The origins of the Overman in Justice League Infinity reveal the series is secretly a sequel to a story arc from the animated Justice League series.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Justice League Infinity #2 from DC Comics, on sale now.
Picking up where Justice League Unlimited left off, Justice League Infinity has already thrown some serious wild cards at the heroes of the DC Animated Universe, including depositing a confused and furious Overman into their reality while Superman disappears to another world.
The Overman who has made his way into the world of Justice League Infinity #2 by J.M. DeMatteis, James Tucker, Ethen Beavers, Nick Filardi, and Tom Napolitano has a dour and dark origin story, which ties him into the events of a fan-favorite three-part epic from the Justice League animated series and makes Justice League Infinity something of a stealth-sequel to that storyline.
The modern Overman came to prominence during the events of Final Crisis: Superman Beyond by Grant Morrison, Doug Mahnke, and Christian Alamy before taking on a more central role during The Multiversity: Mastermen by Morrison and Jim Lee. Overman is a variant of Superman who landed in Nazi Germany during the course of World War II — radically changing Germany’s prospects in the war and allowing the Nazi regime to conquer the world. Portrayed as a tragic figure who protects a world full of horrors he could never condone, Overman is one of the darkest portrayals of Superman in history.
The Overman of Justice League Infinity is revealed to be a more overtly powerful and deadly force who is Superman’s equal in terms of raw strength. Swapping universes with the DCAU Superman, Overman quickly goes on the offensive and engages the Justice League in the battle for the fate of Metropolis. Casually misogynistic and cruel, Overman is only stopped when Martian Manhunter arrives and ventures into his mind. It turns out that Overman hails from a world where Vandal Savage succeeded in his plan to take over the world. As revealed in the Justice League three-episode arc “The Savage Time,” Savage once tried to use time-travel to equip his past self with advanced knowledge and technology. This briefly changed the world to a fascist government under his control, until the League went back and reversed the effects.
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In Overman’s world, however, Savage was never dethroned and was able to rule Earth almost unopposed. One of his chief champions was Overman, who in this world was taken in by Savage and raised to be his oppressive weapon against the populace. Still, this variant of Superman, like so many others in the multiverse, found love with his world’s Lois Lane. The two shared a romance until it was discovered that Lane was secretly supplying information to the Freedom Fighters who stand against Savage’s rule. As punishment, Savage ordered Lane to be executed via hanging. Worst of all, as an apparent test of loyalty, Savage forced Overman to go through with the act himself — with Overman ultimately accepting and placing the noose around her neck.
This positions Justice League Infinity as a surprise sequel to that specific arc from Justice League. While elements like the Amazo robot’s role have yet to be fully revealed, it’s clear that the effects of Savage’s rule have come back to haunt the Justice League, even if they were able to keep their world from ever suffering such a terrible fate. While they deal with an indoctrinated Superman, the DCAU Superman instead finds himself fighting alongside the Freedom Fighters — each seemingly matching one of his classic enemies like Zod and Doomsday — to stand up against Savage and his gruesome rule. While Vandal Savage might not have been the most consistent antagonist in the original Justice League series, his impact on the multiverse seems to be spilling out into entire other worlds.
KEEP READING: Why Wasn’t Blue Beetle on Justice League Unlimited?
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