When “We Are Yesterday” kicks off on April 16, DC fans will find themselves pulled into the first major event under the publisher’s ambitious “DC All In” initiative. And right at the center of it all is Mark Waid, writer of Justice League Unlimited, master of superhero storytelling, and, evidently, a deep believer in the untapped chaos of Gorilla Grodd.
I caught up with Waid recently to discuss the scope, inspiration, and offbeat charm of “We Are Yesterday,” a story that stretches across time, title, and tone — and it just might be one of the most fun DC events in years. The fun is evident from the first two chapters (which I was able to read in advance), reminding us how comics can really do anything in the name of great storytelling.
“We Are Yesterday” kicks off in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #38. Courtesy of DC Comics.
What is “We Are Yesterday”?
“We Are Yesterday” is more than just a crossover; it’s a time-bending, villain-recruiting, mind-swapping rollercoaster that begins with Gorilla Grodd gaining mysterious new powers (upon tapping into the residual Omega energy left by the death of Darkseid). In need of allies to reshape the world, Grodd sets out to rebuild the Legion of Doom — not in the present, but by traveling back in time to recruit past versions of DC’s most infamous supervillains.
With Lex Luthor and Cheetah recently reformed, and others like Sinestro off-world, Grodd turns to the past to rally villains before they’ve changed — or failed. Using time travel powered by Darkseid’s lingering energy, he offers them one more shot at real victory. The result? A wild collision of past and present, classic and current, with the fate of the timeline hanging in the balance.
At the heart of it all is Justice League Unlimited, where Waid juggles an enormous cast of heroes, ties into other titles, and explores one of the most bizarre and entertaining setups imaginable: Superman and Grodd switching bodies.
Going “All In”
Asked what the “All In” initiative meant to him, Waid mentioned that it’s all about a level of cohesiveness and connection.
“It’s not only just a chance to jump in wherever you want… but it’s all in, in the sense that all the books and all the characters play some part,” Waid said.
While it’s not a monthly line-wide crossover, “We Are Yesterday” does reintroduce a sense of connectivity across the DCU that many fans have missed in recent years.
Still, Waid admitted that JLU was already built for this kind of storytelling.
“JLU, by its nature, is servicing 87 characters every issue anyway,” Waid said with a slight laugh.
The Villain at the Center: Grodd Unleashed
Grodd has always been a heavy hitter, but Waid wants to remind readers just how terrifying he can be.
“I’ve always thought that Gorilla Grodd was way more powerful and way more sinister than we had thought,” Waid said. “There’s potential there for him to be a real ultimate evil, especially if you take into account his ‘make everybody gorilla again’ mindset.”
In case you’re wondering: no, Grodd hasn’t seen Planet of the Apes. Waid joked that if he had our heroes “would probably be a little more forewarned about the dangers of gorillas.”
Grodd’s not alone, though. He’s joined by a mysterious new magical villain named Pythons — not snake-themed, but drawn from the Gaelic term for a mystic. Together, they tap into Darkseid’s lingering energy, not just for power but for the ability to change the universe via time travel.
Body Swaps, Magic, and Superman Like You’ve Never Seen Him
To confirm what we mentioned earlier: Superman and Grodd, indeed, trade bodies in this event.
“It’s to show how potentially dangerous Grodd is — and that’s before his powers are augmented,” Waid said.
The swap plays directly into Grodd’s classic skillset.
“Even in his first appearances, his whole thing was swapping bodies… so that lent itself to this,” Waid said. When you add in Titania and her kryptonite vision, the odds tilt even further into the villains’ favor.
This leads to one of the event’s most striking emotional beats: how heroes like Batman navigate the crisis of Superman being controlled by Grodd.
“Batman will take it only so far because they’re friends… but Solovar, the king of Gorilla City, has no such compunction,” Waid said.
Courtesy of DC Comics.
The Return of Air Wave and the Power of Perspective
One of Waid’s favorite characters, Air Wave, returns in a pivotal role — one that’s far darker than fans might expect.
“You go back to that first issue [of Justice League Unlimited] — his very last line was, ‘I’m here to kill the Justice League,'” Waid said. “You can’t throw something like that out there and not pay it off.”
Air Wave also gives Waid the opportunity to reintroduce that classic lens of the “reader’s point of view.”
“It gives me a mechanism to explain things to readers that Superman and Wonder Woman already take for granted,” Waid said.
Building a Multi-Title Event — and a Visual Spectacle
“We Are Yesterday” spans across multiple books, with contributions from writers like Christopher Cantwell and Morgan Hampton.
“Cantwell was the obvious choice,” Waid said, praising his work on Challengers of the Unknown. In fact, Waid borrowed several of Cantwell’s ideas from his 40-page annual outline to help enrich the larger story.
But what about from a visual perspective?
“The absolute visual high point comes at the end of JLU #7,” Waid Said. “[It’s] when for the first time, the book truly becomes Unlimited.”
Courtesy of DC Comics.
And If Waid Had Grodd’s Powers?
It’s a silly question, sure, but you might enjoy Waid’s answer.
“I would use Grodd’s powers to help unify this country and bring us together again,” Waid said. However, with a slight laugh he added, “It depends on where you stand, right? Everybody’s definition of heroic and villain is a little different.”
Courtesy of DC Comics.
A Celebration of Comic Book Mayhem
At its heart, “We Are Yesterday” is a celebration of everything fans love about superhero comics: wild premises, surprising emotional depth, and moments that feel both classic and fresh.
“It’s fun,” Waid said. “And yet there’s still drama and emotion. That’s the part that makes it not a nostalgia trip.”
Whether it’s Grodd in Superman’s body, Air Wave’s shocking turn, or a time-hopping Legion of Doom, “We Are Yesterday” invites readers to jump back into a connected DC Universe and truly enjoy the ride.
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