Everyone knows the Justice League is one of the greatest superhero teams ever conceived, but how many people know about their darker incarnations? With the limitless nature of the DC multiverse and the malleable nature of the Prime DCU’s future, fans have seen hundreds of twisted takes on their favorite heroes. Often, we see this on a more individual level (say, all the dark Batman variants from Dark Knights: Metal). But with the Justice League being the iconic team that it is, it’s no surprise that we’ve ended up with multiple spins on the Justice League.
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Sometimes these teams are a product of their world, like the Justice League of Assassins, whose harsh world left the heroes no choice but to be a little more violent. Or the Titans of the “Titans Tomorrow” timeline, who grew up to replace the League, but utilizing more extreme methods. These teams aren’t necessarily bad, though many of them have probably done things the standard Justice League would never do or support. Read on to discover 7 of the best dark versions of the Justice League and see which unconventional team stands above the rest.
7. Bizarro Justice League
Say what you will about Bizarro, but the guy is less of a serious threat and more of an overpowered goofball. In the classic storyline “Escape from Bizarroworld”, Bizarro made a new world for himself, populated by bizarro variants of classic heroes and villains. Since Superman has a Justice League, Bizarro naturally had to have one, too. But his team was only effective by Bizarro logic, featuring a Flash who could not run or a Yellow Lantern who was barely able to sling a ring. A darker League, yes, but definitely one of the least intimidating.
6. Justice Squad
The “Future State” timeline went hard, giving fans a dark future for the Prime DC Universe. In this future, Amanda Waller formed a new version of the Justice League, drawing heavily on her iconic Suicide Squad concept. Waller’s team only featured a few legitimate heroes, like a grown-up Conner Kent as Superman or Bolt as Flash. The rest, naturally, were villains conscripted into working for Waller, like Talon posing as Batman or Clayface serving as Martian Manhunter. Thankfully, this is a future that has never (and will never) come to pass.
5. Task Force VII
Speaking of Amanda Waller’s teams, she went above and beyond to protect the world in Absolute Power. After acquiring Batman’s Failsafe robot and a squad of Amazos, Waller had them augmented by the Brainiac Queen to serve as Task Force VII. Waller used the team to steal the powers of metahumans worldwide and bring superheroes and villains under her heel. This was no alternate timeline or universe; the DCU heroes were this close to being forcefully retired and replaced by Waller’s new Task Force. Thankfully, a gambit by Green Arrow paid off and brought Waller’s team to an end.
4. Justice League of Assassins
While many worlds in the multiverse are quite similar to the Prime universe, other Earths have it much harder. In the case of Earth-14, there are no true heroes, only killers for hire who have to do what they can to survive. Instead of a Justice League of America, there’s a Justice League of Assassins. Or, at least, there was. Except for Superman, the entire team was slaughtered by a villain known as Prophecy, who was attacking every Superman in the multiverse. They might not have been an ideal League, but they were the only force for good Earth-14 had.
3. Justice League (Absolute Universe)
‘Justice’ is a relative concept in different worlds. In the Absolute Universe, the world is dominated by villains, who are some of the richest, most powerful, and influential people alive. Absolute Evil #1 saw several of them come together to discuss the problem that heroes presented. Strangely, it was the Absolute Joker who argued in favor of those at the top uniting in order to protect the status quo from being disrupted. This Justice League is not a team of heroes, yet, they’re doing exactly what the Justice League should do: uniting to keep the world they know the same.
2. Titans (Titans Tomorrow)
Though they kept the Titans name in the “Titans Tomorrow” timeline, the grown versions of the Teen Titans all but served as their world’s Justice League. While they are still committed to stamping out crime, the team’s members have grown more extreme in their methods. To be fair, they were haunted by the deaths of heroes from the Justice League, but that trauma sent many of them down a path of violence and cruelty as they continued to justify their acts as heroic. Superhero teams don’t get much darker than this incarnation of the Titans.
1. Justice League Dark
Come on, you didn’t think we were gonna talk about ‘dark’ Justice Leagues and not talk about Justice League Dark, right? Unlike the other teams featured here, Justice League Dark is an active team in the Prime DCU. They are a part of the larger Justice League Unlimited and serve as a home for all manner of magic and mystical heroes. They explore the darkest corners of the universe and take care of any inexplicable, arcane threats that arise to terrorize the world. Truly, there is no better dark Justice League than this iconic offshoot.
What’s your favorite ‘dark’ Justice League? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!
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