When The New 52 reboot launched back in 2011, decades worth of history were wiped away. Suddenly, the DC Universe was only five years old, and a number of legacy characters were M.I.A. Thankfully, DC Rebirth changed that by bringing back Wally West and teasing the fact that Watchmen character Dr. Manhattan may have stolen this world’s history for reasons known only to him.
Later this year, Batman and Flash will investigate that in “The Button,” a crossover delving into the surprise appearance of The Comedian’s bloodied badge in the Batcave. That won’t be the only surprise though, as after teasing the return of Jay Garrick in a recent issue of The Flash, it’s now been confirmed via Jason Fabok’s cover for issue #22, the final chapter of the four-part event, that the character will indeed be back.
For those of you unfamiliar with Jay, he’s a member of the Justice Society of America, a superhero group from World War II. Following The New 52, a new version was introduced as being from Earth-2, but fans never really took to that different take on the beloved superhero. In fact, the Earth-2 series is coming to an end in the next couple of months, so that nicely sets the stage for the return of the real deal.
Having him show up here also emphasizes the fact that DC Comics is bringing back some of the history they wiped away, though how both Jay and the JSA factor into this big Watchmen mystery remains to be seen. You can, however, find our own theories on the upcoming event story by clicking here.
