Strongest Justice League Members Ever In DC Comics

Summary

• Batman doesn’t make the cut due to a lack of superpowers, despite his intellect and wealth.
• Plastic Man, despite his immortality and regenerative powers, lacks offensive abilities.
• Doctor Fate’s limitless magical abilities and reality-warping powers make him one of the strongest Justice League members ever.

The Justice League made its first appearance back in 1960 in The Brave and the Bold #28. Since then, they’ve become one of the most famous superhero teams in the comic book world. The team’s lineup has changed a lot over the years, but one thing has remained the same: Each incarnation has been made up of heroes wielding unparalleled levels of power.

This has led to a lot of debate among comic book fans regarding which member of the team is the strongest. To answer that question, some of the Justice League’s greatest rosters have been studied, and each member has been examined based on their powers, weaknesses, and greatest feats while also taking into account their strongest versions. Only heroes who have been recognized members at some point have been considered in this ranking, ignoring outsiders who have simply helped the League on occasion.

The power levels of each member have tended to fluctuate over the years depending on who is writing them, so this can be considered a “loose” ranking.

Honorable Mention: Batman

Going by the criteria that has already set out, Batman doesn’t make the cut to be featured among the strongest Justice League members ever. The Dark Knight has zero superpowers, besides super plot armor, and that’s kind of the point of him. With enough prep time, Batman could likely take out everyone who has been a member of the Justice League, and he’s got a contingency plan for most of them.

Furthermore, certain versions of him, like The Darkest Knight (the strongest evil version of him), are immensely powerful. However, that’s not enough when most versions of the character have zero powers. He might be one of DC’s biggest earners, but he is not one of the strongest members of the Justice League.

10 Plastic Man

Basically Immortal And Indestructible But Lacks Firepower

Plastic Man used to be a bit of a joke character, but in recent years, DC’s writers have worked hard to make him look more formidable. The character’s powers are all centered around his malleable physiology, meaning he has almost complete control over his body’s shape. In the olden days, this just meant he was a shapeshifter with extra stretchy limbs, but he’s more of a powerhouse right now.

He’s been portrayed as both immortal and pretty much indestructible and has even survived being scattered into molecules for millennia. However, his offensive abilities aren’t quite as impressive. He’s known to either increase his muscle mass to grant himself super strength or use his shapeshifting abilities to turn his limbs into weapons. The Injustice series did a particularly good job of showing just how dangerous/terrifying an angry Plastic Man can be, and Batman couldn’t even come up with a contingency plan for him. This all being said, the character lacks the kind of god-level, reality-warping abilities many of the other strongest Justice League members have, resulting in a low ranking.

9 Zatanna

A Magical Classic Glass Cannon

Depending on the depiction, a character like Zatanna could be argued as the strongest member of the Justice League. Magic users in DC tend to be incredibly OP, and their powers are frequently dictated by what the plot requires. DC has never put much effort into defining Zatanna’s limits. Early in her career, she was usually shown as being able to manipulate fire, air, water, and earth, but these days, her moveset is much larger. Zatanna has been shown banishing demons, altering reality, and holding her own against her universe’s most powerful magic users.

Her weaknesses are equally ill-defined. She is usually portrayed as having to speak her spells out loud and backward for them to work, but there have been plenty of instances where this hasn’t been the case. Besides her magical powers, Zatanna is basically human. That means that, technically, if caught unaware, a simple bullet to her head could put an end to her. She can also be exhausted if she casts too many spells and needs to be able to concentrate. Zatanna is a classic glass cannon, super powerful under the right circumstances but also vulnerable.

8 Firestorm

A Nuclear-Powered Matter Manipulator

DC fans have been given a fair few versions of Firestorm, but arguably the most powerful and popular is the original Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein combo. As a superhero, Firestorm is often underrated, and many casual fans are only familiar with him as having appeared in some of the best episodes of The Flash. Most versions show the hero being able to absorb radiation, shoot fireballs from his fingertips, and fly. It’s cool, but it’s not that impressive sounding.

However, Firestorm is much stronger than that. He can manipulate matter at the molecular level and most forms of energy. That means that, at his strongest, the only limit to Firestorm’s power is his imagination. He has survived cosmic-level threats and defeated powerhouses like Captain Atom. One version of the character, Deathstorm, managed to absorb three Justice League teams into his Firestorm matrix, turbocharging himself in the process. The character only really has one weakness: his dual nature. Firestorm requires mental synchronization between his two hosts to be able to function effectively. This is a surprisingly major flaw that can make him unreliable in high-pressure situations. His power set is often underutilized, resulting in a lower ranking.

7 Wonder Woman

An Amazonian Goddess And Fierce Warrior

Wonder Woman is another one of those characters who’s almost impossible to rank. Her powers have been portrayed painfully inconsistently over the years. At her best, she can beat the snot out of Superman; at her worst, she can lose all her powers if simply bound by a man. Post-Crisis she was up there with the likes of Shazam and arguably peaked as the new God of War, a transformation that gave her some of her weirdest powers.

She’s one of the physically strongest meta-humans on Earth and is able to intuitively master any weapon. When she’s on form, there are very few beings who can go toe-to-toe with an angry Wonder Woman. but she’s just too inconsistent to rank any higher, and she lacks the kinds of reality-warping, cosmic-level powers that other Justice League members are packing.

