Justice League of America/Characters
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The Justice League of America (JLA for short) is the premier superteam of The DCU, a corps d'elite consisting of the company's most popular and iconic characters. The characters most commonly associated with the JLA are the so-called "Big Seven" of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter, but most of DC's top characters have been associated with the team at some point in their careers.
Many of these characters' series have their own character sheets; see there for details.
Silver Age (1960-1970)
Aquaman
AKA: Orin / Arthur Curry |
Born Prince Orin of Atlantis, Aquaman was left for dead as an infant because of his people's superstitions about blond-haired individuals. He was raised by a human lighthouse-keeper who gave him the name Arthur Curry; after his adoptive father's death, Arthur became the hero Aquaman, sought out Atlantis, and claimed his rightful place as king. Aquaman was a founding member of the Justice League and has been a steadfast member for most of its incarnations. See his own page for more.
The Atom II
AKA: Raymond "Ray" Palmer |
A research scientist and professor of physics from Ivy Town, Connecticut, Dr. Ray Palmer discovered a fragment of white dwarf star matter that had fallen to Earth one night. Taking his discovery back to his lab, Ray built it into a belt that allowed him to shrink down to microscopic size. After rescuing a group of local miners from a cave-in, Ray decided to become a full-time superhero: the mighty mite known as the Atom. He was a member of the Justice League up until the destruction of the team's original satellite, and has been a reserve member for most of the years since then.
- Badass Abnormal: Even without his shrinking technology, Ray still knows judo and is an effective fighter.
- Darker and Edgier: DC tried to make Ray gritty and violent in the miniseries Justice League: Cry for Justice ("I'm Ray Palmer. Welcome to pain!") It didn't take.
- Retired Badass: He's gone back and forth, but seems to retire more often than other Silver Age JLAers.
- Science Hero
- Sizeshifter: Smaller than normal only.
- The Smart Guy: He's the go-to guy for technobabble in The DCU.
Batman I
AKA: Bruce Wayne |
The Dark Knight Detective, ur-Badass Normal and usually the brains of the team. Usually operates behind the scenes, but was the team leader during the "International" era. See his own character sheet for more.
Black Canary II
AKA: Dinah Laurel Lance |
Black Canary is noted for her martial arts skills and her "Canary Cry"--a high powered, sonic scream with the ability to shatter objects and incapacitate villains. Dinah is the daughter of the Golden Age Black Canary, Dinah Drake, who was a member of the JSA. Dinah is also notable for having been one of the few characters to have served with both the Justice Society and the Justice League. She is currently married to Oliver Queen, a.k.a. Green Arrow. After Infinite Crisis, she was elected the leader of the JLA. See her own page for more.
The Flash II
AKA: Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen |
The Fastest Man Alive. Barry "the Flash" Allen was one of the JLA's founding members and de facto leader in their first adventure. He was a member for years, up until the Detroit era. Shortly after leaving the League, Barry heroically sacrificed his life to destroy the Anti-Monitor's doomsday device in the Crisis on Infinite Earths, becoming one with the Speed Force that gave him his powers... but during the Final Crisis, Barry willed himself back to life from the Speed Force to help save the world from Darkseid and has taken up membership in the League once more. He is close friends with Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern. See the Flash character sheet for more.
Green Arrow I
AKA: Oliver Jonas Queen |
A jetsetting young billionaire turned socially-conscious superhero, Green Arrow has been a member of the Justice League on and off since its early days. Ollie keeps the rest of the League in touch with humanity, always sticking up for the little guy. He is currently married to Dinah Lance, aka Black Canary. See his own page for more.
Green Lantern II
AKA: Harold "Hal" Jordan |
The first member of the star-spanning Green Lantern Corps to come from Earth, Hal Jordan was one of the JLA's founding members and its first leader (though the Flash was the one everyone listened to). Although initially coming to blows with the Flash, Hal and Barry quickly became close friends. Hal was a member of the League throughout the Secret Sanctuary and Watchtower eras, and was briefly the leader of Justice League Europe. Hal died in the Final Night, but after his resurrection he has been an on-again-off-again member, briefly creating his own splinter team in Cry for Justice. See the Green Lantern character sheet for more.
Hawkman I
AKA: Carter Hall |
The reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian prince, Hawkman was a founding member of the Justice Society and, years later, joined the Justice League as well. Hawkman has a vitriolic relationship with Green Arrow, the archer's radical progressive opinions often clashing with Hawkman's staunchly traditionalist mores.[1] See his own character sheet for more.
Martian Manhunter
AKA: J'onn J'onzz / John Jones |
The mysterious Manhunter from Mars is one of the JLA's longest-serving members. Although he arrived on Earth in the 1950s, J'onn laid low for decades before he felt comfortable revealing himself to humanity and quickly became one of the Justice League's founding members. Underneath his cold exterior is a warm and caring soul, and many consider him to be The Heart of the League. See his own page for more.
Superman
AKA: Kal-El / Clark Joseph Kent |
The Man of Steel and easily Earth's most famous hero, Superman inspired the League's original members to come together. Superman has an on-again-off-again membership in the League, but when he is active member, he gravitates toward leadership (sometimes to the chagrin of the actual leader, in the case of Black Canary). See his own character sheet for more.
Wonder Woman I
AKA: Diana of Themyscira / Diana Prince |
The Amazing Amazon was one of the founding members of the Justice League[2]. She has been a member of the JLA throughout most of its history (absent only during the Detroit era and part of the International era), and was briefly the League's leader after Zero Hour. See her own character sheet for more.
Bronze Age (1970-1984)
Elongated Man
AKA: Ralph Dibny |
A friend of the Flash from Central City, Elongated Man was the first new member inducted into the JLA after their move to their orbiting satellite. A merry wisecracker, he helped lighten things up among the more serious Leaguers. He was a member throughout the Satellite, Detroit, and International eras, and his wife Sue Dibny was even made an honorary member. Tragically, Sue was murdered in Identity Crisis, and after a soul-searching journey, Ralph was killed as well. See his own page for more.
