TheJustice Leaguehas stood out as DC Comics' flagship superhero team since its creation in 1960 by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. Through stories likeThe New Frontier,Tower of BabelandDarkseid War, the team has beenwritten into some of the greatest adventuresin print. While the team is best-known for its god-tier characters, it also houses some expert martial artists and warriors, whose skills in combat outshine even the likes of Superman.
The Justice League has, through its sixty-year history, assembled a slew of superheroes, from obscure Z-listers to legendary legacy heroes like Batman. Power levels aside, one of the most vital skillsets on the team has always been fighting ability, something that makes a character useful whether they have powers or not. The ability to stand toe-to-toe with some of the greatest killers and assassins in the DCU has proven key many times over, and these heroes continue to demonstrate expertise in combat.
10Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)
Created by Charles Wojtkoski and Steve Ditko
Blue Beetle isone of the oldest legacies in comics, with many modern readers associating the mantle with Jaime Reyes. However, by far themost impressive Blue Beetle is Ted Kord, a character who shares many of the best traits of Batman. Aided by gadgets of his own design, particularly his Bug airship, Kord is something of a more colorful take on the Dark Knight.
Blue Beetle isn’t quite the gritty pugilist that Batman is, buthe’s just as capable as the Dark Knight at taking on large groups of henchmen.Through his team-ups with heroes like the Question and Booster Gold, Kord shows himself to be a proficient fighter time and again, offering readers much of the same appeal as Batman.
9Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)
Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp
As the protector of Star City, Green Arrow is a blend of Batman and Robin Hood. Defined by his progressive values and mastery of archery,Oliver Queen has been at his best in a team-up dynamic, whether that’s in the Justice League, his partnership with Hal Jordan, or fighting alongside his love interest, Black Canary.
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Green Arrow has gone toe-to-toe with some of DC’s deadliest killers, most notably his repeated clashes with characters like Deathstroke and Peacemaker. While most people associate him with his skills as an archer, Oliver Queen isjust as capable in combat as street-level heroes like Batman.His marksmanship may prove a vital skill, but he’s far from useless without a bow and arrow.
8Black Canary (Dinah Lance)
Created by Robert Kanigher, Carmine Infantino, Dennis O’Neil and Dick Dillin
Black Canary has been a staple of DC since the Golden Age, when Dinah Drakefought alongside the Justice Society of America. Today, however, the mantle is best associated with Dinah Laurel Lance who, in addition to sharing her mother’s combat skills, can project a sonic scream, a function of her metagene powers.
Black Canary has been a Justice League member several times, most notably during the 2006 series and during writer Brian Michael Bendis’Justice Leaguerun,where her abilities were put on full display. Dinah is actually a rare case of a character’s superpowers playing second fiddle to her fighting skills, which have become a far more vital part of who she is than her metagene.
7Aquaman (Arthur Curry)
Created by Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris
Aquaman’s skills as a fighter have been demonstrated through his clashes with villains like Orm and Black Manta
As the rightful King of Atlantis, Arthur Curry’s story has long been one of choice and a life of two worlds, as he has aided his Justice League friends to defend the planet. Throughout that time, the hero has shown himself to be one of the team’s most capable fighters,a feat of both strength and skill. Considering the resistance of fighting underwater, the hero is able to move and react faster on the surface, where his strength can reach full potential.
Aquaman’s skills as a fighter have been demonstrated through his clashes with villains like Orm and Black Manta, each of whom are impressive warriors in their own right. Despite having super strength, writers often focus on his sharp reflexes and technique in battle, rather than leaning on his power.
6Nightwing (Dick Grayson)
Created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson, Marv Wolfman, and George Pérez
After setting himself apart from Batman in the 1980s, Dick Grayson reinvented himself as the hero Nightwing, applying the skills he learned as Robin to protecting Blüdhaven and serving on the Teen Titans. Armed with his batons, the hero has shown himself every bit as capable as Batman when it comes to standing up to his foes, such as defeating KGBeast - who almost killed the Caped Crusader in his debut.
