Writer James Tynion IV participated in a Reddit AMA to discuss the new Justice League Dark series, debuting July 25th, and he revealed some additional character details from the book.
While the preview artwork by Alvaro Martinez featured characters like Wonder Woman and Zatanna, Tynion revealed that the Khalid Nassour version of Doctor Fate — not Kent Nelson, who returned in Rebirth — will appear in issue #2. Blue Devil will also have a role in the series at some point.
“I definitely have plans for Blue Devil down the line,” Tynion said. “Not in the first arc, but I 100% know where he is in the context of the story we’re telling.”
Tynion added that Justice League Dark would be a combination of smaller magical cases told against the backdrop of a greater saga.
“Horror happens in the little moments, the personal moments, but the story we’re telling is admittedly very big,” Tynion said. “[It’s] a story big enough to draw in everyone in the magical community, from Heaven to Hell to Myrra and Camelot.”
The word “horror” came up more than once, and Tynion revealed one of the team’s new villains, the Upside Down Man.
“A big question I keep getting is why did I put Man-Bat on the team, and it’s because I wanted a Mad Scientist in the group!” he said. “We’ve got monsters and magicians and drunk monkeys with swords, and the scariest damn villain I think the DC Universe has seen for a while. The Upside Down Man is coming.”
