Over the years, the Justice League has faced off with some of the most powerful villains in the DC Universe. From their big, debut battle against Starro the Conqueror, mighty individuals have safeguarded the world from evil geniuses, ancient evils, and villains whose mere existence defies comprehension.
But only a few villains in the Justice League’s history can stand out as their most powerful. With every decade, the team faces off against more powerful and more twisted nemeses. Out of all the foes that have battled the Justice League, who stand out as some of the most impressive? Read on to discover 15 of the most powerful villains who have taken on the Justice League.
20 Lex Luthor
If there’s one thing people can say about Superman’s greatest nemesis, it’s that he’s as ambitious as he is malevolent. Lex has assembled numerous villainous teams such as the Legion of Doom in the name of taking down the greatest heroes of the world. While he’s got no powers to his name, his mind is brilliant, capable of designing killer robots and hatching Machiavellian schemes.
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19 Ra’s al Ghul
Ra’s al Ghul has lived for centuries and is one of the world’s most sinister criminal masterminds. He’s formed legions of assassins and warriors to aid his mission to save the world at all costs, even if it means exterminating humanity. Ra’s has fought the League and even beaten them thanks to Batman’s contingency plans during the infamous “Tower of Babel” arc.
18 Joker
Don’t be easily fooled, Joker is absolutely a threat that can take on the Justice League. In the “Last Laugh” and “Endgame” storylines, Joker managed to ‘jokerize’ numerous villains and the Justice League with his signature cocktail of chemicals and poisons. Joker is the living embodiment of chaos and he even presents a threat to heroes like Green Lantern or Cyborg.
17 Prometheus
Prometheus is one of the very few villains who not only defeated the Justice League, but he did it on their home turf. During a public event where the Justice League gave a tour of the Watchtower to random citizens, Prometheus managed to sneak on board and then systemically took down every Justice League member he came across. He bested Green Lantern, Flash, Batman, and Steel. His plan only fell apart thanks to the intervention of Plastic Man, who prevented the plan Prometheus had for Superman from working.
16 The Key
The Key is a villain who isn’t often used and rarely reappears in the modern day, but at one point he was a formidable villain to the Justice League. Obsessed with unlocking the secrets of the universe, the Key has often clashed with the Justice League, and in JLA #9, he defeats and captures the entire League. The Key traps each member in a twisted virtual reality, but he doesn’t intend to keep them there. He knows the League will eventually break out, and he intends to use the energy released during that to power himself up and unlock the world’s mysteries. Thankfully, he overlooked Connor Hawke, who saves the League.
15 Brainiac
Brainiac is a terrifying foe from beyond the stars, intent on stealing the universe’s knowledge for himself. The Coluan menace has repeatedly attacked the Earth and nearly made off with some of its cities. As long as Brainiac is alive, the Justice League is always going to have the threat of this sinister alien looming over their heads.
14 Trigon
Trigon might technically be more of an enemy of the Titans, but the threat he presents to Earth is certainly worthy of the Justice League’s attention. Trigon is powerful extra-dimensional demon intent on conquering the world that has made his daughter Raven’s life a living hell. Both the Titans and the Justice League have fought Trigon and both teams nearly pale in comparison to his mighty magic powers.
13 Reverse-Flash
The Reverse-Flash might have a special hatred for the Flash, but Eobard Thawne hates Barry Allen’s allies almost as much. Thawne is a danger to the stability of the DCU’s timeline and uses his powers to go back and change minor things to suit his twisted desires. Only a few in the League are capable of taking on Reverse-Flash directly, making him a serious threat to many members of the team.
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12 Crime Syndicate
One of the most dangerous parts of the Multiverse is not every version of a hero will share the same morals. While the Justice League stands for truth and justice, the Crime Syndicate is the exact opposite. A brutal group of supervillains who came together and used their overwhelming power to take over the planet. The Crime Syndicate has clashed with the Justice League several times, most famously during the events of Forever Evil, where they defeated the Justice League and took over Earth.
11 Eclipso
If there’s one villain that strikes fear in the hearts of the Justice League’s magic users, it’s Eclipso. The villain was formed out of God’s wrath and vengeance who loves bringing murder and torment to the world. Every so often, this terrifying villain rears his head to turn the DC Universe upside down until DC’s heroes find a way to seal him away once more.
