Warning: Spoilers for Action Comics #1079
THE Justice League long struggle to find a way to defeat Superman In case he betrays them, and with the help of an underrated hero, the team has just unlocked the ideal weapon. Superman is a trusted member of the Justice League, but if he were to switch sides, they would be powerless to stop him. Fortunately, the Justice League's new anti-Superman contingency plan is a surefire strategy for defeating Superman if necessary.
In Action comics #1079 by Mark Waid, Michael Shelfer, Matt Herms and Dave Sharpe, Superman is at a low ebb, so it's up to the Justice League to mount a defense against the escaped Kryptonians from the Phantom Zone who are now terrorizing Earth. Batman suggests that Firestorm synthesize kryptonite to weaken them, and although it takes time, the hero finally manages to generate the element in a surprising new form.
The Justice League revealed the ultimate anti-Superman contingency plan in the form of Firestorm's kryptonite gauntletsand with every hero wielding this weapon, Superman wouldn't stand a chance against them if he ever turned evil.
The Justice League has just developed a foolproof method to defeat Superman
With Firestorm's help, the Justice League perfects an anti-Superman contingency
With the evil Kryptonians of the Phantom Zone wreaking havoc across the planet, the Justice League needs a large supply of Kryptonite if they are to have any hope of weakening them. After all, Kryptonite is Superman's greatest power limit in DC lore – and the same goes for all Kryptonians. Fortunately, Firestorm arrives in time with a secret weapon. This nuclear hero's powers allow him to transmute any element he chooses, including kryptonite. Firestorm is therefore able to synthesize kryptonite gauntlets for the Justice League heroes to equip, helping them overpower the rampaging Kryptonians by exploiting their weaknesses.
Firestorm has successfully synthesized kryptonite in the past, as seen in Tales of the Troop: Superman-Prime #1 by Geoff Johns and Pete Woods, when he reveals that he can forge an unlimited supply of the element with his powers. However, he has now discovered a way to turn kryptonite into a tangible weapon that he can share with all superheroes. With the Justice League's strongest fighters using these gauntlets, they can weaken Superman with each devastating attack they land on him. Heroes like Shazam are already close to matching Superman in raw power, and this Firestorm upgrade could give them the edge they need to win.
Doctor Light takes Justice League Superman's contingency to the next level
The Justice League can not only weaken Superman, but also imprison him
Superman also has non-kryptonite weaknesses, one of the most prominent being his weakness to red sunlight. Under a yellow sun, Kryptonians unlock their superpowers and are able to reach their godlike level of strength. Meanwhile, under a red sun, they are unable to access their powers and become as vulnerable as any mortal being. Kryptonite can weaken Superman considerably, but to truly defeat him, a red sun must be in place to prevent him from fighting back in any capacity. Fortunately, the Justice League has a hero who can bend red sunlight to his will.
Doctor Light, also known as Kimiyo Hoshi, has the ability to manipulate light as he pleases. In this issue, she is enlisted by the Justice League to apprehend Phantom Zone escapees who have already been incapacitated by Firestorm's useful weaponry. By channeling light, Doctor Light creates a prison with red sunlight that traps Kryptonians and deprives them of their superpowers.. This method proves to be effective against criminals, as they are safely trapped, with no chance of escape. So if the Justice League ever demanded this of her, Doctor Light could employ this same strategy to build a red sun cage for Superman.
The Justice League's new plan to defeat Superman is their best yet
A history of anti-Superman contingency plans throughout DC history
The Justice League has formulated anti-Superman contingency plans in the past, though none are as elaborate as this one. Batman is typically the mastermind of this, as forming contingencies for all possible scenarios is a specialty of his. Since Superman's main weakness is kryptonite, Batman always makes sure to have some form of the element on hand.even deploying a kryptonite tank once. The rest of the Justice League prepare similarly, with the Atom being able to shrink and expose Superman to kryptonite from within his body. Batman and the Justice League trust Superman, but they also know how to take precautions.
In addition to standard green kryptonite, Batman and the heroes of the Justice League have used other methods to weaken the Man of Steel. A famous example of this occurs in Tower of Babel story by Mark Waid and Howard Porter, when Batman uses red kryptonite to turn Superman's skin invisible and make him vulnerable to the yellow sun rather than being powered by it. Of course, all previous contingencies were fleeting, as Superman managed to recover from each of them in time. This new contingency plan, on the other hand, has already had success with other Kryptonians – meaning it could defeat Superman.
Will Superman be able to overcome the Justice League's contingency plan? Is it possible
Superman has overcome his weaknesses before, so he could again
The Justice League doesn't just have kryptonite at their disposal thanks to Firestorm, as Doctor Light can also harness red sunlight to de-energize it. Considering these factors, it may seem that Superman would have no hope of overcoming this contingency plan, but the The Justice League didn't take into account the fact that Superman has overcome these weaknesses before. In Legion of Super-Heroes #293 by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen, Brainiac 5 invents microcircuits that allow Superman to use his powers under a red sun, thus eliminating this weakness. If Doctor Light imprisoned Superman, he could easily free himself using this device.
Regardless of how ready the Justice League is to take down Superman, there's still a chance Superman could come out on top if given time to prepare.
Kryptonite is a difficult weakness for Superman to overcome, but previous examples have shown that it is indeed possible for him to withstand it. Superman's X-ray vision can actually give him immunity to kryptonite by melting it from a distance, so as long as he doesn't get too close to the Justice League heroes when they're using their gauntlets, he can destroy them. Furthermore, Superman has already worn costumes that avoid the effects of kryptonite. Regardless of how ready the Justice League is to bring down Supermanthere's still a chance that Clark Kent will emerge victorious if he has time to prepare.
Action comics #1079 is now available from DC Comics.