First 10 Members of Justice League International, Ranked by Power

One of the most popular versions of the Justice League arrived in 1987 with a team known as Justice League International. Created by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire, Justice League International debuted in Justice League #1 (1987), which was rebranded as Justice League International with issue #7. The book was risky because the main JLA members, like Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Aquaman, couldn’t be used, leaving the creators with B-list characters alongside Batman. However, it was a massive success, with names like Blue Beetle and Booster Gold as breakout stars. The books had a more comedic tone, which is what led to the popularity of this new team.

The most powerful Justice League International members range widely, from reality-bending heroes like Captain Atom to gadget-based heroes like Blue Beetle. Here is a look at the most powerful of the first 10 Justice League International members, ranked by their raw power and influence, but not based on popularity.

10) Blue Beetle

The Blue Beetle in Justice League International is Ted Kord, a founding member of the team. He has no superpowers, and he only has his own genius-level inventor’s mind to get him by. He has combat training, and he has some weapons he invented to use. However, in many depictions in Justice League International, he is shown to be an older hero who is often out of shape and the butt of the jokes. However, his friendship with Booster Gold was one of the highlights from the title, and his murder at the hands of Maxwell Lord was one of DC’s most tragic deaths.

9) Booster Gold

Booster Gold joined Justice League International in issue #4. Michael Jon Carter was a disgraced 25th-century football player who stole Superman artifacts from the Metropolis Space Museum and time-traveled to the present with a knowledge of past events to play hero for fame. He is accompanied by Skeets, his sentient 25th-century security robot, who runs the suit’s systems and feeds him history. His power suit grants flight, super-strength, energy blasts, and a force field. He is powerful when his suit is charged, but his time in JLI shows his suit failing or running low on charge at inopportune times.

8) Black Canary

Black Canary is Dinah Lance, and she was one of the founding members of the team. She is the second Black Canary in DC Comics, the daughter of Dinah Drake, the Black Canary in the Justice Society of America. Dinah is a skilled martial artist, trained by Wildcat (Ted Grant), but her superpower is a sonic scream, which works both as a weapon and a crowd control tool. She is stronger than both Booster Gold and Blue Beetle because of her scream. She did leave Justice League International early in the team’s run and joined up with the Birds of Prey, alongside Barbara Gordon.

7) Batman

Batman was a founding member of Justice League International, and he was the only big-name Justice League member who was part of this offshoot team. Batman has no superpowers, but he has peak human physical conditioning, world-class detective skills, and a brilliant tactical mind, all backed by his limitless wealth at Wayne Enterprises to give him any tools he needs for a fight. He ranks ahead of Black Canary as he has contingency plans to beat just about any superhuman, but is still a normal man, ranking below other superpowered members in pure power. Like Black Canary, Batman left rather early after Maxwell Lord took over leadership of the team.

6) Mister Miracle

Mister Miracle is Scott Free, and he is a member of the New Gods of New Genesis. He was the son of Highfather of New Genesis, and his father traded Scott to Apokolips. Scott was tortured ruthlessly by Granny Goodness until he escaped and married fellow defector Big Barda. He is a founding member of the team and is one of their most powerful members when it comes to his abilities. He has New God-tier strength, agility, near-immortality, and immense combat skills. He also has access to a Mother Box, allowing him to tap into powers from across dimensions. His New God physiology puts him a level above Batman and on a level most villains can’t match.

5) Guy Gardner

Guy Gardner is a founding member of the Justice League International, and as a member of the Green Lantern Corps, he is already one of the most powerful heroes on Earth. However, he also has anger issues and a tendency to refuse to take orders, which made him a loose cannon for the JLI throughout the team’s run. He has the standard Green Lantern Corps ring and is worthy to hold it, giving him immense powers. He ranks above Mister Miracle because, as a member of the Green Lantern Corps, his fully-charged ring can scale with any hero or villain’s powers, making Guy a force to be reckoned with.

4) Doctor Fate

The Doctor Fate in Justice League International was Kent Nelson, the Golden Age Doctor Fate from the Justice Society of America. However, he passed the role on to Eric and Linda Strauss after the 1987 Doctor Fate miniseries. His powers are all mystical in nature, and they come from the Helmet of Nabu and the Amulet of Anubis, channeling the Lord of Order Nabu. He has proven to match the Spectre on even ground, making him one of DC Comics’ most powerful magic-users. He is more powerful than everyone ranked below him, and he could possibly swap places with Martian Manhunter.

3) Martian Manhunter

Martian Manhunter is a founding member of this team and was also one of the founding members of the Justice League of America. He and Batman were the two key JLA members to stay with JLI, at least until Batman left. J’onn J’onzz possesses Green Martian abilities, and he is often considered on the level of Superman when it comes to his strength, durability, and brute-force power levels. However, Martian Manhunter even ranks ahead of Superman in some areas, thanks to his telepathic powers, shape-shifting, and invisibility. His only known weakness is the fear of fire. In terms of power, he could easily rank number one on most lists, but there are two JLI members who outrank him.

2) Captain Atom

Captain Atom joined the Justice League International in issue #7 and made his first full appearance with the team one issue later. Nathaniel Adam is a Vietnam-era Air Force pilot who was bonded to Dilustel alien metal during a nuclear experiment and gained access to the Quantum Field. He has the power to absorb up to a 100-kiloton nuclear blast without strain. He also has an unlimited power ceiling, and he was shown in Captain Atom: Armageddon that he could unmake reality. This is a power that Martian Manhunter and Doctor Fate do not have, which makes him not only more powerful but also more dangerous.

1) Shazam

The most powerful member of the original Justice League International is Captain Marvel. This was the storyline where he was reintroduced in the post-Crisis DC Universe. Captain Marvel is Billy Batson, a child who transforms into the superhero by speaking the magic word Shazam. He has the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. He has physical power on par with Superman, but thanks to the magic fueling him, he can actually hurt Superman with his magic lightning. In terms of the JLI members, no one is more powerful than Captain Marvel, although his child-like mentality caused him to leave the team early since he couldn’t commit to a full-time membership.

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