From the first villain the Justice League encountered to the one who forced them to fight a war, DC's superhero team has baddies worth following.
There won’t be a time where DC’s Justice League goes out of style, because the superhero team always features interesting team members and villains. DC’s greatest pride has been its rogues’ galleries and the likes of Darkseid, Brainiac, Lex Luthor, and more are popular Justice League antagonists.
Certain others have been mainstays in the comics but tend not to get much attention. In addition, there have been one-off villains who made great inroads in defeating the League, yet also get overlooked in recognition. It’s worth revisiting the baddies that the Justice League have encountered over the years and examining their impressive feats, along with the ways they’ve managed to challenge DC’s greatest heroes.
The portrayal of Maxwell Lord as a sympathetic character in Wonder Woman 1984 has made mainstream viewers believe he isn’t much of a threat, but that’s not really the case. Still, even comic book fans think of him as a lower-tier villain despite the fact that he was instrumental in establishing Justice League International.
Lord also fooled Superman into beating up Batman by controlling his mind, and he had to be killed by a desperate Wonder Woman in The OMAC Project because he was almost unstoppable. All things considered, Lord’s powers of controlling people through persuasion are a perfect contrast to the Justice League, as it’s something that they can’t punch their way out of.
Introduced in Justice League of America #29, this faction was from Earth-3 and was a totalitarian version of the Justice League who saw ownership as their right. The group has been downplayed, because having versions of the same characters can be overwhelming.
However, it’s always interesting to see this team confirm just how scary the Justice League would be if they let go of their morality and ethics. The Syndicate was even adapted from the comics in the Justice League animated series, where they were known as the Justice Lords and were a huge hit with viewers.
The Justice League largely goes up against beings of enormous power, which has the side effect of making their encounters all about the heavy-hitters. Doctor Destiny’s use of the Materioptikon to manipulate the characters’ dreams offers a different kind of conflict.
An underrated achievement on his part was when he forced the League to abandon their morals by preventing him from falling asleep in Justice League of America #19, thus leaving him a wreck and inadvertently causing the League to resort to villainous means. Doctor Destiny’s appearances offer a rare look into the League members’ darkest thoughts, so it’s a shame he isn’t considered on par with other villains.
While the many comic book versions of the Joker are highly rated, there isn’t much awareness about his role in Adventures of Superman #583. In this comic, he tricked Mr. Myxzptlk into giving him reality-altering powers, following which the Joker created havoc around the world, including eating countries and forcing the League to be tortured with twisted games.
The Joker’s prime version is generally considered to be the best one, but the Emperor Joker does deserve more recognition for the way he pretty much destroyed the League until he was hoodwinked into giving up his powers. It was also fun to see the Joker in an empowered state for once.
Ever since his debut in Justice League of America #10, Felix Faust has largely been thwarted by the League at every turn. His original appearance did have them on the ropes, though, as Faust summoned the Demons Three to nearly beat the League until they rallied together.
Even with his failures, Faust is underrated for the way he’s constantly popped up to challenge the Justice League time and again. He even sold the soul of his son Sebastian Faust to gain more powers of the Occult, which goes to show just how far he’s willing to go to beat his foes.
Not many teams are there to exclusively challenge the Justice League, as the majority are comprised of archenemies of individual heroes. This makes the Royal Flush Gang unique for the way they show up as antagonists of the League proper ever since showing up in Justice League of America #43.
Based on a playing card theme, they’re also notable for changing team members but retaining their overall attitude and design. Their occasional affiliation with the Joker adds to the way they can surprise the League with team-ups, making the Royal Flush Gang unpredictable foes.
The conflict between Darkseid’s Apokolips and Highfather’s New Genesis has prevented villains with similar outlines to shine. It’s too bad that Kanjar Ro has suffered as a result, seeing as he’s a supervillain who managed to enslave the heroes in Justice League of America #3 to force them to work for him.
Kanjar Ro was the despot of Dhor and was at war with three of his neighboring planets, and nearly used the League to destroy them. He’s resurfaced plenty of times to fight the League again, so combining his long-lasting aspect with his original feat of capturing the heroes makes the character worthy of greater respect.
Mongul is a well-known villain of Superman in the comics, but this is also why he’s underrated as a Justice League villain. Mongul’s status as the ruler of Warworld has enabled him to put the League members into brutal games, which make for very entertaining comic book issues.
He’s shown up in recent times as well, once again trapping the League in an intergalactic arena in Dark Days: The Casting. Stories surrounding the Justice League and Mongul always have a fast-paced and action-packed feel, and he should be considered more than just a Superman rival.
It’s hard to believe that contemporary comic book readers tend not to know that Starro was the first Justice League villain in Brave and the Bold #28. Had it not been for Starro, the League wouldn’t have been formed, making the character the reason why the superhero team even became a cultural icon.
It wasn’t until DCEU’s The Suicide Squad adapted him as a villain that the character received mainstream attention, but the movie didn’t feature his malevolent personality. The comic book Starro looks to capture people under its thrall, and has done so with the League’s members. Its ability to control anyone from Superman to the rest of the League makes it a huge threat.
