The Justice League is one of the world's most famous superhero teams. Since the dawn of DC Comics, the world's greatest superheroes have saved the day against insurmountable odds and protected the universe from cosmic threats that no other hero could hope to defeat. The Justice League is undoubtedly the gold standard of superheroes, comprised of the holy trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
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However, there have been times when even the Justice League has met its match and lost in the final seconds of a desperate battle. Intergalactic menaces and meticulous psychopaths have sometimes planned everything and beaten the Justice League at their own game. While it is no easy task and there is not a long list, several villains have bested the League and walked away with a chip on their soldier. Here are the villains who have defeated the Justice League.
7 Superboy Prime
Able to shatter dimensions with brute force
- Created by: Elliot S! Maggin, Curt Swan, Geoff Johns
- First Appearance: DC Comics Presents #87
Superboy Prime is one of the most dominant forces of nature within the DC Universe. Hailing from an alternate universe, Superboy-Prime was a young hero with unimaginable power who was ill-prepared for the responsibility of being the universe's greatest protector.
Corrupted by the trauma he received while trying to do the right thing, Superboy-Prime turned on his world and everyone else and became an unstoppable threat that put the entire multiverse at risk. Armed with the powers of Superman, the entire world of DC heroes was no match for him and his unbridled rage. Every time Superboy Prime shows his face, he proves why he is the most terrifying version of Superman.
6 The Joker
Emperor of the unbalanced and powerful world
- Created by: Bob Kane, Bill Finger
- First Appearance: Batman #1
For most of his villainous career as the crown prince of crime, the Joker has kept to the confines of Gotham City. Rarely straying from his ongoing, eternal conflict with Batman, there is one instance where the Joker has taken to a much grander stage and established himself as one of the world's top-tier threats.
Crossing paths with Superman, the Joker steals the power of a reality-altering being, transforms himself into the Emperor of the world, and warps it into his own image. With the most maniacally insane individuals with the power of a god, the Justice League had no escape as the Joker went berserk.
5 The Crime Syndicate
The Justice League's Mirror Counterparts
- Created by: Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky
- First Appearance: Justice League Of America #29
The Crime Syndicate is an alternate version of the Justice League made famous during the animated film Crisis on Two Earths in their attempt to conquer the DC multiverse. Instead of protecting the world and fighting evil, these twisted versions of the world's mightiest heroes have turned to a life of crime and conquering their world. The Crime Syndicate is a ruthless team that will not let anything get in their way, having clashed with the Justice League several times, most recently in the Forever Evil storyline, where they laid waste to the entire Justice League and dozens of other heroes as they rampaged through a new world, taking the trophies of their victories and kills.
4 General Zod
A Kryptonian without Superman's morality
- Created by: George Papp, Robert Bornstein
- First Appearance: Adventure Comics #283
General Zod is one of the few Kryptonians left alive after the planet's destruction. He is also one of the planet's most vile criminals, having survived only thanks to his life sentence in the Phantom Zone. General Zod is an authoritarian, determined to keep his people's best interests at heart at all costs.
Ruthless and callous, once released, he immediately sets out to conquer Earth and make it a home for his remaining people. In both comics and animation, Zod clashes with Superman and the Justice League, and requires a joint operation to take him and his teammates down. Most notably in Geoff Johns' Last Son, where Superman is trapped in the Phantom Zone and there is no one left to stop Zod.
3 Prometheus
One of the smartest and deadliest characters in the DC Universe
- Created by: Grant Morrison, Arnie Jorgenson
- First Appearance: Superman #196810
The DC Universe is full of twisted alternate forms of established heroes. These creepy dummies aren't always clones or from other dimensions; sometimes, they're just the flipside of the coin, like Bizaro for Superman. Of all the dummies, Prometheus is one of the most dangerous. Like Batman, Prometheus witnessed the death of his parents at the hands of the police while fleeing from a crime.
But instead of dedicating his life to justice, Prometheus vowed to destroy the forces of justice at any cost. Prometheus accomplished just that in the DC Comics storyline “Strength in Numbers,” where, after infiltrating the Justice League base, he began systematically taking down every member of the JLA. At the same time, as much of a threat as Prometheus is, what's even more impressive is that he has no superpowers and took down the Justice League with his intellect alone.
2 The Mystery of Death
The source of evil and darkness
- Created by: Jack Kirby
- First Appearance: Superman's Friend Jimmy Olsen #134
Darkseid is a villain who needs no introduction, as everyone trembles at the mere mention of his name. At first glance, Darkseid is a cosmic threat who leaves entire planets in his wake with a single order to his legion of demonic soldiers. He sits on a throne and plans the conquest of all living things with a cold stare. Darkseid is perhaps one of the most popular villains in DC comics, but he is much more than just a ruthless brute.
Darkseid is the embodiment of chaos and darkness, akin to the forces of the emotional spectrum. In his quest to find the Anti-Life Equation and take control of the universe, he often clashes with the Justice League. Every battle the League has with Darkseid ends with them barely escaping with their lives. Not even Superman is strong enough to defeat Darkseid alone or with the help of his heroic allies. On very few occasions, the heroes of the DC Universe have defeated Darkseid and his current guise, only to have him step back and try again after regaining his strength.
1 Judgement Day
An unstoppable killing machine
- Created by: Jon Bogdanove, Louise Jones Simonson, Dan Jurgens
- First Appearance: Superman The Man OF Steel #17
Doomsday is one of the few unstoppable forces in the DC Universe that cannot be stopped, only delayed. First appearing in Death of Superman, Doomsday debuted by killing the Man of Steel. But before he did that, he also crushed the entire Justice League of Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern.
Doomsday is a product of scientific experiments and torture, which have made him immortal, adapting to each death, making it useless against him a second time. Along with his titan strength and universal durability, Doomsday has one driving motivation: to kill. It takes nearly every hero alive to face Doomsday and mitigate as much damage as possible before all is lost.