Firestorm I
AKA: Ronald "Ronnie" Raymond |
The Nuclear Man! Firestorm was created when high school jock Ronnie Raymond and physicist Martin Stein were caught in a nuclear accident and fused together into one being. They could separate whenever they wanted, but when merged as Firestorm (with Ronnie usually in control physically and Stein offering helpful advice in his head), they had the power to fly, project bolts of energy, and, most spectacularly, transmute the atoms of any substance into another substance. Ronnie was killed by the Shadow-Thief in Identity Crisis and the Firestorm Matrix was transferred to another young man, Jason Rusch, during Blackest Night Ronnie was resurrected by the White Light. As of Brightest Day, Ronnie and Jason share the Matrix together. See his own page for more.
Hawkwoman I
AKA: Shiera Hall |
Hawkman's wife. Shiera Hall came out of retirement at the same time as her husband, but did not join the Justice League until years later. [3] See the Hawkman character sheet for more.
Red Tornado II
AKA: John Smith |
The Red Tornado is an android created by the criminal scientist T.O. Morrow. Morrow intended the android to infiltrate and sabotage the Justice Society of America, but he never planned on Reddy having a conscience. Red Tornado turned on his master and helped the JSA and JLA come together to defeat Morrow, after which he became a member of the League. He gained a true soul after he was merged with an alien elemental, the Tornado Tyrant. Reddy has been trying to function in human society ever since, and after many difficult years, he eventually fell in love with a human woman and adopted a young girl, Traya, as his daughter. In addition to the League and Society, Reddy has also been a member of Primal Force and Young Justice (as their mentor). See his own page for more.
Zatanna
AKA: Zatanna Zatara |
Giovanni Zatara was a world-famous Stage Magician in the 1940s, but his powers were more than just illusion--by speaking backwards, he could perform incredibly powerful magic spells, which he used as a member of the All-Star Squadron in World War Two. Zatara fell in love with Sindrella, a sorceress from an otherworldly race of mystics, and together they had a daughter--Zatanna Zatara. Zatanna has surpassed her father as both a wizard and entertainer, and when she's not helping out the Justice League she's drawing crowds as the world's greatest illusionist. She has had a tumultuous relationship with fellow mystic John Constantine. See her own page for more.
Detroit Era (1984-1986)
Gypsy
AKA: Cynthia "Cindy" Reynolds |
Cindy Reynolds was born into a happy suburban family, but her parents' relationship eventually soured. Fleeing their breakup, Cindy took to the streets when she manifested the power to turn invisible. She ran away to Detroit at around the same time the Justice League set up shop there, and after using her powers to covertly aid them in a fight, she was offered membership. Gypsy is almost a surrogate daughter to the Martian Manhunter and joined him in his Justice League Task Force. She has also been a member of the Birds of Prey.
- Action Girl
- Badass Abnormal: Gypsy's main strengths are her skill at stealth, martial arts, firearms, and electronics. The invisibility is just a little extra.
- Fad Super: Gypsy was originally a transparent (hah) attempt to cash in on Cyndi Lauper's popularity.
- Hot Gypsy Woman: She is indeed part Roma, but despite her name, writers don't usually harp on it and she's defined by more than just her ethnicity.
- Invisibility: Originally she could only cloak herself, but as she's grown older, she's learned to affect multiple people and objects.
- Kid Hero: At first.
- Master of Illusion: Focusing on invisibility and camouflage.
- Mutant: Her powers were inborn rather than gained from an external source.
- Parental Abandonment: They were eventually killed by Despero.
- Roma
- The Runaway
- Took a Level in Badass: In Justice League Task Force. She went from merely turning invisible to gaining proficiency in swords and firearms.
Steel II
AKA: Hank Heywood III |
Henry "Commander Steel" Heywood was a World War II superhero and the world's first cyborg. Obsessed with carrying on his legacy, he subjected his grandson Hank Heywood III to the same procedure that gave him his powers and encouraged him to join the newly restructured Justice League, lending them a bunker for use as their base of operations. Hank struggled to adapt to life as a cyborg and clashed with the older JLAers. In the last days of the League's Detroit era, Steel was mortally wounded by one of Professor Ivo's robots and placed on life support by his grandfather; Despero, seeking revenge against the League, tracked him down in this state and ripped him limb from limb.
- Hollywood Cyborg: He has a cybernetic skeleton.
- Killed Off for Real
- Legacy Character: To Commander Steel. After Hank's death, his cousin Nathan took up his mantle as Citizen Steel in the Justice Society of America.
- Nigh Invulnerability
- Redheaded Hero
- Star-Spangled Spandex
- Super Strength
Vibe
AKA: Paco Ramone |
A teenage gang member from Detroit, Paco Ramone was born with the power to create vibratory shock waves--a "one-man earthquake". When the Justice League moved to Detroit, Paco declared himself a member, and the League, desperate for new blood, accepted him. Despite his goofy exterior, he proved himself a hero. Tragically, he was killed by Professor Ivo's androids, becoming the first Justice League member to be killed in action.
- Alas, Poor Scrappy: Reviled in life, Vibe's death is remembered as one of the most tragic, yet heroic, moments in Justice League history.
- Cool Shades
- Dance Battler
- Ethnic Scrappy
- Fad Super: Like Gypsy. In Vibe's case, he was supposed to cash in on the mid-80s breakdancing craze.
- Killed Off for Real
- Obfuscating Stupidity: He put on an over-the-top Puerto Rican accent ("Are chu the Chustice League?") and goofy persona to fit in on the streets.
- Plucky Comic Relief
- The Scrappy
- Unfortunate Implications: Sure, DC, make your first Hispanic Justice Leaguer a breakdancing gang member...
- Vindicated by History: In retrospect, he wasn't that bad. He just needed some work.
Vixen
AKA: Mari Jiwe McCabe |
Justice League International (1986-1994)
Agent Liberty
AKA: Benjamin Lockwood |
A description of the character goes here.
Bloodwynd
Abilities: Sorcery, communes with the dead |
A description of the character goes here.
