Justice League
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
es appearing in American comic books published by
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
. The team first appeared in ''
The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by two mini-series in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing title in 2007. The focus of the series has varied ...
'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived by writer
Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...
as a revival of the
Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...
, a similar team from DC Comics from the 1940s which had been pulled out of print due to a decline in sales. The Justice League is an all-star ensemble cast of established superhero characters from DC Comics' portfolio. Diegetically, these superheroes usually operate independently but occasionally assemble as a team to tackle especially formidable villains. This in contrast to certain other superhero teams such as the
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
, whose characters were created specifically to be part of the team, with the team being central to their identity. The cast of the Justice League usually features a few highly popular characters who have their own solo books, such as
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
and Batman alongside a number of lesser-known characters who benefit from exposure. The Justice League was created to boost the profiles and sales of said characters through cross-promotion and helped develop the DC Universe as a shared universe, as it is through teams like the Justice League that the setting's characters regularly interact with each other. Kaveney (2008), ''Superheroes!'', p. 28: "One of the major driving forces of the creation of these universes was the commercial imperative to create brand loyalty to more titles within a single publishing house's products. Crossovers, in which a character from one comic produced by a house visited the story of another, meant that there was a chance that readers who were not buying the first comic would start to buy it in addition to the second. Team-up comics like the ''Justice League of America'' were even more likely to interest readers in characters they had not previously bothered with." Beyond comic books, the Justice League has been adapted to a number of television shows, movies, and video games.


Fictional overview


Members

The members of the Justice League are heroes who normally operate independently but who occasionally team up to tackle especially formidable villains. This is in contrast to teams such as the X-Men or the Fantastic Four, who normally operate as a team and for whom the team is central to their identity. Most versions of the Justice League feature a select cast of highly popular characters from the DC Comics portfolio, such as Superman and Batman, to attract readers with their star power; and they often co-feature a few lesser-known characters who benefit from exposure, such as Cyborg or Black Canary. DC Comics has in several periods deviated from this formula, most notably in the late 1980s and early 1990s with books such as ''
Justice League International Justice League International (JLI) is a fictional DC comics superhero team that succeeded the original Justice League from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. The team enjoyed several comic books runs, the first being written by Keith Giffen and ...
'', which deliberately featured a cast of lesser-known characters. The advantage of this was that lesser-known characters are not burdened by convoluted continuities, which gives writers more creative flexibility to write character-driven stories. This was done to emulate the model of Marvel Comics'
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
books, whose stories were more character-driven and which favored more obscure or even new characters. The Justice League is an independent group, although it usually accepts some constraints from the US government or the United Nations so as to receive their sanction. Particularly in the early decades of publication, DC Comics was keen for its superheroes to be perceived as law-abiding because children were the main audience. The cast is rarely more than a dozen people in size so as to give a reasonable and equal time for each character. While sometimes the League is shown to have a designated chairperson or leader, there is otherwise no hierarchy; they are a small band of equals who make major decisions, such as inducting new members, by vote.


Headquarters

The Justice League operates out of a headquarters. In the 1960s, their headquarters was secretly in a hollowed-out mountain outside the fictional town of Happy Harbor in
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
. In ''Justice League of America'' #78 (1970), they moved to a satellite. In the ''
Super Friends ''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of ...
'' cartoons which ran from 1973 to 1985, they operated out of the "Hall of Justice" located in Washington, DC. During the brief "Justice League Detroit" era, they were headquartered in a repurposed bomb shelter in Detroit. In the ''JLA'' comic book which ran from 1997 to 2006, their headquarters was on the Moon and called "the Watchtower". The centerpiece of the headquarters is a conference table around which the Justice League discusses menaces to deal with. The satellite and moon base headquarters are equipped with teleporters for those members who cannot fly to it.


Villains

The
Legion of Doom The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in '' Challenge of the Super Friends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univer ...
was created for the '' Challenge of the Super Friends'' animated TV series as a villainous counterpart to the Justice League. In that original incarnation, it consisted of established villains associated with each of the Justice League's members, e.g.
Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: April ...
for Superman,
Gorilla Grodd Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain character appearing in American comic books and other media published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. The character was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, and first appeared in ''The F ...
for the Flash, and
Cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...
for Wonder Woman. The Legion of Doom, or some variant of it, has since appeared in other TV shows and comic books.


