The Justice League’s First 7 Villains, Ranked by Power

The Justice League is DC’s number one superhero team. They have stood as the first and last bastion of peace against the endless hordes of villainy from every corner of the multiverse and beyond. From the moderate threats that nearly any of them could handle on their own, such as T. O. Morrow, to multiversal threats like Perpetua, the Justice League has battled them all and lived to tell the tale. They’ve garnered a reputation as the strongest superheroes around, and that notoriety can only come from defending the world from the worst threats imaginable. However, it raises the question of how the League initially garnered this reputation.

The only way to know if the League has always deserved to be touted as the strongest superhero team of all is to dig into the very first villains that we ever saw them battle. Today, we’re going to be looking at the first seven villains who duked it out with the Justice League and ranking them based on their raw power. We’ll settle once and for all if the League always deserved to call themselves the best team around, or if that was only a title they earned later. With all that said, let’s jump right into the ranking.

7) Saturna

First appeared in Justice League of America (1960) #2.

Saturna was an intergalactic warworld that joined forces with the Troll King and Simon Magus to take over Earth by casting a spell to switch Earth and Magic World’s locations. Don’t let his lofty history of conquering planets fool you, as he mostly works off his reputation and charisma alone. Nowadays, he’s a strategist who can employ his army of warriors to do his bidding, but back in his original appearance, he used magical creatures and commanded some small magic of his own. Still, on his own, Saturna isn’t much of a threat at all, earning him last place.

6) Troll King

First appeared in Justice League of America (1960) #2.

While the original Troll King was an equal partner to Saturna, later appearances depicted him as the muscle of Saturna’s warband. He’s quite large, as he should be with troll in his name, and commanded his own magic and an army of incredible giants and miniature warriors armed with tommy-guns. However, his strength wasn’t much to write home about, as he was immediately defeated by one blow from Wonder Woman. Losing to Wonder Woman is far from a black star on your record, but the higher echelon on this list is far, far above this durability. 

5) Simon Magus

First appeared in Justice League of America (1960) #2.

The final member of the Sinister Sorcerers, Simon Magus, was easily the most powerful of the lot. His wizardry was much stronger than his companions’, and he has shown himself to be at least on the same level as Merlin, one of the realm’s greatest magicians. He managed to give Batman, Superman, and Aquaman the run-around for a good while. He’s nowhere near the power of villains like Klarion the Witch Boy or Sebastian Faust, but he has enough tricks up his sleeve to give the World’s Finest a run for their money, even if he definitely couldn’t handle the entire League.

4) Xotar the Weapons Master

First appeared in Brave and the Bold (1955) #29. 

Xotar hails from the year 11,960 A.D., where he discovered the remains of Wonder Woman’s journal and believed himself to be destined to destroy the Justice League. He possessed a large array of hyper-advanced weapons that he brought with him to the past, which he used to test the various Leaguers in a variety of ways. His greatest creation was his Ilaric, which was a giant robot suit that stood up to nearly the entire Justice League at once, only being stopped when Superman arrived and dealt with it. This suit of armor let Xotar battle the Flash, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Batman, and Wonder Woman all at the same time, so it definitely deserves some high praise.

3) Amazo

First appeared in Brave and the Bold (1955) #30. 

Professor Ivo created his first Amazo android to capture the Justice League and craft a potion to extend his immortality. To do so, he created Amazo to mimic all of the Justice League’s powers. While initially only able to copy one Leaguer’s abilities at a time, future Amazos were able to mix and match powersets, effectively turning him into a one-man Justice League on his own. Anyone who can combine the Flash’s speed, Green Lantern’s constructs, and Superman’s strength instantly becomes one of the deadliest threats around, and that’s been consistent for Amazo’s entire career.

2) Despero

First appeared in Justice League of America (1960) #1.

Despero is one of the League’s most powerful and underrated threats, period. His telepathy and mind-control abilities already rival Martian Manhunter’s, and he’s been shown capable of controlling the entire League. Even those with indomitable wills like Green Lantern couldn’t resist his mental control. On top of that already insane feat, he’s physically a match for any one of them. He regularly shrugs off hits from Superman and Wonder Woman at the same time. Despero also has complete control over his biology, literally willing a stronger physique into being because of his undying hatred for the League. He is powered by spite and sheer unyielding hate, and it takes the entire League to bring Despero down.

1) Starro the Conquerer

First appeared in Brave and the Bold (1955) #28. 

Starro was the villain who introduced us to the Justice League, and he still stands as one of their deadliest. He’s a world-conquering starfish that’s hundreds, sometimes thousands of feet tall. While his bulk and regenerative abilities are formidable enough on their own, his greatest strength is his ability to shoot out small drones, which can mind control anyone they latch onto. He can turn an entire planet into an extension of his army, and the only way to safely remove the drones is to stop Starro himself, which only grows harder with time. Starro is the first planetary threat in comics, and he remains one of the biggest bads that the League has ever faced.

Which Justice League villain do you think is the strongest? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

10 Physically Strongest Members of the Justice League, Ranked