It would be an understatement to say that DC fans have been through the wringer over the last few years, but at least they’ve got a sense of humor about it. A recent craze to sweep supporters of the comic book company’s output has seen them poke fun at the sheer volume of abandoned ideas using the “WB already had a plan” template, and it’s dredged up some unwanted memories surrounding 1997’s failed Justice League of America pilot.
Making huge deviations from the source material, the unsuccessful 80-minute test run for a potential TV series followed Kim Oja’s Tori Olafsdotter (better known as the superhero Ice), who would find herself inducted into the Justice League after gaining superpowers, where she’d team up with various well-known figures to fight crime.
The protagonist was a meteorologist, and the villain was also in exactly the same profession, except Miguel Ferrer’s Dr. Eno was evil, of course. Needless to say, Redditors couldn’t stop themselves from cringing when taking the unwanted trip down memory lane.
The effects were terrible, the costumes were cheap and a million miles away from being comic-accurate, while the ragtag group of Justice League members included software salesman Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, science teacher The Atom, struggling actress Fire, and unemployed speedster Barry Allen, all of whom were whipped into shape by leader Martian Manhunter.
It’s become a footnote in DC history, but we wonder how things would have turned out for the likes of Smallville and the Arrowverse over the course of the next decade had Justice League of America actually managed to secure a series order.