10 DC & Marvel Superhero Teams Who Were Complete Jokes

Both the Marvel and DC Universes are packed to the brim with iconic and beloved superhero teams. But not every team is created equal. In fact, the Big Two have plenty of groups that are, for lack of a better word, complete jokes. Now, no offense to any of the heroes on any of these teams. Truth be told, intentionally lame teams are a tradition for superhero storytelling. We spend so much time with the A-listers, sometimes it’s fun to take a break from the norm and read the hijinks of teams who, bless their heart, are kind of jokes.

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Now, what do we mean when we refer to ‘joke’ teams? Generally, these kinds of groups are filled with B and C-tier characters (or even lower) and star in books that are meant to be more lighthearted and comical. Think teams like the Inferior Five or the Great Lakes Avengers. Mod squads who have the hearts of heroes but lack the skill, powers, or general competence of teams like the Justice League or the Avengers. Both Marvel and DC have had plenty of crews like that over the years, so read on to discover 10 of the best ‘loser’ teams.

10. The Legion of Substitute Heroes

We all know about the future-based team, the Legion of Super-Heroes. But despite having one of the largest rosters of any superhero organization, not everyone is cut out to be a true-blue Legionnaire. Fortunately, these heroes have a home in the Legion of Substitute Heroes. While these young heroes have plenty of heart, they’ve also got powers that, well…kind of suck. Between Night Girl’s super-strength that only works in darkness and Chlorophyll Kid’s power to make plants grow fast, it really makes me wonder how in the hell Bouncing Boy ever made to the big leagues.

9. Brute Force

If you’re wondering if Marvel Comics seriously had pushed a team of cybernetically-enhanced animal heroes, the answer is yes. Brute Force, as they’re known, had a self-titled miniseries in the early ‘90s, which introduced this incredibly oddball menagerie. While the concept gets points for originality, these poor guys didn’t have the X-factor to take them much farther beyond their original mini. They did return for an Infinity Comic on Marvel Unlimited as well as a one-off appearance in a Deadpool comic. But sadly, the idea of animals fighting crime with cybernetic augmentations was just too outlandish for comic readers.

8. Hero Hotline

What do you do when you need a hero but Superman isn’t around? You call the Hero Hotline, of course! The Hero Hotline is a corporate-owned team of superheroes who will come out and save the day for anyone who dials their number. They take their job seriously, having heroes on call 24/7. That said, don’t expect Justice League-caliber defenders. They’ve got interesting members like Marie the Psychic Turtle (yes, really) and Zeep the Living Sponge (again, really). While these heroes are one of the wildest products of capitalism, they provided a pretty handy service.

7. Mercs for Money

Did you think that Deadpool could lead anything other than a joke team? Wade Wilson decided to capitalize on his image when he was impersonated and took a page out of Luke Cage’s Heroes for Hire venture (even originally borrowing the name). He was legally forced to change it and decided to go with the Mercs for Money, a collection of some of the most wild hitmen-for-hire. What really put these guys over the top was their team uniform, everyone wearing uniquely-colored versions of Deadpool’s costume. This particular incarnation didn’t last, but they were good for a laugh.

6. Inferior Five

I’m not gonna lie, I have a soft spot for the Inferior Five. These guys have been around for decades and only pop up when DC feels the need to poke fun at their utter lameness. The Inferior Five are all the offspring of the Freedom Brigade, but unlike their successful parents, everyone in this team is just completely incompetent. Between the hapless leader Merryman and the incredibly clumsy Awkwardman, these guys had absolutely no chance at being anything but a joke. That said, there is a unique charm to them and it’s always nice to see them pop up.

5. X-Statix

There are so many mutant teams in the Marvel Universe; one of them had to be a joke team, right? Among the many, many offshoots of the X-Men is X-Statix, a team of younger mutants who were more concerned with fame and fortune than saving the day. There were some pretty interesting members on this team, including a mutant who had acidic sweat and a reanimated pop star who was originally intended to be Princess Diana back from the grave. Wild nature aside, X-Statix had a decent run and remains a beloved series today.

4. Section 8

Hoo boy, where to even start with Section 8? This team of ‘superheroes’, if you can even call them that, first appeared in the series Hitman and is based out of Gotham. While they see themselves as true-blue champions of justice, the truth is that this is less a team and more a coterie consisting of miscreants, alcoholics, perverts, and a creepy figure named Dogwelder who does exactly what his name implies. They’re funny, but they are not for everyone. Thankfully, they rarely appear outside of books penned by Garth Ennis, so Gotham’s dogs are, for the most part, safe.

3. Nextwave

There’s a reason the series Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. is so fondly remembered. This team starred in one of the most hilarious and over-the-top series Marvel has ever produced. Nextwave consists of a handful of heroes who are assembled by the anti-terrorist organization H.A.T.E., only to discover that H.A.T.E. is in league with the evil Beyond Corporation. Nextwave’s members are all actually pretty competent. But the situations they got into are so over-the-top and inexplicable that the entire series practically defies comprehension. As far as joke teams go, Nextwave is one of the best.

2. Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew

Arguably, the best of all the joke teams in the entire DC Universe. Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew are a riff on the ‘funny animal’ genre, featuring cartoonish parodies of some of DC’s best heroes. Aside from Captain Carrot, there’s Rubberduck, Pig-Iron, Fastback, Yankee Poodle, and plenty of other animal pun heroes. These guys don’t live in the mainline DC Universe; instead inhabiting Earth-26. While it’s rare to see the entire gang, Captain Carrot frequently assists when multiversal catastrophe strikes, even becoming a member of Justice Incarnate.

1. Great Lakes Avengers

I don’t think it’s controversial to say that the Great Lakes Avengers is the unquestionable best joke team of all time. Don’t let the name fool you; these guys are barely Avengers, and they’ve had a long history of legal battles with the actual Avengers over the use of their name. That said, this team has a whole lot of heart. Mr. Immortal, Big Bertha, Flatman, hell, even the iconic Squirrel Girl was a member of this team for a short period. Whenever these guys show up, you know you’re in for a good time.

Who’s your favorite joke team from the Marvel or DC Universes? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!