The Justice League is DC's premier superteam. Over the years, the greatest heroes in the DC Multiverse have called the Justice League home, protecting all creation from the deadliest threats imaginable. The Justice League's roster can often seem very same-y, in that it uses many of the same heroes in different incarnations, but not every roster of the team is created equal.
During the decades of stories, there have been some Justice League rosters that were much more powerful than others. This has allowed the team to face down the most powerful enemies and save the Multiverse when things were at their darkest.
10 The Extreme Justice Team Was Surprisingly Powerful
The Extreme Justice era of the League is one of its most lampooned, and with good reason. DC took portions of the team from the JLI and Jurgens eras and allowed '90s trends to throw up all over them. Consisting of Captain Atom, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Amazing Man, Maxima, and Firestorm, it's actually a pretty powerful team, all things told.
Captain Atom and Firestorm are some of the most potent energy users in League history, Maxima's telepathy and muscle make her a versatile bruiser, and Booster, Beetle, and Amazing Man are all experienced heroes. It's a shame Extreme Justice was so terrible because the team was pretty good.
9 The Dan Jurgens Justice League America Team Is More About Skill Than Power
Dan Jurgens was among DC's early '90s MVPs, doing double duty on Superman and Justice League America. The League team from his run was led by the Man of Steel and consisted of Fire, Ice, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Maxima, Guy Gardner, and Bloodwynd. The team wasn't large or particularly powerful, but they had the skill and experience to make it work.
The whole thing was anchored by Superman, which gave them the best jack of all trades around, but the other members were also all experienced Leaguers, except Bloodwynd. They could handle a variety of threats, although Doomsday did savage the team pretty handily.
8 The Dark Crisis Justice League Has Some More Muscle Than Meets The Eye
The Justice League was destroyed by Pariah, but a new League debuted in Dark Crisis #1. Brought together by new Superman Jon Kent, it's an out of left-field roster, but it's also quite powerful. Jon was able to get Supergirl, Doctor Light II, Booster Gold, both Blue Beetles, Frankenstein, Damian Wayne, Aquaman, Killer Frost, and Harley Quinn for his new League.
It's a hero hodgepodge, but that doesn't mean they aren't a powerful team. It pretty much has it all: muscle, brains, experience, and sheer power. It'll be interesting to see how well they work together, but on paper, they're pretty great.
7 The Justice League International Has It Where It Counts
The Justice League is usually anchored by the DC Trinity of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, but not every great League roster has all three. The Justice League International lacked Superman and Wonder Woman, but had its own potent mix of heroes. Consisting at various times of Batman, Martian Manhunter, Power Girl, Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Fire, Ice, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Mister Miracle, Dr. Fate, Rocket Red, Black Canary, and Guy Gardner, it was as tough as it was funny.
The JLI's membership shifted a lot, with a core group of Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Fire, Ice, and Guy Gardner always staying with the team. While there are a lot of powerful JLI alums, the biggest problem with the group is that they were a little bufoonish, but they could throw down when they needed to.
6 The Bendis Era Justice League Was A Great Mix Of Heroes
Brian Michael Bendis's time on Justice League had its ups and downs, but one thing that can't be denied is how powerful the team was. Made up of Superman, Batman, Flash, Aquaman, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Hippolyta, Hawkgirl, Black Adam, and Naomi, it was definitely a roster of powerhouses with a lot of experience. It's hard to think of an enemy that could do much against them.
The team sometimes seemed a little too overpowered, but they faced some threats that tested them in new ways. If anything, their biggest problem was a lack of teamwork; they never really seemed to gel as a team, despite having some veteran Leaguers.
5 The Post-Infinite Crisis League Had Major Satellite League Vibes
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After Infinite Crisis, a new Justice League was born. Introduced in one of the League's best stories, "The Tornado's Path," by writer Brad Meltzer and artist Ed Benes, this team took its cues from the Satellite era of the League and consisted of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Black Canary, Hal Jordan, Vixen, Red Arrow, Hawkgirl, Red Tornado, Black Lightning, Flash, and Geo-Force. It was a very well-balanced League.
The team had powerhouses, skilled fighters, and the best the superhero community had to offer. It's one of those teams that's perfect on paper; an amazing assemblage of heroes that could handle just about any threat imaginable.
4 The Big Seven League Is The Greatest Core Team In Comics
The allure of the Justice League is that its members are the greatest heroes on the planet and the Big Seven League encapsulated that perfectly. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter or Cyborg are a team that can handle anything thrown at them. The Big Seven is the definition of an A-list superteam.
There are three different incarnations of the Big Seven: the original with Barry and Hal, the '90s version with Wally and Kyle as Flash and Green Lantern, and the New 52 one that subbed Cyborg with Martian Manhunter. When this group of heroes comes together, it's the Justice League's core team, and the best there is.
3 The Justice League Dark Brings The Magic
The Justice League Dark team is tailor-made for magical threats, but their roster can handle anything the regular League can. The team's current version includes Zatanna, John Constantine, Doctor Fate, Ragman, Detective Chimp, Etrigan the Demon, Man-Bat, and Eternal Knight, with Wonder Woman and Swamp Thing sometimes helping out. They're easily one of the most powerful teams around.
What really puts them over the top is Zatanna, Fate, Etrigan, and Swamp Thing when he's with them. That's an unstoppable magic juggernaut by itself, but add in the other members of the team and the JLD could lay down a savage beating on any villains in their way, magical or otherwise.
2 The Satellite League Was The Best Of The Best
The introduction of the Justice League Satellite in Justice League Of America #78, by writer Denny O'Neil and artist Dick Dillin, redefined the Justice League forever. It kicked off the Satellite League era, combining the Big Seven with Green Arrow, Black Canary, the Atom, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Firestorm, Zatanna, Elongated Man, and Red Tornado to create an amazingly powerful team.
The Satellite League had it all. From pre-Crisis Superman to Zatanna to Firestorm, the team had powerhouses for days, and the other members weren't slouches either. This is the team that every other team in DC and beyond wishes they could be.
1 Morrison's Pantheon League Defeated The Most Dangerous Threat To Creation
Grant Morrison was DC's most prolific writer during their tenure at the publisher. Their JLA relaunch with artist Howard Porter brought the Big Seven back to the League, but Morrison wasn't done there. They added Huntress, Orion, Big Barda, Zauriel, Oracle, Steel, and Plastic Man, with Aztek, Connor Hawke, and Tomorrow Woman as temps. This League faced down Fifth Dimensional Imps and Mageddon the Anti-God, as well as other powerful threats.
Morrison based their League on the Olympian Pantheon of Gods, and the team does not disappoint. It has muscle like no other League team and boasts Wally West at his most powerful. Add in Plastic Man's indestructible and varied offense, Steel's ingenuity, and the skills and powers of the rest of the team, and this version of the JLA stands head and shoulders above the rest.