The Real Building That Inspired DC's Hall Of Justice

In James Gunn's "Superman," there's a small group of heroes — Green Lantern/Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) — called the Justice Gang. It's a running gag throughout the movie that no one really likes that name (except Guy). If the DC Universe keeps going, we have to guess a rebrand to the Justice League is inevitable, but at least the Justice Gang already has the right headquarters.

The group is funded by wealthy businessman Max Lord (Sean Gunn), who, in the "Justice League International" comics, was the League's sponsor. Lord's money means the Justice Gang has a large HQ, a whole Hall of Justice. If you're a DC fan from the "Super Friends" days, that name probably rings a bell.

A lot of "Superman" was filmed in Cleveland, Ohio, but the crew also went to a different part of the Buckeye State. The Hall of Justice's interior and exterior is really the Cincinnati Union Terminal, which serves the city as both a museum and train station. In operation since 1933, the building is, like Superman's creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, an Ohio icon.

Now, in-universe, Metropolis is located in Delaware. That's true in the comics and it appears to be the case in the DCU based on the car license plates in the city. Since Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) drives to the Hall of Justice, it's likely the Hall isn't supposed to be located in Cincinnati like the real building. With its enormous art deco exterior, though, the Union Terminal looks like it should host the world's greatest heroes inside it, and James Gunn wasn't the first person to think so.

In the comics, the Justice League originally operated out of "Mount Justice," a hollowed-out mountain system. They later moved to a satellite headquarters, nowadays typically referred to as the Watchtower. But decades ago, "Super Friends" chose to give them a more public-facing base, i.e. the Hall of Justice.

The building was designed by Hanna-Barbera artist Al Gmuer, taking direct inspiration from Union Terminal. From 1966 to 1987, Hanna-Barbera (which, while most famous for "The Flintstones" and "Scooby-Doo," also produced "Super Friends") was owned by the Cincinnati-based media company Taft Broadcasting. That means William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were in Cincy semi-regularly and got some up close looks at Union Terminal. Gmuer complained that the building was "not easy to draw" ("I had nightmares about that damn building," he told the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2009), but it endured as the Hall of Justice design.

As Gunn clearly realized with "Superman," why construct a Hall of Justice set when the almost real thing is out there? "The Flash" TV series previously used stock footage of Union Terminal as the exterior of a S.T.A.R. Labs hangar, as well, another nod to the building's place in DC history.

The Union Terminal's ties to DC Comics continues to attract local interest from Cincinnati media, especially whenever a new "Superman" movie comes out. The city highlights the building as the real Hall of Justice for tourists; if you're visiting, don't expect the Justice League to be home, but you can pay a visit to the "real" Hall of Justice.

"Superman" is playing in theaters.