The Hall of Justice mural featured in 2025's Superman confirmed 26 notable metahumans already existing in the DCU, which consists of a deep cut roster from DC Comics. James Gunn's Superman highlighted many exciting Easter eggs, and its historic opening scroll might be the best yet, after it confirmed that metahumans have existed for 300 years.
This means that hidden superheroes and villains throughout the DCU's storied history are waiting to be explored, and a glimpse of some of them was already featured inside the Hall of Justice through a mural seen in the background of Lois Lane and the Justice Gang's conversation.
While Superman is still soaring in theaters, DC Studios co-CEO and director James Gunn pulled back the curtain by giving fans a full glimpse of the Hall of Justice mural, which has been the main topic of conversation among DC diehards for weeks.
From left to right, the characters seen are Sister Symmetry, Silent Knight, Exoristos, and Black Pirate:
Sister Symmetry
Sister Symmetry is a powerful sorceress who channels her power from the Cloak of Cyra, similar to how the Helmet of Fate from Nabu gives Dr. Fate his magical abilities.
The bearer of the mystical cloak (whoever she may be) receives the nigh-omnipotent powers of the Lord of Order, which include flight, magic, and reality manipulation.
Silent Knight
Created by Robert Kanigher and Irv Novick, Silent Knight (Brian Kent) is a young knight from sixth-century Great Britain. He is a master swordsman and expert combatant wearing silver armor alongside a collection of weapons.
In the 1990s Hawkman series, it was revealed that he is a past avatar of the Hawk-God, implying that he is a past incarnation of Carter Hall (aka Hawkman). The Brave and the Bold Vol. 3 # 10 implied that Brian Kent is an ancestor of Jonathan Kent after a time-traveling Superman encountered and teamed up with the Silent Knight in the past. Due to their adventures, Brian felt an "inexplicable kinship" toward Superman, further cementing his potential ties to the Kent family.
Exoristos
Created by Paul Cornell and Diogenes Neves, Exoristos is an exiled Amazon from Themyscira who once owned Diana Prince's (Wonder Woman) iconic sword.
As an Amazon, she has similar abilities to Wonder Woman, including superhuman strength and expertise in combat.
Black Pirate
The Black Pirate (aka Jon Valor) is a privateer with a strong moral code tasked to fight injustice on the high seas during the 16th century. The character, created by Sheldon Moldoff, debuted in Action Comics # 23 in April 1940, and is a member of the Five Warriors from Forever (a group of time-displaced adventurers).
The Arrowverse marked the first on-screen appearance of Jon Valor after he was featured in DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 1, Episode 7, "Marooned," where he was portrayed by Callum Keith Rennie.
While the character does not have superpowers from the comics, it's possible that the DCU would retcon him as a metahuman. His abilities include strategic expertise, mastery of swords, and seamanship.
Other metahumans featured are Miss Liberty, Max Mercury as Whip Wirlwind, Lazarus Lane (with his horse, Lucifer), and Chop-Chop:
Miss Liberty
Miss Liberty (Bess Lyn) served as one of the heroes during the American Revolutionary War. Alongside Black Pirate, she joined other time-displaced heroes known as the Five Warriors from Forever after they were manipulated by the Lord of Time and transported to 3786.
Miss Liberty doesn't have any superpowers from the comics, but she is an expert hand-to-hand combatant and horsewoman.
Whip Whirlwind
Whip Whirlwind is one of the early aliases of Max Mercury during his time as a speedster hero in the 1890s. He served as a Wild West-era speedster who helped save countless Native Americans.
As a vessel of the Speed Force, he has abilities similar to The Flash, which include superspeed, speed healing, time travel, and enhanced reflexes.
Super Chief
Created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino, Super Chief is an Iroquois warrior from the 15th century who was granted superpowers by the Manitou Stone. His newfound abilities include superstrength and superspeed, but the catch is that he can only use them for one hour at a time.
His name, Super Chief, originally means Saganowahna in his native language. By becoming a fearless leader, he protected his tribe from European invaders and other nefarious enemies.
Lazarus Lane
Another hero from the wild west is the so-called masked Avenger: Lazarus Lane. Alongside his horse, Lucifer, Lazarus became the hero, El Diablo, after the Wise Owl imbued him with the Spirit of Vengeance.
