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Alex Roggio writes...
The Justice League in the comics seemed more like an American organization while the Justice League you presented in Young Justice is an International organization with U.N. approval that operates all over the world. I like this version of the Justice League, but I wonder why all the members are based in United States.
1. Sure, Wonder Woman is from the Amazons, Superman is from Krypton, Martian Man Hunter is from Mars, Hawkman and Hawkwoman are from God-knows-where, but they are all based in America. Why aren't there any African, European, South American or Asian heroes in the supposedly international Justice League?
2. In a world where there are so many ways to become a superhero, how come China, Russia, Japan, India, Spain, Italy, Egypt and others haven't had superheroes who could join the Justice League? And how come the U.N. accepted them so easily knowing they were ALL American heroes? Having American citizens serving as worldwide policemen must be uncomfortable for most countries.
3. Also, there are a lot of evil villains with different countries of origin that have appeared on the show like Count Vertigo, Vandal Savage, Bane, Ra's Al Ghul and Queen Bee, but you haven't presented any superhero from any other country at all. Why is that? And even if there were one, why isn't there more?
4. One final question concerning the same issue. Why did the Green Lantern Corps choose three American citizens to defend Earth? I'm not trying to disrespect John Stewart, Kyle Rayner and Hal Jordan, but there certainly has to be a lot of willful and heroic people across the globe that could do wonders with a Green Lantern ring. Why these three? And why all from USA?
Thank you for giving the time to answer these questions and many others! Love the site. Thanks.
Greg responds...
1. Okay, I think this is simultaneously a legit question and a bit of a specious one. To some extent, you know the answer already. We weren't going to ditch out on the greatest heroes of the DC Universe simply because they're all based in the U.S. (Though if I wanted to nitpick, I could say that Aquaman absolutely is not, and that we haven't established where the Hawks are based on Earth or whether Wonder Woman is currently based in the U.S. or elsewhere.) I'm not saying that DC doesn't have international heroes to choose from, but they aren't the classic ones that we were using to create a pantheon in contrast to our teens. As the series progresses (especially given enough episodes and/or issues), we'll be introducing more heroes from across the globe. As for an in-Universe answer, let's just say that the League was formed by seven American base heroes who came together to face an alien threat on American soil. Currently, America is where most of the heroes live. Just as America is (or at least until very recently was) where most baseball, basketball and (American) football players live. These things spread, but not overnight. And, all things considered - source material, especially - I think our series is more diverse than most.
2a. See the answer(s) to question 1.
2b. Who said they accepted them easily?
3. See above.
4. We haven't seen Kyle on this series. Only Hal, John and Guy. But keep in mind, the Corps didn't pick the Lanterns. The RINGS chose the Lanterns. And proximity was absolutely a factor.