Blue Beetle II
AKA: Ted Kord |
Ted Kord was a student of archeologist Dan Garrett and nephew of wealthy industrialist Jarvis Kord. Garrett uncovered a plot by Jarvis to unleash a horde of killer robots on the world and revealed to Ted that he was in fact the masked hero, the Blue Beetle. Dan destroyed Jarvis' androids but died in the battle, passing on the mantle of Blue Beetle to Ted. As the Blue Beetle, Ted was invited to join Justice League America by Max Lord, where he became best friends with Booster Gold and together they got into all kinds of wacky hijinks; both of them later joined Captain Atom's "Extreme Justice" team. Tragically, Ted was murdered by Max Lord when he uncovered the OMAC Project, but not before he relayed the information to the Justice League, helping them put an end to Lord's machinations. See the Blue Beetle page for more.
Booster Gold
AKA: Michael Jon Carter |
Born in the 25th century, football star Michael Jon Carter was ruined in a gambling scandal. Seeking a new life, he stole some high-tech equipment and fled back in time to our era, where he set himself up as the first for-profit superhero, Booster Gold. Booster joined Justice League America shortly after its reconstruction under Max Lord and became best friends with the Blue Beetle (with whom he got in trouble many times with his get-rich schemes). Despite his glory-seeking nature, Booster still (usually) pulls through and does the right thing. See his own page for more.
Captain Atom
AKA: Nathaniel Adam |
Captain Nathaniel Adam was the subject of a secret military experiment that granted him incredible powers, but catapulted him decades into the future. After arriving in the present era, "Captain Atom" became an agent of the U.S. government. He was appointed to Justice League International as America's official representative to counter the Russian superhero, Rocket Red. Eventually, he grew tired with the League's reactive tactics and formed his own Justice League, unofficially known as "Extreme Justice". See his own page for more.
Doctor Fate I
AKA: Kent and Inza Nelson |
The master mystic of the Justice Society was one of Justice League International's charter members, but only served briefly before the magic that kept him from aging failed and he died of old age. At this point, Fate was a merging of his original incarnation, Kent Nelson, and his wife, Inza. Their legacy passed on to Linda and Eric Strauss. See his own page for more.
Doctor Fate II
AKA: Linda and Eric Strauss |
Linda Strauss and her adopted-son-turned-husband (ew) Eric were chosen by the Lords of Order to replace Kent and Inza Nelson as Doctor Fate. They joined the JLI during the Millennium event, but only served for two months. They were killed by the Lords of Chaos, and the mantle of Doctor Fate passed back to the resurrected Kent and Inza. See the Doctor Fate page for more.
Doctor Light III
AKA: Kimiyo Hoshi |
Japanese physicist Kimiyo Hoshi was granted power over light energy by the Monitor during the Crisis on Infinite Earths and played a vital role in saving the universe. Afterwards, she became a member of Justice League Europe and, after moving to the United States, the Justice League of America. Kimiyo has a cold exterior, but is good at heart, especially where her children are concerned. She has clashed several times with her evil predecessor, Dr. Arthur Light.
- Defrosting Ice Queen
- Flight
- Hot Mom
- Insufferable Genius
- Invisibility: By bending light waves around her.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold
- Light'Em Up
- Mama Bear
- Redeeming Replacement
Fire
AKA: Beatriz da Costa |
A former Brazilian secret agent, Beatriz da Costa gained mystic power over fire and joined the Global Guardians as Green Flame. Here she met her lifelong friend, Tora Olafsdotter, aka Icemaiden. When the Justice League went international, they joined the team as Fire and Ice. She has also been a member of the international spy organization Checkmate.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin
- Flight
- Les Yay: With Ice.
- Playing with Fire
- Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: With Ice.
- Spicy Latina
The Flash I
AKA: Jason "Jay" Garrick |
The original Flash was the leader of Justice League America for a brief time. He served in the role temporarily to help instill a sense of teamwork and leadership in the disorganized team. See the Flash character sheet for more.
General Glory
AKA: Joseph Jones |
A description of the character goes here.
- All-American Face
- Captain Ersatz: Of Captain America (comics).
- Good Is Old-Fashioned: He's a parody of old values
- Retroactive Legacy
Green Lantern III
AKA: Guy Gardner |
This roughnecked Green Lantern was one of the charter members of Max Lord's JLI. His crude and hot-tempered personality put him at odds with the rest of the team, though he somehow managed to win over the Shrinking Violet Ice and he acted polite in the presence of General Glory. He quit the team in a huff due to his jealousy toward Superman. See the Green Lantern character sheet for more.
Hawkman II
AKA: Fel Andar / Carter Hall, Jr. |
A Thanagarian spy stationed on Earth in preparation for an upcoming invasion, Fel Andar presented himself as Carter Hall, Jr., the son of the original Hawkman. When his partner, Hawkwoman (an Unwitting Pawn), discovered his ruse, he killed her and fled back to Thanagar. [4] See the Hawkman character sheet for more.
Hawkwoman II
AKA: Sharon Parker |
A human woman brainwashed into the role of Hawkwoman by the Thanagarian invasion force, Sharon Parker uncovered her husband Fel Andar's plot and revealed him to Maxwell Lord and the Martian Manhunter. In retaliation, he killed her. [5] See the Hawkman character sheet for more.
Huntress
AKA: Helena Bertinelli |
A description of the character goes here.
Ice
AKA: Tora Olafsdotter |
Tora Olafsdotter is the heir to a clan of Norwegian Roma, and her heritage gives her power over ice. She debuted as the superheroine, Icemaiden, taking the name from Sigrid Nansen, another ice-based heroine whom she replaced in the Global Guardians. She became close friends with Green Flame, and they later joined the Justice League International, changing their code-names to Ice and Fire. She began dating Guy Gardner, but the relationship was rocky due to his hot-headed nature, the fact that Fire hated him, and her sublimated attraction to Superman. Ice was killed by the Overmaster, but was resurrected under strange circumstances and resumed her relationship with Guy.
- An Ice Person
- Clingy Jealous Girl: When she was trying to hit on Superman. Now with Guy.
- Everything's Better with Princesses: She was originally princess of a northern magical tribe, but this was retconned out in Brightest Day.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin
- God Guise: She has been mistaken for a goddess by superstitious commoners in Russia.
