DC Comics' Justice League is one of the most iconic superhero teams ever created. They represent the heroic ideal, the height of valor and goodness in the DC multiverse, and their exploits have inspired generations of new heroes. However, the multiverse is a vast and strange place, and as one travels between those 52 interconnected dimensions, you are likely to encounter some surprising variations on your favorite heroes. Many of these changes only affect circumstances and time periods without changing the core virtues of the characters, but some provide readers with a more twisted look at their beloved heroes.
The multiverse is an integral piece of DC Canon, and the many variations of the Justice League make appearances in the main continuity. The 10 dark versions of the Justice League on this list are some of the most popular in the long history of DC Comics. Each story featuring these characters provides a fascinating thematic backbone to the fan-favorite characters, forcing us to evaluate the team’s virtues, while also providing some of the most intense battles in comics. With James Gunn taking the reins of the DC Cinematic Universe, now is the perfect time to subvert viewer expectations and introduce these dark Leagues to the films.
10Action Comics - The Bizarro League
While the character has had many differing origins across DC continuity, Bizarro Superman made his first appearance in 1958. In a number of stories, this opposite-talking behemoth gains the ability to clone and copy himself, creating an entire world filled with opposite versions of Earth’s greatest heroes. The Flash is the slowest man on earth, Green Lantern has turned yellow, and Batman is the world’s worst detective. With Unjustice League of America, dubbed by fans as the Bizarro League, at his back, Bizarro works to defend his cube-shaped world from any threat (that is, when he isn’t trying to destroy it himself).
The Unjustice League of America Could Bring a Healthy Dose of Comedy to the DCU
Admittedly, the Bizarro League isn’t necessarily evil. While Bizarro Superman is one of Supes' greatest villains, the team from Bizarro World is largely played up for comedic effect. In fact, most of their stories are devoted to saving their dimension from destruction, though they tend to fumble their way into victory. The Bizarro League provides a fun twist to the established Justice League formula, highlighting the original team’s strengths while providing a hefty dose of comedic relief. Given the importance of Bizarro to Superman’s character, it is likely only a matter of time until this bizarre take on the League makes it to the big screen.
9Justice League: Gods and Monsters - Dark Justice League
This Justice League debuted in the 2015 animated filmJustice League: Gods and Monsters,with a series of prequel comics expanding on their stories. The League presented here consists of alternate takes on Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Superman is the son of General Zod, raised by illegal immigrants. Dr. Kirk Langstrom’s experiments with bat DNA transformed him into a vampiric monster, while Wonder Woman is Bekka, one of the New Gods. While the world is safer due to their swift, brutal justice, people are forced to question if they truly feel safe under the watchful eyes of these monstrous heroes.
The Justice League of Gods and Monsters Forces Viewers to Question Whether the Ends Justify the Means
The “heroes” ofJustice League: Gods and Monstersare definitely not the ones with whom you grew up. While they aren’t villainous, their use of powers is far more excessive than their Prime Earth counterparts, and the public’s split opinion on their brutal methods is a fascinating examination of power. It’s truly fascinating to see a world where the League isn’t a paragon of valor, but a team of antiheroes obsessed with keeping order, no matter the cost. Given the popularity of the animated film, it makes sense that Gunn would want to bring this dark League to life, and they could prove an interesting addition to the live-action Elseworlds line.
8Earth 3 - The Crime Syndicate
The Crime Syndicate of America originates from Earth-3, a partially reversed universe consisting of Anti-Matter where morality has become switched. Ultraman, Owlman, Superwoman, Johnny Quick, Power Ring, and the rest of Crime Syndicate are opposite versions of our favorite heroes, choosing the path of villainy as they oppose the superhero Alexander Luthor in their efforts to control their world. However, their evil doesn’t stop at the border between universes. They have often made incursions into the Prime Universe, either to satisfy their own greed or, in the New 52, to escape their dying world.
The Crime Syndicate of America is a Necessary Addition to the DC Cinematic Universe
The Crime Syndicate of Earth-3 is one of the most famous groups of villains in the DC Multiverse, acting as the cornerstone for a number of event story arcs. With so many key roles in DC canon, often as invaders into the Prime universe, the denizens of this antimatter universe would be an incredible addition to the live-action films. They are a brilliant blend of the weird science of Golden Age comics and the more serious thematic undercurrents of the original characters, and the focus on a “partially reversed” Earth would allow the right filmmaker to truly focus on world-building while exploring these twisted doppelgängers.
