Publication History
Libra's only major appearance, prior to his appearance in Final Crisis, was in Justice League of America #111-112, in 1974.
In 2004, he made a brief cameo in the JLA/Avengers crossover (#4) by Kurt Busiek and George Pérez.
Grant Morrison, the writer of Final Crisis, explained the reason for picking an obscure villain:
The reason I chose them was because Libra came from my favorite ever run of 'Justice League of America' and he's never been used again. He was a character who had stolen all the powers of the Justice League, but then couldn't handle it and ascended to some kind of screaming godhood where he became a million transparent body parts spread across the sky. So I thought if I was doing a thing about the New Gods, he'd be an interesting guy to bring back because I needed a masked mystery man to start a new recruitment drive for the Secret Society of Supervillains (sic), because they become almost a terrorist sect. Under Libra's guidance, they start doing quite bad things, even to superheroes' wives and families, crossing the line. So there's that element to the story and I needed a masked guy, who people didn't really know that well. And I remembered Libra and the fact that he is connected to this ascending to godhood thing tied him in really quite nicely. What's really going on under the hood will be revealed later in the series.
In May 2008, his appearances were reprinted in DC Universe Special: Justice League of America at the same time as he was reintroduced, along with the Human Flame (a Martian Manhunter foe who appeared in Detective Comics #274), in Justice League of America #21. He returns, apparently retaining the full might of his godlike status, to lead a new and final incarnation of the Secret Society of Super-Villains, this time offering to every villain, from simple costumed crooks to major ones, the realization of his/her fondest wish.
The full origins of Libra and the connection between his original appearance and Final Crisis was then made apparent in a one-shot story by his original creator, Len Wein, in Final Crisis: Secret Files & Origins in December 2008.
Read more about this topic: Libra (DC Comics)
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