The
Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a
fictionalsuperhero team that appears in
comic books published by
DC Comics. Since their first appearance in The Brave and the Bold #28 (February/March 1960), various incarnations of the team have appeared in film, television, and video game adaptations.
Film
Live-action
Justice League: Mortal (canceled)
In February 2007, it was announced that Warner Bros hired husband and wife duo Michele and
Kieran Mulroney to write a script for a Justice League film.[1] The news came around the same time that
Joss Whedon's long-developed Wonder Woman film had been canceled,[2] as well as The Flash, written and directed by
David S. Goyer.[3] Titled Justice League: Mortal,[4] Michele and Kiernan Mulroney submitted their script to Warner Bros. in June 2007, receiving positive feedback,[5] which prompted the studio to immediately fast track production in the hopes of filming to begin before the
2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike.[6] Warner Bros. was less willing to proceed on development with a sequel to Superman Returns, having been disappointed with the box office return.
Brandon Routh was not approached to reprise the role of Superman in Justice League Mortal,[7] nor was
Christian Bale from Batman Begins.[8] Warner Bros. intended for Justice League: Mortal to be the start of a new film franchise, and to branch out into separate sequels and spin-offs.[9] Shortly after filming finished with The Dark Knight,[10] Bale stated in an interview that "It’d be better if it doesn't tread on the toes of what our Batman series is doing," though he personally felt it would make more sense for Warner Bros. to release the film after his planned "Batman 3" (later called The Dark Knight Rises).[8]Jason Reitman was the original choice to direct Justice League, but he turned it down, as he considers himself an independent filmmaker and prefers to stay out of big budget superhero films.[11]George Miller signed to direct in September 2007,[6] with
Barrie Osbourne producing[12] on a projected $220 million budget.[13]
However, the Writers Strike began that same month and placed the film on hold. Warner Bros. had to let the
options lapse for the cast,[25] but development was fast tracked once more in February 2008 when the strike ended. Warner Bros. and Miller wanted to start filming immediately,[26] but production was pushed back three months.[9] Originally, the majority of Justice League: Mortal would be shot at
Fox Studios Australia in Sydney,[13] with other locations scouted nearby at local colleges,[12] and
Sydney Heads doubling for
Happy Harbor.[4] The
Australian Film Commission also had a say with casting choices, giving way for George Miller to cast Gale, Palmer and Keays-Bryne, all Australian natives. The production crew was composed entirely of Australians, but the Australian government denied Warner Bros. a 40 percent tax rebate as they felt they had not hired enough Australian actors.[13][27] Miller was frustrated, stating that "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Australian film industry is being frittered away because of very lazy thinking. They're throwing away hundreds of millions of dollars of investment that the rest of the world is competing for and, much more significantly, highly skilled creative jobs."[28] Production offices were then moved to
Vancouver Film Studios in Canada. Filming was pushed back to July 2008, while Warner Bros was still confident they could release the film in summer 2009.[29][30]
With production delays continuing, and the success of The Dark Knight in 2008,[31] Warner Bros. decided to focus on development of individual films featuring the main heroes, allowing director
Christopher Nolan to separately complete his Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. Gregory Noveck, senior vice president of creative affairs for DC Entertainment stated "we’re going to make a Justice League movie, whether it’s now or 10 years from now. But we’re not going to do it and Warners is not going to do it until we know it’s right."[32] Actor Adam Brody joked "They [Warner Brothers] just didn’t want to cross their streams with a whole bunch of Batmans in the universe."[33] Warner Bros. relaunched development for the solo Green Lantern film, released in 2011 as a critical and financial disappointment. Meanwhile, film adaptations for The Flash and Wonder Woman continued to languish in development while filming for a Superman reboot was commencing in 2011 with Man of Steel, produced by Nolan and written by
David S. Goyer, which would go on to launch the
DC Extended Universe.
The Justice League are a common narrative plot thread in the
DC Extended Universe starting with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman teaming up against Doomsday and in Suicide Squad where Bruce gets the files on Barry Allen and Arthur Curry from Amanda Waller.
Snyder and
Warner Bros released a 4 hour
director's cut of Justice League via
HBO Max on March 18, 2021.[62] This version presents Snyder's original vision for a Justice League film with a much more grounded and generally darker tone as well as an overall aesethetic more in line with Snyder's previous DCEU films Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice rather than the lighter, more family friendly tone of the 2017 theatrical cut and features a radically overhauled ending.[63] Additional footage seen in this cut is mainly footage that was shot for the theatrical cut but was discarded when Snyder left the project although a handful of new scenes were filmed once the director's cut release was greenlit.[64] Characters who did not appear in the theatrical cut in 2017 such as
Martian Manhunter (played by
Harry Lennix),
Iris West (played by
Kiersey Clemons),
Ryan Choi (
Zheng Kai),
Darkseid (
Ray Porter) and
Desaad (
Peter Guinness) are also included in this version of the film.[63] This new cut also features a completely new score by Tom Holkenborg aka
Junkie XL.[65] Holkenborg was originally signed on to score the theatrical version of Justice League in 2017 but was replaced by
Danny Elfman during the film's reshoots in June 2017.[66]
The team made a cameo appearance in the Peacemaker season 1 finale episode "It's Cow or Never" with only Momoa and Miller reprising their roles as Aquaman and Flash while Superman and Wonder Woman were played by stand-ins.
