The Legion of Doom is effectively just an evil version of DC’s Justice League. Throughout the years, the team has also undergone several significant lineup changes, though a few core members usually remain. While the group is a band of villains, each iteration of the team forms solely to take down the justice league.
In Scott Snyder’s current Justice League run, the Legion of Doom has been shown operating behind the scenes, building towards DC’s Year of the Villain event. As a result, Lex Luthor has begun his attack on the Justice League, giving every villain a key piece to taking down their arch nemesis. To prepare for what’s to come in this massive event, here is our list of the 10 most powerful members of DC’s Legion of Doom.
10 Solomon Grundy
Solomon Grundy is typically a Batman villain who is effectively an immortal zombie. Grundy dies constantly and keeps getting reincarnated due to whatever curse was placed on him in his past. Everytime he returns, however, he has a different degree of strength and intelligence. His true identity is also a mystery to this day.
Grundy certainly has the potential to rank much higher on this list. Yet, his fluctuating and unpredictable levels of both strength and intelligence are what bring him down. Typically portrayed as a mindless creature, Grundy is commonly seen as an enemy of brute force. His incredible strength and lack of intelligence make him the ideal henchmen. However, he will always be limited by whatever parameters are given to him during his most recent reincarnation.
9 Black Manta
While Black Manta is certainly a more common member of the Legion of Doom than others, his lack of any real abilities rank him fairly low. That’s not to say that he has nothing to offer, though. Manta is a brilliant tactician and technician who has gone toe to toe with Aquaman more than perhaps anyone else.
His skills as a fighter and willingness to get his hands dirty make him a very big threat. The tech he utilizes is also some of the deadliest on the planet. While Manta is not the smartest or strongest out there, he still brings quite a bit to the table that earns him a place as one of the League’s deadliest foes.
8 Killer Frost
Both versions of Killer Frost have been incredibly powerful. Be it Crystal Frost or Louise Lincoln, the cold-hearted killers have both displayed incredible feats using their abilities. Unlike Mr. Freeze, Frost’s abilities are all organic, meaning she doesn’t need any equipment to manipulate the ice around her. She can also create ice at will and even drain the heat from any object she touches.
Typically portrayed as a minor villain, Killer Frost rarely receives the recognition she deserves. She has also shown herself to be rather clever and definitely quick on her feet. The combination of her mind as well as her powerset makes her a much more formidable foe than one may initially realize.
7 Poison Ivy
The unique thing about Poison Ivy is in her relationship with the Green. Unlike Swamp Thing, Pamela Isely is not an avatar of the Green, but rather more similar to a Knight. Poison Ivy is able to tap into the Green’s energies and manipulate plant life however she sees fit. That, combined with her immense beauty and skills of seduction, make her an entirely different kind of threat.
These abilities have made her a very big threat on numerous occasions. Thankfully, her powers are still limited to some degree and often require a bit of assistance from the scientific process. Regardless, though, Poison Ivy is definitely not someone a Justice Leaguer would want to underestimate.
6 Cheetah
Dr. Minerva is one of Wonder Woman’s most persistent and deadly foes. After an ancient God transforms her into a human-like cheetah, Minerva also gains incredible speed, strength and stamina.
On several occasions, Cheetah has beaten Wonder Woman through her cunning ability, or by simply wearing down her stamina. She also is currently ranked as DC’s 6th fastest character of all time. Between her mind and her magical abilities, Cheetah brings a lot to the Legion of Doom. So long as she’s fighting against Wonder Woman, she makes a very valuable asset to her team.
5 Gorilla Grodd
Any fan of The Flash TV show is familiar with Gorilla Grodd. Grodd is one of the Scarlet Speedster’s more powerful villains due to his incredible psychic abilities. Originally hailing from the hidden Gorilla City, Grodd sets out to prove that apes are superior to humans. After several of his plans being thwarted by the Flash, the two have become sworn enemies.
Grodd’s abilities give him an advantage both physically and mentally, also making him an incredibly powerful member of the Legion of Doom. His brute force combined with his psychic abilities make him immensely powerful in more ways than one.
4 Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor, despite being only human, has proven time and again that he will always be one of the Justice League’s most dangerous foes. His mind alone has allowed him to accomplish incredible feats that most men can only dream of.
Unlike other members of the Legion of Doom Luthor possesses immense power of a different sort. Luthor's power is very politically driven, as he has the financial capabilities to do almost anything he wants to. For a time, he was even the president of the United States. There’s no denying that Lex has so much power that he can do things like fund the Legion of Doom while also posing as a legitimate businessman. Despite having no actual superhuman abilities, Lex Luthor is easily on of the Legions more powerful members.
3 Sinestro
Sinestro himself is so powerful that he’s feared among the entire galaxy. His ability to spread fear across planets has given him immeasurable influence and made him one of the best villains that DC has to offer. Especially following The Sinestro Corps War, this alien has solidified his place as one of the League’s biggest bads.
Part of why Sinestro is so powerful is due to his ring. The yellow lantern ring gives him the ability to construct whatever nightmare he desires. Sinestro then uses this fear to bring about the destruction of whatever his target is. Since he can literally bring whatever he imagines to life, Sinestro’s power is limited only by his evil imagination.
2 Brainiac
The saying “knowledge is power” could not apply more perfectly than in the case of Brainiac. The all-knowing alien is determined to collect the knowledge of every living civilization. In doing so, he shrinks down entire cities to collect them and study them, destroying the rest of the planet in the process.
While it is arguable that Sinestro is the more powerful of the two, Brainiac has the advantage of knowing far more. Brainiac is capable of producing incredible technology while also strategizing against the league. Though Sinestro may be one of the Legion’s heaviest hitters, Brainiac has entire civilizations worth of data to use against their foes.
1 Black Adam
Unfortunately, Black Adam seems to be one of DC’s more underappreciated villains. While most of his appearances are on a much smaller scale, Black Adam is undeniably powerful. For starters, he has all of the same abilities as Shazam, putting him on even footing with the likes of Superman himself. Secondly, Black Adam’s powers are derived of magic, giving him an edge in certain situations and even making Superman vulnerable to certain attacks. Third, He has political standing and influence, as Black Adam is the leader of Kahndaq.
Overall, Black Adam is the perfect person to use against the Justice League. His powerset alone is so great that the entire League has had trouble putting him alone down. Furthermore, as a member of the Legion of Doom, Adam becomes all the more a threat.