10 Strongest DC Superheroes (Who’ve Never Been in the Justice League)

The superheroes of DC Comics team up to take down evil wherever it lurks, and they’re most effective when they work together. The Justice League is undeniably DC’s greatest and most prolific superhero team, with various off-shoots worldwide and across time. The JLI, JLE, JLD, and JLA all consist of active members with vast skills, so it’s rare to find a heavy-hitting hero without a membership card.

Some superheroes work alone for the safety of others, and others aren’t too fun to be around. Some of DC’s strongest non-leaguers come from realms humanity considers mythological, while others come from acquired publishers with entirely different universes. Every DC superhero teams up with a League at some point, but a select few never receive invitations or, in some cases, never make it out of the reserves to become official members.

10 Lucifer Is Too Good For Justice

First appeared in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman #4

The human concept of justice differs from celestial concepts of justice in DC Comics, and few know that better than Lucifer Morningstar. Once his Father’s favorite son, the devil found himself on Earth after falling from His grace and losing the keys to Hell in a half-hearted battle of wits. It may seem silly to consider Lucifer a superhero, but higher powers like the Endless and heroes like The Phantom Stranger and Etrigan’s official membership make the comparison reasonable.

His odyssey through the mortal world influenced the lives of everyday people, but he’s bound by a private code of honor, just like many superheroes. He’s not about truth, justice, or anything recognizably human or “kind,” which is probably why the League won’t offer him membership – not that he’d accept – but his power levels are on par with other deities and superior to even most heroes.

9 Damage Is Too Unpredictable

First appeared in Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV’s Dark Days: The Casting #1

Ethan Avery’s transformation into the hulking monster known as Damage makes him one of two heroes to bear the moniker and the only one who never joined the Justice League. Grant Emerson, Avery’s predecessor, eventually used his explosive powers to help the Justice League Task Force, but Avery’s Damage is too strong and uncontrollable for an hour every day.

Wonder Woman’s upper limits in physical strength are unknown, but Damage held his own when Diana found and attacked him. He escaped the lasso of truth and brought the city down around them, then had a very similar interaction with Superman. Avery doesn’t want to hurt anyone, and Damage is hardly at fault, so maybe the League will reconsider.

First appeared in Warren Ellis’ The Authority #1

The heroes of the Wildstorm Universe have powers ranging from recognizable to downright wacky. Apollo was a clear-cut clone of Superman with sun powers and super strength, and his husband Midnighter is an ultraviolent Batman equivalent. On the other hand, the Doctor is as if Doctor Strange inherited the exponentially compounding powers of every previous Sorcerer Supreme, and Rose Tattoo is the personification of Murder.

The disbanded governmental organization, The Authority, joined DC’s omniverse and ingrained themselves by forming new relationships with new heroes. However, powerhouses like the Doctor and Rose fell by the wayside. Apollo and Midnighter, a ready-made power couple, joined the ad-hoc JLQ. However, powerhouses like The High and the other leftover Authority members are still waiting for invites to other Leagues.

7 Teen Titans Is Not A Recruitment Camp

First Appeared in Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani’s The Brave and the Bold #54

Beast Boy is a conduit for The Red, Nightwing has been Batman, Raven is the authority on certain demons, and Cyborg is the Justice League’s tech guy. Most notable members of the Teen Titans go on to join an incarnation of the Justice League, and in crises when the league calls for all hands on deck, the Titans always step up to help.

Despite their close working relationship, being an ally of the Justice League is not the same as becoming an elected member. Gnarrk, Omen, and Cassandra Sandsmark’s Wonder Girl are among the select few who didn’t even make it to the reserves. The lives of fictional American teenagers are always messy and stressful, and the League wants its members to be a little more professional.

6 Jemm Is A Friend Of The Justice League

First appeared in Greg Potter’s Jemm, Son of Saturn #1

Jemm, Son of Saturn, crash-landed on Earth to escape the low-fantasy sci-fi dark age awaiting him on his home planet. With super strength and speed, flight, minor shapechanging, and empathic abilities granted by a gem in his head, he starred in a twelve-issue series before falling into Limbo until writers decided to use him as filler. He’s later shown among the reserves, but Jemm never saw any action.

Before and during Grant Morrison’s “Rock of Ages” arc from JLA #10-15, Jemm is kidnapped, brainwashed and turned into a villain for the first time, but not the last. He’s also been on the roster for the Injustice Society, probably because there aren’t many other characters who make good foils for Martian Manhunter. Still, J’onn and the League usually save him and get him back on his feet.