An alternate version of the Justice League was featured in
The Flash (2023) and consisted of two versions of Barry (one from the main timeline and one from the past, both played by Miller), an alternate version of
Bruce Wayne / Batman (played by
Michael Keaton) and
Kara Zor-El / Supergirl (played by
Sasha Calle). Additionally, Affleck, Gadot, and Momoa cameod as their versions of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. A
CGI version of Cavill as Superman also appeared in the film.
Another
direct-to-video film titled Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths was released in 2010. The film was originally brought up as a possible return to the Justice League Unlimited animated series with the title Justice League: Worlds Collide. Justice League: Worlds Collide would have been set in the
DC Animated Universe. It was originally going to be produced concurrently with the first season of Justice League Unlimited, bridging the gap between the second season of Justice League and the relaunched show. The production was shelved just before the start of filming,[67] but the script was later adapted into Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, with changes that included removing all references to the DCAU continuity.[68] As a result, the feature as originally intended is now unlikely to ever be produced. The film featured a League consisting of
Batman,
Superman,
Wonder Woman,
Green Lantern,
The Flash, and
Martian Manhunter.
Aquaman,
Firestorm,
Black Canary,
Red Tornado and
Black Lightning appeared near the end of the film, and were supposedly offered full-time membership by Batman. In addition, alternate versions of
Justice League Detroit (save for
Steel) were shown as part of the
Crime Syndicate of America, as were Black Canary and Green Arrow analogues. Analogues of
Zatanna,
Blue Beetle (Ted Kord),
Power Girl and Red Tornado made brief cameos on a computer screen.
DC released another animated film on July 30, 2013, entitled Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. The film, based on the Flashpoint crossover, is centered on the
Flash, who inadvertently changes the time stream by travelling back in time to save his mother. In the new world created, Flash finds himself speedless in a world without a Justice League and suffering from a devastating war between the Atlanteans and Amazonians. Relying on the help of Batman, in this world a vengeful, alcoholic Thomas Wayne, the Flash must find the prime suspect, Professor Zoom, and find a way to fix the time stream.
Another animated feature, Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite, was released in early February 2013 and features members of the Justice League, particularly Batman and Superman, fighting Lex Luthor and The Joker in Lego form.
In DC Showcase: Green Arrow, Green Arrow and Black Canary are members of the Justice League and their logo was seen on Oliver's phone.
The Justice League is featured in the animated film JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time. The team consists of Superman, Batman, Cyborg, The Flash (Barry Allen), Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
Karate Kid,
Dawnstar, and
Robin appear as well.[71]
The Justice League appears in DC Super Heroes vs.
Eagle Talon. The team consists of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash (Barry Allen), Aquaman and Cyborg.[72]
An animated series, Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles, serves as a companion to the film. While the first season was released in 2015,[76][77] a second season was planned to be released in the following year and would have featured ten episodes,[78] but as of 2020, it has been shelved.[79] Additionally, a series of
one-shot comics written by
J. M. DeMatteis and
Bruce Timm was released and focused on each hero's origin story, including a three-issue prequel comic book series written by the same team.[80]
The Justice League appears in the "Tomorrowverse" continuity which begun with Superman: Man of Tomorrow. First alluded in Justice Society: World War II, the team makes a brief appearance in Green Lantern: Beware My Power, consisting of Martian Manhunter (who is presumably the leader of the League), Vixen and Green Arrow. Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Flash are also stated to have joined the League. Green Lantern Hal Jordan was also a former member of the League, before he is succeeded by John Stewart.
Canceled Justice League animated films
An untitled Justice League direct to DVD film was in the works in 2008, with a design by James Tucker.[81]
In 2009, Bruce Timm has expressed interest in an animated film based on the JLA/Avengers crossover limited series. As of 2023, no updates have appeared since.[82]
In 2013, producer James Tucker has spoken about wanting a
Wonder Woman-centered Justice League film.[83]
The Justice League appears in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, with Superman voiced by
Nicolas Cage, Batman voiced by
Jimmy Kimmel, Wonder Woman voiced by
Halsey and Green Lantern (John Stewart) voiced by
Lil Yachty.[85] Other members of the League, such as Aquaman (voiced by
Eric Bauza), the Atom (Ray Palmer) (voiced by
Patton Oswalt), Flash (Barry Allen) (voiced by
Wil Wheaton), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and Shazam also appear in cameos.
