WW84 explained a little
A little about Maxwell Lord, in case you don't know...
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Kinney National formed in 1966 through the merger of Kinney Parking (which owned tens of thousands of parking lots nationwide) and National Cleaning Contractors (an office cleaning company).
In 1967, Kinney National Corp. took control of DC Comics, Ashley-Famous (a talent agency), and Panavision. Two years later, it won control of Warner Bros.
Kinney was not well-known and there were a lot of rumors that the company's parking division was in bed with organized crime. DC Comics writers and editors weren't happy with Kinney taking over (even though Kinney didn't interfere one whit with their business), and so in October 1970 Jack Kirby created the character of Morgan Edge in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #133 (October 1970).
Morgan Edge was the owner of Galaxy Communications, which owned Galaxy Broadcasting Systems and TV station WGBS, and Galaxy soon bought The Daily Planet. Initially, Edge was to have been involved with Intergang (the Darkseid-backed mob in Superman comics), but DC Comics publishers soon put an end to that and used the character to explore capitalism and the role multinational corporations and media conglomerates played in influencing public life.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When DC Comics rebooted their comic book universe in 1986's "Crisis on Infinite Earths", Justice League was one of the titles which needed reworking. The team was given less of an American focus, and renamed "Justice League International" in issue 24.
In Justice League #1 (May 1987), Keith Giffen (writer), J. M. DeMatteis (writer), and Kevin Maguire (artist) created a new corporate multi-billionaire, Maxwell Lord. He was based on Morgan Edge, but lacked the connection to Superman. Thus, the character could be more ruthless, even evil, without fans feeling that he had betrayed Superman.
Maxwell Lord funds the creation of the new Justice League. From the start, Lord is depicted as completely amoral and greedy. Readers soon learned that just before the formation of the Justice League, a sentient computer created by Metron, the New God, took over Lord's mind in an attempt to use superheroes to create "world peace through domination".
This was later retconned, and the computer turned out to be Kilg%re ("Kilgore"). Even later, readers discovered that Lord had plans for world domination himself, and Kilgore merely enhanced his desire for power.
Moreover, Lord loathes super-powered people. He actually intends to play super-powered heroes and villains against one another until all those with powers are dead.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In January, February, and March 1989, DC Comics ran a three-part mini-series called "Invasion!" Nine major alien races in the DC Comics universe (the Dominators, Khunds, Thanagarians, Gil'Dishpan, Durlans, Warlords of Okaara, Citadelians, Daxamites, and Psions) invade Earth. The Dominators believe that Earth has so many superheroes because all humans have a "metagene" that can given them powers.
The Dominators set off a "gene bomb" that activates the metagene in humans in whom it has not normally expressed. Maxwell Lord gains telepathic powers from this device. DC Comics had by this time created a "Justice League Europe", "Justice League Task Force", "Extreme Justice", and "Justice League Quarterly". There were just too many books, and sales plummeted.
In 1996, DC Comics allowed a 15-issue crossover between "Justice League International" and "Justice League Europe" in which the supervillain Dreamslayer takes over Lord's mind and enhances his powers a thousand-fold.
Lord dies of a brain tumor, but Kilgore downloads Lord's mind into a robot. (DC Comics writers would later ignore this.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In 2005, DC Comics rebooted its comic book universe for a third time in "Infinite Crisis". (Oy...)
An 80-page one-shot, Countdown to Infinite Crisis, reveals that Lord has spent years gathering sensitive information about superheroes. When Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle, discovers Lord's secret, Lord shoots him in the head and he dies. Blue Beetle's death had been foreshadowed for years in Booster Gold comics, where Booster Gold and Blue Beetle had formed an intense friendship.
Meanwhile, Batman has discovered the some superheroes have been using their powers to mindwipe villains. At one point, they even mindwiped Batman because he objected to this. Batman then creates a sentient satellite, called Brother Eye, to monitor superhuman activities. He uses Brother Eye secretly just in case anyone tries to mindwipe him again.
Maxwell Lord gains control of Brother Eye and infects several hundred thousand people with a nano-virus that transforms them into cyborgs called OMACs. The OMACs hunt down a wide range of superheroes and kill them in the six-issue limited series The OMAC Project in 2005. (This series had a number of tie-ins in other DC Comics titles.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lord then reveals that he's spent his years with the Justice League subtly infecting Superman's mind, causing him to become paranoid and more violent. He finally takes over Superman's mind completely, causing him to hallucinate and see his friends as villains who've killed all those he loves.
Wonder Woman goes toe-to-toe with with Superman, and they brutally beat one another. Wonder Woman eventually binds Lord with the Lasso of Truth, and demands that he tell her how to free Superman.
Lord replies that his hate for super-powered people is so strong, he would never release Superman. Even if beaten unconscious, the moment he became aware again he would take over Superman's mind. When Wonder Woman demands that Lord reveal how to free Superman, Lord says, "Kill me."
Wonder Woman snaps his neck.
Brother Eye secretly records the incident, and broadcasts the (cleverly edited) footage all over the world. Humanity is shocked to see Wonder Woman killing a beloved colleague.
Wonder Woman's reputation is destroyed. Superman and Batman end their friendship with her. Wonder Woman defends her action, claiming that the world needs Superman and the hope he offers far more than it needs her.
The plot line is resolved in "Infinite Crisis", and the DC Comics universe rebooted.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In the movie Justice League, Batman is given Wonder Woman's lines from "Countdown to Infinite Crisis" when he says that Batman has spent his life hiding in the shadows, Wonder Woman spent her life hiding from the world, and only Superman has spent his life as a real human being -- loving, living, working, all among normal people.
