Super teams have a venerable history at DC. The Justice Society of America was one of the first teams of superheroes ever, and the Justice League’s success inspired countless other teams, both at their home publisher and elsewhere. The JSA, the JLA, and the Teen Titans are the big three teams of the DC Universe, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only games in town.
Over the years, there have been plenty of great DC teams out there, ones that have often flew under the radar. They don’t get the plaudits that the big-name teams get, but that doesn’t make them any less important.
10 The Detroit League Gets A Bad Name In Justice League History
The Justice League are the icons, but that doesn’t mean that every roster is beloved. The Detroit League is the perfect example of that. Made up of League mainstays like Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Zatanna, and Elongated Man, along with newbies like Vibe, Gypsy, Vixen, and Commander Steel, it’s often considered the worst roster of the team.
Taking a closer look reveals a team that is actually very powerful. Martian Manhunter and Zatanna are powerhouses, Aquaman and Steel are great tanks, and the rest of the team is very versatile. It’s a much better line-up than it gets credit for.
9 The Freedom Fighters Haven’t Gotten A Chance To Shine In A Long Time
The Freedom Fighters hailed from the pre-Crisis Earth X, an Earth where the Nazis conquered the world. Consisting of Uncle Sam, Phantom Lady, Black Condor, Human Bomb, the Ray, and Doll Man, the team was folded into DC history after Crisis on Infinite Earths. It became a legacy team led by Uncle Sam, with the superheroic descendants of the original staffing the team.
The Freedom Fighters are another team with a great balance of power and skill. They’ve been a non-entity since Infinite Crisis, but there’s no reason for them to be. They’re a great team with a rich history that can be used for all kinds of adventures.
8 Young Justice Gets Unfairly Overshadowed
Teen teams in comics come and go like fads. The Teen Titans are one of those rare teen groups that have withstood the test of time, but that doesn’t mean they’re better than Young Justice. The Teen Titans have been a part of some of the greatest stories ever, while Young Justice has barely existed a fraction of the time with fewer accomplishments.
Young Justice was the first time the ’90s generation of sidekicks got together while also introducing new heroes. It was a powerful team full of great characters, and its recent reboot followed suit. Young Justice doesn’t get enough credit for keeping the teen hero torch lit in the DC Universe.
7 Red Hood’s Rebirth Era Outlaws Were The Dark Mirror Of DC’s Trinity
Red Hood has changed a lot over the years, but he’s never exactly seemed like leadership material. The New 52 era changed that, with him getting his own team, the Outlaws. This first roster, consisting of him, Arsenal, and Starfire, was okay, but it couldn’t hold a candle to the Rebirth era when Artemis and Bizarro joined the team.
This new roster made them into the inverse of the Trinity, a powerful and skilled group that would do anything to save lives. They were a potent trio, each having their own strong suits, and made for an interesting team dynamic.
6 The Legion Of Supervillains Is One Of The Most Powerful Teams Ever
The Legion of Superheroes is a massive team, so their villains must be dangerous and powerful. That’s where the Legion of Supervillains comes in. The core of the team is Cosmic King, Lightning Lord, and Saturn Queen, each one mirroring the LoSH’s founding trio. They’ve added many different villains to their group over the years, all in their mission to destroy the Legion.
The core trio has proven powerful enough to battle Superman and are among the deadliest group in the 31st century. Using different villains to attack their foes, their team’s structure makes them a formidable group and one of the most powerful villain teams ever.
5 The Legion Of Superheroes Deserves More Love Than Its Gotten In Recent Years
The Legion of Superheroes is one of comics’ biggest teams, and that’s its blessing and curse. The team is a relic of the Silver Age, which is evident by its naming conventions, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be cool and fun. Legion lore is quite complicated, though, which turns a lot of new fans off. This is a shame because the Legion is one of the best teen super teams ever.
The team’s voluminous roster means it has every kind of hero on it, adding a wealth of story potential as each one is different. It’s also pound for pound one of the most powerful teams in all of comics. The Legion of Superheroes is a tough sell for modern fans, but the ones who know love them.
4 The Crime Syndicate Is One Of The Coolest Villain Teams Ever
The Crime Syndicate has a rich history, having first appeared in the pre-Crisis days as the evil Justice League of Earth-3, the Earth where evil always wins. There have been many iterations of the group, but the core conceit is always the same. It’s this that makes the group so interesting; on their Earth, they’re the ones that always win.
Too few creators lean into this aspect, although it was fully on display in writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely’s JLA: Earth-2. This is what makes the team such a great threat and why they are such a fun team to read about.
3 The Doom Patrol Is One Of The Most Interesting Team Concepts Ever
The Doom Patrol is the misfit superhero team, and that’s one of the things that makes them so great. They aren’t the pretty superheroes with the telegenic smiles; they’re the bizarre ones who deal with the sides of the world that the other teams can’t even imagine. The Doom Patrol has been in some amazing stories over the years and brings a different flavor to the DCU.
Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol was one of the greatest team book runs of all time. The team has diehard fans, and its HBO Max show is quite popular, but it rarely gets the credit it deserves for just how groundbreaking the team is. Its rich history and stellar cast of characters make it a joy to read about.
2 The Outsiders Are One Of The Most Unsung Groups In DC History
Batman has a particular way of doing things and wanted a team outside the Justice League that he could be in charge of. That’s where the Outsiders came in. The original roster consisted of Batman, Katana, Black Lighting, Metamorpho, and Geo-Force. Later iterations of the group would see Nightwing come in and bring in all-new heroes like Shift, Indigo, Arsenal, Thunder, Grace, and Jade.
Regardless of the roster, the Outsiders combined powerful heroes with great leaders. However, they often get lost in the shuffle of DC teams, which is unfair to them as they’re way better than most people know.
1 The Titans Are Some Of The Best Heroes Ever
The Teen Titans are a great team, but their older members grew up and needed a new team. That’s why the Titans were formed; consisting of members of the original Teen Titans and the New Teen Titans, they’re a powerful group of experienced heroes. The Teen Titans are about learning the ropes and finding a community, but the Titans are different.
They’re basically a junior Justice League, adult heroes who have learned their lessons well and put them to work. With heroes like Nightwing, Wally West, Donna Troy, Arsenal, Tempest, and so many more, they’re one of the most powerful and skilled teams out there. They’ve worked together for years and know the game better than nearly anyone.
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