The Justice League of America has conquered several media types. Of course, their home is comic books. They also appear in animated form and live-action film releases. What they haven't tackled is an ongoing, live-action TV series.
While they've made cameo appearances in places like Smallville, the whole team hasn't emerged on the small screen. However, their individual members have graced television since the 1950s. In many cases, their appearances shaped the characters for decades.
10 Superman (1952) Is The First TV Superhero
There were other heroes on the air before the Man of Steel. The Lone Ranger, Captain Video, and Buck Rogers were among them. However, The Adventures of Superman was the first to feature a true superhero.
Launched in syndication, the series stars George Reeves as the titular hero. On the air for six seasons, it's one of the first programs to air in color. The Adventures of Superman is known for its flying effects as well as the unfortunate death of the show's star by suicide.
9 Batman (1966) Entered TV With A Pow & Bam
Before his start on television, Batman was a movie serial hero. He and Robin starred in two different series in the 1940s. It took a decade and a half for the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder to appear on the small screen in the full-color Batman. This wasn't the Dark Knight comic book readers knew. It is a campy version that featured exposition, slanted camera angles, and sound effects displayed on the screen. Nevertheless, it was a stupendous hit for ABC between 1966 and 1968.
Batman isn't the only Justice Leaguer to appear on the show. Dick Grayson has also been a member of the JLA, except not in his Robin form. He became its leader during one of the team's incarnations when the Trinity decided to leave.
8 Shazam (1974) Appeared On Saturday Mornings
Like Batman, Shazam's popularity was large enough during World War II for him to have a movie serial. Yet, due to sagging post-war comic book sales and a lawsuit between DC and Fawcett, the Big Red Cheese's home, the character disappeared from all media in the 1950s and '60s.
When he reappeared in DC Comics in 1973 interest was renewed. To draw in a new generation of fans, Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott, founders of Filmation, created a live-action, Saturday morning show around the superhero. Unlike his comic book counterpart who was a young adolescent that hosted a radio show, the TV version of Billy Batson was a young adult. He drove around the country in an RV with an older man named Mentor. When needed, the gods that made up Shazam's powers would call upon him to transform and take care of things.
7 Wonder Woman (1975) Is The First Female TV Superhero
DC Comics had a live-action superhero renaissance in the mid-1970s. Both Shazam! and Secrets of Isis were hits on Saturday mornings. Meanwhile, at the start of the 1975-76 primetime season, Wonder Woman got her chance at live-action fame on ABC.
Starring Lynda Carter as the main character, Wonder Woman became the first primetime TV series to feature a female superhero. The show's initial season took place during WWII. After one season, the show moved to CBS and was renamed The New Adventures of Wonder Woman. Here, Wonder Woman and boss Steve Trevor relocated their adventures to modern times.
6 The Flash (1990) Initiated The Next Generation Of Superhero Shows
Thanks to the success of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film, DC Comics was able to return to live-action television after a decade. Before the successful launch of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, CBS made another attempt at the comic book hero genre with The Flash.
Starring John Wesley Shipp as the Scarlet Speedster, the show has some powerful clout. The theme is composed by Danny Elfman. Mark Hamill portrays one of the hero's rogues gallery members, the Trickster. Despite lasting only one season, The Flash is still well-regarded. In fact, in the new Flash series, Shipp reprised his role as an alternate universe version of the character.
5 Swamp Thing (1990) Brought The Hero To Basic Cable
There's more than one version of the Justice League. For instance, the job of Justice League Dark is to battle forces of magic and the supernatural. It's the reason why the avatar of The Green, Swamp Thing, is a member.
A good deal of this moodiness became part of USA Network's Swamp Thing television series. Launched in 1990, it was the highest-ranking series on the network at the time. This, despite it not following the themes of the comic book. Since its original airing, the show has become a cult classic.
4 Birds Of Prey (2002) Introduced Viewers (Sort Of) To The Huntress
Yes, Huntress has been a member of various JLA incarnations. Yes, the 2002 series Birds of Prey is her first live-action TV appearance. Yet, the version of the hero isn't quite like her comic book counterpart.
First, being the child of Batman and Catwoman, which occurred on Earth-Two, was erased after Crisis on Infinite Earths. Second, though she gained the skills of both of her parents, Huntress has never been a metahuman in any incarnation. Nevertheless, the hero deserves a place on this list.
3 Arrow (2012) Introduced Oliver Queen & The Arrowverse
After decades of jumping from one television network to another, DC Comics finally found a solid home in 2012 to launch new live-action series. Of course, when The CW premiered Arrow in 2012, neither the network nor the comic book company knew the impact they would have.
The series stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, the superhero known as Green Arrow. During its eight-season run, other Justice League members would be introduced and play a large part in storylines. Among them are Dinah Drake/Black Canary and Roy Harper/Arsenal. The latter would join the JLA as Red Arrow.
2 The Flash (2014) Introduced A Live-Action Firestorm
The Arrowverse's version of The Flash is more than a single superhero series. It is a show that launched the careers of other personalities. One of these is the hotheaded Firestorm.
In the show, Ronny Raymond and Professor Martin Stein were affected by the explosion of the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator. Like the comic book hero, who was introduced in his own 1978 DC Comics series, Firestorm is created when the personalities of Raymond and Stein merge. The character eventually joined the Legends of Tomorrow series.
1 Legends Of Tomorrow (2016) Introduced Several JLA Characters
Some might call the CW's Legends of Tomorrow as Justice League Lite. It isn't comprised of all the team members. Nevertheless, it has featured several live-action versions of JLA members.
As mentioned, Firestorm was an original member of the group. So were Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Furthermore, Ray Palmer served on the team for several years as the Atom.