A fair amount of James Gunn’s SupermanOpens in a new tab was shot in the cities of Cleveland and Cincinnati in Ohio. This has significance for two reasons. The first is that Cleveland is where young Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created the Man of Steel as teenagers, way back in the 1930s. The second reason, however, had larger implications for the DCU. You see, Cincinnati is the real-life home of the Justice League’s home base, the Hall of Justice. Well, the building it’s based on is from Cincinnati, anyway. Now, promo art from Superman done in a stained glass style seems to confirm that the Hall of Justice is indeed in the film, presumably as HQ for the super team the Justice Gang.
The Justice League has had many headquarters in the comics. A secret cave, a satellite in space, and a Watchtower on the moon. But thanks to the 1970s Super Friends cartoonOpens in a new tab, most people think of one HQ in particular when thinking of where the League hangs their capes—the Hall of Justice. Because it was so popular in the cartoon, the comics eventually incorporated it into mainstream continuity. However, Super Friends creators Al Gmuer and Joe Barbera lifted the design from Union TerminalOpens in a new tab in Cincinnati. First built in 1933, Union Terminal is a museum today. And it seemed when Superman filmed in town, they couldn’t help but use that location as the iconic superhero HQ.
We already know that Superman won’t have a Justice League, but instead a “Justice Gang.” And Gunn has said the League is still years away from formingOpens in a new tab. That said, it seems the Justice Gang, run by Maxwell Lord, needs a base of operations. So it makes sense they’d just use the building that inspired the Hall of Justice in the first place. At least the exterior anyway. While the Hall of Justice will likely be the HQ of the Justice Gang, we imagine that when the Justice League does finally form, they’ll use this iconic location as their base of operations.
Originally published February 22, 2024
