Highlights
- Martian Manhunter expelled due to character archetype similarities to Superman and Cyborg’s promotion.
- Wonder Woman left due to villain mind-meddling, appearing rogue in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
- Superman expelled for making the wrong decision for the right reasons, causing conflict with US government and Atlantis.
The Justice League of America. Anyone who is anyone within the DC Universe wants to be on this super team. They were once the most famous team of superheroes, with The Avengers needing a whole cinematic universe just to compete. Even now, the Justice League captures the minds and hearts of many, both in and out of the universe, with easily recognizable heroes such as Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Batman, and Superman.
But even the greatest of teams have their fall-outs between members. Here are five times when the turmoil within the JLA had a top member forced to leave.
5 J’onn J’onzz – Martian Manhunter
An Unlucky Character
- Character Aliases: John Jones
- The reason for their Justice League expulsion: Writing and directorial decisions.
J’onn J’onzz, the league’s telekinetic, shape-shifting, and noble resident Martian. Anyone familiar with the character, especially those most familiar with him from the 2004 Justice League Unlimited cartoon, might ask themselves – what on Earth could good old Martian Manhunter have done for the team to kick him out? Well, his case was an unorthodox one, with him being removed from the league for more out-of-universe reasons than in-universe reasons.
DC fans will have heard of the “New 52” soft reboot that took place within the Justice Leagues comic multiverse. Through this reboot, many moving parts that made the story of the DC universe were shifted around for the benefit of new readers and modern audiences.
From worries that his character archetype was too similar to Superman’s being a flying brick alien with vision powers, to a desire to make make Cyborg a key member in his place (as shown in the DC Cinematic Universe through the Snyder film), Martian Manhunter often finds himself relegated from his initially high position as a main member of the Justice League. Unfortunately for J’onn J’onzz, many writers in different mediums seem to prefer other characters.
4 Princess Diana – Wonder Woman
Teammates Go Rogue
- Character Aliases: Warrior Princess, Diana of Themyscira
- The reason for their Justice League expulsion: Villain mind-meddling
An Amazonian warrior of power, might, and will and the Justice League’s key female member. Princess Dianna is as bold as they come, so it’s no surprise that she may ruffle a few fellow team member’s feathers during her tenure, to the point of being left behind.
Another unorthodox example awaits us as we see Diana abandon the Justice League just as much as they abandoned her throughout the events of the relatively new game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. In the game’s story, we learn that through a ploy enacted by Brainiac, the Justice League are tricked under diplomatic pretenses and end up being brainwashed by him, with only her and The Flash managing to escape such a fate.
However, The Flash soon sees himself brainwashed, having Wonder Woman end up the only member of the league not operating under Brainiac’s will. Though under the control of another, The Justice League were all effectively on the same page, operating on the same wavelength, leaving Diana and her untouched mind as an outsider.
3 Michael Jon Carter – Booster Gold
A Momentarily Unfit Hero
- Character Aliases: Mr. “Be a Hero!”
- The reason for their Justice League expulsion: personal flaws and issues of time.
25th-century man Booster Gold may not be one of the league’s key members, but he is one of their most interesting, having a cult following from his unique storyline and appearances in different DC animated universes. A disgraced athlete who traveled from the future to our times and used futuristic technology to achieve fame and glory, going from ‘fake it til you make it’ to a true genuine hero.
This was not a straightforward journey for Michael Jon Carter. Multiple times across multiple different iterations, Booster Gold has been given a chance to be a member of the Justice League, only to be kicked out for one reason or another. From disrupting the timeline with his antics to an inability to take his duties seriously, he finds himself not fitting in with DC’s highest heroes.
In the series Batman: The Brave and the Bold, the Caped Crusader himself chewed Booster out for his irresponsibility both with his time travel and general attitude to heroics. It took a while for Booster Gold to become a real deal member and to stay that way.
2 Clark Kent – Superman
Ideals Can Get In The Way Of Team Cohesion
- Character Aliases: Kal-El, The Last Son of Krypton, The Man of Steel
- The reason for their Justice League expulsion: the wrong decision for the right reasons.
The de-facto leader of the Justice League. The star-man himself came from Krypton to protect the people of humanity with greater powers and greater heart. Potentially the least likely candidate for heroes to be kicked out of the league, Action Comics #1031-35 proved that it could happen to even the Golden Boy himself.
In one of his most important comic issues, we learn that Superman took possession of Genesis, a powerful radioactive mineral found on Warworld. This only succeeded in putting the Justice League at odds with two power entities within the DC Comics universe – the government of the United States of America and the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Superman’s decision to rebel against Warworld in this manner saw him forced to exit.
Though he had noble reasons for taking the artifact, not wanting anyone else to be hurt by its power and his efforts were to halt an oppressive regime enacted by a faction on Warworld, the struggle caused made even Superman predict he would be kicked off of the team before he was even officially told.
1 Bruce Wayne – Batman
Planning Ahead Gone Wrong
- Character Aliases: The Caped Crusader, The World’s Greatest Detective, The Dark Knight
- The reason for their Justice League expulsion: paranoia and preparation.
Batman is known the most for his ruthless cunning and his tendency to plan ahead and come up with contingencies that allow him to defeat his foes. That is also what made him the target for team expulsion in one of his most infamous comic events – The Tower of Babel.
It is well known that Batman develops a series of contingencies based on the fear that he might one day be forced to take down members of the Justice League who have abandoned heroics to go rogue and commit evil acts. These contingencies included causing Martian Manhunter to burst into flames, blinding Green Lantern and making Aquaman aquaphobic, giving the Flash seizures, trapping Wonder Woman in a virtual reality, and exposing Superman to incapacitating amounts of Kryptonite.
Unfortunately for the Justice League, these plans were used against them when a villain of Batman’s, Ra’s Al Ghul, gained access to these plans. Though it was not intentional, Batman was kicked out of the league during this event. Both for letting these plans leak and for having created them in the first place, losing the league’s trust.
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