The Justice League’s new Unlimited roster allows the team to call upon just about any hero at a moment’s notice, and the team utilizes this with precision throughout Justice League Unlimited #1. Red Tornado sends a number of teams to handle different incoming threats, but even with their vast resources and intel, the League can still be surprised by a hero’s abilities, and that’s what happened with one of their newest additions Star Sapphire. Star Sapphire surprised Black Lightning, Red Tornado, and everyone else on the team by pulling off a down to the wire rescue with nothing but the connection of love, changing the game for what her powers and truly capable of.
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Early on in the issue the League is called into action after mass casualties are reported in Balhauzer, South Africa. This is due to unidentified weapons of mass destruction, which are later revealed to be the weapons of a powerful new group known as Inferno. The military is overrun and so the League deploys their Alpha Wave, which includes Star Sapphire, Superman, Wonder Woman, Black Lightning, Kid Flash, and Firestorm.
As Sapphire and Black Lightning are scouting for survivors, Sapphire notices someone faintly saying the name Amahle, but when they find him he is gravely injured. When asked for the nearest hospital, Red Tornado says there are none left standing due to the attack for forty miles, so the man won’t make it.
Sapphire protects him from some incoming debris as Lightning says they have to help others that need them, but Sapphire notices a wedding ring. “Lightning, I can save him! Does he have any ID? Any at all?,” Sapphire asks, and lightning says it’s Aadan Nkosi. Sapphire figures out that the word Amahle he keeps saying must be his wife’s name, and if they can find her she can heal him.
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That’s where Air Wave comes in, who brings a living signal to the location and allows the league to blast their message to find Amahle to everyone nearby. After she hears the message Flash brings her to the location of Aadan, and Star Sapphire reveals that she can fix this but the power only works in the presence of two hearts already joined.
Sapphire tells Amahle “concentrate on all this man means to you. Focus on the love you share. Open your soul…and be as one with him. My ring can turn your bond into a healing force.” You see the energy surround him and eventually he is able to sit up, and while Black Lightning says he still needs medical attention, he also adds “but you’re alive” as Aadan and Amahle hug.
The root of this power was introduced in Sapphire’s previous stories in Green Lantern, but not only did she push what that connection between two hearts can do even further, she also continues to hone her expanded abilities on the field in continually desperate situations. This only seems to be the tip of the iceberg too, and Star Sapphire could end up being one of the League’s most valuable members by the end of this run.
What did you think of Star Sapphire’s big save in Justice League Unlimited? You can talk all things comics and DC with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb and on Bluesky @knightofoa!
