The DC Extended Universe featured modern adaptations of DC Comics' most popular heroes and villains that launched a shared cinematic universe to bring together teams like the Justice League to face off against some of the worst threats in the DC Universe that were pulled straight from the comics.
Zack Snyder's Justice League reinvigorated the sometimes struggling DCEU with calls to #RestoreTheSnyderVerse and further explore DC's most popular characters, so it's appropriate to take a closer look at the main heroes of the DCEU and the comics they first appeared in to celebrate the ongoing potential of the DCEU on the big screen.
19 Superman - Action Comics #1 (1938)
Zack Snyder brought Superman back to the big screen in 2013's Man of Steel, which starred Henry Cavill as the titular in an updated origin story that laid the foundation of the DCEU while also perfectly showcasing the powers of the Last Son of Krypton.
Superman made his first comic appearance in 1938's Action Comics #1 by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and Wayne Boring, which has gone on to become an expensive collectible as one of the most valuable comics of all time.
18 Martian Manhunter - Detective Comics #225 (1955)
Zack Snyder's Justice League recently revealed that Harry Lennix's General Swanwick character from Man of Steel was actually the shapeshifted form of J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter, who revealed his true appearance to Bruce Wayne as he vowed to work with the League in the future.
Detective Comics #225 by Joseph Samachson, Jack Miller, and Joe Certa first introduced J'onzz as he was transported from his home planet Mars by a human scientist, who died from the shock of his experiment shortly after which forced Martian Manhunter to find a new heroic life on Earth.
17 Batman - Detective Comics #27 (1939)
The Dark Knight detective had a long history in theaters before he joined the DCEU in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, played by Ben Affleck in an older take on the character inspired by The Dark Knight Returns.
Bruce Wayne first put on his cape and cowl in 1939's Detective Comics #27 by Bill Finger and Bob Kane as he launched his one-man mission against criminals while wearing a costume because they were "by nature, a cowardly and superstitious lot."
16 Wonder Woman - All-Star Comics #8 (1941)
Gal Gadot first appeared in the DCEU as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman before starring in 2017's Justice League. DC's Amazonian warrior would then star in her own solo franchise that launched with 2017's Wonder Woman and continued with 2020's Wonder Woman 1984.
Wonder Woman became the third member of DC's comic trinity in 1941 when she first appeared in All-Star Comics #8 from William Moulton Marston (the creator of the polygraph machine) and Harry G. Peter when Steve Trevor arrived on Themyscira and brought Diana Prince into WWII.
15 Barry Allen/The Flash - Showcase #4 (1956)
Ezra Miller first appeared as the cinematic Barry Allen briefly in Batman v. Superman before his full appearance in Justice League, which was later upgraded to better serve the character and his abilities in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
While the DC universe had already seen a version of The Flash named Jay Garrick appear alongside the Justice Society of America, Barry Allen became the Silver Age version of The Flash in 1956's Showcase #4 by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, which further launched the legacy of the Scarlet Speedster.
14 Aquaman - More Fun Comics #73 (1941)
Batman v Superman introduced a few members of the Justice League besides the titular heroes, including Jason Momoa's Aquaman, who starred in 2018's Aquaman before the character received an alternate take in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Arthur Curry first appeared in the comics as Aquaman in an origin story from More Fun Comics # 73 by Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris, which also featured other popular DC characters like Doctor Fate, Green Arrow, and The Spectre.
13 Cyborg - DC Comics Presents #26 (1980)
The original roster of the Justice League was completed in Batman v Superman when Ray Fisher's Victor Stone was first transformed into Cyborg, though the character was explored more thoroughly in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
When Victor Stone first appeared in DC Comics Presents #26 by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, it was in a vision of the future presented to Dick Grayson/Robin that teased Cyborg's eventual debut as a member of the New Teen Titans, years before he would officially join the Justice League in 2011's New 52 reboot.
12 Rick Flag - The Brave And The Bold #25 (1959)
While he wasn't as flashy of a hero as some of the other DCEU characters, Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) was a highly-trained soldier who was put in charge of Amanda Waller's Task Force X in 2016's Suicide Squad.
Colonel Rick Flag first appeared as the leader of the original wartime Suicide Squadron in 1959's The Brave and the Bold #25 by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, though it was his son Rick Flag, Jr. who worked with Waller as the handler of the modern comic version of Task Force X, which first appeared in Legends from John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne.
11 Katana - The Brave And The Bold #200 (1983)
The mysterious warrior known as Katana (Karen Fukuhara) was one of the few heroic characters alongside Rick Flag who was placed on Task Force X in David Ayer's Suicide Squad, complete with her cursed and possessed blade known as Soultaker.
Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo introduced a new team of heroes in 1983's The Brave and the Bold #200 when Batman assembled his Outsiders for the first time, which also included the comic debut of Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana in the first of many appearances with the Outsiders over the years.
