Superman Just Put Batman in His Place (and Proved to Us Why the Trinity Matters)

DC’s Trinity is its most important and one of its most prominent groups. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are the best of the best when it comes to heroism, and their position here showcases how vital their perspectives are to the DC Universe’s community. Their morals and messages intersect in the best way, both overlapping and bringing different perspectives to the table that magnify how important each one is. The Trinity are also one of DC’s closest groups of friends, which makes whenever they clash all the more impactful and dangerous. When these three are at each other’s throats, you know that things are bad, and that they’re only going to get worse from here on.

Justice League Unlimited #10 demonstrated exactly what it looks like when the three best heroes go at each other. They’re best friends and perfect partners, and their cooperation unites the entire sphere of heroes underneath them. On the other hand, when they find themselves on opposite ends of an issue, it threatens to tear everything around them apart. Superman just called out Batman, and now Batman is going behind everyone’s back in the most Batman move possible, and unless they can pull themselves together, the entire Justice League could crumble around them.

A Battle of Ideology

During the events of the “We Are Yesterday” crossover, the new Justice Leaguer Air Wave was manipulated by Gorilla Grodd into betraying the team, and with his help almost doomed the entire universe as Grodd absorbed the Omega Energy left behind after Darkseid’s ascension. The League managed to stop Grodd, but their ability to travel through time was cut off, and plenty of heroes from the JLU’s past and future were stranded in the present with no way home. While the dust was settling, the Trinity met to discuss who they could handle the betrayal, and how to stop it from happening again. The Justice League Unlimited was founded under the idea of recruiting as many heroes as possible to work under one banner of improving the world by helping each other, which was pitched and pushed by Superman.

Now, Batman fought back against the ethos of the JLU, saying that they recruited too many people too hastily, and how that left them vulnerable. Batman demanded that they immediately dig into every member’s history to see if anyone else showed signs they could be manipulated like Air Wave, but Superman insisted that was invading their privacy and that Air Wave was a unique case they failed to help, which was on them. Batman called Superman too trusting, and Superman clapped back by saying Batman let Jason Todd become Robin, which almost started a fight until Wonder Woman stepped in. She insisted on a middle ground, saying Batman’s proposition went too far, but they also needed to vet their recruits better going forward. Superman agreed, but said they still needed to talk about this more before taking action, and left. Back at the Watchtower, Batman spoke to Red Tornado about digging into everyone’s past, and the AI hero simply asked if this was what Batman wanted, which the Dark Knight didn’t answer.

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A Personal Attack and Emotion-Driven Response

We all know that Jason Todd is one of Bruce’s weak spots, given that he feels like he failed Jason at every step of the way. Superman’s callout is clearly deeply hurtful, and very un-Superman like, honestly, which just goes to show how on edge everyone was at this meeting. Now, Batman might be going his own way to meet his goal, even against the wishes of the others. This response perfectly shows why the Trinity is so important. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are all always fighting for truth, justice, and a better tomorrow, but they go about it in different ways. Specifically, they are the most truth-oriented heroes around, with Superman being a journalist, Batman being a detective, and Wonder Woman literally having the Lasso of Truth. They all want to find the truth, but they tackle it from different angles.

Superman wants to always trust people to show the truth, but that compassion made him overlook Air Wave’s betrayal. Batman wants to uncover the worst possible outcome, but in doing so breaks people’s trust and burns bridges that should never be touched. Wonder Woman tries to look past her own hopes and fears and see things for how they are, but often takes much longer to formulate her opinion in that case, and is so busy keeping the peace between Batman and Superman that she hardly has time to do anything else. Obviously, the middle ground that Wonder Woman is proposing is essential, and Batman and Superman need to both offer their suggestions as to how to reach it, as only together can all three of them find the perfect solution.  The Trinity balance each other perfectly, letting them overcome their weaknesses and be their best selves. It prevents Batman from going too far, but Superman’s personal attack might have pushed Batman far enough away that he’s willing to step over that line. The Trinity need each other, but if they’re too busy fighting to save the day, then their worst fears will hit them when they least expect it.

Justice League Unlimited #10 is on sale now!