Death of the Justice League: Who Lives and Dies in Justice League #75?

Dies — Batman

Chronologically, the first three “deaths” to occur happen in a single double-page spread, as Pariah hits Batman and two other heroes with a flash of energy. This leads to all three of the heroes having their screaming faces wither apart and die, not unlike Barry Allen’s death in the original Crisis on Infinite Earths.

To an extent, Batman’s death had been forecast in the various tie-ins to Dark Crisis, particularly with a panel paying homage to the “oath” that Batman had Dick Grayson recite before becoming Robin. While this certainly isn’t the first time Batman has appeared to die in canon, it’s still a significant one.

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Dies — John Stewart

John Stewart is one of the last Leaguers to make it to the fight against the Dark Army, using his Godstorm to summon “backup” for the entire team — only to die by the end of the issue.

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Dies — Zatanna

Zatanna is revealed to have a personal connection to the fight against the Dark Army, as her father, Zatara, passed away in one of the initial fights against the Great Darkness. Tragically, a similar fate soon befalls her.

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Dies — Aquaman

Standing next to John and Zatanna in their deaths is Aquaman, who dies soon after. Like Superman, Aquaman’s passing was seemingly spoiled in the Worlds Without a Justice League solicits, but it still is impactful nonetheless.

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Dies — Hawkgirl

Also among the skirmish is Hawkgirl, whose fate had also seemingly been spoiled by the statues in Dark Crisis.

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Dies — Martian Manhunter

Rounding out that particular group is Martian Manhunter, whose fate was also sealed in a deadly context.

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Dies — Justice League Incarnate

While not technically part of the larger “Death of the Justice League” puzzle, several members of the multiversal team Justice League Incarnate appear to die in the battle with Pariah. This includes Captain Carrot, President Superman, Avery Ho / The Flash, and the new hero Doctor Multiverse.

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Dies — Green Arrow

Before Pariah’s powers begin to kill the League, Green Arrow is actually the first who appears to fall in the fight, after Doomsday smashes pieces of rubble on top of his head. While Green Arrow had not actually been called to participate in the mission, and had instead followed Black Canary as extra help, he appeared to die from Pariah’s powers by the end of the issue.

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Dies — Black Canary

Green Arrow and Black Canary prove to be a key emotional through-line throughout the issue, especially after Oliver optimistically decides to tag along to help her with the mission. After using her Canary Cry to clear the rubble off of Oliver and hold him, she was last shown holding him before Pariah’s powers took effect.

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Lives — Black Adam

So, who is the one League member to survive the ordeal? Black Adam, who only manages to counteract Pariah’s powers by utilizing the power of Shazam to change his form. While he appears to pass out in the cosmos where the fight is held, the issue ends with Adam waking up inside of the Hall of Justice, and revealing to the world that the League is dead.

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What Does It Mean?

While things look pretty dire for the vast majority of the heroes in the issue, and we’ll probably have to wait several more months to see the full narrative take shape, there is a chance that the “Death of the Justice League” might be more than meets the eye. In particular, the events of Williamson’s recent Infinite Frontier miniseries need to be taken into consideration, especially the showdown between Pariah and Barry Allen / The Flash in the final issue. That storyline concluded with the reveal that Pariah had placed him into “Earth-Flash.1”, which appears to be a pocket universe where all of the members of his family are alive and happy. Pariah argues that this will allow everyone to “be happy, no matter what.”

Pariah uses similar language during the events of Justice League #75, telling the heroes that “What I do now is for the best. You’ll see. You’ll be happy.” That could very well mean that each of the “dead” characters were transported into pocket universes of their own, something that we could see play out over Dark Crisis itself. Of course, there is always a chance that something entirely different could be at play — but fans will have to wait and see.

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