- The Ingenue
- Legacy Character: To Icemaiden.
- Les Yay: With Fire. The original Icemaiden, Sigrid Nansen, once tried to seduce Fire while shapeshifted into Tora's form.
- Magical Girlfriend: Of Guy Gardner.
- Roma: Her ethnicity was changed from Norwegian to Roma via retcon in Brightest Day.
- Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: With Fire (Beatriz DaCosta).
- Shrinking Violet: Among other things, she gets embarrassed if she shows too much skin.
- Took a Level in Badass: In Brightest Day.
- White-Haired Pretty Girl
- Wide-Eyed Idealist
Lightray
AKA: Sollis |
A description of the character goes here.
Mister Miracle
AKA: Scott Free |
A description of the character goes here.
Maxima
Abilities: Super-strength, flight, psionic powers, forcefields, optic blasts |
A description of the character goes here.
Orion
Abilities: Super-strength, invulnerability, healing factor; wields the Astro-Harness |
A description of the character goes here.
The Ray II
AKA: Ray Terrill |
A description of the character goes here.
Rocket Red #4
AKA: Dmitri Pushkin |
This jovial Russian soldier was chosen to replace the traitorous Vladimir Mikoyan on Justice League International's roster. Dmitri was a fan of Western culture who nonetheless devoted himself to Russia's military. He became close friends with Animal Man, with whom he bonded when he learned they were both family men. Years later, Dmitri sacrificed his life to save his former JLI cohorts from rampaging OMAC cyborgs in the prelude to Infinite Crisis.
- The Big Guy
- Boisterous Bruiser
- Color Character
- Flight
- Genius Bruiser
- Glorious Mother Russia
- Heroic Sacrifice
- Husky Russkie
- Mother Russia Makes You Strong
- Powered Armor
- Reds with Rockets: Hah.
- Super Strength
- Technopath
- Token Enemy Minority
Rocket Red #7
AKA: Vladimir Mikoyan |
A description of the character goes here.
- The Mole: He was a Manhunter.
- Powered Armor
Tasmanian Devil
AKA: Hugh Dawkins |
A hero from Australia, Hugh Dawkins was born with the mutant ability to morph into an aggressive, furry monster. After saving his father's life, he decided to become a superhero. Dawkins was a member of the Global Guardians before joining the JLI. His most notable adventure with them was helping the League fight his former team, who had been brainwashed by the Queen Bee of Bialya. He left after Ice's death due to the team's disorganization. He has continued to work with the Global Guardians worldwide and solo in Australia.
- Back from the Dead: He was killed by Prometheus and turned into a rug. (Ugh.) Not long after, though, he was resurrected in a Lazarus Pit.
- Our Werewolves Are Different
- Invisible to Gaydar: Hugh was the League's first openly gay member.
- Super Strength
- Technical Pacifist: In his human form, Hugh is a pacifist. When he transforms, though, he becomes a lot more aggressive.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting
Justice League Europe (1989-1993)
Animal Man
AKA: Bernhard "Buddy" Baker |
During a freak accident, Buddy Baker was imbued with the power to channel the abilities of any animal on Earth. He became Animal Man, using his abilities to fight for the animal kingdom against human crueltly and exploitation, but still finds time to live a relatively normal home life with his wife and kids. Buddy was briefly a member of Justice League Europe and has remained a reserve member since then, serving as the League's resident expert on animal-related weirdness. Oh, and he knows he's in a comic book. See his own page for more.
Blue Jay
AKA: Jay Abrams |
The alternate Earth known as Angor was once protected by the Justifiers, a team of avenging superheroes who clashed with the Justice League a couple of times. Angor was ravaged and the Justifiers killed by the supervillains known as the Extremists--all save the size-shifting Blue Jay and his teammate Silver Sorceress. They fled to our Earth and joined Justice League Europe after helping them defeat robot duplicates of the Extremists and Jay even led the team for a while.
- Captain Ersatz: To Hank Pym's Yellowjacket persona.
- Flight
- Last of His Kind: With Silver Sorceress's death, he became the last survivor of Angor.
- Sitcom Arch Nemesis: Power Girl's cat, who wanted to eat him.
- Sizeshifter
Crimson Fox I / II
AKA: Vivian and Constance d'Aramis |
The superheroine called the Crimson Fox was actually two people--Vivian d'Aramis and her presumed-dead twin sister, Constance. The owners of a Parisian perfumery, the two of them alternated between superheroics and civilian life so they could each have some time living a normal life. They joined Justice League Europe, with their teammates none the wiser, and both fell in love with Metamorpho. Vivian was killed in action and Constance took over the Crimson Fox persona until the JLE was disbanded. A few years later, Constance tried to reform the JLE, but was murdered by the Mist.
- Angsty Surviving Twin: Constance.
- Charm Person: They can seduce men with pheromones (possibly derived from their perfume).
- Collective Identity
- Color Character: ...though they don't actually wear crimson (nor does their costume look like a fox, come to think of it).
- Everything Sounds Sexier in French: Notably, Vivian had a much more pronounced French accent (which is how readers could tell them apart).
- Killed Off for Real: Both of them.
- Twin Switch
The Flash III
AKA: Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West |
Barry Allen's nephew, Wally West. He was originally Barry's sidekick, Kid Flash, but when Barry died in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wally took up his mantle as the third Flash. Wally was a member of Justice League Europe, and during this time had a very obnoxious, lecherous personality. However, his membership in the reconstituted Justice League of America forced him to grow up, and he soon became one of the world's greatest heroes. Wally was the first member of the Teen Titans to "graduate" to the Justice League. See the Flash character sheet for more.
Maya
AKA: Chandi Gupta |
A description of the character goes here.
Metamorpho
AKA: Rex Mason |
A description of the character goes here.
Power Girl
AKA: Kara Zor-L / Karen Starr |
A description of the character goes here.
Silver Sorceress
AKA: Laura Nielsen |
A description of the character goes here.
Post-Zero Hour Era (1994-1996)
Amazing-Man (Will Everett III)
A description of the character goes here.
