5 Underrated Justice League Teams That Deserve More Love

The Justice League is the preeminent team of superheroes in DC Comics. With their incredible roster of A-List superheroes, the League stands as a paragon of truth and justice. Still, the DC Universe is a big place. Over the years, various offshoots of the Justice League have been created to monitor and respond to different locations and threats. Some of the most well-known branches include the Justice League Dark and the Justice League International. However, there are plenty of other versions of the Justice League who deserve more appreciation and attention because of their engaging rosters and key roles in protecting the DC Universe from the forces of evil.

These are the most underrated offshoots of the Justice League in DC Comics.

5) Justice League of America

Although the Justice League of America was originally the full title of DC’s primary superhero team, the New 52 reimagines them as a U.S. Government-sanctioned offshoot of the Justice League. Created by Amanda Waller and Steve Trevor, the JLA was formed as a countermeasure in case the original Justice League went rogue. Interestingly, these heroes were unaware that they had been brought together to possibly destroy the Justice League. For the most part, they tried their best to be heroes, not pawns. With Steve Trevor as the field leader, the other members included Martian Manhunter, Catwoman, Katana, Vibe, Green Lantern Simon Baz, Hawkman, Stargirl, and Green Arrow. It is intriguing to see a political offshoot of the JLA fight villains like the Crime Syndicate, Black Adam, and Shadow Thief.

4) Justice League Elite

The Justice League has had several black ops teams over the years. Of these, Justice League Elite was the first and the most underappreciated. They primarily consist of former members of the supervillain group, the Elite. The team was created by the cyborg Vera Black, aka Sister Superior, to atone for the crimes of her brother, the evil former leader of the Elite, Manchester Black. Other members include Coldcast, Hat, Kasumi, Flash, Green Arrow, Major Disaster, Naif al Sheik, Menagerie, Manitou Dawn, and Manitou Raven. This team of heroes, anti-heroes, and ex-villains work from the shadows to protect people from aliens, assassins, and sorcerers. The idea of a Justice League based on espionage and anti-heroes was a creative concept that was full of fun character dynamics and twists.

3) Justice League China

To compete with the Justice League, the Chinese government sought to create its own league of superheroes to protect its country from terrorists and supervillains. Many of the JLC’s members gained their powers or skills through special government programs. Kong Kenan, aka Superman, absorbed the life force of the original Man of Steel; Wang Baixi, aka Bat-Man, is a robotics genius; and Peng Deilian, aka Wonder-Woman, is a mystical serpent from Chinese mythology. The JLC would later include Avery Ho, aka Flash, and the team’s Aquaman equivalent is Ahn Kwang-Jo, aka Dragonson. The JLC is a unique spin on familiar heroes, incorporating Chinese culture and mythology in a way few other western comics have before.

2) Justice League Odyssey

When a new sector of deep space called the “Ghost Sector” suddenly appeared, the Justice League Odyssey was formed to investigate it. The team consisted of Cyborg, Starfire, Azrael, Green Lantern Jessica Cruz, and even a weakened Darkseid! When Cyborg, Starfire, Azrael, and Jessica find themselves trapped in the Ghost Zone with Darkseid, they team up to find ancient relics capable of stopping the all-powerful supervillain Perpetua. Naturally, Darkseid betrayed the team, created a New God army, and kidnapped several JLO members. Jessica joined with Orion, Blackfire, and Red Lantern Dex-Starr to defeat Darkseid and save her friends. They ultimately defeat Darkseid and his army. It’s an unorthodox but surprisingly compelling team of heroes and anti-villains who work well with each other.

1) Justice League Incarnate

While other Justice League teams are limited to one country or universe, the Justice League Incarnate work to protector the entire DC Multiverse. The team of heroes from various universes originally came together to aid the storm god of Earth-7, known as Thunderer, to defeat the all-powerful entity, the Empty Hand. The team consists of President Superman, Atomic Batman, Mary Marvel, Captain Carrot, Aquawoman, Dino-Cop, Machinehead, and Abin-Sur Green Lantern. Over the years, many other heroes have joined their ranks, including Flashpoint Batman and Doctor Multiverse. The Justice League Incarnate serves as the frontline defense against cosmic threats such as Darkseid, the Dark Knights, and Injustice Incarnate. They also showcase the wide range of powerful and diverse superheroes across the DC Multiverse.

What do you think? Leave a Comment below and join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!

Every Time the Justice League Broke Up, Ranked