Whirlwindpersona, getting into a sprint pose, and then in the 20th century asMax Mercuryin a running formation. Maxwell Crandall is a speedster, one who was a scout for the United States cavalry in the 1830s, who was given superspeed by a Native American shaman. Like many speedsters, Max has been known to travel through time, but only appears to move forward as opposed to being able to travel back. The mural does suggest he traveled in time and arrived in the 1930s, taking up a new hero mantle, Max Mercury.
18Miss Liberty
First Appearance:Tomahawk#81 (August 1962)
Created by Ed Herron and Fred Ray
Betty Lynn was a nurse during the American Revolution who, inspired by her fellow revolutionaries, took on the mantle ofMiss Liberty, wearing a mask and fighting for American independence. She is the ancestor of another hero on this mural, Liberty Belle. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe established Captain America as being a major part of World War II, the DCU is establishing that the United States' origins are linked to masked crime fighters and are part of the country’s roots.
17Super-Chief
First Appearance:All-Star Western#117 (March 1961)
Created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino
Super-Chiefis a Native American hero with super strength, speed, and a long life-span, with his placement on the Hall of Justice mural implying he was alive well before he is documented or long after. Known as Flying Stag, he was a member of the Wolf Clan in the 15th century who got his powers from an ancient meteorite. With how much the DC Universe has loved to establish meteors as part of the DC cosmic mythology retroactively, it is likely Super-Chief’s story could play a part in the upcoming seriesLanterns.
16El Diablo (Lazarus Lane)
First Appearance:All-Star Western#2 (October 1970)
Created by Robert Kanigher and Gray Morrow
While most fans might know the modern-dayEl DiablofromSuicide Squad, the first was Lazarus Lane, an Old West hero operating in the late 19th century. In many ways, El Diablo is DC’sGhost Rider, as his soul is possessed by a demon to be a Spirit of Vengeance. The appearance of an old-west hero certainly opens the door for the most popular one in DC’s stable, Jonah Hex.
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15Iron Munro
First Appearance:Young All-Stars#1 (June 1987)
Created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, Michael Bair, and Brian Murray
Iron Munrois an interesting character. He was created to be a stand-in for Superman during World War II stories as Superman’s present-day storylines moved further away. Because of this, he possesses super strength, speed, invulnerability, and can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Iron Munro, real name Arnold Munro, is the son of Hugo Danner, a popular pulp hero who is seen as one of the primary inspirations for Superman, who himself has had comics published by DC and Marvel. Iron Munro’s appearance here serves as a homage to the hero that helped inspire Superman, and like his comic book counterpart, stands in for Superman in stories set before the character arrived.
14Ghost of Flanders
First Appearance:Hit Comics#18(December 1941)
Created by Toni Blum and George E. Brenner
No relation toThe Simpsons' Ned Flanders,The Ghost of Flanderswas an American soldier named Rip Graves who had been reported dead at Flanders, an exceptionally bloody site in World War I. Graves actually survived and later found that he’d been honored as an Unknown Soldier at the tomb in Washington, D.C. Instead of reclaiming his civilian life, he let the world believe he was dead and operated as a masked vigilante, using the crypt of the Unknown Soldier as his base of operations. The tomb of the Unknown Soldier is behind the Ghost of Flanders in the mural, meaning the DCU is keeping this bit of alternate history.