Blue Devil (Daniel Cassidy)
A description of the character goes here.
Icemaiden (Sigrid Nansen)
A description of the character goes here.
Nuklon (Albert Rothstein)
A description of the character goes here.
Obsidian (Todd James Rice)
A description of the character goes here.
Plastique (Bette Sans Souci)
A description of the character goes here.
Triumph
AKA: William MacIntyre |
Triumph was one of the founding members of the Justice Leauge. In fact, it was he who assembled the League. But a Negative Space Wedgie sent him to limbo and erased him from history, removing everyone's memory of him. When he got back, needless to say, he was pissed. After making waves in the League, he was punted off to the team's training group, the Justice League Task Force, and soon after quit in anger. In desperation, he made a deal with the demon Neron that resulted in him turning evil. After an unsuccessful attempt at destroying the League, he was turned to ice by The Spectre, and never seen again. Triumph has been presumed dead for over a decade.
- Face Heel Turn
- Green Lantern Ring: He can manipulate all forms of energy, which gives him an almost unlimited range of powers. His powers include Force Fields, energy blasts, redirecting energy, and Energy Absorption.
- Hide Your Gays: In petty retaliation for the rumors that Triumph was gay (see below), co-creator Brian Augustyn gave Triumph a girlfriend... who allegedly dumped him because his junk was very small. Real mature.
- Jerkass: Made all the more frustrating in that he was usually right about everything and had a legitimate reason for being a jerkass.
- Remember the New Guy?: Triumph was one of the founding members. He was the team leader of the original five members.
- Ret-Gone: He "saved the world" and disappeared in a time loop for a while.
- The Scrappy: Fans and editorial alike loathed Triumph. According to creator Christopher Priest, they missed the point that he was supposed to be a jerk.
- Take That, Scrappy!: In almost any appearance not written by Priest.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Never revealed what happened to him.
- The Woobie: To some fans.
- Word of Gay: According to Priest, Triumph was gay, but he was killed off before he officially came out. He had relationships with numerous women, but this could be explained by him being deeply in denial or otherwise in the closet.
The Wonder Twins (Zan and Jayna)
A description of the character goes here.
JLA (1996-2006)
Aztek (Curt Falconer)
A description of the character goes here.
- Charles Atlas Superpower
- Clothes Make the Superman
- Dying Moment of Awesome: After being blinded by Mageddon and reviving Orion to continue fighting, Curt helped deal a mortal blow against Mageddon by detonating his suit inside the core to try to free Superman.
- Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Averted, as it's the source of Aztek's power.
- The Pawn
Big Barda
AKA: Barda Free |
Once the brutal leader of the Female Furies in service to Darkseid, lord of Apokolips, Big Barda fell in love with his erstwhile son Scott "Mister Miracle" Free and joined him in fighting tyranny. Barda and Scott settled down on Earth in suburban married bliss, but still leapt at any chance to fight evil, Barda's godlike strength complementing Scott's brilliant mind. Barda joined her husband in some adventures with Justice League International, and later officially served on the JLA as one of the New Gods' representatives alongside Orion. See the New Gods character sheet for more.
Faith
A description of the character goes here.
Green Arrow II (Connor Hawke)
A description of the character goes here.
- The Archer
- Chick Magnet: He can't help it.
- Dark-Skinned Blond
- Estrogen Brigade Bait
- Heroic Bastard
- Legacy Character
- No Man Is A Virgin: Despite being a Chick Magnet, Connor never took advantage of it. Afraid of having people believing he was gay, writers made him to get laid with a ghost.
- Twofer Token Minority: His father is Anglo-Saxon and his mother is half-Korean/half-African American.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist
Green Lantern IV
AKA: John Stewart |
A description of the character goes here.
Green Lantern V
AKA: Kyle Rayner |
A description of the character goes here.
- Estrogen Brigade Bait
- Green Lantern Ring
- Hollywood Nerd: Kyle's a pop culture and Manga nerd, yet he still looks like a movie star.
- Replacement Scrappy: to extreme fans of Hal Jordan.
- Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: During Morrison's run.
Hourman III (Matthew Tyler)
A description of the character goes here.
- Nanomachines: "An 853rd century intelligent machine colony constructed by Tyler Chemorobotics."
- Time Travel Tense Trouble
Jesse Quick (Jesse Chambers)
A description of the character goes here.
Manitou Raven
A description of the character goes here.
Oracle (Barbara Gordon)
A description of the character goes here.
Plastic Man ("Eel" O'Brien)
A description of the character goes here.
- Cool Shades
- Fun Personified
- Lethal Joke Character
- Mook Face Turn
- Obfuscating Stupidity
- Power Perversion Potential: Unlike most heroes, Plas takes full advantage of his powers, for example turning himself into an evening gown and getting an unsuspecting Barda to wear him...
- Voluntary Shapeshifting
Steel III (John Henry Irons)
A description of the character goes here.
Tomorrow Woman (Clara Kendall)
A description of the character goes here.
Wonder Woman III (Queen Hippolyta)
A description of the character goes here.
Zauriel
A description of the character goes here.
- Captain Ersatz: to the then Exiled From Continuity Hawkman. Briefly lampshaded by Aquaman.
- Our Angels Are Different
Justice League Elite (2004-2005)
Batgirl III (Cassandra Cain)
A description of the character goes here.
Coldcast (Nathan Jones)
A description of the character goes here.
Manitou Dawn
A description of the character goes here.
Menagerie (Sonja)
A description of the character goes here.
Naif al-Sheikh
A description of the character goes here.
Sister Superior (Vera Lynn Black)
A description of the character goes here.
Post-Infinite Crisis Era (2006-2009)
Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce)
A description of the character goes here.
Red Arrow (Roy William Harper, Jr.)
A description of the character goes here.
- The Archer
- Badass Normal
- Charles Atlas Superpower
- Color Character
- Dating Catwoman: With Cheshire.
- Fiery Redhead
- Hot Dad
- Improbable Aiming Skills
- Really Gets Around
- Redheaded Hero
- Sidekick: As Speedy.
Geo-Force (Brion Markov)
A description of the character goes here.
