The Justice League, the primary defenders of the DC Universe, is one of the most famous superhero teams of all time. Made up of DC’s most prominent heroes, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman, the Justice League acts as a shining beacon of hope and heroism. Of course, to reach that level of popularity and influence, the Justice League needed talented writers to shape them into the iconic team they are today. Many of DC Comics’ best writers have been tasked with adding their own chapters to the teams’ lore and they have more than succeeded in forever changing and enhancing the Justice League mythos.
Many view the Justice League as the quintessential superhero team. These writers helped establish the League’s core rosters, villains, and storylines.
The Justice League may be best known for its larger-than-life, serious stories about battles between good and evil; but co-writers Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis took a turn from the serious and delivered one of the League’s most monumental shake-ups. After the original Justice League broke up, Giffen and DeMatteis introduced Justice League International, a United Nations-sanctioned team. Alongside DC’s big names like Batman, Martian Manhunter, and Captain Marvel, the JLI also featured many B-list heroes like Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, and Blue Beetle. Giffen and DeMatteis took the Justice League brand in a far more lighthearted and sitcom-style direction that became an instant hit with readers. The duo also went on to create more spin-off groups of DC Comics’ premier superhero team, like Justice League Europe, Justice League Antarctica, and Justice League 3000. Although it was unconventional, Giffen and DeMatteis created one of the most defining eras of the Justice League and expanded the brand to new heights with its many offshoot teams.
After the Crisis on Infinite Earths rebooted the DC Multiverse, acclaimed writer Mark Waid was tasked with giving the Justice League a brand-new origin. Justice League: Year One is one of the team’s definitive origins. In the story, Flash, Green Lantern, Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman team up for the first time to protect the world from evil. Waid also would write “Tower of Babel.” In this harrowing tale, Waid introduced one of the League’s most pivotal dynamics with the revelation that Batman had created contingency plans for each of his teammates to defeat them if they ever went rogue. This revelation forever changed how both the League and readers viewed the Dark Knight, adding a new layer of moral greyness to his character. And of course, Waid wrote one of the most acclaimed DC Comics stories of all time: Kingdom Come. This incredibly nuanced Elseworlds tale about an older Justice League became a cornerstone of the DC Multiverse.
Another of DC Comics’ most significant reboots was the New 52. One of the initiative’s most celebrated aspects was Geoff John’s Justice League run. In keeping with the purpose of the New 52 and a key feature of the entire reboot, Johns completely revamped the Justice League’s origin. Instead of Martian Manhunter, Johns made Cyborg a founding member of the League. He also made Darkseid the villain who would force DC’s greatest heroes to unite against a common enemy. Johns wrote some of the League’s most influential recent stories, including “Trinity War,” Forever Evil, and “Darkseid War.” In these story arcs, Johns introduced the iconic Green Lanterns Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz, both of whom became principal members of the Justice League and the Green Lantern Corps. He also debuted the government-sanctioned Justice League of America team. In many ways, the entire New 52 initiative revolved around Geoff Johns’ Justice League series and its blockbuster events.
When Justice League sales plummeted, Grant Morrison emerged to bring DC’s greatest superhero team back to its roots and to new heights. Morrison’s JLA run is celebrated for providing some of the Justice League’s most iconic storylines, including “New World Order,” “Rock of Ages,” “Prometheus,” “DC One Million,” and JLA: Earth 2. A significant aspect of Morrison’s JLA run is that these stories reestablished the core seven Justice League roster of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter. Morrison also brought back the Justice League’s orbital headquarters, the Watchtower, and introduced terrifying villains like Prometheus and the White Martians. But arguably Morrison’s greatest addition to Justice League lore is elevating the team. Instead of presenting the League as mere crimefighting co-workers, Morrison portrayed these heroes as unstoppable paragons of virtue. Morrison’s immaculate writing helped reestablish the Justice League as the pinnacle of heroism in the DC Universe. Every Justice League writer since then has looked to Morrison’s work for inspiration.
In 1960, the world of comics changed forever when the world’s most powerful and iconic superheroes joined forces for the first time. Gardner Fox created DC’s original superhero team, the Justice Society. When the Silver Age began, Fox wrote The Brave and the Bold #28. This issue introduced the Justice League and pitted them against the evil Starro the Conqueror. Fox later wrote for the Justice League of America comic series, establishing their dynamic and many of their most iconic villains, including Despero, Amazo, and Doctor Light. Fox also played an integral role in establishing the multiverse, with the Justice League meeting the Justice Society from Earth-2 and battling their evil counterparts, the Crime Syndicate, from Earth-3. These choices would spark creativity as other writers built their own alternate universes, adding to DC’s infinite multiverse. Fox’s impact on comic history can’t be overstated. He gave us not only the multiverse, but also the alliance of DC Comics’ most beloved heroes.
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