10 Doomsday
Doomsday has an impressive legacy as the powerhouse that managed to put the Man of Steel down. Doomsday is one of the most resilient baddies in the DC Universe, able to regenerate from mere memories. Other heroes on the Justice League have faced off with this powerful, hyper-evolved menace and none of them fared better than Superman. Doomsday presents an evergreen threat to the might of the Justice League.
9 Black Adam
The fallen Champion of Shazam is a threat that literally drove the Earth to World War III. Black Adam has all the strength of the Captain, Superman’s magical equal, with none of Billy Batson’s idealism. Black Adam has a code of his own, but it’s much more brutal and unforgiving and he’ll stop at nothing to punish the wicked. When Black Adam lets loose, he’s more than a match for the Justice League.
8 Amazo
The Justice League is one of the most powerful groups of heroes to exist on Earth, which is exactly why Amazo is so dangerous. Amazo is an android designed to copy the powers of any super being near him, allowing him to flawlessly mimic any member of the Justice League. While this already makes Amazo one of the most dangerous Justice League villains, DC has taken it a step further in the Absolute Power event and upgraded Amazo. Instead of simply copying powers, Amazo can now absorb them entirely, removing them from the host.
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7 Parallax
Parallax is the powerful, living embodiment of fear in the DC Universe, and unfortunately for Green Lantern Hal Jordan, he served as host to the twisted alien. Jordan went rogue and slaughtered the Green Lantern Corps, gaining so much power he attempted to remake reality in Zero Hour. While Hal Jordan was able to find redemption, a variant of Parallax still haunts the DCU.
6 Nekron
Nekron, the Lord of the Unliving, is the ruler of all things dead in the DC Universe. He created the Black Lantern Corps during the War of Light to snuff out the White Light of Creation and bring the universe back to a state of cold, lifeless darkness. As the lord of death, it was Nekron who allowed for numerous superhero resurrections, and he can just as easily call the revived heroes back to the grave.
5 Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime was a variant of Superman from a world much like the ‘real’ one, where the Justice League were just heroes in a comic book. Superboy-Prime turned against his favorite heroes after seeing them become darker over the years. In both Infinite Crisis and Sinestro Corps War, Superboy-Prime showed off his true power, and even an entire army of heroes couldn’t stop the rampaging fanboy.
4 Perpetua
Perpetua was an ancient dark goddess who sought to remake the Multiverse as her own personal army. This led her into conflict with the Justice League, but surprisingly, Perpetua is one of the few villains that the Justice League never defeated. While the League certainly planned on fighting and hopefully defeating her, they never got the chance, as Perpetua was betrayed and killed by a powered-up version of the Batman Who Laughs.
3 Batman Who Laughs
The Batman Who Laughs hails from the Dark Multiverse and was a key figure in the Metal and Death Metal events. This twisted Bruce Wayne variant is a Batman that’s been corrupted by Joker Venom. He’s got all the foresight and planning of the Dark Knight with all the unhinged psychopathic behavior of the Clown Prince of Crime. He’s the worst thing that ever crawled out of the Dark Multiverse and is a true Justice League-level threat.
2 Darkseid
What poor soul in the DC Universe hasn’t heard of Darkseid, the Lord of Apokolips? In his quest for universal dominance, Darkseid has made a name for himself with his terrifying regime and his elite, deadly warriors. Darkseid and the Justice League have crossed paths numerous times, and as long as they stand in his way for total control of the DC Universe, Darkseid is ready to challenge the super team.
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1 Anti-Monitor
Few, if any, villains can claim the amount of lives the Anti-Monitor did when he went on his multiversal killing spree in Crisis on Infinite Earths. The Anti-Monitor’s waves of anti-matter destroyed universe after universe, racking up an incalculable number of lives. The remaining heroes banded together to put a stop to his mad quest, but while they succeeded, the Anti-Monitor still exists, just as terrifying as he ever was.
The DC Universe is filled with numerous mighty and impressive villains, but these 15 stand out as some of the most powerful ever fought by the Justice League.
