Warning: contains spoilers for Justice League #65!
The Justice League‘s youngest member just accidentally disrespected John Constantine in the funniest way. When the Hall of Justice comes under attack, new recruit Naomi is told to take her parents down to the basement and look for any wayward superheroes who may be down there. Among the strange and potentially dangerous objects stored there, the family run into John Constantine. Not knowing who John is, Naomi’s parents make the hilarious mistake of assuming he’s hired help, while Naomi doesn’t even consider asking him to join the battle.
In the past, John Constantine has worked with the occasional DC hero whenever it suited his own needs, but that changed when he joined the Justice League Dark, an offshoot of the Justice League dedicated to investigating and fighting magical and supernatural threats. Although the current leader is his old ex-girlfriend Zatanna, John’s signature trenchcoat, cigarette, and dry wit accompany his old team in their current battle against the nefarious sorcerer Merlin. Meanwhile, the Justice League has been focused on training Naomi McDuffie, a superhero teenager from another world whose energy based powers are some of the strongest on Earth, making her a “mega power” hero. Naomi’s training has been constantly interrupted by events ranging from revisiting her original homeworld to the typical threats the Justice League must face on a daily basis, but in this issue, the danger is anything but ordinary.
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In Justice League #65‘s ‘United Order – Part Two’ – from Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Pugh, Romulo Fajardo Jr. and Josh Reed – the Hall of Justice is under attack from alien warrior Synmar Utopica. While Superman and the Justice League get swept up in the conflict, Batman instructs Naomi to take her parents to the basement and to tell “anyone from the Justice League Dark sleeping down there” to report upstairs immediately. The family discover John downstairs and, hearing his accent, ask if he’s the Justice League’s butler.
Ignoring the fact that the only person John likes to help is himself, Naomi’s hilarious mistake happens for two specific reasons. One, Naomi is a new hero way more familiar with her more brightly colored allies than John’s shabby appearance. Two, John’s current living situation echoes the prominence of English butlers through comics history. Characters like Alfred Pennyworth and Edwin Jarvis – the well-dressed caretakers of Batman and the Avengers – create a strange stereotype that explains why someone might assume a random British man discovered behind the scenes of a superhero mansion might just be there to serve cucumber sandwiches once the battle is over.
John could actually be a huge help against Synmar Utopica, offering a unique set of skills no other member of the Justice League is bringing to the table, but he’s so far from what Naomi expects from a traditional superhero, she advises him to hide despite having been specifically told she might meet some members of Justice League Dark and they should be brought up to the battle. As much help as the Justice League may need, they won’t be getting it from John Constantine – hopefully, the team can survive this latest attack long enough to realize how badly Naomi just burned a hero who’s usually guaranteed to get the last laugh.
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