8 Times The Justice League Villains Stole The Show
The Justice League is the most powerful team in the DC Universe. Over the years, the greatest DC heroes have called themselves members of the League. They’re the Multiverse’s first and last line of defense and have starred in some amazing adventures battling the most dangerous threats ever. The members of the League are among the biggest stars in comics and some of them are rather hard to overshadow.
That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, of course. The team’s villains are often just as interesting as their members and there have been times when they have stolen the spotlight. The Justice League is the best of the best, as are their villains; it’s not exactly surprising that they can steal the show.
8 Deathstroke’s Battle Against The League In Identity Crisis #3 Is The Highlight Of The Story
Deathstroke has been a team buster since his early battles against the Teen Titans. He always has a plan and is even prepared for the Justice League, as revealed in Identity Crisis #3, by writer Brad Meltzer and artist Rags Morales. Hired by Doctor Light to protect him from members of the Justice League, Deathstroke defeated Wally West, Kyle Rayner, Zatanna, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Hawkman, the Atom, and Elongated Man in seconds.
While the team would strike back, the fact that Deathstroke so easily dispatched them was yet another scene-stealing moment for the villain. He made the Justice League look like a bunch of chumps, running through several of the most dangerous members of the team as if they weren’t even there.
7 The Dark Knights Definitely Were The Main Focus Of Dark Knights: Metal
The biggest event book of the Rebirth years, Dark Knights: Metal, by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo, pit the Justice League and their fellow heroes against the dark god Barbatos and his Dark Knights, versions of Batman from the Dark Multiverse who stole the abilities of League members and destroyed their teammates. Barbatos was barely a factor in the book, but the Dark Knights were easily the stars of the show.
Prominently placed in the tie-ins and the series itself, they were great visuals and did the heavy lifting for the story. They’d also end up introducing readers to the Batman Who Laughs, who would become one of DC’s most dangerous villains in the years ahead.
6 The Mystery Of The Hyperclan Made JLA: New World Order A Hit
Grant Morrison is one of DC’s most prolific writers and when they launched JLA along with artist Howard Porter, they threw a completely new threat at the team. The villains of the book’s opening story arc, “New World Order,” were the Hyperclan, a mysterious group of heroes who appeared and took a more proactive approach to heroism. Eventually, the team would attack the League, easily defeating the most powerful heroes in the DC Universe.
The mystery of whom the Hyperclan were and how they were able to so easily defeat the League was the focus of the story. Morrison made them the center of attention for a reason—they wanted to sell the threat of the Hyperclan to show how powerful the League was once they won. It worked perfectly, as the Hyperclan definitely stole the show.
5 Darkseid & His Minions Made Final Crisis Amazing
Darkseid is one of DC’s most important villains and his biggest story in years was Final Crisis, by writer Grant Morrison and artists J.G. Jones, Carlos Pacheco, and Doug Mahnke. Darkseid and his minions, their bodies destroyed in the war against New Genesis, possessed the bodies of people on Earth and beyond. Using the Anti-Life Equation, the God of Evil was able to conquer half the Earth in seconds and defeated the Justice League soundly.
Darkseid and his minions were definitely the stars of Final Crisis, especially in the early stages of the battle, as they led the Justice League around by the nose and put them in a position to be easily defeated. All the biggest moments of the story revolved around Darkseid and the plans he created, driving the story and helping make it legendary.
4 Readers Saw A Different Side Of Lex Luthor In Forever Evil
Lex Luthor has long been one of DC’s most dastardly villains, but fans got to see another side of him in Forever Evil, by writer Geoff Johns and artist David Finch. The Crime Syndicate was able to defeat the Justice League and was ready to strike against the Earth. Luthor took exception to this and gathered a group of villains to battle them, eventually defeating the team of villains, saving the Earth, and earning a place in the Justice League.
Lex Luthor wasn’t the villain of the story, but he was still a villain at that point. He definitely stole the show in the book, especially because of his relationship with B-0, a Bizarro-esque Superman clone. Fans got to see another side of the villain, and it kicked off a period of him being a more heroic Lex for years.
3 The Crime Syndicate Returned In JLA: Earth-2 & Reminded Readers Why They Were Amazing
The Crime Syndicate is one of the most influential teams in comic history. They’re the most famous example of multiversal doppelgangers, but fans thought they had seen the last of them after Crisis On Infinite Earths. Writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely decided to bring them back in JLA: Earth-2, a one-shot that introduced a new version of the storied team.
Morrison and Quitely worked their magic on the Syndicate, subtly tweaking them from the versions that fans had seen last. The differences really made them shine, and they were definitely the draws for the story. Fans got to see one of the greatest villain teams ever in an entirely new light, and it was a joy to behold.
2 Batman Proved To Be One Of The Justice League’s Greatest Enemies In JLA: Tower Of Babel
Batman is known for planning for the impossible and that was fully on display in JLA: Tower Of Babel, by writer Mark Waid and artist Howard Porter. While Ra’s al Ghul is the “villain” of the book, everyone who’s ever read it knows the truth: Batman is the real villain. Ra’s may have stolen his anti-Justice League plans and used them on the team, but Batman was the one who never told the team that he made them, and it almost cost them their lives.
Batman’s plans and lies were the focus of the story. Even with al Ghul being the one who did it, Batman is still the focus of the story and his actions are the focus. He was kicked out of the League over the situation and this story has gone down in history as one of the Caped Crusader’s lowest moments.
1 Prometheus Savaged The League In JLA #16-17
Prometheus is part of an exclusive club of villains that embarrassed the Justice League the first time he fought them. His hatred of heroes spurred on by the death of his parents, he was able to sneak onto the Watchtower and enact his plan against the League. He soloed most of the team and booby-trapped the Justice League’s headquarters, almost completely destroying the team.
His battle against the League in JLA #16-17, by writer Grant Morrison and artists Howard Porter and Arnie Jorgensen, made him look like a million bucks until the end. Catwoman defeated him with a whip strike and even that ending still keeps up his scene-stealing, even if it’s not the best look for him.
David Harth has been reading comics for close to 30 years. He writes for several websites, makes killer pizza, goes to Disney World more than his budget allows, and has the cutest daughter in the world. He can prove it. Follow him on Twitter- https://www.twitter.com/harth_david.