Comic books

Since 1960, the Justice League has appeared in comic books published by
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
(periodicals and graphic novels). These comic books constitute the bulk of Justice League fiction.


Silver Age and Bronze Age (1960–1984)

In its inception, the Justice League was a revival of the
Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...
, created by editor
Sheldon Mayer Sheldon Mayer (; April 1, 1917 – December 21, 1991) was an American comics artist, writer, and editor. One of the earliest employees of Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publications, Mayer produced almost all of his comics wor ...
and writer
Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...
in 1940. After World War 2, superheroes fell out of popularity, which led to the cancellation of many characters, including the Justice Society, which last appeared in ''All-Star Comics'' #57 (1951). A few years later, sales rose again, and DC Comics revived some of these retired characters, reinventing a few of them in the process. Editor
Julius Schwartz Julius "Julie" Schwartz (; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a comic book editor, and a science fiction agent and prominent fan. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various ...
asked writer
Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...
to reintroduce the
Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...
. Schwartz decided to rename it the "Justice League of America" because he felt "League" would appeal better to young readers, evoking sports organizations such as the
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
. The Justice League of America debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960), and after two further appearances in that title, got its own series, which quickly became one of the company's best-selling titles. This led DC Comics to create a bunch of other superhero teams, such as the
Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
.
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
, a rival comic book publisher, noticed the Justice League's success and created the
Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
and the Fantastic Four. The initial Justice League lineup included seven of DC Comics' superheroes who were regularly published at that time:
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
, Batman,
Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially ...
,
Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid F ...
,
Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
,
Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...
, and
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
. Fox also created a new, non-superhero character called
Snapper Carr Lucas "Snapper" Carr is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox (writer) and Mike Sekowsky (penciller), and made his first appearance in ''The Brave and the Bold'' in ...
that was intended to represent DC's teenaged readership and joined the League as an Honorary member in their debut story. While
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
and Batman were include in the Justice League's initially lineup, they were largely absent from the League's early stories playing only minor roles as the pair were already starring together in DC's
World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...
and Fox was worried the two more famous heroes would detract attention from their less popular teammates. As the series went on however,
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
and Batman became more and more present as readers increasingly demanded to see more of them in the League's stories. The team roster would quickly expand with Green Arrow, the
Atom Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas, ...
and Hawkman being added to the team over the next four years. In the Justice Society stories from the 1940s (in ''
All-Star Comics ''All Star Comics'' is an American comic book series from All-American Publications, one of three companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. While the series' cover-logo trademark reads ''All St ...
''), the Justice Society was used more as a framing device for its members' solo adventures. The stories tended to have the following structure: the Justice Society meets to discuss some new menace, they split up to undertake individual missions that somehow connect to said menace, and finally regroup for the showdown with the main villain. In the 1940s, most comic books were anthologies, and ''All-Star Comics'' was in practice not a major deviation from that. By contrast, the Justice League worked together more closely in their stories, thereby having a stronger identity as a team. In another change from the Justice Society stories of the 1940s, Batman and Superman were regular members of the cast, not mere "honorary members" who made occasional cameos. ''Justice League of America'' #21 (1963) featured the first crossover story in which the Justice League meets and teams up with the
Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...
. In doing so, DC Comics brought back a number of legacy characters such as Doctor Fate and Black Canary. The issue was a hit with readers and such crossovers became a recurring event.


Detroit era (1984–1986)

From the Justice League's inception in 1960 up until 1984, the team's roster always included a number of A-list characters to draw in readers, such as
Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
and
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
. But in ''Justice League of America Annual'' #2 (1984), the Justice League was revised to entirely comprise more obscure characters, such as
Vixen Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
, Vibe (comics), Vibe, and
Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...
. The original A-list members would not be brought back into the cast until 1996. The motives behind this change were to dispense with the convoluted continuity (fiction), continuities of the classic characters by using lesser-known and new characters, thus giving the writers more flexibility to write character-driven stories; and to give the team a more youthful, hipper feel similar to that of the
Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
and the
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
, which were selling better. The cast was multicultural: Gypsy (comics), Gypsy was Romani people, Romani, Vibe (comics), Vibe was Latino,
Vixen Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
was Black. However, the writing of Vibe (comics), Vibe and Gypsy (comics), Gypsy was criticized for using clichés of their ethnic groups, symptomatic of writers who were well-meaning but out of touch with certain specifics of minority group, minorities, something for which said writers (Gerry Conway and Chuck Patton) later expressed regret. This era of the Justice League, which lasted about two years, is popularly known as "Justice League Detroit" because they were headquartered in Detroit.