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While he’s best-known as a Teen Titan,Nightwing has served on the Justice League several times in the past, sometimes filling in for or joining Batman. DuringDark Crisis on Infinite Earthsby Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere - and in the years since - Grayson has proven his worth as a fighter, having taken on the Great Darkness-powered Deathstroke.
5The Hawks
Created by Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville
Since the Golden Age, the Hawks have been heroes defined by their combat skills and are often seen as the “fight first, ask questions later” types of characters. As a pair of heroes locked in an endless cycle of reincarnation,their love for one another always brings them together, and has landed them both on the Justice League several times.
The Hawks, specifically their Thanagarian incarnations, are among the most ferocious fighters in DC history. Although they are at their best on the Justice Society of America, their various stints on the Justice League have shown them every bit as capable. While they do often use their maces to do the heavy lifting, both are experienced fighters, and Hawkman has been shown to hold his own against the likes of Green Arrow and Batman.
4Big Barda
Created by Jack Kirby
Big Barda made her debut in the same book that starred the man who’d become her husband, Mister Miracle Scott Free. From the outset, she was a confrontational hero who set herself apart from Scott, whose signature trait is his mastery of escapology. Whereas Mister Miracle outwits his enemies,Barda prefers a head-on battle, something that comes from her time on Darkseid’s elite warrior team, the Female Furies.
Big Barda’s time on the Female Furies has made her one of the universe’s most tenacious warriors - and only built her hatred against the evil inhabitants of Apokolips. However, despite her violent past and fantastic combat skills, Barda is one of several DC heroes who has built and balanced a wholesome private life, all while still fighting the forces of evil. Not only was she the best of the Furies, she has actually taken on all of her old teammates at once and held her own, even if needing help to win the day.
3Wonder Woman (Diana Prince)
Created by William Moulton Marston
stories likeInjusticeby Tom Taylor and various artists show that, thanks to her training, she’s even able to overpower Superman
As one of the first female superheroes, Wonder Woman has one of the best stories in comics. As a warrior princess of Paradise Island, steeped in Greek mythology, she has been trained in combat since her youth - thousands of years ago. If hailing from a tribe of mythical warriors wasn’t enough to make her one of DC’s most formidable characters,her earning her title through combat is enough to seal her status as one of the League’s greatest fighters.
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In recent years, Wonder Woman has come to rely on her godly abilities more than her raw fighting ability, but stories likeInjusticeby Tom Taylor and various artists show that, thanks to her training, she’s even able to overpower Superman. Whether it’s sparring with her fellow Amazons, taking on Big Barda in combat, or her leadership of the Justice League Dark, she continues to prove herself the warrior of the team.
2Orion
As one of the strongestof all the New Gods- and the most ferocious fighter of New Genesis - Orion has played a key role in DC history, particularly in events that revolve around Darkseid. Considering that he is one of DC’s gods of war, combat comes naturally to him and makes himone of only a handful of characters who can defeat Darkseid.
Orion has spent most of his life immersed in a war with rival gods,so it only makes sense that he’d be one of the greatest, most tenacious hand-to-hand fighters in the universe. When combined with his physical strength drawn from the Source, he’s one of the few heroes who can stand against Superman.
1Batman (Bruce Wayne)
Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger
It’s no secret in the world of DC Comics that, when it comes down to pure skill and technique, few characters compare to thecombat proficiency of Batman. Having trained under expert martial artists like Richard Dragon and Wildcat, Bruce Wayne hasdevoted his life to becoming the best that a human can be, achieving an unparalleled mastery over a variety of fighting styles.
Batman doesn’t have the super strength of Superman, nor the speed of Flash, but when it comes to technique and versatility, the hero is without match. In fact, not only can he defeat virtually any non-metahuman character, he can actually overpower some of the universe’s best super-powered beings. From sparring with Predators in Elseworlds crossovers to bringing down the venom-infused Bane, the Dark Knight continues to show he’s the best fighter on theJustice League.
