Hall of Justice (comics)

Six Flags Magic Mountain: Justice League: Battle for Metropolis.

The Hall of Justice, or simply the Hall, is a fictional headquarters[1]^[1] appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The Hall of Justice serves as a headquarters for the Justice League.

Cincinnati Union Terminal

It was first introduced in the Super Friends animated series during the 1970s, and it eventually appeared in comic book titles related to the Justice League. The show was produced by Hanna-Barbera, a division of Cincinnati-based Taft Broadcasting. One of the animators, Al Gmuer, likely visited Cincinnati Union Terminal while attending meetings and confirmed that he was inspired by the terminal in designing the superhero headquarters.^[2][3][4]

Union Terminal was also featured in the 1996 DC comic book series Terminal City.^[5]

Fictional history[]

Super Friends[]

The Hall of Justice in Super Friends.

The Hall appeared in the very first episode of the Super Friends series, which premiered on September 8, 1973. It was originally drawn by Al Gmuer, background supervisor for Hanna-Barbera for more than 30 years. Gmuer modeled the fortress after the art deco Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio, a train station turned museum.^[6] Cincinnati was also where Hanna-Barbera's corporate parent of the time, Taft Broadcasting, happened to be based.

The Hall serves as the central meeting point for the Super Friends. Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet and the Batmobile would often be spotted resting on the front lawn, near the large fountain and sculpture that were ever present. The Hall contains the TroublAlert, a computerized monitoring station that would warn the heroes of a new threat. The Hall also houses a giant computer that the Super Friends use to analyze clues.^[7] By the mid-1980s, The Hall of Justice had a major remodel, larger and more dome-like, with a general pentagon shape, although the entrance resembled the earlier version; at the same time the Super Friends changed their superhero team moniker to the Super Powers Team.

In the episode "Universe of Evil", the evil Super Enemies from a parallel universe meet in a "Hall of Evil". It was identical in appearance to the Hall of Justice, with the addition of demon's head above the front entrance.

In the comics[]

Originally, pre-Crisis On Infinite Earths, the Hall of Justice was located in Gotham City in the Super Friends comic book series #135 (outside of then-DC continuity, although they did try to tie-in the Super Friends comic series to Earth-One on several occasions, as witnessed by several later instances in other mainstream DC books, such as Justice League of America (1960-1986 series, Vol.1) and an issue of DC Comics Presents, featuring the Global Guardians.^[8]

Post-Crisis, the "Hall of Justice" has been the name of the JLA's meeting chamber in the Watchtower during the JLA's run.^[9]

Following the events of the Infinite Crisis and One Year Later, the Hall of Justice is truly introduced into DC Comics continuity in Justice League of America vol. 2 #7 (May 2007). After the previous Watchtower was destroyed and the League had disbanded, one year later, the JLA reforms and with it a new Satellite Watchtower is constructed in space, along with an updated version of the Hall of Justice on Earth. The newest Hall is located on top of the location of the former bases of the Justice Society of America and the All-Star Squadron, previously known as the Perisphere, which existed there during World War 2.^[10][11] The Hall was designed by John Stewart and Wonder Woman and was financed by Batman. Unlike the Super Friends' Hall, it is not designed to be the central headquarters for the heroes, but rather more a museum of sorts to allow the public to witness firsthand what the heroes do. There are many exhibits, including trophy rooms of weapons used by villains and heroes (all of which were dismantled and made useless by Batman). It does have a primary meeting hall in which many JLA meetings are held, with Black Canary as chairperson. The Hall also works as a transfer station for the heroes in which it is connected, via "slideways" teleporters, to the League's orbiting Satellite Watchtower, which is considered a more secured location for the JLA to assemble.

In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, The Hall of Justice is appropriated by the United Nations as the headquarters for the new Justice League International. This causes public outrage, with many citizens taking offense to the idea of superheroes from foreign countries using an American landmark as their base of operations. Two of the outraged protesters later blow up the Hall.^[12]

During the DC Universe event, the Justice League set up a new Hall of Justice beginning in the 2018 Justice League comic book series that began publication in August^[13] following the destruction of the Watchtower at the end of the previous volume.