''Justice League International'' and its spin-offs (1986–1996)

The 1986 company-wide crossover "Legends (comics), Legends" concluded with the formation of a new Justice League. The new team was dubbed "Justice League," then "Justice League International" (JLI) and was given a mandate with less of an American focus. The Justice League International was recognized by the United Nations as a political entity and established "embassies" all over the world. The new series was character-driven and had a quirky, humorous tone which proved popular with readers. Numerous spin-off teams such as ''Justice League Europe'', ''Extreme Justice'', and ''Justice League Task Force (comics), Justice League Task Force'' were created. In 1996, these series were cancelled due to low sales. The Justice League International featured characters that had previously not been part of the DC Universe, which had been absorbed from the portfolios of other publishers that DC Comics had purchased. These included Captain Atom and Ted Kord, Blue Beetle, which were created for Charlton Comics in the 1960s. In 1983, DC Comics purchased Charlton Comics and, a few years later, integrated Blue Beetle and Captain Atom into the DC Universe. Captain Marvel (DC Comics), Captain Marvel, originally from the Fawcett Comics universe, was similarly integrated.


''JLA'' (1996–2006)

The cancellation of the aforementioned spin-off books prompted DC to revamp the League as a single team in a single title. A new Justice League of America was launched in September 1996 Limited series (comics), limited series ''Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare'' by Mark Waid and Fabian Nicieza, which returned to the classic cast. In 1997, DC Comics launched a new book titled ''JLA (comic book), JLA''. Grant Morrison wrote ''JLA (comic book), JLA'' for the first four years, and they gave the book an epic feel by making the Justice League an allegory for a pantheon of gods, and in their stories they regularly fought villains who threatened the entire world or even the entire cosmos. ''JLA (comic book), JLA'' was cancelled in 2006.


Modern Age (2006–present)

The Justice League books more or less continued the trend set by the JLA era: world-shaking threats with epic stakes, with a focus on plot over character development, and strong tie-ins to all the company's crossover events. In The New 52 era, the continuity retroactive continuity, was changed to make Cyborg (comics), Cyborg, one of DC's premiere African-American heroes, a founding member of the team. DC Comics also released a sister title called ''Justice League Dark'', which is an ensemble team of prominent magic users of the DC Universe, such as John Constantine and Zatanna.


Inter-company crossovers

The Justice League has on a few occasions appeared in crossover stories with superhero characters from rival publishers such as
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
and Dark Horse Comics. In general, such inter-company crossovers are rare because a lot of resources must be spent in sorting out the legal issues and corporate politics of the two companies, and due to licensing issues, they can't create spin-off merchandise and media, which all reduce the profitability of such projects. The last crossover between
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
and
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
was ''JLA/Avengers'', which they jointly published in 2003. Now that Marvel Comics and DC Comics are part of major multimedia corporations (Disney and Warner Brothers respectively), those aforementioned hurdles are even more complicated, which makes another project like ''JLA/Avengers'' much less likely. In 2017, Dan Didio remarked that DC Comics and Marvel are very competitive towards each other and only did crossovers when their sales were low.
"Dan Didio, DC's Co-Publisher, squashed the idea of any crossover with Marvel during the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con stating that the best way for DC to succeed is to compete with Marvel. He linked that the past Marvel/DC crossovers were a temporary measure due to the comic market reaching all-time lows."
However, DC Comics did go on to feature the Justice League in crossovers with smaller companies such as Dark Horse Comics, such as a crossover with ''Black Hammer (comics), Black Hammer'' in 2019.


