Summary: The Justice League finds itself under attack by the Secret Society, a team of supervillains organized and led by Gorilla Grodd. However, whereas Luthor's Injustice Gang was beset by mistrust and infighting, Grodd's team is loyal, organized, and trained to function as a group, both in battle and out. This fight, however, could not have come at a worse time, as the strain of working so closely together causes the League to lash out at each other over the smallest disagreements. Can the League manage to fight this menace together, or will they allow their differences to drive them apart?
JL Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, J’onn J’onzz, Hawkgirl
SS Roll Call: Gorilla Grodd, Giganta, The Shade, Sinestro, Killer Frost, Clayface, The Parasite
Featured Character: Green Lantern
Villain:
Gorilla
Grodd
Cartoon Network on “Secret Society”: “While the strain of working so closely together begins to tear apart the Justice League, Gorilla Grodd returns and forms a tightly-knit group of villains—a Secret Society whose only goal is the destruction of the League (courtesy of Cartoon Network).”
Bruce Timm on “Secret Society”: “Another endless fight scene episode. We really love the Gorilla Grodd character. We knew we definitely wanted to bring him back. When you have a team of superheroes, it’s a natural to put them against a team of supervillains, because we always have a hard time coming up with villains who can convincingly take on the Justice League. There’s a little bit of a callback to the Injustice Gang, by having Shade in the group, and there was actually a comic in the ‘70s called The Secret Society of Supervillains. Again, kind of an old-school thing that gives us the opportunity to mix and match; you know, ‘We need a Superman villain, we need a Batman villain, we need a Wonder Woman villain,’ and whatever. We mix them all together, throw them at our good guys, and watch the sparks fly.
“From a character development standpoint, it was certainly a good opportunity to explore how the members of the Justice League really feel about each other. Grodd basically gives them an ESP-enhanced version of PMS, so they’re all on edge and saying things they normally would not say, but because they’re having these wild mood swings, they can’t help themselves. Literally everything they’re saying is what they really mean, but not what they want to say, and some ugly truths come out in that story (courtesy of RetroVision CD-ROM Magazine).”
Dan Riba on “Secret Society”: “There’s nothing duller than having everyone get along perfectly. Lantern and Flash are fun to pair together because they’re such opposites. But now we have more dynamics; I always liked M*A*S*H* better when the characters bickered and didn’t like each other.
“[Also], in the old comics, the League never trained. They always seemed to know what they were doing. They have to train! The X-Men did set the precedent. Clearly, the Danger Room was an inspiration [for the League’s training range] (courtesy of ToyFare Magazine).”
Commentary
"For months I've been reading their body language and facial expressions like a book. They were holding back considerable resentment for each other. All I had to do was get those feelings to come out."
"How'd ya do that?"
"Parasite, have you ever said something you knew you shouldn't have? Something really hurtful?"
"Sure."
"What made you do it? Too little sleep? Low blood sugar? Maybe you were just in 'one of those moods' you get into every so often. [...] This blessed organ of mine can send out thought waves that affect those moods. They open the door that most people keep locked."
"So, what's next?"
"We've already divided. Now we conquer."
An exchange between Gorilla Grodd, Parasite, and Killer Frost from "Secret Society"
Commentary coming soon!
Image courtesy of The
World’s Finest.