At Last, the Justice League's "Most Powerful Member" Has Found a Way Around Their Biggest Weakness

WARNING! Spoilers for Batman: The Brave and the Bold #20

Zatanna's reputation as one of the Justice League's most powerful magic users is well-deserved, but her powers have historically had a major drawback. However, her weakness has now been circumvented thanks to a handy skill she's learned. Without her greatest weakness holding her back, this Justice League powerhouse is officially unstoppable, and her magic can no longer be locked away by enemies - not even a 5th dimensional imp.

The preview for Batman: The Brave and the Bold #20 features a sneak peek at "The Price", a story written and drawn by Ty Templeton. Bat-Mite tries to make one of Batman's rescue missions more exciting, but Zatanna steps in to prevent him from intervening. To exact revenge against her, Bat-Mite covers Zatanna's mouth with bandages so that she's unable to speak.

Because Zatanna's powers are tied to speech, losing that capability typically strips away her magic. Here, Zatanna conquers that weakness in a shocking way by using sign language backwards in order to cast a spell, eliminating a drawback she once struggled with.

Zatanna Reveals a New Way to Access Her Magic, Eliminating a Classic Weakness

Zatanna Can Now Use Sign Language to Cast Her Spells

Of the many magical beings in DC lore, Zatanna is easily one of the most proficient when it comes to casting strong spells. The form of magic at her disposal is known as "backwards magic", which she inherited from her father, Zatara. As implied by its on-the-nose moniker, backwards magic can be cast through uttering words and phrases backwards. While immensely powerful in the right hands, one of the inherent drawbacks of this type of magic is that spells must be spoken out loud in order to have any effect. Therefore, if Zatanna can't open her mouth to speak, she's rendered powerless.

In the past, villains have taken advantage of this weakness and silenced Zatanna to lock away her magical abilities. For example, in Justice League Dark #17 by James Tynion IV and Javier Fernández, Zatanna's mouth gets magically removed by a foe. She manages to conquer this setback by carving herself a new mouth, but she's now uncovered a less gory way of using her powers without her voice. By using sign language, Zatanna's words can register and weave spells together even when her voice cannot be accessed. Opponents like Bat-Mite no longer have the means to de-power Zatanna, making her more formidable than ever.

Zatanna's New Skill Cements Her as the Justice League's Biggest Powerhouse

Without a Weakness Holding Her Back, Zatanna Is Unstoppable

According to the Flash, Zatanna is already more powerful than Superman due to the mystical qualities she possesses. The gap between her and the Man of Steel has now widened even further, as she can't be defeated by her enemies' usual strategy anymore. Superman can have his abilities sealed off by forces such as Kryptonite or his other elemental weaknesses, but Zatanna doesn't need to worry about her losing her voice when she has sign language as a back-up plan. The Justice League's strongest hero is reaching new heights, and it'll take more than an imp like Bat-Mite to take down this new-and-improved Zatanna.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #20 is available December 26th, 2024 from DC Comics.