The Crisis, so named by the newspapers and media outlets of the time, was a period of unrest and animosity between the United States Government and the superhero and vigilante community, particularly the Justice Society of America. Stemming from a classified event referred to only as "The Incident", it none the less had public and lasting consequences for the United States, resulting in the disavowment of America's cooperation with costumed vigilantes, and the implementation of the Vigilante Regulation Act (VRA) to formally outlaw such activities.
History
Not much is publicly known about "The Incident". It took place at some point prior to June 1989, and involved several members of the Justice Society of America, including Hawkwoman and Liberty Belle, both of whom died. It is unclear what transpired, though presumably the Justice Society was involved in some sort of defensive action on the behalf of the United States. The specifics, as well as any sort of collateral or casualties, were successfully covered up by the United States Government, leaving the public unaware of what precipitated the subsequent change in attitudes between the JSA and the government.
Appendices
- "Crisis" is a common term for major crossover events in DC Comics and related media, such as Identity Crisis, Crisis on Two Earths, Crisis on Earth-X, and Crisis on Infinite Earths. It is also used as a catch-all term for such events, particularly when they involve rewriting continuity and timelines or a significant world-changing event, such as Zero Hour, Blackest Night, Flashpoint, and Convergence.
- The date of the Vigilante Regulation Act, June 1989, is when the movie Batman first premiered.
