JLA: Tower of Babel
Encyclopedia
"Tower of Babel" is a 2000 comic book storyline that ran in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

 monthly series JLA
JLA (comic book)
JLA was a monthly comic book published by DC Comics from January 1997 to April 2006 featuring the Justice League.-Publication history:The low sales of the various Justice League spinoff books by the mid-1990s prompted DC to revamp the League as a single team on a single title...

#43-46. It was written by Mark Waid
Mark Waid
Mark Waid is an American comic book writer. He is well known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America...

.

Summary

Tower of Babel deals with Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...

's perceived betrayal to the superhuman community by keeping records concerning the strengths and weaknesses of his allies in the JLA
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....

, including plans to neutralise his allies in a fight. His files are stolen by Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul is a DC Comics supervillain and is one of Batman's greatest enemies. His name in Arabic has been translated in the comics as "The Demon's Head" and references the name of the star Algol. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, he was introduced in Batman #232's...

, who uses them to defeat the League through a coordinated attack to prevent them from interfering with his latest scheme.

Most of the League is temporarily defeated early in the story:
  • Martian Manhunter
    Martian Manhunter
    The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...

     is covered with nanites
    Nanorobotics
    Nanorobotics is the emerging technology field of creating machines or robots whose components are at or close to the scale of a nanometer . More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots, with devices ranging in size from...

     that convert the outer layer of his skin into magnesium
    Magnesium
    Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...

    , causing him to burst into flame (fire being his greatest weakness) upon exposure to air. He later survives by wearing an airtight water-filled suit provided by Aquaman, then waiting until he can shed enough skin cells to function normally. Batman didn't anticipate this strategy because he never expected Martian Manhunter to survive so long.
  • Aquaman
    Aquaman
    Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...

     is rendered hydrophobic due to an altered form of the Scarecrow
    Scarecrow (comics)
    The Scarecrow is a fictional character, a supervillain, that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...

    's fear toxin. Without water, he would die in a matter of hours. Martian Manhunter uses his telepathy to generate an illusion of him in a desert when hydrating him in a tank full of water, although he is forced to more directly help Aquaman overcome the effects of the toxin when he regains consciousness in the tank before the serum wears off.
  • Plastic Man
    Plastic Man
    Plastic Man is a fictional comic-book superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Cole, he first appeared in Police Comics #1 ....

     is frozen solid, then shattered by a hammer by one of Ra's al Ghul' henchmen. Afterward, Flash reassembles him, allowing Plastic Man to recover.
  • Green Lantern
    Kyle Rayner
    Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...

     is rendered blind by his own power ring
    Power ring (weapon)
    A power ring is a fictional object featured in comic book titles published by DC Comics. It first appeared in All-American Comics #16 .-Origin:...

     from a post-hypnotic suggestion introduced while he was asleep and the ring placed on him at night. As an artist, Kyle is unable to function without his vision to guide the ring's power, but he is able to overcome the post-hypnotic suggestion after his ring is temporarily removed and the methods behind the attack are explained to him.
  • Thanks to a nanite injected into her ear, Wonder Woman
    Wonder Woman
    Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....

     is trapped in a virtual reality
    Virtual reality
    Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...

     battle against an opponent whom she cannot defeat and is her equal in every way. Her refusal to surrender under any circumstance would eventually cause her heart to fail. The nanite is removed by Plastic Man after he recovers.
  • A specially designed "vibra-bullet" strikes Flash
    Wally West
    The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....

     in the back of the neck, causing him to experience seizures at light speed before it is removed by Superman's heat vision. Although only exposed to the weapon for 22 minutes, Wally's relativistic
    Theory of relativity
    The theory of relativity, or simply relativity, encompasses two theories of Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity. However, the word relativity is sometimes used in reference to Galilean invariance....

     speed makes the experience feel like months.
  • Superman
    Superman
    Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...

    's skin becomes transparent after exposure to red kryptonite
    Kryptonite
    Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...

    , an artificial creation of Batman's made by exposing a green kryptonite sample to radiation developed in the event of him simply wanting to stop Superman for a while rather than actually killing him. As Superman is powered by solar energy, his skin's transparency causes a sensory overload
    Sensory overload
    Sensory overload , related to Cognitive load in general, is a condition where one or more of the senses are strained and it becomes difficult to focus on the task at hand...

     by his internal organs' direct exposure to sunlight without his skin as a proper solar filter to the extent that he can hear conversations on Earth while he himself is located on the moon.


