Superhero teams are one of the backbones of long-running comics for both Marvel and DC. Considering how massive both of their shared universes are, teams are a fantastic way to show multiple characters at once. They can include their best and brightest alongside their less popular to give them a boost, and see new dynamics and relationships form between people’s favorite characters. It helps make the world feel more lived in, like these characters actually interact and collaborate to make it a better place. The Justice League, Avengers, and Teen Titans are some of the most memorable and important teams of all, and they define their respective companies.
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However, not every team gets to be so lucky. For every successful team that everyone loves, there are three that fade into the background, likely to never be heard from again. That is a massive shame, especially considering how much potential some of these groups have. So today, we’re going to be looking at five forgotten superhero teams that deserve their day in the sun. At the very least, they should get another chance to show everyone what they can do.
5) The Guild of Detection
This team earns its spot here because we’ve never seen it in action before, but we definitely need to. It first appeared in Detective Comics #1000 when Batman joined, and it is a secret society of the world’s greatest detectives. You can only join by following near-impossible clues, laid out by the other members. It has detective heavyweights like the Question, Detective Chimp, and even old-school Slam Bradley. They have records on the world’s biggest and strangest unsolved cases, which is the perfect setup for an anthology book following different detective characters teaming up to solve outlandish and otherworldly mysteries.
For a company that got its name from Detective Comics, a true mystery series following their best detectives seems like a no-brainer. Seeing mystery enthusiasts that could make Sherlock Holmes blush working together on esoteric and supposedly unsolvable mysteries opens the door to infinite possibilities that can explore the serious and weirdest parts of the DC mythos at the same time.
4) A-Force
A-Force is an all-female superhero team that protects the island of Arcadia, a section of Doctor Doom’s Battleworld. They were led by their baroness, She-Hulk, and the roster included almost all of Marvel’s biggest names in women’s superheroing, from Captain Marvel to Jean Grey to Medusa. Simply put, we don’t often see teams with only lady members, and that’s a concept that definitely deserves to be explored more.
She-Hulk leading a team of Marvel’s biggest names would create a fantastic dynamic where strong personalities like Rogue and Spider-Woman could bounce off of each other. We have plenty of teams manned by only men, so it’s only fair we give the ladies their own shot.
3) The Legion of Substitute Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes are heroes of the 31st Century who are inspired by the actions of Superman to protect the universe. The Legion of Substitute Heroes is all of the people who were rejected from the original Legion for one reason or another. Usually, it’s that their powers range from benign to horrific: Their membership ranks include Color Kid, who can change the color of things, Double-Header, a man with two heads who constantly fight each other, and Infectious Lass, who carries thousands upon thousands of diseases.
To put it simply, they’re a mess. As Brainiac 5 put it in Action Comics #862: “They don’t just jump into the deep end of the pool without looking. They do it backward and handcuffed.” But that pathetic nature is what makes them so entertaining. It’s absolutely hilarious to watch people with practically useless powers stumble through saving the day. Once they actually do it in spite of all adversity, it’s heartwarming to see their determination carry them through. They’re the perfect underdog team, and we can always use more underdog stories.
2) The Midnight Sons
The Midnight Sons are one of Marvel’s coolest teams; they’re a squad of heroes united around the idea of stopping supernatural creatures that go bump in the night. Typically, each member has their own hard edges and dealings with the occult; core members include Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, and Blade.
This occult-focused team does battle with some of the scariest creatures in Marvel, and that is the best setup for dark, mysterious storylines all about the magical side of the hero world. While not exactly underexplored, that side of the franchise can always use more love, and the Midnight Sons are the organization with all the presence and power you could ever want. Their aesthetic and name are top-tier.
1) Justice League Task Force
The Justice League Task Force is a fantastic idea that, unfortunately, didn’t manage to find its lane until it was too late. The team was led by Martian Manhunter, and while it started with a rotating cast of whoever he selected for each mission, it evolved into a team of heroes that didn’t qualify to work on the actual Justice League and were sent off to be trained.
The premise of Martian Manhunter training the weaker and less-experienced heroes of DC into true Leaguers has all the potential for great zero-to-hero stories. This would be the perfect book to show off some of DC’s lesser-known or less heroic characters working together, and it has all the makings of a dysfunctional family gone wrong. They can even introduce new characters with the explicit purpose of having fans watch them rise from the ground to stand alongside giants like Superman and Wonder Woman. Also, it gives them a chance to use a bunch of older, less popular characters and see them get put through the ringer by Martian Manhunter, which could either be very funny, very emotional, or both at the same time. And isn’t that everything you could want in a book like this?
So there we have five forgotten superhero teams that most definitely deserve another chance at stardom. Which team would you like to see come back from comic book limbo? What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image courtesy of Lucasfilm.
