A team is only as good as its strongest, or weakest, member. For the Justice League, a team that has had some of the most powerful heroes in the DC universe on its roster, as well as some of the weakest, that is especially true. And while you may think heroes like Superman, Wonder Woman or Flash would be the most powerful members of the team, you would be wrong.
In truth, those three powerhouses fall somewhere in the middle of the road when it comes to true power. They're nothing to laugh at, but they also aren't the biggest hitters the League has had. Here are the five most powerful and five least powerful members of the Justice League.
10 Most Powerful: Zatanna
The daughter of Zatara, Zatanna is one of the most powerful sorceresses in the DC universe. Unlike other magic users, Zatanna's powers are genetic, and she does not need to use common spells or mystical items for her power. Instead, Zatanna casts spells by speaking backward.
How much time it took her to learn to do that, we don't know, but it sure is one heck of a skill. With a simple "og yawa!" Zatanna could make her enemies disappear faster than a rabbit can jump out of a hat.
9 Least Powerful: Sue Dibny
The wife of the Elongated Man, Sue Dibny never joined the Justice League on the battlefield, but she was an important member during the days that the League was working with the United Nations. As their UN liaison and the person who usually manned the switchboard, Sue kept the Justice League running smoothly at a time when the team consisted of knuckleheads like Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, and the Green Lantern- Guy Gardner.
Sue Dibny was loved by everyone who ever met her, which made her murder during Identity Crisis all that much harder for the Justice League. Her death opened many old wounds for the Justice League. Luckily, all of that horrible business seems to have been erased from continuity with New 52 and Rebirth.
8 Most Powerful: Doctor Fate
With the Helmet of Nabu, Dr. Fate has superhuman strength, telekinesis, telepathy, pyrokinesis, lightning manipulation, and is basically invulnerable. If that isn't enough, he also has a whole load of spells to fall back on. Dr. Fate has taken on the likes of the Spectre and lived to tell the tale, something very few can claim.
Like Zatanna, Dr. Fate's power makes him a serious magical powerhouse, but he has one thing she doesn't - thousands of years of knowledge. The Helmet of Nabu has been worn by many heroes and holds their knowledge within it, and the Tower of Fate is filled with ancient tomes that hold the secrets of magic and the true history of the world.
7 Least Powerful: Black Condor
Ryan Kendall, the second Black Condor, was only a member of the Justice League for a brief time, but that doesn't make him any less of a weak member of the team. His powers, flight, telekinesis, and healing aren't the worst powers, but on a team with the likes of Dr. Fate, they don't stand out.
Black Condor left the Justice League and spent some time going solo in Opal City before joining the new Freedom Fighters. It was with this team that he would die in battle during Infinite Crisis.
6 Most Powerful: Phantom Stranger
As his name suggests, the true powers of the Phantom Stranger are mysterious. He appears to be immortal, can shoot powerful bolts of energy from his hands, and is able to teleport anywhere in the universe. He can also pop into Heaven and Hell when he wants. As if teleporting isn't a cool enough way to get around, he can also travel through time. He's been known to dispel magic and survive in space without any special suits or breathing apparatuses.
The Phantom Stranger's most useful power is his near omniscience. He appears to know everything about anyone he meets, and that goes beyond the DC universe, as seen in the JLA/Avengers crossover.
5 Least Powerful: Blue Jay
Blue Jay was originally a member of the Champions of Angor who traveled to Earth with his teammates to destroy the Earth's nuclear weapons in the hope of saving it from the fate of Angor. Blue Jay joined Justice League Europe but was always filled with self-doubt, questioning if he truly deserves to be on the team.
In fairness to Blue Jay, he should have been filled with self-doubt. With the ability to shrink to the size of a bird and fly around, he wasn't exactly an amazingly useful member of the team. He is named team leader for the JLE, but it was decided by a UN member looking to destroy the League.
4 Most Powerful: Firestorm
When the first Firestorm, which combined college student Ronnie Raymond and college professor Dr. Martin Stein, joined the Justice League, he instantly became one of the most powerful members of the team... ever. As Firestorm, the two men can control the molecular structure of anything they want. They could turn a can of soda into the Batmobile if they wanted.
After Ronnie Raymond's death, the Firestorm matrix, which gives Firestorm his amazing powers, chose Jason Rusch to be its new host. When the Injustice League attacked the wedding of Green Arrow and Black Canary, the new Firestorm showed up to help the Justice League and was offered a spot on the team.
3 Least Powerful: Blue Beetle
Being one of the most loved members of the Justice League doesn't make a hero one of the most powerful. Ted Kord, better known as the second Blue Beetle, spent most of his time as a member of Justice League International sitting in his ship, the Bug, and eating Hostess snacks. This led to a very out of shape Blue Beetle finding out that he no longer fit into his costume. A truly embarrassing moment for a superhero.
Ted Kord would go on to be killed by Maxwell Lord, the man who created the UN-sanctioned version of the Justice League, but Ted's back now and has returned to hanging out with his best pal Booster Gold.
2 Most Powerful: Captain Atom
Captain Nathaniel Adam was a United States Air Force officer who was framed for a crime that guaranteed he would be sentenced to death. Knowing he couldn't prove his innocence and not wanting to die, Captain Adam requested to be used as a test subject for 'Project: Captain Atom.' The project was a success, and Captain Atom was born.
Covered in a metallic shell called Dilustel, Captain Atom can absorb and manipulate an endless amount of energy using it to fly, give himself superhuman strength that is second only to Superman, and shoot blasts of energy from wherever on his body he feels like it. He can also telepathically communicate with computer networks and change the molecular structure of objects, but not to the extent that Firestorm can.
1 Least Powerful: The Mighty Bruce
A smalltime crook with no superpowers or any kind of super-suit, the man known only as The Mighty Bruce became friends with Major Disaster while in prison. When Major Disaster decided to break out, he took his pal with him, and the two became inseparable. When Major Disaster decided to reform the Injustice League, he gave Bruce a position on the team.
After a series of failures, Major Disaster's team tried to rob the Metropolitan Museum of Sundries only to find it being robbed by another group. The Injustice League stopped this other group and were hailed as heroes. Seeing this as an opportunity to go straight, Bruce convinced the Injustice League to apply for membership in the Justice League. Shockingly, they were accepted and became the Antarctica branch of the Justice League International.