The attack briefly but effectively incapacitates the League members long enough for Ra's al Ghul to enact his plans. After they all recover, the JLA must also deal with Ra's al Ghul's attack against the language centers of all humanity, using a specially-designed tower to generate a low-level sonic signal which causes written language to be scrambled into total nonsense.

The one League member not targeted by the attacks is Batman. Instead, Ra's al Ghul successfully distracts Batman from League business by stealing the bodies and coffins of his late parents Thomas
Thomas Wayne
Thomas Wayne is a fictional character in the Batman series of comic books. Dr. Thomas Wayne was the father of Bruce Wayne, and husband of Martha Wayne, as well as a gifted surgeon and philanthropist...

 and Martha Wayne
Martha Wayne
Martha Wayne is a fictional character of the Batman series of comic books, published by DC Comics. She is Dr. Thomas Wayne's wife and mother of Bruce Wayne. When she and her husband are murdered during a holdup, young Bruce swears to avenge their deaths by fighting crime...

. Batman's obsessive pursuit to recover his parents' remains leaves him unable to help the League in their temporary defeat until it is too late. At the moment Batman discovers who was behind the robbery and subsequent attack, Ra's al Ghul threatens to drop the corpses into a Lazarus Pit
Lazarus Pit
A Lazarus Pit is a fictional natural phenomenon in the . They are primarily found in the Batman titles and are commonly used by Ra's al Ghul for their restorative powers.-Fictional history:...

 which would theoretically revive them. But despite being briefly tempted by the chance, Batman rejects the offer as he would prefer to be worthy of his parents' memory rather than betray it in such a manner. Ra's al Ghul's plan steps up when the second phase of his attack comes into play, scrambling not only the written word, but the spoken word as well.

Meanwhile, the League members recover from their injuries and Batman reveals Ra's al Ghul's actions to them, which causes much friction between him and the rest due to his role in devising the traps that nearly killed them. As the effects of the red kryptonite wear off, Superman is able to destroy the machine that is causing the chaos. Ra's al Ghul reveals that a deadly nerve agent is about to be released, sparking a war between two nations already in conflict. As Superman, Batman, and later a restored Aquaman and J'onn move on Ra's' base, Flash, Green Lantern, Plastic Man and Wonder Woman are able to prevent the release of the toxin barely in time thanks to Ra's al Ghul's daughter Talia
Talia al Ghul
Talia al Ghul is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, the now-estranged daughter of the supervillain Ra's al Ghul, a love interest of Batman, and the mother of his son Damian Wayne, the fifth Robin...

 providing them with the locations of the bombs, feeling disgusted at how her father has used her knowledge of Batman to steal his secrets.

Batman states that his plans were a cautionary measure that he devised after the Injustice League
Injustice League
The Injustice League is the name of two fictional teams of supervillains in the .-Original League :The original Injustice League was the brainchild of the interplanetary conqueror Agamemno. Bored of his dominion, he set out to conquer Earth and their champions, the Justice League...

 swapped bodies with the Justice League with the aid of the alien tyrant Agamemno
Agamemno
Agamemno is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Silver Age #1 during the Silver Age event . He was created by Mark Waid.-Fictional character biography:Agamemno is the son of the first sentient being to be created after the Big Bang...

 years earlier (during the Silver Age event). Recognizing the dangers of villains gaining control of the heroes, he created fail-safes in case such a situation ever happened again, the event also inspiring him to create plans to stop the other heroes if they should go rogue on their own. Due to Batman's secretive actions and measures placed against the JLA, the rest of the League vote on whether or not he should remain a member. Wonder Woman, Plastic Man and Aquaman vote for expulsion as they feel that they cannot trust Batman after such a "betrayal", while Flash, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter vote against as they recognize that Batman had a point in his reasoning for developing the plans in the first place. It is left for Superman to cast the deciding vote. As they enter the room where Batman is held, the team realizes that he already foresaw how Superman would decide and therefore had already left.

Follow-Ups

However, Batman leaves before his judgment is decided. Superman is not surprised by this, later saying that Batman would know how he and every other League member would vote.
  • It is revealed in JLA #50 that Superman did indeed vote for Batman's expulsion from the League, feeling that Batman could have told them that his strategies existed and simply withheld any details that would compromise their effectiveness rather than maintain his secrecy. This prompts Batman to show that he trusts the League by revealing his identity as Bruce Wayne to them (although he also notes that Superman must reveal his identity as Clark Kent at the same time).

