The Authority: DCU’s Next Big Team

The Authority is a high-concept superhero team from the independent superhero setting of Wildstorm comics, which was initially published by Image Comics and later became part of the DC Comics universe. The team was created by writer Warren Ellis as a boundary-pushing reflection and celebration of the Justice League and the Avengers. The Authority’s members, including Jenny Sparks, Jack Hawksmoor, the Doctor, the Engineer, Swift, Midnighter, and Apollo, were designed as more realistic superheroes and had a fighting optimism about the world. The series became a trendsetter for superhero storytelling in the new millennium and was followed by the loud, brash, and controversial style of writer Mark Millar and artist Frank Quitely. The Authority was integrated into the DC Comics universe after the Wildstorm universe was bought by DC. In 2021, a miniseries titled “Superman and the Authority” was released, imagining a near-future in which Superman leads the Authority.