The Simpsons is no stranger to the concept of superheroes. Bart Simpson has his own heroic alter-ego in the form of Bartman, Homer once went on a Hulk-like rampage and the kids of Springfield are enamored with the character Radioactive Man. Fallout Boy, Radioactive Man's sidekick, was famously played by Bart's pal Milhouse Van Houten in the Radioactive Man movie.
However, one episode went above and beyond the show's usual involvement with superheroes and actually saw the formation of a team. The team's members parodied various individuals from the Avengers and Justice League. It was Season 24, Episode 16, "Dark Knight Court." The team in questions was "The Dependables."
In "Dark Knight Court," Mr. Burns reignites his previous love for superheroes after paying a visit to Springfield's comic book store. He subsequently decides to actually become a superhero, calling himself Fruit Bat Man in a parody of Batman. Fearful for his boss' safety when it comes to tackling real criminals, Smithers stages crimes for Burns to thwart by using patsies to act as supervillains. The patsies in question include Homer, Lenny, Carl and the Crazy Cat Lady.
After it's revealed to Burns that he hasn't really done anything heroic, he goes on to thwart an actual criminal - Groundskeeper Willie, who ruined the townspeople's clothes with eggs due to his hatred of Easter.
At the end of the episode, there's a trailer for a movie about the aforementioned Dependables, which began with Fruit Bat Man being captured by the villainous Abominable Dr. Lenny. The deed prompts none other than Nick Fury himself into action.
Voiced by Simpsons mainstay Hank Azaria, Fury activates the "Octogenarian Initiative" and recruits a team of elderly heroes: The Rambler, Early Bird, Hot Flash, Iron Lung and, of course, Fruit Bat Man.
Rambler, aka Grampa Simpson, is another Batman parody whose "superpower" is that he can talk criminals to sleep with his boring stories. Early Bird, aka Jasper Beardly, is a Hawkman parody whose genuine superpower is flight. Hot Flash, aka Alice Glick, is a Flash parody who's super-fast and leaves a trail of fire in her wake. Finally, Iron Lung, aka Hans Moleman, is an Iron Man parody who doesn't appear to have superpowers and is permanently encased in a life support device.
The Dependables are hardly formidable, but it's a shame that "Dark Knight Court" is the only episode they appear in to date (although the Rambler, Hot Flash, Fruit Bat Man and Iron Lung do appear in the mobile app/video game The Simpsons: Tapped Out). Hopefully, the team will make another on-screen appearance in the future.