10 Green Lantern/Yalan Gur - Green Lantern #19 (1991)
While no modern-day Green Lanterns have yet to appear in the DCEU except for the deceased body of Kilowog in a future vision from Zack Snyder's Justice League, a Green Lantern from the past named Yalan Gur made his cinematic debut in Justice League.
Yalan Gur was the Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814 before heroes like Abin Sur, Hal Jordan, and John Stewart, though his brief story wasn't told until 1991's Green Lantern #19, which attempted to blend the Golden Age and Silver Age continuities of Alan Scott and the Green Lantern Corps.
9 Mera - Aquaman #11 (1963)
Amber Heard first appeared as Mera in Justice League before starring in Aquaman, though the character was given a dark futuristic twist as one of Batman's final team of survivors in the Knightmare sequence of Zack Snyder's Justice League.
The Xebellian princess and future Queen of Atlantis first appeared in 1963's Aquaman #11 by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy, though her origins have changed quite a bit since her first comic appearance to make her one of the most powerful Atlanteans.
8 Shazam - Whiz Comics #2 (1940)
David F. Sandberg brought Shazam! to the big screen in 2019, which saw young Billy Batson (Asher Angel) become the superpowered adult hero Shazam (Zachary Levi) after saying a powerful magic word that bestowed him with the power of the gods.
While the character is now known only as Shazam, for years after his debut in 1940's Whiz Comics #2 by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck he was known as Captain Marvel and had a whole Marvel family, though the New 52 reboot officially changed the character's name due to long-standing legal issues with the Marvelous Competition.
7 Captain Marvel Jr./Shazam Jr. - Whiz Comics #25 (1941)
While Shazam operated as the main hero for most of 2019's Shazam!, he was joined in his training by Batson's foster brother Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) and later in his own superpowered form as Shazam Jr. (Adam Brody).
Freeman's first appearance and transformation took place in 1941's Whiz Comics #25 by Ed Herron, C.C. Beck, and Mac Raboy, though like his predecessor he was known as Captain Marvel Jr. for years until he took on the name CM3 and finally, Shazam Jr. during the New 52 reboot.
6 Mary Marvel/Lady Shazam - Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (1942)
Freddy Freeman wasn't the only foster sibling Billy Batson in 2019's Shazam!, as Mary Bromfield (Grace Fulton) was the oldest foster child in the Vasquez family who also received a magical power-up from Batson to become Lady Shazam (Michelle Borth) in the climax of the movie.
Lady Shazam is her newer title following the New 52 reboot, and the character originally appeared in 1942's Captain Marvel Adventures #18 by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze as Billy Batson's lost twin sister who transformed into Mary Marvel before the New 52 reboot.
5 Shazam Family - Flashpoint #1 (2011)
The rest of the Shazam Family made their live-action debut in Shazam! when Billy Batson shared his magical abilities with his newfound foster siblings; Eugene Choi (Ian Chen/Ross Butler), Pedro Peña (Jovan Armand/D.J. Cotrona), and Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman/Meagan Good).
The updated version of the Shazam Family first appeared prior during the Flashpoint alternate timeline event from Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert as the young heroes who combined to become Captain Thunder before their full appearance in The New 52's Shazam #1.
4 Helena Bertinelli/Huntress - The Huntress #1 (1989)
2020's Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) saw the formation of a new team of vigilantes in the DC universe that included Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as a well-trained assassin seeking revenge on the murderers of her family.
The Helena Bertinelli version of the character first appeared in 1989's The Huntress mini-series by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton that revealed the origin of Gotham City's newest vigilante following the prior Earth-2 appearance of a similar character named Helena Wayne.
3 Renee Montoya - Batman #475 (1992)
While she wasn't a part of the comic version of the team, Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey (as it was later retitled) included former GCPD officer Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) on the developing team as they helped her take down crime boss Roman Sionis/Black Mask.
Montoya was actually created in the 90s for Batman: The Animated Series, though her first comic appearance came in 1992's Batman #475 by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle as Commissioner Gordon's newest assistant on the Major Crimes Unit.
2 Dinah Lance/Black Canary - Justice League Of America #75 (1969)
Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey also introduced a big-screen version of Dinah Lance/Black Canary (Jurnee Smollet) as a singer-turned-enforcer for Black Mask who turns on him to work alongside the Birds of Prey and is the only member of the team with actual powers.
While Dinah Drake first appeared as the original Black Canary in Flash Comics #86 by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, her daughter Dinah Lance didn't appear as Black Canary until 1969's Justice League of America #75 by Dennis O'Neil and Dick Dillin introduced the new version to the team.
1 Cassandra Cain - Batman #567 (1999)
The final member of the team assembled in Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey was also partially the reason they came together in the first place as they gathered to protect the life of young street thief Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) from Black Mask.
Cain was quite different in the comics when she first appeared as the new Batgirl in 1999's Batman #567 by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott, which revealed the silent but deadly vigilante's troubled upbringing as an assassin before she became the newest member of the Batfamily.