Heroes Who Were Kicked Out Of The Justice League

Summary

• Even the most crucial members were kicked out of the Justice League for one reason or another.
• Wonder Woman, for instance, left due to the villain’s mind-meddling, appearing rogue in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
• Superman was expelled for making the wrong decision for the right reasons, causing conflict with the US government and Atlantis.

The Justice League of America. Anyone who is anyone within the DC Universe wants to be on this super team. They were once the most famous team of superheroes in comic books, with The Avengers needing a whole cinematic universe just to compete. Even now, the Justice League captures the minds and hearts of many, both in and out of the universe, with easily recognizable heroes such as Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Batman, and Superman.

But even the greatest of teams have their fall-outs between members, leading to their companions having to make the hard (and sometimes not so hard) decision to give them the boot. Here are some of the biggest DC heroes who found themselves going from being JLA members to ex-members after one faux-pas or another.

Updated February 18, 2025 by David Heath: Name any DC hero, and chances are they’re either part of the Justice League of America or were at least affiliated with them via one of their subsidiaries. Some even went from one of their other super teams to the JLA, like the Teen Titan Cyborg, or Bat-family member Huntress. But even superheroes can’t save themselves from getting the pink slip from the JLA, though it usually takes a serious matter or two for that decision to be made.

Endangering or taking lives, even those of a supervillain, can be reasons for dismissal. Others found themselves kicked out due to bad luck, or took a hint when the room was against them. This is why this list has been updated with more heroes that got dismissed from the JLA, along with extra details on the old entries to show when, where, and how they got the proverbial chop.

1

Snapper Carr

Expelled From the League in a Snap

Snapper Carr? A hero? Well, yes, technically. Much like Rick Jones with the Incredible Hulk, or the kid who became a Power Ranger in Power Rangers Turbo, Snapper was a cool kid sidekick to the JLA. He gained an honorary membership after he saved the group’s other heroes from Starro’s mind control in their debut issue, and gave them the lime necessary to defeat the malevolent alien entity. He was meant to show that even average Joes could help stop global threats in their own way.

This might be why, feeling alienated from the league years later, he fell in with John Dough, the head of an anti-superhero campaign who wanted regular people to act on their own. In return, he works with Dough to help smear the heroes and gives him access to the JLA’s Secret Sanctuary. But both he and his benefactor were stopped by the team’s newest member, Black Canary. Dough is then revealed to be the Joker in disguise. Carr quits before the JLA can give him the boot, and the team stops using the Secret Sanctuary altogether.

2

Martian Manhunter

An Unlucky Character

J’onn J’onzz, aka the league’s telekinetic, shape-shifting, and noble resident Martian Manhunter. Anyone familiar with the character, especially those most familiar with him from the 2004 Justice League Unlimited cartoon, might ask themselves – what on Earth could he have done for the team to kick him out? Well, there was the time during JLA: Year One where, in fear of metahumans upending society, he spied on his friends while incognito to discover their weaknesses. But he was readmitted at the end of the story’s run when they defeated Locus.

But his most well-known dismissal came more from out-of-universe reasons than in-universe reasons. When DC rebooted their universe for the New 52, they provided a clean slate for a new JLA lineup, which made Cyborg a key member in the Martian Manhunter’s place. J’onn got the boot because, as a super-powered, flying alien with vision powers, DC had concerns he was too similar to Superman. Even when he was a member, he was often underrated by writers and editors, who preferred his less green counterparts to his unique oeuvre of moves.

3

Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, And Ice

Booted by Bureaucracy

Before Maxwell Lord became a villain, he was one of the JLA’s benefactors. A businessman who gained psychic powers after he survived a gene bomb explosion, he practically ran the team after the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. So, things hit a snag when he was shot and put into a coma in JLA Vol.1 #53, beginning the JLA: Breakdowns event that would ultimately shutter the Justice League International and its subsidiaries.

In Lord’s stead, Kurt Heimlich was appointed by the United Nations to restructure the organization. Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, and Ice suspect a villain called Queen Bee was behind the assassination attempt on Lord, and that Heimlich was in cahoots with her. So, Heimlich fired them. Beetle and Ice tried to go civilian but were ultimately convinced by Atom to continue investigating, stopping Bee, and reinstating Lord. Considering what he’d become, it might’ve been for the best if he stayed asleep.

4

Booster Gold

A Momentarily Unfit Hero

25th-century man Michael Jon Carter, aka Booster Gold, may not be one of the league’s key members, but he is one of their most interesting, having gained a cult following from his unique storyline and appearances in different DC animated universes. He was a disgraced athlete who traveled from the future to our times and used futuristic technology to achieve fame and glory. But he learned from this “fake it til you make it” approach to becoming a true genuine hero.

He turned up as a member of the JLA’s splinter factions, like reforming what was left of the Justice League after JLA: Breakdowns into the Super Buddies in the Formerly Known as the Justice League miniseries. But he’s rarely made it into the main team thanks to his old fame-hungry ways, and his laissez-faire approach to his duties and the spacetime continuum. Booster Gold Vol 2 #1 brought him close to making it on the team but, thanks to time shenanigans that threatened the lives of the Green Lanterns, he had to reject the offer.

5

Huntress

Taking Things Personally Cost Her the Job

Huntress is basically the Jason Todd of Batgirls, only she avoided getting the business end of a crowbar. Her violent attitude and approach to criminals led to her stint as Batgirl in the wake of Barbara Gordon’s forced retirement was a brief one, as Batman didn’t approve of her methods. As such, she’s regularly butted heads with the Dark Knight over one issue or another, where the two have alternated between being mentor and student, and antagonists to each other.