People need the hope Superman provides (a major plot theme in the film).
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kinney National formed in 1966 through the merger of Kinney Parking (which owned tens of thousands of parking lots nationwide) and National Cleaning Contractors (an office cleaning company).
In 1967, Kinney National Corp. took control of DC Comics, Ashley-Famous (a talent agency), and Panavision. Two years later, it won control of Warner Bros.
Kinney was not well-known and there were a lot of rumors that the company's parking division was in bed with organized crime. DC Comics writers and editors weren't happy with Kinney taking over (even though Kinney didn't interfere one whit with their business), and so in October 1970 Jack Kirby created the character of Morgan Edge in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #133 (October 1970).
Morgan Edge was the owner of Galaxy Communications, which owned Galaxy Broadcasting Systems and TV station WGBS, and Galaxy soon bought The Daily Planet. Initially, Edge was to have been involved with Intergang (the Darkseid-backed mob in Superman comics), but DC Comics publishers soon put an end to that and used the character to explore capitalism and the role multinational corporations and media conglomerates played in influencing public life.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When DC Comics rebooted their comic book universe in 1986's "Crisis on Infinite Earths", Justice League was one of the titles which needed reworking. The team was given less of an American focus, and renamed "Justice League International" in issue 24.
In Justice League #1 (May 1987), Keith Giffen (writer), J. M. DeMatteis (writer), and Kevin Maguire (artist) created a new corporate multi-billionaire, Maxwell Lord. He was based on Morgan Edge, but lacked the connection to Superman. Thus, the character could be more ruthless, even evil, without fans feeling that he had betrayed Superman.
Maxwell Lord funds the creation of the new Justice League. From the start, Lord is depicted as completely amoral and greedy. Readers soon learned that just before the formation of the Justice League, a sentient computer created by Metron, the New God, took over Lord's mind in an attempt to use superheroes to create "world peace through domination".
This was later retconned, and the computer turned out to be Kilg%re ("Kilgore"). Even later, readers discovered that Lord had plans for world domination himself, and Kilgore merely enhanced his desire for power.
Moreover, Lord loathes super-powered people. He actually intends to play super-powered heroes and villains against one another until all those with powers are dead.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In January, February, and March 1989, DC Comics ran a three-part mini-series called "Invasion!" Nine major alien races in the DC Comics universe (the Dominators, Khunds, Thanagarians, Gil'Dishpan, Durlans, Warlords of Okaara, Citadelians, Daxamites, and Psions) invade Earth. The Dominators believe that Earth has so many superheroes because all humans have a "metagene" that can given them powers.
The Dominators set off a "gene bomb" that activates the metagene in humans in whom it has not normally expressed. Maxwell Lord gains telepathic powers from this device. DC Comics had by this time created a "Justice League Europe", "Justice League Task Force", "Extreme Justice", and "Justice League Quarterly". There were just too many books, and sales plummeted.
In 1996, DC Comics allowed a 15-issue crossover between "Justice League International" and "Justice League Europe" in which the supervillain Dreamslayer takes over Lord's mind and enhances his powers a thousand-fold.
Lord dies of a brain tumor, but Kilgore downloads Lord's mind into a robot. (DC Comics writers would later ignore this.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In 2005, DC Comics rebooted its comic book universe for a third time in "Infinite Crisis". (Oy...)
An 80-page one-shot, Countdown to Infinite Crisis, reveals that Lord has spent years gathering sensitive information about superheroes. When Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle, discovers Lord's secret, Lord shoots him in the head and he dies. Blue Beetle's death had been foreshadowed for years in Booster Gold comics, where Booster Gold and Blue Beetle had formed an intense friendship.
Meanwhile, Batman has discovered the some superheroes have been using their powers to mindwipe villains. At one point, they even mindwiped Batman because he objected to this. Batman then creates a sentient satellite, called Brother Eye, to monitor superhuman activities. He uses Brother Eye secretly just in case anyone tries to mindwipe him again.
Maxwell Lord gains control of Brother Eye and infects several hundred thousand people with a nano-virus that transforms them into cyborgs called OMACs. The OMACs hunt down a wide range of superheroes and kill them in the six-issue limited series The OMAC Project in 2005. (This series had a number of tie-ins in other DC Comics titles.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lord then reveals that he's spent his years with the Justice League subtly infecting Superman's mind, causing him to become paranoid and more violent. He finally takes over Superman's mind completely, causing him to hallucinate and see his friends as villains who've killed all those he loves.
Wonder Woman goes toe-to-toe with with Superman, and they brutally beat one another. Wonder Woman eventually binds Lord with the Lasso of Truth, and demands that he tell her how to free Superman.
Lord replies that his hate for super-powered people is so strong, he would never release Superman. Even if beaten unconscious, the moment he became aware again he would take over Superman's mind. When Wonder Woman demands that Lord reveal how to free Superman, Lord says, "Kill me."
Wonder Woman snaps his neck.
Brother Eye secretly records the incident, and broadcasts the (cleverly edited) footage all over the world. Humanity is shocked to see Wonder Woman killing a beloved colleague.
Wonder Woman's reputation is destroyed. Superman and Batman end their friendship with her. Wonder Woman defends her action, claiming that the world needs Superman and the hope he offers far more than it needs her.
The plot line is resolved in "Infinite Crisis", and the DC Comics universe rebooted.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In the movie Justice League, Batman is given Wonder Woman's lines from "Countdown to Infinite Crisis" when he says that Batman has spent his life hiding in the shadows, Wonder Woman spent her life hiding from the world, and only Superman has spent his life as a real human being -- loving, living, working, all among normal people.
People need the hope Superman provides (a major plot theme in the film).
