DC Needs a Series Exploring the Justice League of Earth-1985

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DC Comics is currently doing very well, thanks to both their high-quality Absolute editions and their ongoing regular comic series. Their “All-In” initiative is bringing back popular characters who haven’t been featured in a while, like Lobo, Batwoman, and Firestorm. However, there’s one idea fans have been especially excited about since it was first hinted at in 2019, in the final issue of the Doomsday Clock series. It involves the DC heroes from Earth-1985. While even dedicated fans might not know this alternate Earth, it only appeared briefly in a single comic book. Despite its limited appearance, it’s become a nostalgic favorite, and many are eager to see it explored in its own series.

Doomsday Clock Introduced Earth-1985, and Then Quickly Forgot About It

Let’s not get bogged down in the details of the Doomsday Clock storyline, a 12-issue series by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. It’s essentially a sequel to Watchmen that also includes characters from the main DC Universe. One interesting idea the series presented is that the primary DC Universe is actually a central “Metaverse.” This means all other alternate worlds in the Multiverse originate from this main timeline – similar to how the “Sacred Timeline” works in Marvel’s Loki. However, in the DC Universe, everything revolves around changes to Superman’s origin story. Whenever Superman’s past is altered, the previous version of him doesn’t disappear; instead, it continues to exist on a new, separate timeline. The recent DC KO event further emphasized Superman’s importance as the core of this Metaverse.

One of the revealed alternate Earths was “Earth-1985.” Based on artwork by Gary Frank, this world appears to be a continuation of the classic DC comic book era from the 1970s and early 80s – as if the major storyline Crisis on Infinite Earths had never occurred. In this reality, Supergirl and the Flash (Barry Allen) both survived. The description notes that Earth-1985 remains a largely untold story, and DC may be missing out on a great opportunity. This brighter world could offer a refreshing contrast to the more somber tone of the main DC universe.

A New Future for DC’s Classic Heroes

Let’s talk about the idea for this series. Before the Crisis event, the DC Universe was in an interesting place. New Teen Titans was the most popular comic, but the Justice League of America was struggling after a reboot – the original team was breaking up and a new, younger team was taking over, which wasn’t well-received by fans. There had also been some key changes: John Stewart had become the main Green Lantern after Hal Jordan retired, and The Flash had been cleared of charges and moved to the 30th century to be with his wife. Plus, Batman had left the Justice League to form his own team, the Outsiders, who had their own comic. This was essentially the state of the DC Universe right before the Crisis completely shook things up.

Imagine a DC Universe where the ‘Crisis’ event never took place. How would the famous heroes have developed differently? We’d start by bringing back the original Justice League, but expanding it to include even more members. In the original timeline, the Justice League of America disbanded a year after the ‘Crisis,’ and unfortunately, Vibe became the first member to die. We’d move that disbandment – and Vibe’s death – up a bit earlier. Considering he was the team’s first Latino member, his death was problematic, and the comics didn’t portray him well. In this alternate version, we’d likely remove the less interesting character, Commander Steel, or another hero whose name is now considered offensive, instead. We’d definitely keep Vixen and Vibe, but we’d give Vibe a more original and less stereotypical portrayal—something similar to how The CW’s Arrowverse handled the characters years later.

This updated Justice League would finally include popular heroes like Supergirl and Batgirl, something fans have wanted for years but DC previously wouldn’t allow – supposedly to avoid duplicate symbols. We’d also make John Stewart the permanent Green Lantern on the team, replacing Hal Jordan. And while Batman would return, we’d expand the League to include members of his Outsiders team, such as Black Lightning, Metamorpho, and Katana.

After the Flash, Barry Allen, spent time in the distant future, he tragically died during the Crisis event. But what if Kid Flash, Wally West, had stepped up to become the Flash in the present, without Barry needing to sacrifice himself against the Anti-Monitor? At this time, Wally’s team, the Teen Titans, were already DC’s most popular heroes. They’d demonstrated they could handle adult-level threats, despite still being teenagers. This opens the door to officially bringing the Titans into the Justice League. Imagine Batman, Nightwing, and Batgirl all working together on the same team – the story possibilities are endless!

The X-Men ’97 Approach

Is this series simply meant to appeal to older fans and make money? To some extent, yes. But we’d aim for the same approach as X-Men ’97. That show started with the most well-known version of the X-Men – the one most people immediately picture. It used that familiar foundation to tell completely new and unexpected stories, going further than the original ’90s cartoon ever did. We’d like to do the same with the most classic versions of DC’s heroes, but in comic book format instead of animation.

After the ‘Crisis’ event, DC Comics reimagined its iconic heroes – Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman – for a new generation, and those updates have been great. However, a series set on Earth-1985 could bring back the older, more classic versions of these heroes and explore their characters in ways that weren’t possible before. It would be a perfect project for Geoff Johns, who originally created the Earth-1985 concept, but since he’s no longer writing for DC, someone like Joshua Williamson would also be a fantastic fit. Whether it’s an ongoing series or a limited run, DC should really revisit this idea – the potential for compelling stories is too good to ignore.

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2026-03-11 23:34