Post-Final Crisis Era (2009-2010)
Congorilla (Bill Glenmorgan)
A description of the character goes here.
Cyborg I (Victor Stone)
A description of the character goes here.
Donna Troy
A description of the character goes here.
Guardian (Jim Harper)
A description of the character goes here.
Mon-El (Lar Gand/Jonathan Kent II)
A description of the character goes here.
Starfire (Koriand'r/Kory Anders)
A description of the character goes here.
Post-Blackest Night Era (2010-present)[when?]
Batman III (Richard John "Dick" Grayson)
A description of the character goes here.
Jade (Jennie-Lynn Hayden)
A description of the character goes here.
Jesse Quick (Jesse Chambers)
A description of the character goes here.
Starman (Mikaal Tomas)
A description of the character goes here.
Supergirl (Linda Lang / Kara Zor-El)
A description of the character goes here.
Justice League: Generation Lost (2010-2011)
Blue Beetle III
AKA: Jaime Reyes |
High school student Jaime Reyes found the long-lost Blue Beetle scarab buried in a vacant lot. The scarab bonded to Jaime's spine, giving him access to an alien battlesuit capable of challenging Green Lanterns, which he put to use protecting El Paso as the third Blue Beetle. While he met and hung out with the JLI pretty early on, he didn't join until a Max Lord-directed OMAC attack on his house got him caught up in the JLI's quest to track Max down. See the Blue Beetle page for more.
Rocket Red #7
AKA: Gavril Ivanovich |
Gavril Ivanovich was a captain in the Rocket Red Brigade, but resigned out of disgust with Russia's continuing Westernization. He built his own Rocket Red suit (a throwback to earlier models), and set himself against corporations and rogue KGB cells. A long-standing admirer of the JLI, when they showed up in Russia on Max Lord's trail, he jumped at the chance to team up with them (even if they were initially dubious).
- Ascended Fanboy: Of the JLI.
- The Blacksmith: Makes and repairs his own armor.
- Boisterous Bruiser
- Color Character
- Flight
- Hypocrite: Sees no contradiction in fighting Westernization and teaming up with the JLI. For one, the JLI are working for the greater good. For another, he loves being on the JLI. (And yes, it has been pointed out to him...)
- Powered Armor
- Super Strength
- Technopath
- Why We're Bummed Communism Fell
Supporting Characters
Catherine Cobert
A description of the character goes here.
L-Ron
A description of the character goes here.
Lucas "Snapper" Carr
A description of the character goes here.
- Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: In Young Justice and the late-'90s Hourman series.
- The Scrappy
- Sidekick: Collectively to the whole original lineup.
- Took a Level in Badass: After becoming an agent of Checkmate.
The Phantom Stranger
AKA: Unknown |
A mysterious wanderer who pops up all throughout space and time whenever he is needed. In the League's early years, he was offered membership and accepted, but has never performed active duty--he's more of an honorary member, really. Still, the Stranger appears from time to time to warn the League of impending danger and help them out in times of dire need. See his own page for more.
Power Girl's Cat
A mangy, ill-tempered tabby taken in by Power Girl during her time with Justice League Europe. The cat had a violent relationship with the rest of the team, especially Guy Gardner, and frequently tried to eat Blue Jay.
- Cats Are Mean
- Sitcom Arch Nemesis: To Blue Jay.
- Team Pet: Much to the team's chagrin.
Sue Dibny
A description of the character goes here.
Yazz
A description of the character goes here.
Antagonists
Amazo
Abilities: Power mimicry |
An android created by Professor Ivo for the purpose of gathering data to create his immortality potion. Since then, Amazo has resurfaced numerous times under the control of other villains as a recurring thorn in the Justice League's side. Amazo has no ambition of his own and merely follows orders. Over time, numerous copies of the Amazo android have surfaced. What makes him a deadly threat is his ability to copy the powers of any superhuman--including the JLA.
- Do-Anything Robot
- The Dragon: Amazo pops in this role to numerous villains, including Professor Ivo, Black Mask, and Solomon Grundy.
- Mega Manning
- Pointy Ears
- Powers as Programs
The Crime Syndicate
The Justice League's counterparts from the Antimatter Universe[6], who are just as evil as the League is good. They rule their Earth with an iron fist from their moon citadel, the Panopticon.
Johnny Quick
A description of the character goes here.
Owlman
A description of the character goes here.
Power Ring
A description of the character goes here.
Superwoman
A description of the character goes here.
Ultraman
A description of the character goes here.
The Demons Three
A description of the character goes here.
- Our Demons Are Different
- Quirky Miniboss Squad: To Felix Faust on many occasions.
Despero
A description of the character goes here.
- Demonic Possession
- Galactic Conqueror
- Genius Bruiser
- Large and In Charge
- Nigh Invulnerability
- Psychic Powers
- Super Intelligence
- Super Strength
Doctor Destiny (John Dee)
A description of the character goes here.
- Meaningful Name: He shares a name with John Dee, a real-life 17th-century mystic.
Doctor Light II (Arthur Light)
A description of the character goes here.
Felix Faust
Abilities: Sorcery |
A wicked sorcerer from the ancient African empire of Kor was killed when he attempted to usurp the emperor's throne. Ages later, in the 1920s, his spirit took over the body of an amateur mystic who accidentally opened a portal to the other side. Inspired by Goethe's story, the reincarnated wizard took the name Felix Faust and began rebuilding his power. He has clashed with the Justice League many times over the years, often allying with the Demons Three, Neron, and other fiends in his quest for mystic might. He played a part in the death of Elongated Man.
- Deal with the Devil: Like the literary Faust, Felix has sold his soul to countless demons for power, but always finds a way to get back his ownership.
- Evil Sorcerer
- Redeeming Replacement: His son, known simply as Faust.
- Tome of Eldritch Lore: He owns several, including the Necronomicon.
The Injustice Gang / The Injustice League / The Secret Society of Super-Villains
- Legion of Doom: They inspired the Trope Namer on the Superfriends cartoon.
Kanjar Ro
A description of the character goes here.
The Key
A description of the character goes here.