As El Diablo, he is a master of guns, combat, bullwhip, and equestrianism. The only caveat in his power set is that Lazarus can only transform into El Diablo once he is knocked out or asleep, since the demon will take over his body and perform heroic acts. The character is created by Robert Kanigher and Tony DeZuniga.
Chop-Chop
The mural shows a shirtless Chop-Chop (aka Wu Cheng). In DC Comics, he is a young Chinese pilot who served in the Blackhawk Squadron during World War II. As a master of aviation, he is a skilled pilot with advanced combat skills.
In Blackhawk # 230, Chop Chop used titanium gloves to serve as an upgrade for his already masterful use of combat. Created by Will Eisner and Chuck Cuidera, he made his debut in Blackhawk # 108.
Another wave of metahumans featured in the mural are the Ghost of Flanders, Sandman (Wesley Dodds), Amazing Man (Will Everett), and Zatara (Zatanna's father):
Ghost of Flanders
The Ghost of Flanders (Rip Graves) served as a masked crimefighter during World War II. He was introduced in Hit Comics # 18 (December 1941) by George Brenner.
He faked his death to become a superhero, secretly building a sub-crypt base beneath a tomb created for his honor. While he has no powers in the comics, he relies on his military training and exceptional combat skills to defeat Nazi spies.
Sandman (Wesley Dodds)
Created by Gardner Fox and Bert Christman and introduced in Adventure Comics # 40, Wesley Dodds portrayed the original Sandman, dubbed one of the original mystery men vigilantes.
His abilities include having prophetic dreams where he envisions ambiguous crime scenes that help him solve them later on. His iconic weapons include a Gas Gun, which he uses as a way to knock out criminals, and a grappling hook called a Wirepoon Gun.
Amazing Man
Another Golden Age vigilante in the Hall of Justice mural is Amazing Man, an active hero during World War II. While several people took the mantle, the most iconic one is Will Everett from the 1940s.
Once a celebrated athlete, Everett was kidnapped and experimented on by Ultra-Humanite, which granted him the ability to mimic and absorb any material he touches. Created by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway, he is one of DC's earliest African-American superheroes who debuted in All-Star Squadron #23.
Zatara
DC fans may recognize Giovanni "John" Zatara as the father of the mystic heroine, Zatanna. Zatara is a master sorcerer who used logomancy (speaking spells backwards) as his main weapon in fighting criminals in the 1930s and 1940s.
He was an active hero during World War II, fighting Axis spies and eventually joining the Justice Society of America (JSA) - read more about the potential Justice Society of America project from the DCU.
Joining the list of metahumans are Liberty Belle (Libby Lawrence), Bulletman, Bulletgirl, and Max Mercury (Maxwell Candrall):
Liberty Bell
While there are other characters who took the mantle of Liberty Bell, the most prominent one was Libby Lawrence, a journalist-turned-hero during World War II.
Introduced in Boy Commandos # 1 and created by Don Cameron and Chuck Winter, the hero's powers are activated by ringing the Liberty Bell. This grants her superhuman abilities and the power to emit vibrational bursts. She is also the wife of the speedster Johnny Quick and the mother of Jesse Quick.
Bulletman
Bulletman (aka Jim Barr) was an active superhero in the 1940s who fought Nazis and other sinister criminals.
He used his invention, the Crime Cure serum, which enhanced his muscle mass, strength, and intelligence whenever he fought enemies. Jim also created a Gravity Regulator Helmet to allow him to fly and deflect bullets.
Bulletman was created by Bill Parker and Jon Smalle, and he made his debut in Nickel Comics # 1.
Bulletgirl
Bulletgirl (Susan Kent) was Jim Barr's wife, who later joined her husband's crime-fighting adventures in the 1940s.
After infusing herself with the Crime Cure serum and wearing the Gravity Regulator Helmet, she developed a skill set similar to Bulletman's.
Max Mercury
The mural also featured the modern-day version of Max Mercury, who was wearing his iconic 1990s red-and-blue costume from Mark Waid's Flash run.