In other media


Animated movies

*The Justice League appears in ''Justice League: The New Frontier'' (2008), an adaptation of Darwyn Cooke's graphic novel ''DC: The New Frontier''. *The team appears in ''Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths'' (2010). The movie was based on an unused script for a never-made movie that was to bridge the TV shows Justice League (TV series), ''Justice League'' and ''Justice League Unlimited''. *An alternate version of the Justice League appears in ''Justice League: Gods and Monsters'' (2015). In this movie, Superman is the son of General Zod, Wonder Woman is the New God Bekka, and Batman is essentially the Man-Bat. This Justice League, while ultimately heroic, is more ruthless than the traditional Justice League. Along with the film, a three-part animated series entitled ''Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles'' was released before the film on Machinima.com, Machinima. *They appear in ''Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox'', an animated adaptation of the Flashpoint (comics), ''Flashpoint'' graphic novel. *The team are prominently featured in following movies set in the DC Animated Movie Universe: **''Justice League: War'' (2014) **''Justice League: Throne of Atlantis'' (2015) **''Justice League vs. Teen Titans'' (2016) **''Justice League Dark (film), Justice League Dark'' (2017) **''The Death of Superman (film), The Death of Superman'' (2018) **''Reign of the Supermen (film), Reign of the Supermen'' (2019) **''Justice League Dark: Apokolips War'' (2020) *The Justice League appears in the Computer animation, computer-animated film ''DC League of Super-Pets'' (2022).


Animated TV shows

*In 1967, CBS aired three animated shorts titled "Justice League of America" as part of ''The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure''. The cast featured Aquaman, the Flash, Superman, the Atom, Green Lantern, and Hawkman. *The team appear in ''
Super Friends ''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of ...
''. ''Super Friends'' is an United States, American Animated series, animated television series about the Justice League, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on American Broadcasting Company, ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of America (JLA) and associated comic book characters published by 
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
. There were a total of List of Super Friends episodes, 109 episodes preceded by two Television pilot#Backdoor pilot, backdoor pilot episodes of ''The New Scooby-Doo Movies''. *An animated television series titled ''Justice League (TV series), Justice League'' ran from 2001 to 2006 on Cartoon Network. It is part of the DC animated universe. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by 
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
. After the second season, the series name changed to ''Justice League Unlimited.'' *Another series titled ''Justice League Action'' was also released. It  is an American animated television series based on the 
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
 superhero team of the same name. The series is produced by Jim Krieg, Butch Lukic, and Alan Burnett. This show debuted on Cartoon Network UK on November 26, 2016, and premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network on December 16, 2016. *The Justice League make minor appearances in the adult animation, adult animated web television series ''Harley Quinn (TV series), Harley Quinn''.


Live-action TV

*A Justice League (Smallville), proto-Justice League lineup is featured in ''Smallville'', first appearing in the episode "Justice" of the show's Smallville (season 6), sixth season. The group initially consists of Clark Kent (Smallville), Clark Kent, Bart Allen, Aquaman, Arthur Curry, Victor Stone (Smallville), Victor Stone, Oliver Queen (Smallville), Oliver Queen, Chloe Sullivan and Black Canary, Dinah Lance; in the show's comic book continuation ''Smallvile: Continuity'', an assemblage more familiar to the Justice League in most other media is formed, including
Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...
, Hawkman, Stargirl (comics), Stargirl, List of Smallville characters, Tess Mercer, Supergirl (Smallville character), Supergirl, Booster Gold, Batman,
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
and
Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
. *The Justice League are mentioned in the first season of ''Titans (2018 TV series), Titans'' during a conversation between Dick Grayson and Donna Troy during flashbacks. *At the end of the Arrowverse crossover ''Crisis on Infinite Earths (Arrowverse), Crisis on Infinite Earths'', the heroes of the newly created Earth-Prime (Arrowverse), Earth-Prime gather at an abandoned S.T.A.R. Labs building and around a table; forming a team to defend their new world following a memorial for Oliver Queen (Arrowverse), Oliver Queen / Green Arrow, who gave his life to save the multiverse. While never referred to as the Justice League, this group consists of Sara Lance, White Canary, Barry Allen (Arrowverse), The Flash, Kara Danvers (Arrowverse), Supergirl, Kate Kane (Arrowverse), Batwoman, Clark Kent (Arrowverse), Superman, Black Lightning and
Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...
, with an empty seat in honor of Oliver. * The Justice League makes a cameo appearance in the first-season finale of''Peacemaker (TV series), Peacemaker'' (2022), set in the DCEU, with the group consisting of Wonder Woman, Flash, Superman and Aquaman.


