7 Best Superhero Teams Not in DC Or Marvel

In the world of comics, superhero teams can oftentimes represent a company’s entire brand and roster. DC’s Justice League and Marvel’s Avengers are prime examples, as they are alliances of their company’s biggest names who come together to face the most powerful of villains. However, while DC and Marvel dominate the comic book and superhero genres, they aren’t the only ones in existence. Companies like Image, Dark Horse, and IDW all have their own superhero teams. Such groups are composed of their world’s strongest heroes and often have strong dynamics among themselves as they save the world. While they may not belong to the big two, these crimefighting alliances are the backbones of their own universes.

These are the greatest, if not sometimes unorthodox, superhero teams outside of DC and Marvel Comics. Teams like WildC.A.T.s and the Authority won’t be included because they have been fully absorbed into DC Comics’ brand and continuity.

7) Unity

Like the Avengers and Justice League, Valiant Comics created its own team that unified its company’s most iconic heroes. Created during Valiant’s most successful era, the 2010s, Unity was the company’s first major crossover comic. This government-sponsored superhero team was originally brought together to defeat the corrupted hero X-O Manowar, only for him to reform and ultimately join their ranks. Other members have included Ninjak, Eternal Warrior, Faith, GIN_GR, Livewire, Bloodshot, and Toyo Harada. Seeing the diverse and captivating heroes of Valiant come together for the first time to fight the forces of evil was one of the biggest events in the company’s history. Together, Unity is the greatest superhero team in their world.

6) The Scorched

Image Comics’ first and greatest superhero, Spawn, had spent years fighting the forces of Heaven and Hell, largely on his own. However, as the Spawn Universe expanded rapidly in the early 2020s, it saw the emergence of the Scorched. Made up of old and new characters, the Scorched is a team of Hellspawn and other supernatural heroes who assembled to take on the threats none can take on alone. Instead of Spawn, the team leader is She-Spawn primarily because she’s the only one with the skills and patience to wrangle a bunch of broody anti-heroes. With additional members like Gunslinger Spawn, Medieval Spawn, Haunt, Redeemer, and Jim Downing, the Scorched are the ultimate alliance of heroes in the Spawn Universe.

5) Honor Guard

Image Comics’ Astro City is a world brimming with colorful heroes and villains. And among the countless superpowered beings in this fantastical universe, the Honor Guard manages to stand above the rest thanks to their strength and moral integrity. Founded in 1959, the Honor Guard has had numerous members over the years who have battled supervillains, terrorists, and alien threats. Some of the Honor Guard’s core members are the Samaritan, Winged Victory, Hummingbird, M.P.H., the Gentleman, and Cleopatra. Each member demonstrates their very human, relatable flaws. Despite their obvious imperfections, even at their lowest, the Honor Guard are honorable heroes who stand as beacons of hope in Astro City.

4) League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is essentially what happens when you take some of the most beloved characters in Western literature and have them team up like a Victorian-style Avengers. Set in the late 19th century, British Intelligence assembled the League to protect its country from all manner of threats like the criminal mastermind James Moriarty and literal Martians. Led by the vampire Mina Murray, the other members of the League include Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, the Invisible Man, and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. Although the League is far more morally gray than most other superhero teams, in the end, its members all have engaging character arcs and put aside their differences to save the world.

3) B.P.R.D.

In a world full of monsters and demons, the Bureau for Paranormal Research Defense is there to protect humanity. This secret government agency was founded by Trevor Bruttenholm, who also served as Hellboy’s adoptive father. While the B.R.P.D. primarily act as paranormal investigators and government agents, their numerous superpowered members and countless world-saving adventures still have them playing a superhero role in their universe. Alongside the heroic demon Hellboy, other B.R.P.D. agents like the aquatic Abe Sapien, the pyrokinetic Elizabeth Sherman, the gaseous Johann Kraus, and the werejaguar Ben Daimio are all among Dark Horse Comics’ most beloved characters. Together, the B.R.P.D. perfectly blends Men in Black-style secrecy with the occult.

2) Guardians of the Globe

The premier superhero team of the Invincible Universe, the Guardians of the Globe, was initially presented as a mere pastiche of the Justice League. However, after Omni-Man slaughtered the original group, the subsequent rosters evolved into three-dimensional, captivating characters. The third roster leaned into the “Globe” aspect by recruiting numerous international heroes. Members like Brit, Rex-Splode, Robot, Immortal, Monster Girl, Bulletproof, Best Tiger, Shapesmith, Knockout, and Kid Thor all battle valiantly to protect the world from villains, no matter the odds. The Guardians of the Globe are among the most iconic superhero teams in Image Comics, and they have helped to expand the Invincible Universe to new heights.

1) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

No other superheroes outside of DC and Marvel have reached the level of popularity as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Initially published under Mirage Comics as a parody of the superhero genre, the Heroes in a Half Shell quickly evolved into a multi-media franchise. After exposure to a mutagen, four baby turtles transformed into bipedal mutants. Raised by their rat father, Splinter, in the sewers, the brothers Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello were trained in the ways of ninjitsu to become mean, green fighting machines. Together, the TMNT battle villains like the Shredder, the Foot Clan, and Kraang. They combine humor, action, drama, heart, sci-fi, and fantasy in a uniquely bizarre way that has withstood the test of time and ensured their place in the superhero hall of fame.

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