The Justice League is DC Comics' premiere superteam. Debuting in The Brave And The Bold #28, the team was a smash hit right away. The Justice League was basically just the Silver Age version of the Justice Society, down to writer Gardner Fox being responsible for both. However, the Justice League proved to be more important to DC Comics in the long run than the Justice Society was.
The Justice League has been involved in a lot of big changes to the DC Universe. The team had a profound effect on the publisher, changing how they operated and the way readers looked at the company and its characters.
10 The Justice League Reintroduced The Justice Society To The DC Universe
The DC Multiverse didn't debut in Justice League of America, but it was used extensively in that book. The first example of this was the return of the Justice Society. Writer Gardner Fox united the two teams he created in Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #21-22. This was the beginning of the crossovers between the two teams.
The Justice Society would become a big deal in the coming years, starring in multiple books and introducing new characters to the DC mythos. Fans loved the team, something that has extended to the present day. None of that would have been possible without the Justice League.
9 The Justice League Introduced The Most Important Earths To The DC Multiverse
Beyond bringing the Justice Society back, the Justice League played a huge role in introducing the most important Earths to the DC Multiverse. Earth-3, the home of the Crime Syndicate, and Earth-X, the home of the Freedom Fighters, were both introduced in Justice League of America (Vol. 1), and the team crossed over with the heroes of Earth-S once DC brought Shazam and family into the fold.
DC's multiversal worlds appeared all over the publisher's line. Still, the most important ones would make their appearances in Justice League of America (Vol. 1). This put the most eyes on them, with the crossovers between them and the League becoming legendary.
8 Scott Snyder's Run On Justice League Led Into Death Metal
DC Rebirth #1 is widely considered the end of the New 52, but the continuity was still basically the same. Changes would be made, but the biggest wouldn't come until Death Metal, an event book that was set up in writer Scott Snyder's blockbuster run on Justice League (Vol. 4). Snyder introduced big bad Perpetua in this run, which would lead directly to Death Metal.
Justice League set nearly every building block of the story into motion, and Death Metal delivered what fans had been waiting for since 2016. It ended the New 52, wiping away the last vestiges of that rather hated DC publishing initiative.
7 Justice League (Vol. 2) #1 Was The First Introduction To The New 52
Speaking of the unlamented end of the New 52, the Justice League was also intimately connected to its beginning. While its first appearance was Flashpoint #5, it wasn't until Justice League (Vol. 2) #1 that DC fans would get their first major glimpse into the new universe. The book's opening storyline took place five years in the past, telling the story of how the biggest heroes came together to form the Justice League.
Hopes were high for the New 52, and initial sales were stellar, but things soured. Fans just weren't into the many retcons from the initiative, and the New 52 floundered in the long run, with readers actually celebrating its ending.
6 The League Made Villains Into Icons
The DC Multiverse has always been peopled by amazing villains, but many of them didn't become big time until they fought the Justice League. Many of the iconic Justice League villains that fans love started in other places, and some were created for the team, but they all rode the Justice League rocket to stardom.
For example, the Justice League saved Darkseid from being completely forgotten as the Fourth World books all were canceled. Starro was the first villain they fought, and it eventually starred in The Suicide Squad. Despero, Vandal Savage, and the Legion of Doom all became big-name villains because of the League and their popularity.
5 DC B-Listers Became Stars Because Of The League
DC has a great line-up of B-list heroes, many of whom became stars because of the Justice League. Superteams like the Justice League are the perfect place to make stars. The League core line-up has all the publisher's big characters, and fans pick up the book to see them. This makes the Justice League a great showcase for all kinds of characters.
The Justice League brought back Golden Age legends like Green Arrow, Hawkman, and Hawkgirl, as well as making Martian Manhunter, Red Tornado, Firestorm, and more into stars. So many iconic DC characters got their start as Leaguers.
4 JLA: Tower Of Babel Introduced DC Readers To The Concept Of Batgod
Batman's now known for doing the impossible, but it wasn't always that way. The vaunted prep time myth that so many Batman fans crow about didn't exist for years. A big reason why that came about was JLA: Tower Of Babel, a story that introduced Batman's plan for killing the Justice League. This was the first confirmation for Batman fans that their favorite hero could beat anyone.
This was the genesis of "Batgod." Since then, various creators have run with the idea. Batman has singlehandedly beat nearly everyone since then, sometimes flawlessly. JLA: Tower Of Babel is a great story, but the damage it's done to DC and online discourse is monumental.
3 JLA Made Grant Morrison Into A Superstar
Before JLA, Grant Morrison was a star at DC. The writer made Animal Man and Doom Patrol into fan favorites, wrote Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious and Batman: Gothic, and created some great creator-owned books for Vertigo. Still, they hadn't hit the next level yet. Then JLA happened. Morrison's run on the book is a must-read for every fan of the team, and the rise it gave their profile changed the future of DC Comics.
Grant Morrison became a superstar because of JLA. They wrote some of the biggest books in DC history and were able to revamp the X-Men over at Marvel. Morrison was always a brilliant writer, but writing the League put eyes on them like nothing before.
2 The Justice League International Proved That League Mainstays Weren't Needed To Make Great Justice League Stories
The Justice League has gone through some great rosters over the years, but the most ambitious was the Justice League International. After the failure of the Detroit League, a Justice League team that showcased B-listers, it was quite unexpected for DC to try that again. However, 1987's Justice League (Vol. 1) #1 created a Justice League that was composed of mostly newcomers to the team.
As time went on, League mainstays like Batman, Black Canary, and Martian Manhunter left the group, and only the B-list characters were left. The Justice League International years surprised readers and created stories that fans have loved for decades.
1 The Team Put Together All Of DC's Greatest Heroes
Silver Age DC was a brand-new era in the company's history. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman had always had books of their own, while the Flash, Green Lantern, and Aquaman were all getting new books. Justice League of America (Vol. 1) was the one place where DC fans could go to see all of their favorite heroes in one place.
This wasn't the first time this happened, but it had been decades since the Justice Society had been around. The team served as a showcase for the publisher, uniting its greatest heroes under one book, and has been doing so for decades.