Batman also spelled the end of her stint in the JLA, where the villain Prometheus went after their Watchtower base, and tried to attack Oracle. He’s essentially the anti-Batman, who can program himself with other people’s abilities. Batman shut him down by replacing his combat skills with those of Prof. Stephen Hawking, essentially giving him ALS. In this state, Huntress tried to psyche herself up enough to finish him off for good. But Batman caught her and gave her an on-the-spot dismissal.

6

Guy Gardner – Warrior

Lone Warrior Gets Left Alone

The JLA has seen many Green Lanterns join and leave its ranks too. Hal Jordan wasn’t formally drummed out of the group, but after he went nuts, wiped out the Green Lantern Corps, and became the villain Parallax, it could be assumed he wasn’t part of the team anymore. Likewise, Guy Gardner popped in and out of the JLA due to his own infamously sour attitude, and sometimes due to events out of his control like in JLA: Breakdowns.

One of his most notable departures came when he skipped using the ring and became Warrior, using a new set of powers borne from Vuldarian DNA. In JLA Secret Files & Origins, he proclaimed himself as the team’s new leader, despite objections from Kyle Rayner, Aquaman, and practically everyone else on the team. It took a firm staredown from Batman to get him to relent when he left the team to “go down some brewskies.” He was courteous enough to invite Steel to join him at least, though he took a rain check on that invite.

7

Barry Allen – The Flash

A Murder Charge Puts the Speedster’s Fate in Jeopardy

Various incarnations of The Flash have been a part of the Justice League, with Barry Allen being the most well-known. He was the first to don the familiar red suit and became a key member of the Silver Age JLA onward until his heroic sacrifice in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Even so, he still pops up in other media as the main Flash, even after his successors like Wally West and Impulse made the role their own. That said, his position in the JLA wasn’t as ironclad.

To save his fiancée, Fiona Webb, he caught the Reverse Flash from behind and broke his neck. It was considered an accident, so he went to court on charges of second-degree manslaughter. The JLA took it seriously and deliberated over whether to retain Barry as a member or not. By The Flash #327, he was put on a probationary period, where his continued membership would depend on his trial’s verdict. Barry quit before his guilty verdict came in, but Reverse Flash eventually revealed he was alive, putting Barry in the clear.

8

Princess Diana – Wonder Woman

Making the Hard Decision When Teammates Go Rogue

An Amazonian warrior of power, might, and will, and the First Lady of the Justice League. Princess Diana, aka Wonder Woman, is as bold as they come, so it’s no surprise that she may ruffle a few fellow team members’ feathers during her tenure, to the point of being left behind. For one, while she doesn’t like to kill, she doesn’t have a strict no-killing rule like her fellow co-founders Superman and Batman. If it’s the most apt option left, she’ll bring things to a permanent end.

Countdown to Infinite Crisis revealed Maxwell Lord, a former JLA ally, had turned on the organization and took control of Brother Eye and the OMACs (One-Man Army Corps) to attack superheroes across the world. By The OMAC Project #4, he had killed Blue Beetle and used his powers to control Superman’s mind. Wonder Woman tried to stop him by snapping his neck, but it ultimately made things worse as Brother Eye began working independently and broadcast her killing Maxwell Lord across the world. Though she felt she had no other option, the other JLA members voted to expel her from the group regardless.

9

Clark Kent – Superman

Went Against the Group to Preserve Peace

The de-facto leader of the Justice League, Superman, came from Krypton to protect the people of humanity with great powers and a greater heart. He’s potentially the least likely hero to be kicked out of the league, given he practically runs the group. But the WarWorld Rising storyline proved that even the Man of Steel wasn’t safe from getting the ax, as one of his most important comic issues put him at the center of a geopolitical conflict.

In trying to reach a peaceful agreement between Earth, the Atlanteans, and a refugee offshoot of the Kryptonians called Phaelosians, Superman takes matters into his own hands by snatching the Genesis Fragment, a powerful radioactive mineral found on the Phaelosians’ sunken ship, putting him at odds with Aquaman, Atlantis, the Justice League, and the US Government. Expelled from the League, Superman heads off to WarWorld to free the Phaelosians, promising one day to come back home.

10

Bruce Wayne – Batman

Planning Ahead Gone Wrong

Batman is known the most for his ruthless cunning and his tendency to plan ahead and come up with contingencies that allow him to defeat his foes. Though like Martian Manhunter back in JLA: Year One, it also became one of his most serious flaws. The Tower of Babel storyline revealed he also came up with plans to take down his fellow League members, just in case they went rogue for one reason or another. Ra’s al Ghul managed to get a hold of these plans to keep the heroes out of action while he scrambled the world’s ability to communicate.

The Martian Manhunter is set ablaze by an unquenchable fire, while Aquaman is struck with a fear of water via Scarecrow’s fear toxin. Plastic Man is frozen solid and shattered, and Green Lantern is blinded. Wonder Woman is forced into a constant battle via virtual reality, the Flash is struck with light-speed epileptic seizures, and Superman is left in immense pain thanks to a special dose of red kryptonite. Batman helps his teammates recover and stop Ra’s, but that doesn’t save him from being expelled. He seemingly expected this, as the issue ends with him leaving the Watchtower before Superman can give him the bad news.