7Dark Nights Metal - Dark Knights
The newest team on this list, theDark Knightsdebuted in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s 2017 crossover eventDark Nights Metal.The team consists of various iterations of Batman from across the Dark Multiverse. Led bythe Batman who Laughs, an insane fusion of Batman and the Joker, the group arrive on Earth Prime alongside the evil entity Barbatos to draw the DC multiverse into the Dark Multiverse. With the Dark Knights rampaging across Earth Prime, the heroes are forced underground, forming a resistance movement in an effort to recover the divine metals and drive the villainous Batmen back to their worlds.
The Dark Knights Could Bring the Best of Modern Comics to the Big Screen
To be frank, the Dark Knights might be too weird for the live-action DC Cinematic Universe. Their origins in a “dark multiverse,” with each representing a different League member while they hunt for “divine metals,” may be too much for the average viewer to swallow. However, that doesn’t take away from the potential of this story.Dark Nights Metalis peak comic book weirdness, bringing together all the best elements of the DC mulitverse in a huge, climactic clash unlike anything readers have ever seen. It would be extremely difficult to pull off, but a live-action adaptation of the story or the Dark Knights team would be a thrilling addition to the DCU.
6Earth 10 - The New Reichsmen
The multiverse is filled with alternate world histories, what-if tales come to life. In the Nazi-controlled Earth-10, an alien spacecraft crashed in the Sudetenland, and Adolf Hitler raised the baby found within. Modeling the boy after AlliedSupermancomics, Hitler christened the boy Overman, and with his immense power, the Allies lost World War II. After a stint traveling the universe, Overman returned home and joined Hitler’s league of enforcers, the New Reichsman. Disillusioned by the death of his cousin Overgirl and the atrocities committed by the Nazis, Overman turned against his new allies and fed information to the Freedom Fighter resistance.
The New Reichsmen Showcase a Nuanced View of This Alternate History
The Nazis are some of the worst villains across fiction and history, so a League themed around the Third Reich is understandably evil. However, this is a far more nuanced look at the humans behind the villains, specifically showing Overman’s moral conflict between what he was taught and his own ideals. The New Reichsmen and Earth-10 have only made minor appearances, with their biggest coming inMultiversity,but a live-action adaptation of this Elseworld tale could fully expand on this interesting world. It could delve more into the history, showing how this history came to be and how Overman’s arrival changed truly changed things.
5Action Comics - Justice League of Assassins
In theAction Comics/Supermancrossover event “Multiplicity,” an entity known as the Prophecy is traveling the multiverse in search of the various incarnations of Superman in hopes of stealing their powers to save his world. On his rampage, Prophecy and his Gatherer minions arrive on Earth-14, a desolate, seemingly post-apocalyptic world that is home to the Justice League of Assassins. This paramilitary unit of heroes holds their own against the Gatherers, slaying the army with their high-tech weaponry, but this only draws the Prophecy to them. With a single attack, Prophecy slaughters the League and takes their Superman for his own.
James Gunn Needs to Expand on the Story of the Justice League of Assassins
So very little is known about the Justice League of Assassins. They have only made one appearance in the comics, and in that appearance, they nearly all died at the hands of the Prophecy. With that said, they’re just so cool. Their designs echo the best and boldest of DC’s antihero set, and they deserve a lengthier shot at the spotlight. A live-action or animated (perhaps a DC Comics take on Marvel’sWhat If?)adaptation could expand on this team, showing more of their history and their role in their universe. They don’t need to do much, just a single episode short about their adventures, but it would be worth it for the action sequences alone.
4Future’s End - Brother Eye’s Cyborg League
The powerful artificial intelligence known as Brother Eye has been a thorn in the side of the Justice League since its debut in 2005’sInfinite Crisis.35 years into the future of DC’s New 52 continuity, though, Brother Eye has finally defeated his foes, converting the world’s heroes into an army of cyborg monsters. In order to prevent this alternate history from taking place, Terry McGinnis (Batman Beyond) travels back in time to stop the initial development of the Brother Eye technology. However, with the AI sending hordes of its “bugs” into the past to stop him, Terry will have to team with heroes of the past to save the future.
