The Injustice Society of America (often abbreviated as the ISA) was a group of dangerous and powerful supervillains that once worked together to achieve a common goal - Project New America. The group was spearheaded by Icicle and contained a diverse roster of individuals with an array of talents and powers.
Despite meticulous planning and detailed coordination, the ISA was ultimately foiled in its grand plan by the new JSA and broke apart.
History[]
The ISA villain Per Degatron was banished to an alternate timeline by The Flash. In 1988, Blackbriar Thorn was destroyed by the Green Lantern.
In late nineties or early 2000s, Icicle brought together a group of super-villains, each possessing unique abilities, to work toward the remaking of the United States of America with Icicle's ideals. He recruited the criminal couple Paula Brooks/Tigress and Larry Crock/Sportsmaster, as well as individual villains William Zarick/The Wizard, Solomon Grundy, and The Shade. They worked together as well as apart over the years. Their individual and group antics soon caught the attention of the Justice Society of America, and the two groups began a long and bitter feud. Each battle, however, ended in a stalemate or near-escape by either party.
On Christmas Eve 2010, the ISA lured the JSA into an ambush at a secluded mansion estate in Los Angeles, igniting a ferocious and bloody battle that tore the mansion apart and sent shockwaves across the county. The JSA heroes fought valiantly to the very last but nonetheless fell one by one until only Hourman, Dr. Mid-Nite, and Starman remained. Just as The Shade killed Dr. Mid-Nite and Wizard rendered Hourman unconscious, Stripsey entered the mansion in response to an SOS from Starman. Though Starman incapacitated Wizard, Gambler, Tigress, Sportsmaster, and Brainwave in quick succession, he suffered a mortal wound after Icicle fired an ice spike at him. This forced a dying Starman and frantic Stripesy to retreat, outrunning Solomon Grundy in the process. The battle ended with the JSA all but completely destroyed while the ISA, though battered, remained at full strength.
With the JSA destroyed, the ISA found itself at the height of its power. Unbeknownst to them at the time, Hourman, who survived the massacre, followed the ISA as they moved across the country and eventually settled into Blue Valley, Nebraska, integrating themselves into the community to the point where they were virtually untraceable. In 2011, when the ISA discovered Hourman was still alive and following their every move, Solomon Grundy was released. Grundy killed Rex and his wife while the couple was attempting to escape town.
In 2011, further driven by his desire to create a better world following the death of his wife, Icicle and his team continued to help him carry out his master plan of remaking the United States of America.
Three years after the battle, Icicle left to travel the world, seek revenge for his wife, and see the chaos that those he deemed evil had inflicted on smaller communities. Wizard took charge of the ISA, with Brainwave acting as second-in-command.
At the onset of the series, the ISA members have been living in Blue Valley, Nebraska, for several years without a recordable incident. The Wizard was elected councilman at Blue Valley, Brainwave became a neurosurgeon at the local hospital, Anaya Bowin set herself as principal at Blue Valley High School, Sportsmaster opened a gym, The Gambler set himself up as the CFO of The American Dream corporation, and Tigress became a P.E teacher at Blue Valley High. All the while, the group remained committed to a mysterious grand plan called "Project: New America" that involves The American Dream corporation.
Series[]
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Henry King Sr.'s son, Henry King Jr., encounters a new heroine with a staff that shoots energy blasts. The attack he experiences blows up his car forcing him to explain the incident to his father. Brainwave realizes that someone new has resumed control of the Cosmic Staff and believes this person to be targeting his son. He contacts Jordan Mahkent to inform him of the incident. Jordan instructs Brainwave to do nothing until he returns, but Brainwave ignores the command and attacks the heroine himself. He is surprised to discover the hero is a girl going by the alias of Stargirl, who believes her father is Starman.[1]
Nonetheless, Brainwave plans to kill her and her sidekick S.T.R.I.P.E. after acquiring the Cosmic Staff through blackmail. The heroine, Courtney Whitmore, learns about the history of Brainwave through her stepfather, Pat Dugan, who was a member of the Justice Society of America. The Justice Society's sworn enemies were the Injustice Society, in which Brainwave was a key member of the group. Pat warns Courtney that the group is dangerous and they aren't safe, especially if the rest of the team is present in Blue Valley. During a face-off in the BVHS parking lot, Stargirl defeats Brainwave by placing him in a coma with the use of her staff.