5 The Spectre Is The JSA’s Strongest Member

First appeared in Jerry Siegel and Bernard Bailey’s More Fun Comics #52

The Justice Society of America is DC’s older crime-fighting team, and they’ve crossed paths with multiple incarnations of the Justice League under every circumstance imaginable. The two teams have battles against each other and side-by-side, but only a few members are official members of both teams. The Spectre, DC’s spirit of vengeance, is undoubtedly the strongest and scariest member.

Jay Garrick is as friendly as any other Flash, so his dual membership is no surprise. Alan Scott follows Jay, so his isn’t either, but Jim Corrigan isn’t good at teamwork. The Spectre is so powerful that God deems he’s only allowed to interfere sometimes, which calls into question his membership in the JSA. His divine limitations also explain why he’s not a more active team member unless readers count when Aztar possessed Hal Jordan.

4 Larfleeze Is The Entire Orange Lantern Corps

First appeared in Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern #25

Greed is generally considered bad. Some might even call it the root of evil, but it’s also a natural human emotion. In DC Comics, the full spectrum of emotions is a well of cosmic energy, and it’s not limited to humans. Larfleeze, the leader of the Orange Lantern Corps, is the most selfish being in the Universe, which gives him immense power capable of obliterating the Guardians of the Universe and other cosmic entities. Greed isn’t inherently powerful, but an orange power battery changes that, and Larfleeze doesn’t really have other emotions.

Larfleeze isn’t decidedly good or bad. If his desires align with the heroes’ needs, he’s good; otherwise, he’s an obstacle. He’s billions of years old, and his life was mostly bad, so he clings to everything he can grasp in ways other beings could never understand. Lanterns’ power increases when they feel their associated feelings more strongly, and Larfleeze always feels greed stronger than any other living being. He’s not overtly evil; he’s just annoying and rude, making him a bad fit for the League.

3 Most Legionnaires Are Justice League Fans

First appeared in Otto Binder and Al Pastino’s Adventure Comics #247

Time is a fickle thing in DC Comics, and the space-age intrigue of the Golden and Silver Ages gave rise to the Legion of Superheroes. The team mostly consisted of wayward children from the thirtieth century and beyond, inspired by the exploits of a Superboy who stopped existing after DC’s various crises. Without Superboy, Mon-El and Ultra Boy are the most powerful heroes in the legion, and they have no ties to the Justice League.

Mon-El originated in the pocket realm that held Superboy, displaying powers similar to Kryptonians with a few different drawbacks. His Daxamite physiology makes him highly susceptible to lead poisoning, and his altered timeline is confusing. Ultra Boy’s timeline is simpler, and his powers are also straightforward. He’s got Superman-level strength, speed, and invulnerability, but only one at a time.

2 Icon Is The Strongest Hero In The Dakotaverse

The Dakotaverse was created by Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle

Milestone Media is an independent studio that became an imprint of DC Comics, consisting mostly of black writers who wrote heroes of color for a new age while seeking more control over their creations. Static Shock became the most popular resident of the Dakotaverse, eventually joining up with the Justice League in an animated crossover. Still, the greatest hero of Earth-M never met the league.

Icon fell to Earth sometime before the Civil War. A lost diplomat who took the form of a Black human, his identity shifted from Arnus of Terminus to Augustus Freeman as he fought for a better world for his new people. His strength, speed, and durability rival Superman, but even after Raquel Ervin, AKA Rocket, convinced him to become a more public figure, the closest he got to the Justice League was joining the Supermen of the Multiverse as Earth-M’s representative.

1 Dr. Manhattan Is Too Strong

First appeared in Alan Moore’s Watchmen #1

Jonathan Osterman led a hard life, fleeing World War II as a German-born Jewish child. He witnessed the power of nuclear devastation and became a head researcher on the Manhattan Project. His work in intrinsic fields promised to bridge the gap between physics and spirituality, but the accident that made him Dr. Manhattan did far more.

The crossover Doomsday Clock event connected Dr. Manhattan with the heroes of the main DC Universe, but he’s beyond all that. Jon Osterman really is dead, and the being his consciousness becomes is omnipresent. His control over the physical fabric of reality makes him nearly omnipotent. Even if the League offered him an interdimensional membership, he probably wouldn’t take it out of sheer apathy.