7 Best Dark Versions of Justice League Heroes, Ranked

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The Justice League is famous as one of the best superhero teams ever created, but many fans aren’t aware of the team’s more sinister versions. Because of the endless possibilities within the DC universe and the ever-changing future of the main DC storyline, we’ve seen countless dark interpretations of these beloved heroes. We often see these darker versions focused on individual heroes – like the many twisted Batmen in Dark Knights: Metal. However, given the Justice League’s iconic status, it’s not surprising that there are also multiple alternate versions of the team itself.

Some Justice League teams reflect the grim realities of their worlds. For example, the Justice League of Assassins became more ruthless due to their harsh environment, and the Titans from the ‘Titans Tomorrow’ future adopted more extreme tactics to take the League’s place. These teams aren’t inherently evil, but they’ve likely crossed lines the main Justice League wouldn’t. Keep reading to explore 7 of the most compelling dark Justice League teams and find out which one is the most unique.

7. Bizarro Justice League

No matter what you think of Bizarro, he’s more of a powerful joke than a real danger. In the famous story “Escape from Bizarroworld,” he created his own world filled with twisted versions of heroes and villains. Just like Superman has a Justice League, Bizarro formed one too. However, his team only worked according to his strange rules – it included a Flash who couldn’t run and a Yellow Lantern who was hardly capable of using their power ring. It was a twisted take on the League, but certainly not a scary one.

6. Justice Squad

The “Future State” storyline presented a grim possible future for the main DC Universe. In this future, Amanda Waller created a new Justice League based on her Suicide Squad idea. While a few actual heroes joined, like an adult Conner Kent as Superman and Bolt as Flash, most of the team was made up of villains forced to work for Waller – including a villain impersonating Batman and another taking the role of Martian Manhunter. Fortunately, this dark future hasn’t happened and won’t.

5. Task Force VII

In the story Absolute Power, Amanda Waller took extreme measures to ensure global security. She obtained Batman’s Failsafe robot and a team of Amazos, then enhanced them with technology from Brainiac Queen, forming Task Force VII. Waller’s goal was to control both heroes and villains by stealing the powers of metahumans around the world and replacing them with her new team. This wasn’t a separate reality; the main DC Universe heroes were on the verge of being forced into retirement. Fortunately, Green Arrow devised a plan that ultimately stopped Waller and disbanded Task Force VII.

4. Justice League of Assassins

Most worlds in the multiverse aren’t that different from our own, but some have it really tough. On Earth-14, there are no real heroes—just mercenaries trying to survive. Instead of a Justice League dedicated to justice, they had a League of Assassins. Well, they had one, until a villain called Prophecy wiped them out, targeting every Superman across the multiverse. They weren’t perfect, but they were the only thing standing between Earth-14 and total chaos.

3. Justice League (Absolute Universe)

The idea of ‘justice’ varies from world to world. In the Absolute Universe, villains rule—they’re the wealthiest, most powerful people around. The first issue of Absolute Evil showed these villains meeting to discuss the trouble heroes cause. Surprisingly, the Absolute Joker argued that those in power should work together to maintain the existing order. This group isn’t a heroic Justice League, but they’re actually doing what the Justice League should do: working together to preserve the world as they know it.

2. Titans (Titans Tomorrow)

Even though the team still called themselves the Titans in the ‘Titans Tomorrow’ future, they essentially functioned as the world’s main superhero team, similar to the Justice League. While still dedicated to fighting crime, the grown-up Titans had become much more aggressive in their approach. This was partly due to the loss of Justice League heroes, a tragedy that led many of them to embrace violence and justify their harsh methods as necessary for being heroes. This version of the Titans is one of the most grim and brutal superhero teams you’ll find.

1. Justice League Dark

Of course we had to mention Justice League Dark when discussing darker versions of the Justice League! Unlike other ‘dark’ teams, Justice League Dark is currently an active part of the main DC Universe. They’re connected to the larger Justice League Unlimited and focus on magical and mystical heroes. This team investigates the strangest, most mysterious threats and deals with anything supernatural that endangers the world. It’s arguably the most well-known and effective ‘dark’ Justice League out there.

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2026-02-28 21:11