Brainwave's defeat lures Jordan back to Blue Valley where he meets with The American Dream CFO, Steve Sharpe, in a secret underground headquarters. Steven fills Jordan in on the details of Brainwave's collapse, including the fact that someone new has picked up Starman's staff. Jordan remains unfazed by the news claiming that he killed one Starman and can kill another.[2]
Jordan's return to Blue Valley forces him to take back leadership of the group, as he had left that role to William Zarick, a councilman at Blue Valley and a member of the ISA. Joran's anger at William for letting Brainwave act so recklessly forces him to confront the new hero wielding Starman's staff. As Icicle, he fights Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E. in the woods of Blue Valley. As the battle intensifies, he sees a school bus full of children and purposefully freezes the road to cause it to swerve. The crash is stopped by S.T.R.I.P.E., though Icicle freezes the road in front of a car for the sole purpose of murdering a teenaged Joey Zarick. Icicle's tactical decision is never elaborated on, though the choice causes a rift between him and William. William wields his Wizard's wand against Jordan. He prepares to kill him but Jordan kills him in first, freezing him to death.[3]
With Brainwave still comatose, Jordan orders to his lieutenants to find Stargirl and her friends while he kills the people indirectly responsible for his wife's death. Later, Brainwave's son Henry King Jr. discovers that he has powers, the same that his father. He awakens him as killing accidentally his shady lawyer but he is amnesiac for a moment. After learning that Jordan has killed Mary, Henry's mother and his brother Starman, Henry asks Stargirl's help to save his father, believing that he can save him from Jordan's influence. But Jordan takes Brainwave and Dragon King cures his amnesia. Brainwave confesses to his son that Jordan does not kill his wife but that it was him because he had made his choice. Henry fights his father who kills him as burying him alive.
Soon after, Brainwave reveals to Jordan Stargirl's identity as Courtney Whitmore, that Pat Dugan was Stripsey and when his son is dead, he absorbed all his powers and now he can take control of six States and no more only of the half of the country. Jordan orders Brainwave to kill Courtney's entire family. Brainwave sends Sportsmaster and Tigress killed Courtney and his family but they failed. The Gambler warns Jordan who sends Anaya to help them. But after having insulted her teammates one more time, Anaya is killed by Tigress. The ISA begin their Project New America hypnotizing all adults including S.T.R.I.P.E and Shining Knight. Beth succeeds to free S.T.R.I.P.E and Shining Knight and the showdown between the JSA and the ISA begins. With Chuck's help, Beth steals all The Gambler's money to distract him, Sportsmaster and Tigress are defeated, Dragon King is killed by Cindy. Yolanda kills Brainwave when he tries to fool her as disguising as his son. The Gambler frees Solomon Grundy and warns Jordan about Beth. Jordan kills Chuck and kidnaps Barbara. Grundy defeats S.T.R.I.P.E but Hourman saves him and fights Grundy. He defeats him but instead of kill for the deaths of his parents he banishes Grundy of Blue Valley. Seeing the battle is lost, the Gambler flees. Stargirl saves her mother and fights Icicle a last time and he is killed by Mike Dugan.
The ISA is dismantled, but Cindy has escaped and the Shade, a former member having betrayed Icicle, arrives on Blue Valley.
Later, after the Final Battle against Eclipso, Cindy, Artemis, Sportsmaster, Tigress and Shade redeem and join the JSA. But Lily and Sofus Mahkent wanting to avenge their son and continue his legacy as well as the ISA reveal to their grandson theirs powers.
Project: New America[]
- Main article: Project New America
Jordan's grand plan was called, "Project New America", and is the reason he and the rest of the ISA settled in Blue Valley. With Brainwave fueling the satellite, they were able to broadcast his telepathic powers across six states. They effectively controlled every developed mind across these states, allowing them to rebuild America using their ideals and beliefs. Brainwave absorbed his sons powers after his death, which made him confident that he could control twenty-five states as opposed to six. With their plans ready to start, Jordan sent Brainwave to kill Stargirl and the rest of the Whitmore-Dugan family so they couldn't foil their plan. Unbeknownst to them, Stargirl and the JSA concocted a plan to stop the ISA before the launch.
