With DC's recent announcement of the return of the Justice Society of America to their own book, by writer Geoff Johns and artist Mikel Janin no less, fans are in a tizzy. The JSA has been mostly absent for years now, with only a few bit appearances here and there. The team has a long history in at DC, with stories stretching back to the Golden Age of comics.
With a legacy like that, there are lots of things that fans want to see from the book, especially when it comes to villains. The Justice Society has faced down some great villains over the years, and some of them definitely need to appear in the new series.
10 Sportsmaster Needs To Arrive In Modern DC Comics
Sportsmaster is a relic of Golden Age gimmick villains. He's a villain who used sports equipment to battle the heroes, often using wooden weapons to battle Alan Scott. He's also a villain that hasn't gotten a lot of love in the modern DC Universe. Unlike a lot of Golden Age antagonists, he hasn't gotten a reboot in the comics. He did, however, appear in the Young Justice cartoon as a major figure, showing he can work in the modern day.
Sportsmaster is made to be a henchman, not a mastermind, but it would still be fun to see a modern Sportsmaster fight the JSA. Take a bit of the Golden Age, and a bit of Young Justice, mix them together, and put that on the page.
9 Psycho-Pirate Was Once A Justice Society Villain
Psycho-Pirate has gone through a lot over the years. Since Crisis On Infinite Earths, he's become a much bigger deal in the DC Universe, but once upon a time, Roger Hayden was an Earth-2 villain who fought Jay Garrick and the Justice Society. The JSA book could remind readers about that history by bringing him back as a villain for the group.
It would work especially well since this book looks to include the old Earth-2 version of Huntress, a character who doesn't technically exist anymore. Psycho-Pirate's Medusa Mask can manifest people from the old Multiverse, so that could explain her showing up and provide a ton of story opportunities.
8 The Ultra-Humanite Is Too Cool Of A Villain Not To Appear
The Ultra-Humanite was once Superman's greatest foe, battling the Man of Steel in the Golden Age. The body-jumping evil scientist also fought the Justice Society and after CoIE became primarily a JSA villain. Recent years have seen him appearing more frequently, often battling Superman, but seeing him go up against the Justice Society again would be great.
The Ultra-Humanite is a versatile villain. He's a massive threat to any hero or team he faces. He'd be a great mastermind, eager to welcome back his old playmates. Ultra-Humanite deserves more exposure and the new Justice Society book is his perfect venue.
7 Solomon Grundy Has A Long History With The Justice Society
Solomon Grundy is a DC henchman extraordinaire. He's battled every major hero and team out there, as his origins stretch far back into DC's Golden Age. The monster of Slaughter Swamp is the best muscle around, able to fight off Superman and too dumb to ask any questions. On top of that, he also regularly reinvents himself, presenting new facets of his character after one of his regular resurrections.
Grundy can be a big dumb brute or a super strong manipulator. It would be great if he showed up and everyone thought it was the big dumb Solomon, but it was all ruse. He's a much more interesting character than most fans realize, making him perfect for a return.
6 Magog Is Due For A Heel Turn
Kingdom Come has a rich legacy in the DC Universe. The last time Johns was writing Justice Society of America, his biggest story was "Thy Kingdom Come," a story that brought the anti-hero Magog from KC into the JSA"s continuity, giving him an origin. Magog joined the team and proved to be a great, if violent, hero, ending up dead in Brightest Day.
Magog made an appearance as a villain in the New 52, but that version of the DC Universe no longer exists. Seeing as Johns did so much with the character before, having him return to the Justice Society book would make readers happy and give the killer hero a great return.
5 Per Degaton Is The Justice Society's Premiere Time-Traveling Villain
Per Degaton has been battling the JSA for decades. The evil time-traveling fascist has enmeshed the team in his temporal schemes, using powerful technology from the future to battle the group. He's a great villain who rarely gets any play outside the Justice Society books. Time-traveling villains don't get the respect they deserve anymore, and putting Degaton in such a big book could change that.
Degaton has a long-lasting legacy with the JSA, so putting him up against this newest version at some point would be welcome. It's been over a decade since he had a major story, so he's due for a chance to show a whole new generation of fans just how tough he is.
4 Icicle II Is The Coolest
Icicle II is the JSA's best B-list villain. Fighting alongside the Injustice Society, he was given some great things to do in Johns's JSA run, and even had a redemption arc teased. Icicle gained a lot of fans in "Stealing Thunder" but after that mostly disappeared. Since then, he's made very few appearances but the with the JSA coming back, he definitely should as well.
Icicle II is the most interesting member of the modern Injustice Society. He has cool powers and there's so much that can be done with the character. Bringing him back as a villain looking to change would be perfect and make longtime fans happy.
3 Extant And The Justice Society Have A Deadly History
The Justice Society's most pyrrhic victor was in their fight against Extant. The villain faced off against the team during Zero Hour, killing the Atom, Hourman, and Dr. Mid-Nite, as well as aging the surviving team up to their their advanced real ages. The team clashed with him again when he got the Worlogog. They stopped him and Atom-Smasher traded Extant's place with his mother in a plane bombed by Kobra in the past.
Extant always comes back, though, so bringing him back to battle the team in the modern day would be a treat for fans. Few Justice Society villains have done this kind of damage to the team, so a rematch is definitely called for.
2 Mordru Has Almost Destroyed The Justice Society
Mordru's magical might makes him a ridiculously dangerous foe. Coming to prominence battling the Legion of Superheroes, the present version of the villain also attacked the Justice Society, usurping the Helmet of Fate and working with Eclipso and Obsidian to destroy the team. His raw power makes him one of the team's most fearsome foes.
Mordru and the Justice Society make great enemies. He's powerful enough to challenge the entire team and has a grudge to work out against them, stemming from his long enmity with Nabu. He definitely needs to show up in the new book.
1 Johnny Sorrow Deserves An A-List Call Up
Johnny Sorrow seemed to be on the cusp of stardom in the '00s. He led the Injustice Society against the JSA and was a huge part of the amazing JLA/JSA: Virtue And Vice. His backstory, as a Golden Age criminal pulled into a Lovecraftian nightmare and returning as an unkillable evil mastermind, was great and he looked cool to boot.
Johnny Sorrow has all the villainous tools to succeed. If anyone deserves to be in the new Justice Society book, it's him. It would be a snap to position him as the JSA's newest archnemesis. It would pay off all the character's potential and create a great new uber-evil for DC's heroes to face.