The Justice League is the DC Multiverse’s foremost defense force. The Justice League started out with just seven members — Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter — but soon expanded. Every major DC hero, and most of the minor ones, have all been members of the Justice League. For the most part, though, most fans think of the same Justice Leaguers when they think of the team, the big names who either have their own titles or have made such a splash on Justice League books that they basically became their title. However, there are way more great Justice Leaguers than most casual fans imagine.
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The Justice League has a rich legacy, and a big part of that is the members of the team that don’t jump out at fans. These members of the team often get forgotten or lost in the shuffle, but they’re some of the most important members of the team. These ten Justice Leaguers are all MVPs, even if they aren’t the first people you think of when you think “Justice League”.
10) Hawkgirl
There have been several versions of Hawkgirl who have been members of the Justice League (although they’re all technically the same person, more on the Hawks later), but the best of them is easily Kendra Saunders. Kendra first appeared in JSA, where she had to deal with discovering her reincarnations over the millennia and the toll they took on her as a person. She became the most independent version of Hawkgirl, and has been a member of two different yet awesome versions of the team, the new Satellite League of the mid ’00s and Scott Snyder League of the late ’10s. Hawkgirl slotted into the Hawk spot on the Justice League wonderfully, starting relationships with Red Arrow and John Stewart, and is just as tough as anyone who has worn the wings on the Justice League.
9) Orion
The New Gods are one of DC’s greatest forces, a group of gods locked in an endless war against the dark forces of Apokolips. Several New Gods have been members of the team, including the Dog of War, Orion. Orion, along with Big Barda (more on her later), joined the team because of an oncoming threat (during the Morrison/Porter JLA run starting with issue #16) and became one of the team’s heavy hitters, throwing himself into every battle with the reckless abandon that he’s become known for. Orion made a huge splash on the team; he wasn’t always the easiest member to deal with, but whenever there was trouble, he was there to fight.
8) Huntress
Huntress (the Helena Bertinelli version) was the black sheep of the Bat-Family, her more violent methods causing her to clash with Batman. However, Batman knew she was a great hero, and so he made sure she was recruited to the Justice League in JLA (Vol. 1) #16. Huntress felt out of her league with the team, but was able to prove that she belonged there. Of course, her relationship with Batman eventually broke down and she ended up leaving the team. However, Huntress did a great job as a member of the League, proving herself to Batman in ways that she never had before.
7) Zauriel
Grant Morrison’s JLA is an amazing run, and it introduced several new members to the team. JLA #6-7 introduced Zauriel to the team. Zauriel was a guardian angel from the Silver City, who came to Earth to warn the team about Asmodel and the Bull Host, renegade angels who were about to attack the Earth. Zauriel would join the team full-time in JLA #16, and became the League’s winged wonder until the end of the battle against Mageddon. Zauriel’s angelic strength, powerful wings, flaming sword, and sonic scream made him a formidable member of the team, and he was a fan favorite. If there’s one ’90s Leaguer who needs to come back to the team full-time, and not just end up in background shots, it’s Zauriel.
6) Big Barda
Big Barda has been a member of several rosters of the team, including the JLI and Morrison’s Pantheon League, starting with JLA (Vol. 1) #16. Big Barda is the most fierce woman on the twin worlds of New Genesis and Apokolips, her titanic strength, torturous upbringing, and years of fighting experience making her a nearly unstoppable force. Big Barda brought her quiet power to the team; while her husband Mister Miracle, was a joker and Orion was a fighter, Barda was a powerful, dependable presence on the team. Everyone knew that with Big Barda there, things were going to work out, even if she had to use her Mega-Rod to break the skulls of everyone in front of her.
5) Red Tornado
Red Tornado is the Justice League’s tank, having joined the team after being created by T.O. Morrow to destroy the group. Red Tornado is an android with a soul and a nearly indestructible body, as well as powerful tornado abilities. Every time he’s destroyed, his body is rebuilt, and his soul finds its way back to it. Reddy is the best of both worlds; he’s a man who cares about his life, teammates, and the fate of the planet (because of his wife and adopted daughter) and a powerful automaton, eventually powered by the elemental Tornado Spirit. Red Tornado is one of the perfect B-list Leaguers, and every time he returns to the team feels like a homecoming.
4) Hawkman
Hawkman is DC’s most violent hero, and is mostly known for his time as a founding member and leader of the Justice Society of America. However, Katar Hol, the Thanagarian Hawkman (Hawk history is confusing; basically, they reincarnate through time and space, and several can exist at once), ended up joining the Justice League. Hawkman loves to fight and was perfect for the team, throwing himself into every battle as if it were his last. Hawkman and Green Arrow often clashed, adding some fun drama to the League whenever they were together. Hawkman is a Justice Society stalwart nowadays, but he made an excellent Justice Leaguer.
3) Red Arrow
Roy Harper had quite a superhero career. He started as Speedy, the sidekick of Green Arrow, and helped found the Teen Titans. However, drug addiction would derail his life. He beat the monkey on his back, became Arsenal, and rebuilt his life. Eventually, he was given a chance to join the Justice League in Justice League of America (Vol. 2) #1-7 and was given a new costume and name — Red Arrow. Roy did an amazing job as a member of the League until Prometheus bombed Star City, killing Roy’s daughter. Most fans of Red Arrow try to forget this whole period of the character, preferring to remember the amazing highs of his time in the Justice League and not the way it ended.
2) Vixen
Vixen first joined the Justice League in the Justice League Detroit days, after the first Justice League Satellite had been destroyed and the team’s A-listers left. Vixen uses the Tantu totem to tap into the Red, allowing her to take on the abilities of animals (and at one point the powers of the other members of the team around her). Vixen was one of the more formidable members of this version of the team, and would return to the Justice League several times over the years, eventually leading her own Justice League team in the underrated Justice League of America (Vol. 4). Vixen is an awesome hero; she’s a character who needs to be an A-lister at some point. She’s one of the Justice League’s best members, hands down.
1) Plastic Man
Elongated Man was the first stretchy member of the Justice League, but he doesn’t have anything on Plastic Man. Plastic Man’s body is indestructible (he spent millennia in hibernation on the bottom of the ocean floor after being stranded in the days of ancient Atlantis during “The Obsidian Age”), and he can shape it into anything. Plastic Man was brought onto the Justice League by Batman himself, and the reason was simple — he is potentially the most powerful hero on Earth. Plastic Man brings a sense of chaos to the team, his outlandish sense of humor mixing with his powers to create one of the most wildly entertaining Justice Leaguers ever. Plastic Man is perfect for the League, and it’s a shame that more people don’t see it that way.
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