Libra
AKA: Justin Ballantine |
Libra was once Justin Ballantine, a boy whose parents died as a result of tragic accidents. He became obsessed with the balance of the universe, specifically the moral balance between good and evil. He organized the first Injustice Gang and stole the powers of the Justice League, but the power was too much for him and he disintegrated into the cosmos. Years later, he coalesced again on Apokolips, where he swore loyalty to Darkseid and became one of the New Gods. Libra returned to Earth as Darkseid's prophet and reformed the Secret Society of Super-Villains, using them to bring about Darkseid's conquest of Earth. During the heroes' counterattack, however, he was killed by Lex Luthor.
- The Antichrist
- Belated Backstory
- Card-Carrying Villain
- Complete Monster
- Deal with the Devil: He offers these to the other villains.
- The Dragon: To Darkseid
- Even Evil Has Standards: He evokes this response from some of the other villains in Final Crisis, most notably Lex Luthor and Doctor Sivana.
- Freudian Excuse
- From Nobody to Nightmare
- A God Am I
- Moral Event Horizon: When he killed Martian Manhunter.
- Physical God
- Power Incontinence
- Religion of Evil
Maxwell Lord
Abilities: Extreme mind control |
Following the JLA's decimation in the Legends crossover, the smug tycoon Max Lord stepped in to fund the formation of a new UN-sponsored Justice League with an international mandate. He then discovered that he possessed the ability to mentally "push" people. As the manager of Justice League International, Max became good friends with many of the members, but his involvement with them caused him great pain, including an unwilling transformation into a cyborg and an extended coma. This led him to believe that superheroes only cause trouble for normal humans, and he set about a plan to eradicate them. Using his mind-control powers to take over Checkmate, he created an army of cyborg OMACs and even killed his one-time friend Blue Beetle before he himself was killed by Wonder Woman.
After the Blackest Night, Max was resurrected by the White Light. He is currently at large, having taken over Checkmate once again.
- Anti-Hero: As a White Lantern, Max is apparently acting in good faith to fulfill the White Entity's requirement that he prevent a superhuman war from destroying civilization. It's just that, with the body count and the mind control and the killing his erstwhile friends, he's got a funny way of going about it.
- Cape Buster
- Foe Yay: Max's charmingly creepy JL:GL "I miss you" monologue to Booster Gold, delivered while lovingly beating Booster half to death with a pipe.
- Heel Face Turn: Originally it was explained as Evil All Along, but it was later retconned that he was good during the JLI days, but turned evil sometime after.
- Kneel Before Zod: Lots of creepy eewwness while running Checkmate.
- Magnificent Bastard: He's like the embodiment of this. In the first issue of Generation Lost alone, he comes back from the dead to mind-control two cops into shooting each other, beats Booster Gold half to death with a pipe, infuses himself with the blood of a small army of random extras, wipes the memory of his existence from the minds of * everyone in the entire world* (except our small band of plucky heroes), and rounds it all off with a glass of claret and a cigar on the battlements of Checkmate HQ. Magnificent.
- Memetic Molester: Aside from all the Ho Yay going on between him and Booster, in Generation Lost #9 he gives Magog a very creepy wink while talking about his 'cojones'.
- Milkman Conspiracy: Kind of subverted, in that Max took the JLI - a UN-backed international organization staffed by superhumans--and, over twenty years, turned it into a bit of joke precisely so his association with it would place him Beneath Suspicion and everyone else's low opinion of the Leaguers would leave them powerless to stop his Evil Plan.
- Moral Event Horizon: Forcing Magog to kill himself. After playing with his head enough to get him to attack the heroes. It's implied he was influencing Magog from Generation Lost #4 up.
- Psychic Nosebleed: Or, when he whammies the whole world at once, psychic gushing of blood out of every orifice. Eew.
- Hardly limited to that one instance. This guy is more or less the DCU poster boy for psychic nosebleeds.
- Robot Buddy: L-Ron, in happier times.
- Smug Snake: Despite his occasional moments of Magnificent Bastardry, the climax of Generation Lost reveals him as just a very high-functioning Smug Snake. His big master plan that we waited twenty issues for? He makes an Amazo OMAC and sics it on Wonder Woman. Why? Petty revenge, which he cheerfully admits himself.
- There Are No Good Executives
- We Can Rule Together: Lampshaded in a showdown with Ted Kord. Right before Max put a bullet between Ted's eyes.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist
- We Used to Be Friends: In the bwa-ha-ha JLI days, he really appeared to be buddies with ol' Booster and Beetle and the gang.
Morgaine le Fey
A description of the character goes here.
Neron
A description of the character goes here.
- Ascended Demon: In his first appearance, he's more or less the devil. Later it's revealed he's just a demon that worked his way really high up the infernal ladder.
- Blond Guys Are Evil
- Deal with the Devil: This is more or less his shtick.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: And it costs him badly when he attempts to steal Captain Marvel's soul.
- Evil Versus Evil: The DC crossover event Reign in Hell pitted the half-demon children of Shazam, Blaze and Satanus, against him.
- Louis Cypher: Briefly during Underworld Unleashed.
- Names to Run Away From Really Fast
- Number of the Beast
- One-Winged Angel: Very briefly when Trickster outsmarts him and he reveals his true form before vanishing.
- Reality Warper
- Super Empowering: He gave a lot of villains power boosts during Underworld Unleashed - in exchange for their souls, of course.
- Wasteful Wishing: And on the other hand, you had the Joker, who sold his soul for... a box of cigars.
The Overmaster
A description of the character goes here.
- Above Good and Evil: Or so he claims.
- Casual Interstellar Travel
- Expy: He's certainly got a few... ah, similarities to Galactus.
- Hand Blast
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Amazing Man defeats him by absorbing his energy blasts and redirecting them at him.
- Moral Event Horizon: When he murdered Ice.
- Really 580 Million Years Old
- Super Empowering: He increases the powers of his minions, the Cadre, and later buffs up Ice's abilities when she becomes his herald.
Professor Ivo (Anthony Ives)
A description of the character goes here.
- Death Seeker: He wants someone to take his place as one of Earth's 13 Immortals so he can finally die.