Alternate versions[]

• In Kingdom Come, the United Nations Headquarters building strongly resembles the Hall of Justice as depicted on Superfriends, just as the metahuman prison resembles the cartoon's headquarters of the Legion of Doom.
• In Amalgam Comics, the Hall of Justice is merged with Avengers Mansion to create JLA Mansion.

In other media[]

Television[]

Live action[]

• In Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, the term "Hall of Justice" was regularly used to refer to the city’s police headquarters. The building appeared, as the focus of a criminal plot, in the fourth-season episode, "Lethal Weapon". As the criminal, Mr. Gadget, attempted to level the building using a sonic weapon, the name "Hall of Justice" clearly appeared on its façade. It bore little resemblance to the Super Friends Hall of Justice, but rather was of the faux Greco-Roman design typical of many pre-World War II United States public buildings.
• In The Flash season 3 episode "Invasion!", S.T.A.R. Labs has an old hangar that resembles the Hall of Justice. It serves as a base of operations for the assembled heroes during the events of the "Invasion!" crossover.

Animation[]

• In Superman: The Animated Series, the second part of the episode "Apokolips...Now!", Superman is seen fighting Parademons in front of a building that resembles the Hall of Justice.
• In the Justice League Unlimited episode "Ultimatum", the Ultimen have a headquarters in a tall skyscraper. The top of their building resembles the Hall of Justice from the Super Friends television show. Later in the series' run, the Justice League opens an embassy on Earth called the Metrotower that resembles the Hall of Justice.
• On the animated television series The Batman, the Justice League headquarters resembles the Hall of Justice. However, it is not a building on Earth, but rather a satellite, orbiting above Earth. This headquarters, although similar in look to the Hall, has been identified as the Watchtower.
• In episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold series, entitled "Sidekicks Assemble!", the Hall of Justice makes a brief appearance at the beginning of the story where Batman dispatches Robin, Aqualad and Speedy on a mission.
• In the direct-to-video original animation DC Super Friends: The Joker's Playhouse (2010), the Joker takes over the Hall of Justice and the Super Friends run the gamut to reclaim it.
• The Hall of Justice appears in the Young Justice animated series.^[14] The first episode reveals however that the Hall of Justice is a public cover for the teleporters that lead to the Justice League Watchtower. The Hall of Justice is destroyed in the episode "Cornered" after L-Ron uses his self-destruct mechanism.
• The Hall of Justice is a featured location as part of the Robot Chicken DC Comics Special.
• As part of the DC Nation Shorts, the Farm League features the Barn of Justice.

Film[]

In the ending of the film Justice League, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince plan on converting Wayne Manor as a base of operations for the team and additional living quarters for more heroes in the future.

Video games[]

• In DC Universe Online, the Hall of Justice is a location in the Watchtower. It is enclosed meeting room in the Main Wing, overlooking the Monitor Womb, where Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman co-ordinate the League. Only official Justice League of America members can enter the enclosed hall - players must complete the Justice League and the missions before it before they could enter through a teleporter.
• The Hall of Justice is a playable stage in Injustice: Gods Among Us.^[15]
• The Hall of Justice is a main location in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.^[16]

Toys[]

• The Hall of Justice was first made into a playset associated with The World's Greatest Superheroes by Mego in 1976. The playset was plastic covered cardboard that folded up and latched with a metal turn lock with a carrying handle on the roof. It featured a meeting table that had a land map and galaxy map, dial a disaster console and translocation chamber and a dial for villains.
• The Hall of Justice was made into a second playset in 1984 associated with the Super Powers Collection line from Kenner. The playset consisted of three parts, none bearing any particular resemblance to the interior in the series. Its exterior is yellow and lacks the depth of the building as shown on the series. The center section is blue with a red elevator that goes to the roof. There are various teleportation chambers that are designed primarily to allow the toy to serve as a carrying case. There is also a jail cell for holding one or two supervillains. Among the decor are time zone clocks for such locations as Metropolis, Gotham City, , Central City, Atlantis, and New York City, the major bases of operation for the members.
• By collecting the Young Justice 2 packs, consumers can build a Hall of Justice that comes with each set.

References[]