The Justice League makes a cameo appearance in Space Jam: A New Legacy. The group consists of Superman, Flash, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Aquaman and
Batgirl.[86]
The first animated appearance of the Justice League was in the 1967 television series The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure. The team appeared in only three segments of the run of the show. The members seen are Superman, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Flash, and the Atom.
The longest-running version of the Justice League was the loosely adapted series called Super Friends, which ran in various incarnations from 1973 to 1986.
A futuristic version of the League also appears in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call", consisting of Superman,
Big Barda, and series original characters Green Lantern Kai-Ro,
Aquagirl (Aquaman's daughter), Micron (similar to
Atom), and
Rex Stewart / Warhawk (the son of John Stewart and Hawkgirl).
Static also appears in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Once and Future Thing", and his ally Gear is mentioned as being a League member in the Static Shock episode "Future Shock".
The Justice League appears in The Batman, consisting of
Batman,
Superman,
Martian Manhunter,
Green Lantern,
Green Arrow,
Hawkman, and the
Flash. Introduced in the fourth season finale, "The Joining", the League's members make recurring appearances throughout the fifth season as allies to Batman. Additionally, the show's version of their headquarters combines elements of the
Hall of Justice from Super Friends and the Watchtower from the comics.
"The League" is mentioned in a conversation between Batman and
Plastic Man in an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Presumably, this refers to the Justice League. In fact, the show has featured many team-ups that included various heroes that were members of the JLA at one time or another, such as
Adam Strange, Aquaman, Batman, Black Canary,
Blue Beetle,
Booster Gold,
Captain Marvel,
Elongated Man, Etrigan, Fire, Ice,
Firestorm (consisting of
Jason Rusch and
Ronnie Raymond),
Green Arrow,
Roy Harper,
Guy Gardner, Hal Jordan,
G'nort,
Kilowog, Huntress,
Mister Miracle,
Oberon,
Big Barda,
Black Lightning, Metamorpho,
Phantom Stranger, Plastic Man, Red Tornado, Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, the Flash, Vixen, and Zatanna. The League itself is later seen in a flashback, meeting aboard the Satellite in "Sidekicks Assemble!". The roster seen consists of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), the Flash (Barry Allen), Aquaman, the Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Red Tornado, and Fire, though Superman and Wonder Woman have no dialogue and are seen only from behind. The
Justice League International is featured in "Darkseid Descending!", consisting Batman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Fire and
Ice, Guy Gardner, Booster Gold and
Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes). Aquaman also mentions that there had been a previous incarnation of the JLA, that disbanded under unpleasant circumstances.
In the season 2 premiere, it is confirmed that
Black Lightning, as well as former Young Justice members
Zatanna and
Rocket have joined the team as well.
As of the conclusion of season 3, the roster officially consists of 33 members: Atom,
Aquaman, Batman,
Batwoman, Black Canary, Black Lightning,
Blue Devil,
Captain Atom, Captain Marvel/Shazam, Doctor Fate,
Elongated Man,
Fire, Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern (
Guy Gardner, Hal Jordan, John Stewart),
Hardware, Hawkman, Hawkwoman,
Ice, Icon,
Katana,
Magog, Martian Manhunter,
Metamorpho,
Plastic Man, Red Tornado, Rocket,
Steel, Superman, Wonder Woman and Zatanna, with 3 further members (
Aquaman, Red Arrow and Zatara) having retired or left the League.
In a sketch for Mad, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are convinced to change the name from the Super Friends to the Justice League after a musical appeal by fellow heroes.
The Justice League is
re-imagined as animals in the DC Nation Shorts Farm League with Superman as Supermanatee, Batman as a mouse, Wonder Woman as Wonder Wombat, Flash as the Flish, Green Lantern as a boar, Aquaman as Aquamandrill, Captain Marvel as Shazham, Robin as Robin's Egg, and Cyborg as Cybug.
A Justice League animated series titled Justice League Action debuted on
Cartoon Network in fall 2016.[91] The series features a revolving cast anchored by Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman.