- Evil Makes You Ugly: The immortality potion he invented deformed him, causing him to lose his hair and his skin to turn scaly.
- Immortality: Type I. He simply cannot die, much as he would like to.
- Immortality Immorality
- Mad Scientist: Focusing on biology and robotics, and applications that combine the two.
- Nigh Invulnerable: His deformed skin is bullet-proof.
Prometheus
AKA: Unknown |
A description of the character goes here.
- Author's Saving Throw: For a few years, Prometheus was portrayed as much less competent than in his first appearance and spent most of his time as a hired goon for other villains. This was Retconned into being Prometheus' wayward apprentice, who had stolen the real Prometheus' gear while he was locked up physically and mentally.
- Awesomeness By Analysis: His helmet. See Cry for Justice #6.
- Badass Normal
- Blood Knight: "If I want something, I just take it. I'm in this for the buzz."
- Cape Buster
- The Chessmaster
- Costume Copycat: His uniform allows him to do this flawlessly. He impersonates Freddy Freeman throughout most of Cry for Justice.
- Crazy Prepared: He's developed plans to defeat every member of the JLA.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Actually, Lex offers to cut him a check, for his advanced technology. He doesn’t bite.
- Evil Genius
- Expy: For the first Anti-Batman, the Wrath. Arguably took his place entirely with the Wrath retconned out of existence.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: "My parents were the coolest people I knew."
- Flaw Exploiter: It's what makes him so deadly.
- From Nobody to Nightmare
- Genius Bruiser
- Magnificent Bastard: He's got no superpowers, but he's stampeded through the Justice League three times now, and has pulled off ridiculous stuff like completely disabling the Flash by lying to him, or talking Superman into suicide, or blackmailing the League into letting him go after destroying Star City. He even teamed up with Luthor once (they caused World War III, no big deal), which led to a Crowning Moment of Funny when Prometheus showed Luthor around his "crooked house" and the two masterminds passive-aggressively sniped at each other.
- No Name Given
- Powers as Programs: Literally. With his helmet, he can download skills directly into his brain.
- Secret Keeper: He uncovered the identity of Oracle way back in "World War III", but oddly chose to keep it to himself.
- Shadow Archetype: To Batman.
- Teleporters and Transporters: His Cosmic Key allows him to instantly teleport to and from his home base in the Ghost Zone.
- White-Haired Pretty Boy: Underneath that helmet.
Roulette
A description of the character goes here.
The Royal Flush Gang
A description of the character goes here.
The Shaggy Man
A description of the character goes here.
Starbreaker
A description of the character goes here.
Starro the Conqueror
A description of the character goes here.
- Eldritch Abomination / Humanoid Abomination: Depending on the Writer. Originally, Starro was the giant alien starfish he appeared to be, but in 2009, L.E.G.I.O.N. Retconned him into a humanoid who telepathically controls said starfish.
- Psychic Powers
- Starfish Aliens: Literally!
T.O. Morrow
AKA: Thomas Oscar Morrow |
A self-proclaimed Mad Scientist, T.O. Morrow invented a television that could see into the future. He used the knowledge he gained to create fantastic inventions to help him in his crimes, culminating in his ultimate creation, the Red Tornado android, which he used to infiltrate the Justice Society (to no avail as the robot turned on him). He also created Tomorrow Woman with Professor Ivo.
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Out of the five androids he built to serve him, three turned good (Red Tornado, Red Torpedo, and Tomorrow Woman), one went rogue (Red Inferno), and one tried to kill him (Red Volcano).
- Even Evil Has Standards: He refuses to participate in the creation of the Wonder Woman villain Genocide because she required grave dirt from the sites of (among others) Nazi atrocities (he's Polish).
- Lovable Rogue
- Mad Scientist
- Odd Friendship: With Will Magnus, the creator of the robot superheroes, the Metal Men.
- Stephen Ulysses Perhero: Eventually justified when it was revealed he was actually born "Tomek Ovadyah Morah" and changed his name to "T.O. Morrow" deliberately.
- Stealth Pun: Though even his real name might let him go by "Tom Morah".
White Martians
Abilities: Super-strength, flight, shapeshifting, optic blasts |
The Martian species was split into two races or factions: the peaceful, philosophical Green Martians and the warlike White Martians. The Whites hated the Greens and made war on them, but after a long and bloody conflict they lost and were locked away in stasis in the extradimensional Ghost Zone. Today, the Green Martians are all but extinct, but the White Martians have escaped numerous times to wreak havoc on Earth, often using their shapeshifting powers to infiltrate human society. J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, is their most reviled enemy.
- Defector From Decadence: Miss Martian of the Teen Titans is a White Martian who has abandoned her people's violent ways. J'onn has also befriended a young White Martian named Till'All.
- Evil Counterpart: To the Martian Manhunter.
- Flying Brick: A whole race of them.
- The Mole: They specialize in infiltration.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Prior to a story that killed most of them off, the White Martians were brainwashed to live as humans working with their Weaksauce Weakness, fire; later, they were kept in stasis in J'onn J'onzz's custody.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting
- Back to Justice League of America
- ↑ This is the current in-universe story of Hawkman's origins. Originally, the JLA's Hawkman was actually Katar Hol, a policeman from the planet Thanagar, but the 1989 miniseries Hawkworld cast Katar as having just arrived on Earth, and... well, just read the Hawkman article, it'll explain things. Hopefully.
- ↑ This was Retconned out of existence between Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis, during which time she had begun her heroic career only after the first Crisis
- ↑ Like Hawkman, her origin is a Retcon. The Silver Age Hawkwoman was Shayera Hol, a police officer from the planet Thanagar. After Hawkworld, the JLA's Hawkwoman was Retconned into Shiera Hall, the Golden Age Hawkgirl.
- ↑ This was a Retcon. Before the Hawkworld miniseries, the JLI's Hawkman was Katar Hol, the same Hawkman who had been with the Justice League since the Silver Age.
- ↑ Like Hawkman, the JLI's Hawkwoman was originally the Silver Age character Shayera Hol until Hawkworld Retconned history.
- ↑ or Earth-3, pre-Crisis