  • In the JLA Secret Files and Origins #3, it is revealed that Talia al Ghul is the one that actually stole Batman's contingency plans, first from the Watchtower
    Justice League Watchtower
    The Watchtower is the name of various bases used by the Justice League of America in DC Comics and various other media. It has been portrayed in DC comics as a building on Earth's moon, and as a space-station in orbit in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon.The Watchtower debuted in JLA #4 during...

     on the moon, and later from the Batcave.

  • The issues raised by Batman's actions here also cause problems for his partners. Robin
    Tim Drake
    Timothy "Tim" Drake is a superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media. The character was created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick. From 1989 to 2009, he was known as Robin in the Batman comics, becoming the third character to take up the identity...

     in particular is treated with some distrust by his current teammates in Young Justice
    Young Justice
    Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team first appeared in Young Justice: The Secret , before graduating to their ongoing monthly series...

    , with Superboy
    Superboy (Kon-El)
    Superboy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. A modern update of the original Superboy, who is a younger version of Superman, the character first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500 , and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.Originally...

    , Impulse
    Bart Allen
    Bartholomew "Bart" Allen is a superhero in the . Allen first appeared as the superhero Impulse. He would later go on to become the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Allen's first cameo appearance was in The Flash #91, while his first full appearance was in issue #92...

    , Wonder Girl and Arrowette
    Arrowette
    Arrowette is the name of two fictional superheroes in the DC Comics universe. The first character is the mother of the second.-Bonnie King:The first Arrowette is Bonnie King, a would-be sidekick and general nuisance to Green Arrow...

     (Cissie King-Jones) openly wondering if Robin has developed similar strategies to stop them, while Secret
    Secret (comics)
    Secret is a fictional character, a superheroine in the DC Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:Secret first appeared in a one-shot comic, part of the Girlfrenzy fifth week event, by Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck called Young Justice: The Secret, in which Robin, Impulse, and Superboy helped...

     affirms her complete faith in Robin, Empress
    Empress (comics)
    Empress is a fictional character, a superheroine in the DC Comics universe. She first appeared in Young Justice #16 .-Fictional character biography:...

     points out that people would be praising Batman if his strategies had come to light under the circumstances they were designed for, and Li'l Lobo concludes that nobody could defeat him and hence whether or not Robin had files on him was irrelevant. This crisis caused the team to temporarily disband following the Imperiex
    Imperiex
    Imperiex is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman #153 , and was created by Jeph Loeb and Ian Churchill...

     War
    Our Worlds at War
    "Our Worlds at War" was a comic book crossover, published by DC Comics during the summer of 2001. OWAW was written by Jeph Loeb, Joe Casey, Mark Schultz, Joe Kelly, Phil Jimenez, and Peter David...

    , and even after they reassembled Wonder Girl took over as team leader rather than Robin.

  • In DC's 2005 limited series
    Limited series
    A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....

    , Identity Crisis, reveals that Zatanna
    Zatanna
    Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...

     had edited Batman's memories to prevent him from stopping the original Justice League members from lobotomizing Dr. Light
    Doctor Light (Arthur Light)
    Doctor Arthur Light is a fictional supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the third individual to have adopted the persona of Doctor Light, after a Golden Age foe of Doctor Mid-Nite and Arthur's associate Jacob Finlay...

     after he raped Sue Dibny
    Sue Dibny
    Susan "Sue" Dearbon Dibny is a fictional character from DC Comics associated with the Elongated Man. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in Flash vol. 1 #119...

    , thus retcon for Batman's complete distrust for his fellow heroes after he remembers and why keeping extensive files on his superhuman allies. Flash
    Wally West
    The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....

     eventually learns what happened from the Green Arrow
    Green Arrow
    Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...

    , and deduces that the reason why Batman would distrusts his allies is because of his awareness. Batman later creates Brother I
    OMACs
    The OMACs are a fictional type of powerful cyborg that exist in the DC Comics universe...

     satellite surveillance system to monitor the world's superhuman population.

Critical reaction

IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

 Comics ranked JLA: Tower of Babel #21 on a list of the 25 greatest Batman graphic novels, saying that "this compelling story examines the depths of Batman's paranoia, but also shows admiration for his forethought."

Film

  • It was announced at Wondercon
    WonderCon
    WonderCon is an annual comic book, science fiction, and motion picture convention, held in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1987.The convention was conceived by retailer John Barrett and originally held in the Oakland Convention Center, where it remained until 2003, when it moved to San...

     2011 that the storyline will be adapted as a direct-to-video movie titled Justice League: Doom.
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