The Justice League has faced many formidable foes throughout the years, but their greatest villain just might be the dark inverse of Batman. That villain is Prometheus, who once came close to defeating the League for good…
Prometheus made quite the splash when he made his debut during Grant Morrison’s run on JLA. A constant thorn in the heroes’ side ever since, Prometheus nearly dismantled the Justice League in their first altercation. The villain has also found life outside of the comics, becoming a major antagonist in the Arrow television series. Although a few different characters have taken the moniker over the years, the original Prometheus was seemingly killed at the end of the Justice League: Cry for Justice miniseries, although the villain has since returned in the post-New 52 DC continuity.
It’s in the New Year’s Evil: Prometheus special by Grant Morrison and Arnie Jorgenson where we learn Prometheus’s origin story. Meeting up with Retro, a minor hero who won a contest to meet the JLA, Prometheus tells him how he came to be. The unnamed son of two hippie spree killers, the young Prometheus lived a life on the run with his wanted parents. In a dark twist on Bruce Wayne’s origin, Prometheus’ parents are eventually gunned down by the police. Swearing vengeance on justice in all its forms, the young man travels the world to acquire the skills he needs in his war. Unlike Bruce Wayne, however, Prometheus learns his talents by working as a mercenary in Africa and the Middle East. After finding a special key in the fabled Shambhala that takes him to another dimension, Prometheus decides he’s ready to take on the forces of justice. After briefly considering blowing up the U.S. Supreme Court, Prometheus changes his mind when he learns about the Justice League. After he finishes telling Retro his tale, Prometheus coldly murders him and takes his place, sneaking onto the Justice League Watchtower on the moon to enact his ultimate revenge…
In many ways, Prometheus acts as the perfect counterpart to Batman. The two characters have even more in common besides similar origins, with both relying on their wits and gadgetry to take on foes much more powerful than they are. Prometheus uses these means in a much different fashion than Batman, however: whereas Batman has trained himself to the peak of physical conditioning, Prometheus takes a shortcut and downloads martial arts skills and other abilities directly to his brain via computer programs in his helmet – which allowed him to quickly dispatch Batman in their first encounter on the Watchtower. Also like Batman, Prometheus is able to deduce every League member’s weak points, presaging how Batman’s contingency plans against his Justice League peers were used against the team in the later Tower of Babel storyline. Prometheus’ look is also undeniably similar to Batman, with the antenna on his helmet recalling the famous ears on Batman’s cowl.
Although Prometheus takes down several heavy hitters of the JLA in quick succession after infiltrating the Watchtower, he’s ultimately unsuccessful in his aims. With some last minute help from a disguised Catwoman, the JLA is able to turn the tide in their favor and defeat Prometheus. Still, the villain deserves points for coming close to taking out Batman and the Justice League for good.