6 Shazam

Possesses The Power Of Seven Gods

Shazam, aka Billy Batson, possesses the Wisdom of Solomon, Courage of Achilles, Stamina of Atlas, Powers of Zeus, Speed of Mercury, and Strength of Hercules. This usually boils down to him being portrayed as little more than a magically powered version of Superman, but he’s a lot more. In his empowered form, Shazam is nigh on invulnerable, but in his mortal form he’s just a normal kid.

To swap forms, all Billy needs to do is say the word “Shazam!” That’s a problem because, if he can’t speak, he can’t transform. It also means that he can be tricked into depowering himself. It might not sound like a big deal, but the Injustice comics showed the worst-case scenario. His powers peak as the God of Gods Shazam, during the Darkseid War event, where he was given a range of new powers from new gods. There’s no denying Shazam’s raw power, but the fact that he’s just a kid deep down limits his ranking.

5 Flash (Wally West)

The Fastest Man Alive

The Flash can run fast. While that may not seem particularly useful in a fight (who wants a superhero who just runs away?), DC’s writers have put the character to good use. The Flash can run faster than light, create infinite mass punches, time travel, and cross between dimensions. With the right writer backing him, the Flash is literally untouchable and is capable of outrunning death itself.

Unfortunately, with great power comes great responsibility, and this is something the Flash sometimes forgets. He might be one of DC’s greatest speedsters, but both Barry and Wally have had a habit of making things worse instead of better at times, especially when messing around with time. As the Speed Force avatar, Wally West can transcend the physical laws of the universe, but that connection is also his greatest weakness. If any version of Flash comes untethered from the Speed Force, they lose all their powers. Outside his sheer speed, the Flash also lacks any other impressive physical abilities like invulnerability. When his connection is strong, Flash can rewrite history; when it’s weak, he’s cannon fodder.

4 Captain Atom

Can Destroy Universes With His Quantum Field

Captain Atom started out as a United States Air Force officer who was framed for a crime he didn’t commit. Rather than be executed, he agreed to take part in an experiment that resulted in him gaining a metallic form and the power to tap into the “Quantum Field.” A bit like with DC’s magic users, Captain Atom’s powers tend to change from book to book, depending on what the story dictates.

Early on, he was limited to generating energy blasts and being able to fly. Over time, his powers grew until he gained the ability to transmute physical matter and warp reality. Unleashed, Captain Atom can easily defeat the likes of Superman, disintegrate and resurrect other heroes instantly, and even destroy universes. He lacks any real weaknesses but often has to restrain himself because he can become unstable if he over-exerts himself.

Many of the heroes who appear in this part of the ranking are interchangeable. In some events, Captain Atom could rank at the top, but most writers choose not to use his full suite of abilities because doing so would make him boringly overpowered.

3 Martian Manhunter

Versatility Is His Real Superpower

Martian Manhunter is arguably the Justice League’s most versatile member. With amazing physical and psychic abilities, he has a power for every situation. Physically, he can rearrange his cells at will. One second, he can be completely intangible, and the next, he can be as strong and invulnerable as Superman. In the past, he has defeated the entire Justice League single-handedly, given Superman the beat down, and proven himself to be one of DC’s most powerful telepaths.

He’s as close to being overpowered as it gets, or he would be if it wasn’t for one crippling weakness. Thanks to his tragic origins, Martian Manhunter is vulnerable to fire and is terrified of it. Martian Manhunter’s powers take a great deal of self-control and concentration, things he loses when faced with fire. As is often the case with heroes, the severity of this weakness depends on the book he’s in and the writer behind it. In recent years, the weakness has been scaled down quite a bit. Still, a vulnerability to such an everyday element stops Martian Manhunter from ranking any higher.

2 Superman

DC’s Poster Boy Is Overpowered

Some readers will be annoyed that Superman didn’t get first place, and others will think he ranked too high. Superman remains DC’s poster boy, and more than any other hero, his abilities change from issue to issue. Some versions of him, like Superman Prime, One Million, and Cosmic Armor Superman, can punch holes in the walls between dimensions, warp reality, and harness limitless power. Others struggle against a balding billionaire with a grudge.

Superman has had some really weird powers, but his main powerset hasn’t changed much. Even the basic Superman is overpowered, capable of holding black holes, moving planets, and surviving the end of the universe, but he does have some considerable weaknesses. Kryptonite is his most famous, but red sun radiation can depower him, too, and he’s vulnerable (not weak) to magic. In many ways, Superman is DC’s most powerful hero, but his inconsistent writing and a handful of major weaknesses render him the second-strongest member of the Justice League.

1 Doctor Fate

One Of DC’s Most Powerful Magical Beings

Casual fans might need an explainer, but Doctor Fate is insanely powerful. When wearing the Helmet of Fate, Kent Nelson becomes Doctor Fate, Lord of Order and avatar of the god Nabu. This gives him vast magical abilities that are pretty much limitless (depending on the situation).

Doctor Fate can grant himself any physical power, like unlimited strength and invulnerability. The laws of nature mean little to him, and he can raise the dead, cast reality-warping spells, and change the universe at will. While most of the strongest members of the Justice League peak at cosmic levels of power, Doctor Fate can change the entire multiverse if he wants to. Thankfully, the hero’s reliance on a human host keeps him in check and stops the character from becoming boring.