The Justice League appears in Harley Quinn, consisting of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Zatanna, Aquaman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), and the Flash. In the episode "Devil's Snare"; Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash arrive in
Gotham City to stop the tree monsters attacking. They assume Harley's crew is behind the attacks and attempt to send them to the Phantom Zone, but Poison Ivy uses Wonder Woman's lasso of truth to prove them wrong. It was then the League were imprisoned in a magic fairy tale book by the
Queen of Fables.[92] In "A Fight Worth Fighting For", the League were finally released by Zatanna, after
Harley Quinn and the
Joker retrieved the book to defeat
Doctor Psycho, who has gained control of a
Parademon army and took over Gotham. In the following episode "Lovers' Quarrel", the League, in particular Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, easily defeat the Parademons and Harley's crew, who are mind-controlled by Psycho, but while attempting to send
Poison Ivy to the
Phantom Zone, they are stopped by Harley, allowing Ivy to poison them with a toxin that makes them suddenly flirt with one another.
In 1990, Magnum Pictures developed a script for a Justice League TV show starring Booster Gold, Blue Beetle,
Fire and
Ice plus other members from the comic's Justice League International run.[citation needed]
Justice League of America was a series pilot produced for CBS in 1997, but failed to sell. The pilot used less well-known characters to avoid the licensing issues surrounding Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.[citation needed] The characters used were the Guy Gardner
Green Lantern,
Fire,
Ice, the Barry Allen
Flash, and the Ray Palmer
Atom set against a version of the
Weather Wizard.
Smallville featured a
version of the Justice League in its sixth-season episode "Justice". The members of the team were drawn from versions of DC Comics heroes that had previously appeared in the show: "
Impulse" from the season four episode "Run"; "
Aquaman" (A.C.) from the season five episode "Aqua"; "
Cyborg" (Victor Stone) from the season five episode of the same name, and "
Green Arrow" who had been appearing as a regular character through season six. The episode had the team temporarily recruiting main characters Clark Kent, who Green Arrow dubs "Boy Scout", and
Chloe Sullivan, who acts as the team's advisor through a computer network under the codename "Watchtower". Later, in the season seven episode "Siren", Dinah Lance joined Oliver's team as the "
Black Canary". She returns in the season eight premiere with Aquaman and Green Arrow to find Clark. However, after A.C. and Dinah have their identities exposed, Oliver makes the call for the team to temporarily disband. Later in the season, when Oliver reconnects with his heroic side in "Identity", the team reunites. In the episode "Bulletproof", it is mentioned that Detective John Jones (
Martian Manhunter) has helped Oliver's team and got Oliver out of trouble with the police and is considered a member of the team. Clark and Chloe become more involved with the League as well, with Clark joining Bart on a mission in Keystone during "Hex", whilst in the same episode Chloe becomes a full-time 'Watchtower' for the team. Dr. Emil is a staff physician at Metropolis General Hospital and Metropolis University, who is also on Oliver Queen's payroll. Season eight concludes with Flash, Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Clark working together to stop Doomsday. In the closing scenes Chloe reveals that Bart, Dinah, and Oliver have gone missing. In season 9 episode "Absolute Justice" members
Green Arrow, Clark, John Jones, and Chloe aid members of the
Justice Society of America. In the episode
Doctor Fate restores John Jones's powers. After the show's debut of Justice League in Smallville episode "Justice", there was a consideration for the Justice League spin-off, but it never came to fruition. Smallville writer Steven S. DeKnight revealed that a spin-off Justice League series was expected to happen after the episode "Justice", and would have continued the story of Oliver Queen and his new team.[93]
Arrowverse
The Flash and its related TV series Arrow, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow have hinted towards a Justice League in the future, with the heroes of the different series teaming up for annual crossover events.
Barry Allen is shown to own a building resembling the
Hall of Justice during the Invasion crossover, which the heroes use as a base during that crossover. An A.I. named Gideon from the future claims that Barry as the Flash is a "founding member" before being cut off. The Justice League is directly mentioned in the Arrow episode "
Living Proof".
The Justice League are the main characters of the mobile video game for
iOSJustice League: Earth's Final Defense, developed by Mobicle and published by Netmarble, the companies in South Korea. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash are playable characters, with Aquaman and Cyborg as non-playable Justice League members. This version of the Justice League is based on the one seen in
The New 52.
The Justice League are the main characters of the game DC's Justice League: Cosmic Chaos, developed by PHL Collective and published by Outright Games.
The Justice League are the main antagonists of the upcoming game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, developed by
Rocksteady Studios. This iteration consists of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash (Barry Allen), and Green Lantern (John Stewart), who were all brainwashed by
Brainiac and forced to aid in his invasion of Earth.
A new incarnation of the League is shown in various character endings in the game Injustice 2. The line up is consistent of Batman, Supergirl, Harley Quinn, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Firestorm (Jason Rusch and Martin Stein), Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), The Flash (Barry Allen),
Catwoman and in his story only
Sub-Zero.
The Justice League is featured in Lego DC Super-Villains. As part of the story, they were replaced by a different team of superheroes called the "
Justice Syndicate".