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The Justice League roster has long included some of DC’s most popular heroes among its ranks. From Aquaman to Zatanna, the League has no lack of heavy-hitters and fan-favorites to call upon, especially with its new “Unlimited” status quo thanks to the 2024 Justice League Unlimited launch by Mark Waid and Dan Mora.
But with this new status quo inducting practically every DC Comics hero into the Justice League, there are more than a few underrated icons that deserve the chance to at least cameo and maybe even fully join the big League. And, considering the threats the Justice League are facing, these unexpected additions could be just the heroes to save the day.
10
Hawk and Dove
Created by Steve Ditko, Steve Skeates, Karl Kesel, Barbara Keel, and Rob Liefeld
Hank Hall and Dawn Granger are longtime DC Comics staples, but the Avatars for the Lords of Order and Chaos haven’t always had a shot at the limelight. As supposedly pivotal forces in the cosmology of the DCU, Hawk and Dove deserve spots in the big League, even if they did once turn down Justice League membership.
Aside from their own partnership, the duo are no stranger to teamwork. Hank and Dawn have served with the Teen Titans both together and with their respective sibling Hawk and Dove duos, and they’ve even been members of the Birds of Prey. With the Justice League constantly protecting a world on the brink, they need all hands on deck, and nobody can walk the line between Chaos and Order better than Hawk and Dove.
9
Starman III
Created by Gerry Conway and Mike Vosburg
The third hero to carry on the Starman legacy, Mikaal Tomas has served in the Justice League with distinction before, and it is long past time for him to do so again. Thanks to the Sonic Crystal embedded in his chest, this alien adventurer boasts a host of abilities that make him a true heavy hitter with flight, energy projection, self-sustenance, and super strength that is sufficient to stop Orion of the New Gods in his tracks.
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With the DC Universe fully embracing its history once more, there’s plenty of room for a legacy hero and legacy Justice Leaguer to make an overdue comeback. And with the Watchtower’s reinstatement outside of Earth’s atmosphere, and the ever-present danger that a supervillain could destroy a hero’s base at any time, one more space-faring hero couldn’t hurt.
8
Azteka
Created by Steve Orlando and Ivan Reis
As the current inheritor of the Aztek mantle, Nayeli Constant protects Vanity, Oregon as the champion of light against the demonic deity known as Tezcatlipoca. With such a heavy burden on her shoulders, Azteka could use a helping hand, and an induction into the new Unlimited version of the Justice League wouldn’t be the first time Nayeli had joined the team.
Like her predecessor, Aztek, Azteka was once a member of the Justice League of America before it evolved into the Justice Foundation. But since that evolution, the Foundation has hardly been seen, with its lesser-known members like Azteka left in the lurch. An invitation to join the Justice League just like Aztek could just be the boost in popularity that Azteka needs while also paying homage to the Aztek legacy to which she’s currently living up.
7
Hourman III
Created by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter
An android descendant of the Hourmen who came before him, Matthew Tyler is an exceedingly powerful chronal crimefighter. Hourman has previously fought alongside not only the Justice League, but the Justice Society and Justice Legion Alpha of “DC One Million” fame.
Not only does Matthew already have a rich history with the heroes of the DC Universe, but his unique relationship to the timeline and to Metron of the New Gods puts him in a unique position to aid the League in its current incarnation with the looming threat of the Legion of Doom’s time travel troubles as well as the Fourth World’s ongoing strife in the wake of Darkseid’s death. With such major upheaval, it’s the perfect time for Hourman to return to the Justice League.
6
Argent
Created by Dan Jergens and George Pérez
Antonia “Toni” Monetti may not be the first name that springs to mind when discussing iconic Teen Titan heroes, but the hero Argent has far more potential than hardly anyone, including herself, has ever recognized. An alien and human hybrid, Argent has the ability to generate and manipulate silver plasma in a manner not dissimilar to the Green Lanterns’ own emerald energies.