Known Members[]
Former[]
- Jordan Mahkent/Icicle † (Leader)
- William Zarick/The Wizard † (Interim Leader)
- Dr. Henry King/Brainwave † (Second-in-Command)
- Mr. Bowin/The Fiddler (Whereabouts/Status Unknown)
- Anaya Bowin/The Fiddler †
- Steve Sharpe/The Gambler †
- Larry Crock/Sportsmaster † (Left after disbanding)
- Paula Brooks/Tigress † (Left after disbanding)
- Solomon Grundy (Defeated by Hourman; left after disbanding)
- The Shade (Left in 2010)
Rejected Candidates[]
- Cindy Burman/Shiv - Cindy Burman wanted to join the ISA to make her father Shiro Ito/Dragon King proud. However, Dragon King would consider her a failed experiment and refused to grant her an audience with the rest of the ISA for her to attempt to join the organization.
- Ultra-Humanite † - The Ultra-Humanite is a friend of Shiro Ito/Dragon King and an acquaintance of Jordan Mahkent/Icicle. For some unspecified reason the ISA refused to admit him into their organization.
Unknown[]
- Per Degaton (Banished to an alternate reality by The Flash; Degaton’s relationship with Icicle's ISA is unknown)
- Blackbriar Thorn (Destroyed by Green Lantern; Thorn's relationship to Icicle's ISA is unknown)
Allies[]
Current Allies[]
Former Allies[]
- Cindy Burman/Shiv (Deserted)
- Dr. Shiro Ito/Dragon King
Enemies[]
Current Enemies[]
- Justice Society of America
- Justin/Shining Knight
- Mike Dugan
- Barbara Whitmore
- Ultra-Humanite
- Charles McNider/Dr. Mid-Nite
Former Enemies[]
- Justice Society of America (Golden Age: defeated)
- Wendi Tyler †
- Henry King Jr. †
Appearances[]
Stargirl | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season 1 | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ |
Season 2 | P | M | ★ | P | M | M | |||||||
Season 3 | M | M | M | P | M | M | M | P | M |
Notes and Trivia[]
- The ISA's headquarters were built by The Other Founding Fathers in 1876 under what is now-known as The American Dream. A series of underground tunnels connect to notable locations around town, including Cindy's house and Blue Valley High School.
- Despite their underlying willingness to work together, the ISA as a group is not without its flaws. As Pat Dugan pointed out, the individual super-villains "aren't the most stable people to begin with" and the group is notorious for infighting, dissension and backstabbing with some members openly loathing, threatening and/or murdering each other.
- Icicle was a prime example of this as he unhesitatingly murdered The Wizard and his family simply because William was indecisive and primarily led through intimidation and fear.
- The ISA ironically killed more of its own members than the JSA did; The Wizard, Tigress, and Sportsmaster were killed by Icicle, The Fiddler 2.0 was killed by Tigress and a later-revived Dragon King was killed by Shiv. Additionally, Dr. Ito killed The Gambler, whereas the JSA only killed Brainwave and Icicle.
- Most of the ISA members have children who continued the next generation of the group under Cindy Burman's short-lived splinter group Injustice Unlimited.
- Icicle's son Cameron turned down her offer before she could properly make it, leaving Tigress and Sportsmaster's daughter Artemis, and Anaya and The Fiddler's son Isaac to continue the progeny.
- The Wizard's son Joey was killed by Icicle before he learned of the ISA, while Brainwave killed his son Henry.
- New membership required consent from the other already-active members of the society, as Dragon King was worried that his colleagues would not allow Cindy to be a member after failing to kill Stargirl when she infiltrated the ISA's tunnels underneath of the school.
- Every member of the 2010 ISA has perished, except for Richard Swift.
- It is unknown what happened to the original Fiddler, since his wife Anaya Bowin took his place. It was assumed he was incarcerated after his mugshot was shown, though the of this arrest is unknown.
- Solomon Grundy's relationship with the group was ambiguous at best; though he is apparently capable of following basic commands and recognizing allies, the ISA kept him locked away in a cell most of the time and verbally abused him regularly. He also left the ISA after Brainwave's death.
- The original JSA maintained files of every ISA member they were aware of. After the destruction of the JSA, Hourman sent the remaining JSA files and artifacts to Pat Dugan for safekeeping.
- Two ISA members that weren't seen were Blackbriar Thorn and Per Degatron, but their involvement in the ISA was recorded in these files.
- Curiously, Icicle's ISA never mentioned the involvement of Degatron or Thorn. They were also not included in the ISA team portrait.
- Because of Per Degatron and Blacbriar Thorn's involved in the ISA, it's widely speculated that Icicle's ISA might not have been the first version of the Injustice Society of America that the original JSA, founded in the 1940s, encountered.