Preview images for DC Comics next major publication-wide crossover Dark Crisis have revealed that DC's most famous superheroes, "The Trinity," are indeed assumed dead by the end of the upcoming "Death of the Justice" League event. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, whose coffins appeared in promotional imagery for the forthcoming "Death of the Justice League" in Justice League #75, have now been memorialized in the page of Dark Crisis, confirming that the big three are among the dead Justice Leaguers, something that fans have been speculating about for weeks.
All three members of the Trinity have been killed during one point or another, but they have all been resurrected through various complicated plots and retcons. Superman famously died in the 1993 "Death of Superman" special, one of the most famous comics of all time, but was brought back to life within the year at the end of the "Reign of the Supermen" storyline. Similarly, Batman famously "died" at the hands of Darkseid in the finale of Final Crisis but turned out to be just lost in the time stream, returning in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne. Most recently Wonder Woman was killed saving the Multiverse at the end of the last major crossover crisis, Dark Nights: Death Metal, but quickly reappeared in the pages of DC's recent relaunch Infinite Crisis, which established Wonder Woman as essentially immortal.
Justice League #75's "Death of the Justice League" - written by Joshua Williamson with art by Rafa Sandoval and color by Alejandro Sanchez - is set to feature the newly formed Justice League, now counting Hippolyta, Black Adam, and Naomi among its members as they battle against a "Dark Army" and end up failing. While the promotional images for "Death of the Justice League" show DC superheroes mourning at a funeral with coffins representing Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Green Lantern, and Aquaman, promotions are sometimes not what they seem and can be incredibly misleading. However, in the preview images for Dark Crisis shared by Joshua Williamson, which are images from the actual story itself, the memorial to the fallen Justice Leaguers includes Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl, and the Flash.
While the death of the Justice League and the mourning that the Leaguers' families, friends, and teammates will inevitably go through will be a major part of Dark Crisis, the next generation of heroes stepping up to fill their idols shoes will be an play an even more central role in the event. As the name suggests, Dark Crisis is going to involve a massive and devastating Multiversal war against dark forces of evil featuring the Great Darkness, a new team of monstrous villains formed by Darkseid, and the character Pariah who was last seen in Crisis on Infinite Earths. While both "Death of the Justice League" and Dark Crisis may sound awfully depressing, the writer for the Dark Crisis event Joshua Williamson has assured fans on Twitter that, "It’s NOT going to be doom and gloom, it’s going to be a fun roller coaster featuring all the heroes you love."
Anyone who reads DC Comics knows that the Justice League will not stay dead, they are simply too lucrative as characters for the company to keep dead for long. But that does not mean that both stories won't be emotionally impactful and lead to real growth and change for classic and newer characters. Many people are excited to see Jonathan Kent (Superman), Yara Flor (Wonder Woman), and Jace Fox (Batman) develop into a new Trinity, and it seems like Dark Crisis is setting up their new legacies in a way that will really pack a punch. Be sure to check out DC Comics upcoming "Death of the Justice League" followed by the the one-shot Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis #1 on May 31st, so see the fate of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman.
Source: Joshua Williamson