Brother Eye’s League Is a Terrifying Addition to the DCU
Brother Eye’s cyborg Justice League is terrifying, plain and simple. The League are already the most powerful heroes in the DC Universe, so their transformation into robotic monstrosities makes them a true threat. The bizarre concept allowed creator Jeff Lemire to truly delve into superheroic horror. It was also a canon story, though the subsequent reboots have made that canonicity uncertain. This means that the story hassome real potential for adaptation. Maybe this is simply an appeal to bring Terry McGinnis to the big screen or for a true adaptation of the cyborg Batman/Joker hybrid, butFuture’s Endwould be perfect for the DC Cinematic Universe.
Related:10 Things That DC’s Live-Action Movies Can Learn from its Animated Films
3Teen Titans - Titans Tomorrow
On a fateful trip through the timestream, the Teen Titans are sent 10 years into their future, where they have the opportunity to meet their future selves. Having taken over for the Justice League, the Titans seem to be everything their younger selves have ever dreamed of becoming, but after discovering a tortured Deathstroke locked in their tower, the teens realize something is horribly wrong. Under the influence of a corrupted Raven, the Titans have turned the western United States into a brutal police state. With the aid of a heroic team of Titans from the eastern US, the Teen Titans attempt to find a way back to their time.
Titans Tomorrow Could Be a Threat That Brings the DC Cinematic Universe Together
This future team of Titans has made a handful of appearances across DC canon, with their most recent appearance in the Rebirth continuity showing a bit of hope for the corrupt team of heroes. With that said, the Titans Tomorrow is a brilliant look at a possible future for and the values of the young team. DC has yet to fully adapt its vast suite of young heroes in live-action, but this story would be the perfect crossover event film for the future of the DC Cinematic Universe. It would force the Justice League to team up with their former sidekicks in order to defeat those self-same proteges, adding a level of distrust that could throw both teams into fascinating disarray.
2Injustice - The One Earth Regime
Released in 2013, followed closely by a series of prequel comics,Injustice: Gods Among Usis an action-fighting game that stars DC’s greatest heroes in roles you’d never expect. After the Joker causes the deaths of Lois Lane and her unborn child, Superman realizes that the heroes of the world haven’t done nearly enough. After he brutally murders the Joker, Superman institutes the One Earth Regime, becoming the overlord for a worldwide totalitarian government that eliminates all crime with extreme prejudice. to stop him, the Resistance, headed by Batman, is forced to turn to the multiverse for aid.
The Regime Gives Us the Most Extreme Version of Superman
The One Earth Regime is one of the best and most terrifying depictions of Superman and the Justice League ever presented in modern media. It gives an intimate focus on both sides of the fight, forcing viewers to see exactly why Superman chose this path, and that gives the series a great deal of weight. The comics only help to expand on this world, with each of the five volumes exploring the years leading up to the game’s timeline. Given the immense popularity of the property, it wouldn’t be out of the question for this totalitarian Justice League to see a direct live-action adaptation, if not a major cameo in a prime universe film.
Related:10 MCU Characters Who Could Beat Superman in a Fight
1Blackest Night - Black Lantern Corps
Blackest Nightopens in the depths of Sector 666. After a pair of Green Lanterns discover a mysterious Black power battery, a flood of black power rings spreads through the universe, infecting the dead with a dark lantern light. With the dead rising and joining forces as the Black Lantern Corps., the heroes of the DC universe are forced to go on the run so that they may discover a means to stop the undead horde. However, every former hero that joins their ranks feeds the Black Lantern power battery, opening a door for Nekron, the personification of Death, to enter their world and end all life in the universe.
The Black Lantern Corps Needs to Come to the Big Screen
Written by Geoff Johns, the man who revitalized theGreen LanternandFlashcomics,Blackest Nightis one of the most highly regarded crossover events of all time. It issuperhero horror on the biggest scale, featuring cameos from nearly every major and minor DC hero to ever wear a cape and spandex. It’s a fascinating series, and while the scope may not translate well to the big screen, the idea still has plenty of potential in the DC Cinematic Universe. No superhero movie thus far has tried to do whatBlackest Nightdid during its run, and the impact of such an intense, terrifying crossover film would be unparalleled.
