One of my favorite Justice League stories of the past couple of years was Brad Meltzer’s debut run on the series, where Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman sat at a table and decided who should be in the League. It was an interesting look at building the perfect line-up for the greatest team in comics. Now that we know that big changes are coming for the Justice League franchise (Lex Luthor and Captain Cold on the team? Moving to Canada?) let us look at who would comprise the perfect line-up for the Justice League. The catch is that over the past several decades these characters have changed and evolved the need arises to find the perfect incarnations of these heroes to join the team.
Superman (Superman For All Seasons): Jeph Loeb and frequent collaborator Tim Sale gave us one of the best characterizations of the Man of Steel to date with their saga exploring the early years of the hero. Superman retained his charm and Boy Scoutness but there was no questioning his strong moral code. This version of the character took an all-powerful hero and made him relatable and human which would make him the perfect moral compass for the Justice League.
Batman (Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo): Thanks to the creative duo of Snyder and Capullo, Batman easily became the crown jewel of DC’s New 52. Distilling everything we love about the Dark Knight into a single unified characterization who has been pushed to his limit many times over facing both old and new foes. While he maintains his status as a brilliant detective and tactician, their Dark Knight has no problem collaborating with others which is a must with the Justice League.
Wonder Woman (Greg Rucka): One of the most underrated runs in comics in recent years. Greg Rucka showed a great understanding of Wonder Woman portraying her as an outsider who is as much loved as she is hated by the populace. She is at once tough-as-nails and caring and could use her status with the League to further her position in Man’s World.
Green Lantern (Justice League Animated): John Stewart; strong, courageous, by-the-book, with a very black-and-white view of the world. John Stewart is devoted to the League moreso than any other, which gives him an advantage over the other Ring Slingers.
The Flash (Geoff Johns and Scott Kollins): Barry Allen may be the man running around in red and gold currently but this current generation of comic fans grew up on Wally West as the Scarlet Speedster. In their historic run Geoff Johns and artist Scott Kollins (one of the most underrated artists around) gave us a Wally West who was a blue collar regular guy, who could bring a unique perspective to the mission of the Justice League that a reclusive billionaire and invincible alien just do not have.
Aquaman (Geoff Johns): Geoff Johns has done what few others have been able to, he made Aquaman cool. Part of that coolness came from his making Aquaman the leader of his own super hero team, The Others. Going from leading a team to being simply a part of one could hurt the ego of the King of the Sea and make for some great stories.
Green Arrow (Longbow Hunters): Mike Grell put a very adult take on the Emerald Archer in a story that has inspired so many other takes on the character. Ridding Oliver Queen of trick arrows, he was made into a grizzled man of the people in a harsh urban setting. This character has a view of the world that few others would with Batman’s resources and money combined with the Flash’s everyman quality.
Zatanna (Paul Dini): One of the all time great super hero writers, Paul Dini has never made his love of the backwards talking magician a secret from the comics to television he has written the best take on Zatanna to date. Plus the Justice League always needs a magic expert on hand to deal with any mystical threats which may arise.