With all Titans now officially extended Justice League membership along with the rest of the heroes of the DC Universe, it’s a great opportunity to bring Toni back from limbo…
Having served alongside the Teen Titans and the adult Titans in various incarnations, Argent was hardly seen after DC’s “One Year Later” initiative and has only made a single cameo appearance since the New 52. With all Titans now officially extended Justice League membership along with the rest of the heroes of the DC Universe, it’s a great opportunity to bring Toni back from limbo, giving Argent the opportunity to truly shine.
5
Pantha
Created by Marv Wolfman and Tom Grummett
Pantha is certainly one of the Teen Titans’ more animalistic allies, but Rosabelle Mendez is every bit the hero a Titan should be. The subject of mysterious experiments at the hands of the wretched Wildebeest Society, Pantha lives up to her name with a were-cat physiology that grants her enhanced speed, strength, senses, and razor-sharp claws.
Having recently made a cameo in The Question: All Along the Watchtower #3 by Alex Segura and Cian Tormey, Pantha has clearly already been inducted into the Justice League, but she deserves far more of a focus. After all, she’s only made a few appearances in the current continuity after being brutally killed during Infinite Crisis twenty years ago. With Rosabelle thankfully back among the living, Pantha’s animal instincts could be just what the Justice League needs.
4
Shining Knight
Created by Grant Morrison and Simone Bianchi
A fan-favorite member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory and the Demon Knights to boot, the Shining Knight, known as Ystin, is an immortal warrior who began fighting the good fight millennia before the heroes of the Justice League were even born. Along with their mystic blade, Caliburn, and their Pegasus called Vanguard, the Shining Knight lives up to their name as a beacon of justice in dark times.
Though Ystin hasn’t been seen in quite a while, they’re still a force for good in contemporary times. And though their fellow Shining Knight, Sir Justin, is already a part of the current Justice League, there’s no rule barring Ystin from taking a seat at a new round table, especially with the League’s dedication to inducting whoever is right for the job.
3
Congorilla
Created by Robert Bernstein and Howard Sherman
Able to swap minds and bodies with a massive, mystical, golden gorilla, William “Congo Bill” Glenmorgan, also known as Congorilla, doesn’t seem like an obvious candidate for Justice League membership, but he already has a marked history with the League. Pre-Flashpoint, Congorilla was a staple of the Justice League’s last couple of lineups along with his good friend, Starman Mikaal Tomas.
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In current continuity, he was last seen serving as the warden for Monster Rock, the Justice League’s game reserve for many of the bestial baddies that the World’s Greatest Heroes have tangled with in the past. It is clear that Congo Bill’s working relationship with the League is still going strong, and Congorilla is more than ready to add some welcome muscle to the new Unlimited status quo.
2
Tomorrow Woman
Created by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter
One of the more tragic Justice League inductees, the heroic android known as Tomorrow Woman initially and unknowingly joined the JLA’s ranks at the behest of her creators, Professor Ivo and T.O. Morrow, in yet another scheme of revenge. Ultimately, Tomorrow Woman sacrificed herself to save her teammates rather than let evil win. She was later resurrected as a flesh and blood hero, Clara Kendall, after universal revisions in the pages of the Trinity series by Kurt Busiek, Mark Bagley, Scot McDaniels, and more.
In current canon, it seems that Clara is apparently an android once more, recently being weaponized against heroes yet again by Ivo. But Tomorrow Woman has broken free of her programming before, and the Justice League owes it to her to give her a proper run at being one of Earth’s greatest defenders.
1
Vibe
Created by Gerry Conway and Chuck Patton
Francisco “Cisco” Paco Ramon has gotten the short end of the stick from the Justice League for practically the entirety of his association with the team. A stalwart member of the team’s Detroit Era, Vibe was the first Justice League member to be killed in the line of duty. Eventually, Vibe returned to the land of the living following the continuity refresh preceding the New 52 with his vibrational abilities positioning him as the perfect match-up against the Flash for the U.S. government’s short-lived Justice League of America failsafe program.
With much of the League’s history restored after the various Crises that have taken place in the intervening years, Cisco’s exact relationship with the League is currently murky at best. But with everything that he’s given for his fellow heroes, Vibe is more than worthy of making waves alongside the Justice League once more.
“}]] Several DC heroes deserve a shot in the League. Read More