Live-action movies

* Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman appear together in ''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' (2016), although not as a formal team. The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg make cameo appearances. * The team then formally appears in ''Justice League (film), Justice League'' (2017), which was the sequel to ''Batman v Superman''. In 2021, Warner Brothers released a Zack Snyder's Justice League, director's cut edition of the movie, which added a cameo by
Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...
. The Justice League is referenced in several other movies that are part of the DC Extended Universe setting, which includes Suicide Squad (film), ''Suicide Squad'' and Shazam! (film), ''Shazam!''.


Cultural impact

Most of the characters that appear in DC Comics' books are set in the same fictional universe, known as the DC Universe. They occasionally make guest appearances in each other's solo books, and more regularly in team books such as ''Justice League''. Such crossovers encouraged readers to buy other books in DC Comics' catalogue, and readers became engrossed not just in the individual characters but in their web of relationships across the broader setting, thereby building brand loyalty.
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
copied this idea by creating a number of superhero teams of its own, the closest analogue being the
Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
, so as to promote and develop the Marvel Universe. Many readers devoted themselves to just one of these two comic book universes, as they were both large and did not overlap. Thus the superhero fan community developed sub-communities of DC and Marvel devotees.


Collected editions


Silver Age ''Justice League of America''

This series has been collected in the following volumes: * Omitted issues that featured reprints of material from earlier volumes Also collected in ''Omnibus'' volumes:


''Justice League/Justice League International/Justice League America'' (1987–1996)

This series has been collected in the following collections (there are hardcover and trade paperback versions of all volumes):


''JLA'' (1997–2006)

This series has been collected in the following trade paperbacks: This series has also been collected in the following Grant Morrison-centric hardcover collections:


''Deluxe Edition'' trade paperbacks


''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) (2006–2011)

This series has been collected in the following hardcover collections:


''The New 52''


''DC Rebirth''


''DC Universe Justice League'' (vol. 4) (2018–present)


Miscellaneous reprints

These trades reprint themed issues.


Awards

The original ''Justice League of America'' series won two Alley Award#1961, 1961 Alley Awards in the categories "Best Comic Book" and "Best Adventure-Hero Group." In 1963, the series won "Favorite Novel" ("Crisis on Earth-One/Crisis on Earth-Two" in ''Justice League of America'' #21–22 by
Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...
and Mike Sekowsky) and "Strip that Should Be Improved." There also an award specific to the series, "Artist Preferred on ''Justice League of America''," that was won by Murphy Anderson.


Theme park attractions


''Justice League: Alien Invasion 3D''

''Justice League: Alien Invasion'' is an interactive dark ride at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Australia. In the ride, guests board vehicles equipped with blasters as they join the Justice League in the fight against Starro, who has mind-controlled the citizens of Metropolis.


Justice League: Battle for Metropolis

''Justice League: Battle for Metropolis'' is an interactive dark ride at seven Six Flags parks across the United States and Mexico. In the ride, Lex Luthor and the Joker have captured Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Flash, and it is up to the combined forces of the remaining members of the Justice League and the Justice League Reserve Team to save them from their capture at LexCorp. Guests board motion-enhanced and stun blaster-equipped vehicles designed by A.R.G.U.S. as they ride through Metropolis and join the fight against the henchmen of Lex Luthor and the Joker.


See also

*List of Justice League Collected Editions *
Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...
*
Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...


Affiliations and spin-off groups

* Extreme Justice * Justice League 3000 *Justice League Beyond * Justice League Dark * Justice League Elite * Justice League Europe *
Justice League International Justice League International (JLI) is a fictional DC comics superhero team that succeeded the original Justice League from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. The team enjoyed several comic books runs, the first being written by Keith Giffen and ...
*Justice League Queer * Justice League Task Force (comics), Justice League Task Force * Justice League United * Justice Leagues * Legion of Super-Heroes * Super Buddies *
Super Friends ''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of ...
* Green Lantern Corps *
Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
* Young Justice


Notes


References


Sources

* *


External links


Justice League
at DC Comics.com

at Don Markstein's Toonopedia]
WebCitation Archive


* {{Authority control Justice League, 1960 comics debuts 1997 comics debuts 2006 comics debuts 2011 comics debuts 2016 comics debuts 2018 comics debuts Batman characters Characters created by Gardner Fox Comics by Brad Meltzer Comics by Geoff Johns Comics by Grant Morrison Comics by Keith Giffen Comics by Jim Lee Comics by Steve Englehart DC Comics adapted into films DC Comics superhero teams DC Comics titles Superman characters