This is the latest in a feature where I just share some bit of comic book history that interests me. Here is a collection of all of the installments in the feature so far.

Today, as a companion piece to the similar piece I did on people who turned down membership in the Avengers, we take a look at fourteen superheroes who, at one point or another, refused membership in the Justice League.

Enjoy!

NOTE: I don't mean longterm Justice League members who turned down membership temporarily at different points in their lives, like Batman quitting for one crisis or another or Green Arrow not joining back up at various times. I mean heroes who had never been members at the time they turned down the offer (many of them, of course, later joined). This includes heroes who were members Pre-Crisis but were not members Post-Crisis.

The first hero to turn the Justice League down was Metamorpho, who guest-starred in the aptly titled "Metamorpho Says - No!" by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs. The gist is that the League decides to ask Metamorpho to join, but a mysterious invisible being known as the Unimaginable decides HE should get the spot, so he tries to show his stuff...

At the end of the issue, once the Unimaginable was taken care of, Green Lantern's ring is unable to cure Metamorpho. He still turns them down, but he agrees to at least be a standby member.

The next time someone actually turned the League down was in Justice League of America #173 (by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin), as Green Arrow has the League take a look at Black Lightning as a possible new member...

They then decided to kind of jerkishly TEST Black Lightning to see if he is worthy of being on the tam, by disguising themselves as villains...

They team up with Lightning the next issue, where he reiterates that he doesn't want to join a team (the League apologizes for the test incident).

In Justice League of America Annual #1 (by Paul Levitz, Len Wein, Rick Hoberg and Dick Giordano), the League invites the Jack Kirby Sandman to join, but he doesn't take them up on it...

At the end of the Legends mini-series (by John Ostrander, Len Wein, John Byrne and Karl Kesel), after the gathered heroes have saved the day, they decide to form a new Justice League, but Flash (Wally West), Superman and Changeling all turn down the team (I guess Wonder Woman sort of does, too, but since she doesn't actively say no, I'm not counting her)...

Go the next page for the rest of the heroes who turned the League down!

In Justice League America #42 (by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, Mike McKone and Jose Marzan Jr.), the League tries to expand their roster, but don't find success for most of the issue.

It opens with Gypsy turning down Martian Manhunter in his offer to join the new League now that she is an orphan...

Blue Beetle and Fire tried to recruit El Diablo...

Ice and Huntress tried to recruit Hawk and Dove (I'm counting them as one hero here)...

Guy Gardner tried to recruit Starman...

They all turned them down. Luckily for the League, Orion and Lightray join the team later in the issue.

In Justice League Quarterly #8 (by Mike Collins and Jose Marzan Jr.), Power Girl and Flash meet Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt, and try to get him to join Justice League Europe...

During the Judgement Day crossover, the three Justice League teams (Justice League America, Justice League International and Justice League Task Force) took on the Overmaster and his Cadre of villainy. Two members of the Cadre turned on the Overmaster and worked with the League in the end - Seneca and Osiris. In Justice League Task Force #15 (by Mark Waid, Sal Velluto and Jeff Albrecht), Wonder Woman invites them to join the League. Since we never see them again, I presume it's fair to say that they turned her down...

Similarly, since the Atom (Ryan Choi) doesn't actually join the League after Wonder Woman invites him in All-New Atom #18 (by Gail Simone, Mike Norton, Andy Smith, Trevor Scott and Keith Champagne), I think it is fair to say that he turned her down...

I'm sure there have been others, but come on, that's fourteen! That's a lot!

If you have any suggestion for a future Knowledge Waits, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com