The Justice League of America is the DC Universe’s premier superhero group and one that has stood the test of time because of its enduring roster of some of the greatest super heroes. However, who is the actual leader of the Justice League and why are they the leader of the League?
The League has in fact had several different leaders with some characters serving as leader of the League at different points. This article will help to untangle the web of who has actually led the Justice League and when.
The Justice League, unlike the Avengers or the X Men or the Teen Titans has never had one permanent leader however it has had several different leaders at several different points. When the League first appeared back in the 1960s Barry Allen aka the Flash served as the official Chair of the Justice League and was during this period its effective leader.
This was in part due to more real world matters than actual story reasons – the two more natural leaders, Batman and Superman, whilst members of the League did not often appear that much in the early adventures of the League due to the fact that DC’s executive editors felt that it was better to use the book as a means of promoting other heroes rather than simply as a showcase for the big two.
After all they already had their own team up book and writers didn’t want the League to simply be “Superman and Batman and their friends”. Therefore, Barry was chosen to be the leader of the first incarnation of the League.
However, the League has had many different leaders since. Batman and Superman have both had times when they were distant from the League and other times when they have been central to it.
Both during the 1980s and during the late 2010s and early 2020s, Batman served as the Leader of the League though he has on several occasion either left the League or been effectively forced to leave – most notably in the early 1980s to form The Outsiders and in the early 2000s due to members of the League no longer trusting Batman in the wake of the Tower of Babel storyline.
Superman has equally spent time away from the League – especially during the 1980s when he felt his presence in Maxwell Lord’s funded Justice League was not appropriate.
However, he has also led the League on many occasions and has proved to be a successful leader, although at times he has not been able to lead; particularly when his emotions are interfered with by villains like Lex Luthor or Darkseid.
The Martian Manhunter J’onn J’onzz has been a constant presence in the League from its inception and has proved to be a great leader at times as well although his Martian sense of alienation has at times caused him to be less than able to lead some of the more valuable members of the JLA.
However, it is not only Batman, Superman and the Martian Manhunter who have led the League – several other members of the League have served as Leader.
Although he was one of the League’s founding members and ruler over all of the Oceans, one of the worst leaders of the League when it was based out of Detroit was in fact Aquaman. Aquaman’s time as leaders is viewed as a low point by both the League in the comic universe and by fans.
Whilst Aquaman has not served as a great leader for the League, other lesser-known characters have proved to be great leaders of the team.
One example from the early 2000s is Black Canary. Although not often remembered by many people outside the DC fanbase, Black Canary is one of the most iconic members of the Justice League and has proved to be something of a power couple with Green Arrow.
Black Canary’s time as leader of the Justice League saw the League become more effective than ever as Canary combined her great personal relationship with all the members of the League with tactical brilliance and a fearlessness that clearly inspired all those who served with her.
Canary was once called by Green Lantern John Stewart the greatest leader the JLA ever had, and he might be right. Black Canary has also led more incarnations of the League than anyone else so for that alone her leadership skills should not be questioned.
Another somewhat surprising leader of the Justice League, including himself, was Vic Stone aka Cyborg. Cyborg, although a relatively new addition to the Justice League via the New 52 was personally picked by Batman to lead the League after the Dark Knight Detective found himself unable to carry on his duties as Leader.
Cyborg’s technical brilliance combined with his former football’s eye for organising people meant that Cyborg was able to not only ensure that the Justice League was effective when it went into battle but also be much more of a public leader of the League then Batman could ever have been.
The Justice League’s strength certainly comes from having so many different members who have either served as leader of the League or could be leaders of the League.
Unlike other superhero teams which have only one or two members who could easily take over the reigns of power, any member of the League could easily do so which is why the team has lasted for such a long time.
Why It Is Important To Know About The Leadership Of The Justice League
The Justice League are one of the greatest superhero teams and part of this is because they aren’t as rigid in terms of structure as other teams.
The League has worked for so longer because, despite the great powers that are available to its various members it is not a team that is dominated by egos; rather the Justice League represents the very best that the people of Earth could be – individuals using their great powers and great intellect to be able to help people rather than harm them.
This is why it is important to know about the leadership of the Justice League because it demonstrates that when the best people get together they shouldn’t be focussing on egos or on who is the strongest but how they can help people and that is a lesson we can all learn from.
