Throughout the Justice League's history, several dozen heroes have been on the roster. Besides the original line-up, their membership has featured sorcerers, New Gods, next-generation heroes, and individuals from other teams.
Yet, despite the volume of heroes who have graced the cave, satellite, Watchtower, etc., there are some who were never full-time members. In addition, there are DC heroes who were never a part of any JLA incarnation. As proof, here are 5 DC superheroes you didn’t know were only honorary members of the Justice League and 5 who never were.
10 Hawk and Dove (Never)
Hawk and Dove, no matter the incarnation, have never been part of a Justice League lineup. At first, they were connected to the Teen Titans. They tended to stay that way through the 1970s and 80s. Even when Hank Hall's brother, Don, died in Crisis on Infinite Earths, the original Hawk didn't stray into JLA territory.
Eventually, Hank and his new partner, Dawn Granger, were determined to be representatives of the Lords of Chaos and Order. Yet, they were never called upon to join. While the various pairs under the Hawk and Dove costumes may have worked with the Justice League, they were always considered outsiders.
9 Batgirl (Honorary)
It's surprising that Barbara Gordon's version of Batgirl never became a true member of the Justice League. Unlike the Legion of Super-Heroes, we don't believe there's a rule about duplicating powers. I guess one dominant Bat on the team is enough for the rest of the team. Nevertheless, Babs did get an honorary membership.
Yet, it was an alternate version of the hero who sacrificed herself. It took place in 1994's Zero Hour event. Though this version of Batgirl helped Hal Jordan's Parallax at first, she jumped in front of his energy beam to save others. Meanwhile, the original Batgirl regularly helped the JLA as Oracle.
8 Alan Scott (Never)
When the Justice League and Justice Society existed on the same Earth, members would jump between the two teams. Black Canary and Hawkman are two examples of this. Even Jay Garrick, the first Flash, was recruited to help the team when it was supported by the United Nations.
Jay is the only member of the JSA's core group who made the cut over. Wildcat helped train a number of JLA members but never joined. Neither did Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern. In the end, there was never an opportunity for this GL to join. While there were times a Flash didn't exist, a Green Lantern has been around for most of the incarnations.
7 Spectre (Honorary)
It's a good thing The Spectre was never a regular member of the JLA. For one thing, he's downright creepy. Though he's an agent for the Lords of Order, he isn't hesitant to serve up justice in his own way. Slicing a criminal up with saws is not something Superman would tolerate.
However, he has worked with the League a number of times as part of the annual JSA-JLA team-ups. He also helped them when he went solo. He became an honorary member of the JLA when he joined the team to defeat the undead Nazi army of Adolf Hitler. No, you read that previous sentence correctly.
6 Raven (Never)
There was a point in the Justice League's history where the group became an off-shoot of the Teen Titans. It was between the "Cry for Justice" storyline and the New 52. When the original members of the team left, Dick Grayson, donned as Batman after his mentor's "death," brought Donna Troy, Starfire, and Cyborg to the team. Someone not included was Raven.
In fact, Raven in any incarnation has never been promoted to the Justice League. Then again, they didn't want to help her rescue Starfire at the start of the New Teen Titans run. So, there's probably some animosity there.
5 Sue Dibny (Honorary)
Fans were upset when Sue Dibny was killed off in Identity Crisis. Though she was never an official member of the Justice League, she played an important part in it for several decades due to her marriage to Ralph Dibny, known as Elongated Man. This was especially true when she became the official mission board monitor for Justice League Europe.
Fans loved Sue because she wasn't afraid to be in the public eye when Ralph decided to do his hero thing. In addition, she was the only one who, allegedly, loved how her husband's nose wiggled when he detected a mystery. Overall, Sue was the partner fans wanted Lois to eventually be to Superman.
4 Robin (Never)
There are people out there who swear that Robin was a part of the Justice League. Yes, the Dick Grayson version of the hero was a member of the Super Friends when the animated series ran on ABC Saturday mornings. However, neither Dick, Jason, Tim, Carrie, nor Damien has served in the JLA in the comic book universe.
Okay, Dick was a member at one time. However, he was in the guise of Batman. So, that doesn't count. Regardless, we think the Robins, past and present, should stick to the Titans.
3 Adam Strange (Honorary)
When it comes to dealings in outer space, the Justice League has relied on two honorary members. The first is Captain Comet. The second, and more frequently requested, is Adam Strange.
Adam has never been asked to officially join the League in any incarnation. To be honest, it would be hard to make meetings, since he spends part of his time on his adopted planet of Rann. Furthermore, with the Zeta Beam so unpredictable when first introduced, Adam could have been swept away in the middle of battle.
2 Ryan Choi (Never)
The Silver Age Atom, Ray Palmer, was a member of the original Justice League lineup. He also helped in the adventures of the team's other incarnations. For instance, Ray played a prominent role when Doctor Destiny pulled an evil version of the League out of his head and made it a living dream. Yet, his protege, Ryan Choi, has never been asked to join.
Nor has he requested a membership. Since becoming the Atom he battled magical creatures in Ivy Town, was murdered, resurrected, and became the Atom for a second time to rescue the Ray in the microverse. Needless to say, there's never been a good time to respond to a membership drive.
1 Snapper Carr (Honorary)
Of all the honorary Justice League members, the first to receive the title was someone who didn't even have powers. Like Rick Jones in the Marvel universe, Snapper Carr was the human sidekick to the League. He was the teenager who helped the adult team members relate to the groovy kids his age. He also helped them solve mysteries and build equipment to battle villains.
Eventually, it was decided Snapper had to go. So, writer Denny O'Neil decided to have him betray the League and let the Joker, disguised as John Doe, know about their cave headquarters. Years later, after the events in Invasion!, Snapper gained metahuman powers himself. He has since appeared in the original Young Justice and Dial "H" for Hero.