DC: Least Heroic Members Of The Justice League

Highlights

Booster Gold: A facade of heroism hiding a conman who steals technology and performs heroics for the spotlight.
Guy Gardner: Brash and cocky, often challenges his teammates and fails to extend his heroic abilities.
Azrael: Batman's chosen heir whose skewed moral compass leads him to use forceful tactics and kill villains.

The Justice League is DC's flagship team of superheroes. This team has rotated members over the years, but fans mostly know the Justice League as one that features the best and most heroic characters in the DC Universe, from Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and other legendary heroes worthy of grandeur.

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However, there have been times in the past when the team has enrolled some less heroic members. These characters may have joined the team to further their own agenda, or have been forced to act less heroically than others by their circumstances. Either way, not every member of the Justice League has always been the best they could be.

5 Booster Gold

More Of A Conman Than A Superhero

First Appearance: Booster Gold #1 (1986)
Created by: Dan Jurgens

Booster Gold is a character who appears heroic on the surface. However, anyone who looks further will see that this persona is nothing more than a facade. Booster Gold may be his superhero identity, but Michael Jon Carter has more in common with a conman than the rest of The Justice League.

Hailing from the 25th century, Carter gets in trouble for throwing football games for his own financial gain. This forces him to take a job as a night guard at the Metropolis Space Museum. It is here that some of the best superhero tech is displayed, so Michael steals some of this equipment to go back to the past and pose as a superhero using Rick Hunter's time ring. The stolen technology helps him keep up the ruse of Booster Gold, but all the heroics performed by this member of the Justice League are performed out of his lust for the spotlight, even if he does have a few quieter and tragic heroics away from cameras.

4 Guy Gardner

A Hot-Headed Green Lantern

Guy Gardner snarling as he bursts through a DC comic book page

First Appearance: Green Lantern #59 (1968)
Created by: John Broome and Gil Kane

The third person to inherit the Green Lantern ring in the main DC timeline, Guy Gardner, received the call to join the Green Lantern Corps when it was revealed he was the backup choice for the ring after Hal Jordan. As such, he is given the role of Green Lantern too, and later joins the new incarnation of the Justice League in the 1980s. In more recent years, Guy Gardner even spent time as a Red Lantern, showcasing his hardships as a character.

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Guy Gardner is instantly recognizable by his bowl-cut hair and permanent scowl. While a person does need to possess some heroic characteristics to become a Green Lantern, Gardner often pushes these boundaries with his brash and cocky behavior. Many fans will remember Gardner challenging Batman to lead the Justice League in a fight without his ring. Fortunately, Guy Gardner loses that fight with one punch. Despite his willpower and strength as a Lantern, Guy Gardner rarely extends his heroic abilities to help the rest of his team, which makes him one of the weak links in the Justice League.

3 Azrael

Batman's Heir Is Not What He Should Have Been

First Appearance: Batman: Sword of Azrael #1 (1992)
Created by: Denny O'Neil and Joe Quesada

During the Knightfall saga in the early 90s, Batman has his back broken by Bane. As a result, Bruce Wayne is left looking for someone else to take on the role of Batman. This means this person would patrol Gotham City and take his place as a member of The Justice League. His choice ends up being a man named Jean-Paul Valley, who decides to become a new kind of Batman.

When operating as the vigilante, Azrael, Jean-Paul had a lot of the attributes and skills Bruce thought were necessary to be Batman. However, this man's moral compass was skewed to view all criminals as unworthy of a second chance. Therefore, Azrael tended to use more forceful tactics when fighting crime in Gotham and as a member of The Justice League. This view even led Azrael to kill some of his foes, which meant Bruce Wayne had to come out of retirement and take back the role of Batman from this less heroic version.

2 Catwoman

An Anti-Hero Who Struggles To Change

First Appearance: Batman #1 (1940)
Created by: Bill Finger and Bob Kane

Catwoman originally debuted as a villainous jewel thief, who used to go toe-to-toe with Batman in Gotham City. However, the character has strayed more into anti-hero territory over time, and is often seen as a love interest for Bruce Wayne, and one of his most loyal allies. However, she is recruited as Batman's counter when Amanda Waller tries to assemble her own version of the Justice League in 2013.

Batman falling with Catwoman in his arms; Zoe Kravitz and Rob Pattinson in The Batman; Catwoman from a 1989 comic cover

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Seeing how Selina Kyle has been viewed as a hero in Gotham for some time, the public is happy to have this character on the team. Catwoman even manages to take out Steve Trevor to secure her spot as a member of this league. However, Selina finds she cannot fight against Batman again, and so leaves the team.

1 Lobo

An Immortal Foul-Mouthed Anti-Hero

Lobo smiling with a cigar in the DC comics

First Appearance: Omega Man #3 (1983)
Created by: Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen

Some would not believe that a self-serving bounty hunter like Lobo would ever join a team that is destined to do good for the sake of the universe. However, Lobo does get a spot on the Justice League in 2017's Rebirth comic line. Lobo takes the role as a favor to Batman after the hero saves Lobo from being mind-controlled by Maxwell Lord.

Ever the non-conformist, Lobo brings his own brand of violence to the team and refuses to tone down the dark and cruel nature of his crime-fighting methods. As a result, the space-faring anti-hero leaves the league to continue dishing out his own brand of justice without following anyone else's rules.