In Waid's run, he was a time-displaced speedster who mentored Wally West and Bart Allen.
More confirmed metahumans in the mural are TNT, Dan the Dyna-mite, Phantom Lady, Atomic Knight, and Freedom Beast:
TNT
Thomas N. "Tex" Thomas (aka TNT) is a superhero from World War II who developed radioactive powers that allowed him to generate heat energy during his battles against Nazis and criminals during the 1940s.
His affiliations include All-Star Squadron and Seven Soldiers of Victory. Louis Cazeneuve created the character for Quality Comics. TNT made his debut in Star Spangled Comics # 7.
Dan the Dyna-mite
Dan the Dyna-mite (aka Daniel Dunbar) is the student of Tex Thomas, who eventually became entangled with his crime-fighting ways after being exposed to the same experiment that granted his teacher his powers.
While TNT can generate heat energy, Dan the Dyna-mite can utilize electric energy to his advantage during battles. He was also a member of the All-Star Squadron and the Seven Soldiers of Victory from the comics.
Phantom Lady
Phantom Lady (aka Sandra Knight) fought the Nazi army during World War II as a member of the Golden Age Squadron.
As one of the earliest female superheroes under the DC banner, the character utilized a special device called the Black Light Ray to project black light, allowing her to create temporary darkness within the vicinity, become invisible, and emit light bursts against enemies. She is also an expert spy skilled in deception and infiltration.
The character first appeared in Police Comics #1, created by Arthur Peddy and Eisner and Iger Studio for Quality Comics.
Atomic Knight
Atomic Knight (aka Gardner Grayle) became a hero in a post-apocalyptic future following the tragic events of World War III. Grayle took part in a military experiment called the Atomic Knights, where they were equipped with radiation-resistant armor with one goal in mind: to restore peace and order.
The armor granted him superhuman strength and durability. He also had a gun named Stun Lance, which can emit energy blasts. Ultimately, he became an expert in fighting mutant creatures, tyrannical leaders, and otherworldly creatures.
Freedom Beast
Freedom Beast (aka Dominic Mndawe) is a South African superhero who succeeded B'Wana Beast as the primary protector of African wildlife.
His abilities include mind control and merging parts of animals to create entities that can help him during battles. Aside from being an expert hand-to-hand combatant, Freedom Beast has access to The Red - a mystical force tied to Swamp Thing.
The final batch includes Wildcat, Vibe, Gunfire, and Maxwell Lord (it is unknown if he is a metahuman or if he placed his image because he is the owner of the Justice Gang):
Wildcat
Ted Grant (aka Wildcat) is a prominent member of the Justice Society of America. He is a former heavyweight boxing champion who moonlights as a superhero to clear his name after being framed for murder.
Wildcat is an expert in hand-to-hand combat, has immense athleticism, and has the mystical power of "Nine Lives" (akin to a cat), where he can survive fatal injuries and remain unscathed in battles.
The first live-action version of the character appeared in The CW's Stargirl.
Vibe
Arrowverse fans may recognize Vibe because of his notable appearance in The CW's The Flash series, where Carlos Valdez portrayed him on-screen.
In the Hall of Justice mural, Vibe's inclusion suggested that another live-action version of the character will appear in the DCU sooner rather than later.
In DC Comics, Vibe is one of the first Latino superheroes. His abilities include vibrational manipulation and Multiversal awareness.
Gunfire
Gunfire (aka Andrew Van Horn) is a gun-toting metahuman who was infused with the ability to turn anything into a gun, making him a perfect asset in battle.
His origin story began when Venev, a Bloodlines Parasite, almost killed him. When he survived, he gained the power to manipulate kinetic energy.
Maxwell Lord
Now, it is unknown whether Maxwell Lord (played by Sean Gunn) is a metahuman in the DCU. While it's possible that his inflated ego may be the sole reason why he decided to include his image in the mural, there is clear evidence from DC Comics that the DCU's version might end up being revealed as a metahuman.
During the Invasion! comic event (Invasion #2 from 1988), it confirmed that Maxwell is a metahuman who has the ability to control minds. This revelation could make fans wonder if Sean Gunn's character secretly manipulates the Justice Gang, making him a perfect future villain in upcoming projects.
