Summary
The world ofDC Comicshas been ongoing, through many years of stories and quite a few reboots of the entire universe in the last eighty-plus years. It has been 65 years since the first edition of theJustice Leaguehit shelves, so it is no surprise that in that time the team, and the variations on it, have witnessed many different members and someawful moments of betrayal.
There are so many different worldsand different versions of theJustice Leaguethat every character has had a problem with the team at some point, even its most valued members. However, to actually betray the team is another matter entirely, and only a select few heroes have completely turned their backs on the Justice League for one reason or another.
8Aquaman
Chose His Home Over The League
A hero who has almost always been in the different incarnations of theJustice Leaguein DC Comics,Aquamanwas not taken seriously for the longest time.Between the live-action Jason Momoaand the more serious rebooted versions of Aquaman in the comics, this hero’s reputation has become a more fierce one again.
However, in theThrone of Atlantisstoryline, the hero’s attempts to stop his brother from invading the surface world with the forces of Atlantis led to Aquaman being forced to pretend he was on the side of the Ocean Master. To do this, he brawled and defeated most of his Justice League teammates in a real fight. Though this wasn’t an intentional long-term betrayal, it did lead to the League being held in captivity by Atlantis.
7Maxwell Lord
Brutally Murdered A Hero & Attacked The League
An often morally ambiguous character,Maxwell Lordhas betrayed or fought the Justice Leagueon multiple occasions. However, the most shocking and brutal occurrence was when he attacked the League aroundInfinite Crisis. Blue Beetle traced a theft of funds from his company to Lord, who reveals he was keeping tabs on the superhero community, intending to wipe them out.
When Blue Beetle refuses to help Maxwell, he shoots the hero in the head and kills him. Lord then uses telepathic abilities to make Superman attack the League, leading to Wonder Woman killing Lord, and leaving DC’s three most major heroes at odds with each other for years to come.
6Green Arrow
Worked With Amanda Waller Against The League
The most recent betrayal faced by the Justice League was at the hands of a beloved hero, theGreen Arrow. Coerced by Amanda Waller into helping her in a plan to de-power all meta-humans, Arrow was a big part of this plan, and Waller did succeed in temporarily stealing powers from many heroes across the DC Universe.
With the rest of the superhuman community pushed into hiding and led by Nightwing in a Resistance Movement, Green Arrow continues to fight against them before eventually turning on Waller. At this moment, he revealed he had been a spy all along, though he’d had Martian Manhunter implant a time-sensitive thought in his mind, convincing him that Waller was right.This twist saved Green Arrow as a character, but it remained a dark moment in the League’s history.
5Steve Trevor
Formed Another League To Fight The JL
Though he has never really been a member of the main Justice League roster,Steve Trevoris an army man, liaison, and frequent romantic partner to Wonder Woman. However, in the New 52 reboot of DC Comics, Steve became the head of ARGUS, was spurned in his romantic advances by Wonder Woman, and started a new “Justice League of America” team designed to take down the main Justice League.
Steve chose members specifically so they could beat the members of the main League, including Hawkman, Katana, Martian Manhunter, and Green Arrow. Though this team never came fully into conflict with the Justice League, these methods were a betrayal of the team, and Steve hasn’t gone back to being an official liaison for the main League since.
4Hal Jordan
Turned Into The Villainous Parallax
Hal Jordanwas the primary Green Lanternin the Justice League for years, but he lost his mind and turned into a villain in the mid-90s after the villain Mongul destroyed his home city. After defeating Mongul, Hal attempted to recreate his city, but the Green Lantern Corps deemed this a violation of his oath and Hal ended up at odds with them, destroying most of the core and draining the central power battery on Oa.
Following that story, theZero Hourevent saw Jordan attempt to remake the entire DC Universe, changing the entirety of the DC Continuity. The Justice League and other heroes had to stop him, but the continuity of the DC Universe changed in many ways, and entire series were canceled while others were restarted following the events of Jordan’s breakdown. This forever damaged Hal’s reputation and brought other Green Lanterns to the forefront.
3Snapper Carr
Believed In A Villain’s Ideas And Betrayed His Friends
Although a hero in his own right,Snapper Carrwas never a full JL member and was considered more of a hanger-on or sidekick. His popularity dipped in the 60s and, eventually, he listened to ideas spouted by a man calling himself John Dough, who insisted the world would be better without superheroes.
Listening to Dough, Snapper helps him capture Batman and go undercover, bringing the League into mortal danger when Dough lures them to a rally and uses microchips to make the heroes go temporarily insane. Dough was later revealed to be the Joker, but even then, Snapper said he believed in what he’d been told by the villain and decided to leave the team, making this a permanent betrayal by a longtime friend.
2Batman
Was Always Prepared To Kill His Teammates
Consideredthe ultimate hero in preparing for all eventualities,Batman’sparanoia goes to extreme lengths. This was most obvious inTower of Babel, when Ra’s Al Ghul revealed and stole Batman’s plans and contingencies to stop all of his Justice League teammates if they ever went rogue. Batman himself didn’t technically betray the league, but he did provide the blueprints.
Al Ghul incapacitated the entire League so they wouldn’t interfere with his plan to reduce the population of the planet. His dangerous scheme was almost flawless, but the League managed to come back together to stop him. Batman’s mistrust of everyone nearly destroyed the planet, but his intentions were and have almost always been for the good of everyone.
1The League Itself
Betrayed Their Ideals & Batman
The Justice League’s own morality and identitycame into question in a major DC story, which led to the team’s dissolution. Wiping the mind of Doctor Light after he assaulted Sue Dibny using Zatanna’s powers led to the spinning of secrets, lies, and problems within the League.
They also wiped Batman’s mind of these events, leading him to create an overwatch satellite that caused future problems because of mistrust within the League. This story also led to a years-long rift between the DC trinity of heroes, all because the League members refused to trust each other and stop covering things up.
