Among all comic book super teams, no legend looms larger than that of the iconic Justice League. Formed in 1960, the world’s greatest superheroes have thrilled fans with their feats of heroism against tyrannical foes, evil aliens and power-mad despots. However, no group that has lasted over sixty years can avoid occasionally looking back at past actions with regret or even embarrassment, especially when culture changes so dramatically. Before a Crisis wipes this report of dishonorable mentions from the League’s records, let’s all have a laugh at five times the Justice League memorably made complete and utter fools of themselves.
 

The Flash Accidentally Makes Himself Two-Dimensional

In the comic book adaptation of the Justice League animated series, Superman finds the Flash in the Watchtower reaching new levels of speed in a quest to make communication frequencies like microwaves and radio waves visible. Rightfully believing this to be a bad idea, Superman warns his teammate that racing at such a speed threatens to distort his physical stability, turning him into a wavelength. Soon enough, that’s more or less what happens when the Flash tries traveling as an electromagnetic transmission through the phone lines on his way to S.T.A.R. Labs. The plan works, but Flash emerges on the other end of the line completely flat and two-dimensional.

The trouble plaguing S.T.A.R. Labs does rather conveniently involve alien creatures from the second dimension which only Flash can see, but his rash decision and now cartoonish physical appearance has the rest of the Justice League thinking he’s lost his mind along with his rounded form. Much of the issue sees his friends rolling their eyes at his insistence that the lab is being attacked by flatly-rendered extraterrestrials. It’s only when J’onn J’onzz and Hawkgirl conduct their own investigation that the aliens are eventually revealed and defeated. But just because the enemies of the day happened to be 2-D invaders still does not negate the fact that the Flash’s careless experimentation with high-speed frequencies resulted in him becoming flatter than the paper his comics are printed on!
 

The Justice League Picks a Fight with the Titans

In the 2003 Teen Titans series, a new version of the team formed by older members of the original Titans and the third generation of sidekicks was nearly over before it began thanks to the Justice League. It started when Wonder Woman gave explicit instructions to Cyborg and Starfire not to take in Cassandra Sandsmark, a.k.a. the second Wonder Girl, after the first Wonder Girl was killed. Preferring to train Cassie herself, Diana gets into a heated battle with Starfire, who’s still hurting after the loss of her Titans sister.

When the rest of the League arrives, a brawl breaks out between heroes and sidekicks. Superman tries to reason with Superboy, Batman reprimands Robin and Flash races after Kid Flash. In the end, Nightwing arrives to squash the squabbling as a third party and—with some requisite embarrassment on all sides—helps the heroes come to an agreement that leads to the reformation of the Teen Titans.

Ultimately, everything here turns out okay, but…really, Justice League? Resorting to physical blows with your former sidekicks and surrogate children over a simple disagreement? Can’t help but feel like you’re the ones who should be sent to your rooms after this embarrassing incident.
 

A Singing Mayoral Candidate and His Supporters Easily Beat Up the Justice League

In Justice League of America #95, an army veteran named Johnny Dune returns from the Vietnam War and decides to run for mayor. Hoping to change minds through the power of song, he uses his recently discovered mutant power to gather support at a rally—the same rally that Green Arrow and the Atom are delighting crowds at with their superhero skills. After swaying the crowd’s emotions, Dune points out the costumed heroes as symbols of the status quo and signals the crowd to attack.

“Maybe we’d better call in the Justice League on this, GA!” shouts the Atom, as the onslaught of young, first-time voters approach. Soon, they’re both down for the count, begging for assistance. When Batman and Black Canary arrive for backup, they’re swiftly beaten by their teammates who are now under Dune’s control.

What happened? It isn’t as though Johnny Dune’s suggestive voice imbues his followers with super strength or any other powers. Nor do the heroes pull any punches to keep from hurting the crowd. They’re just defeated and tied up by a bunch of hippies. Later, Green Arrow manages to fight off Dune’s vocal control just long enough to fire a plunger-arrow onto his mouth to keep him from speaking, effectively defeating him. Still, this is one serious off-day for the Justice League, and one that I’m sure none of them relayed to Superman and the others at the next Watchtower meeting.
 

The Heroes Pose as Fake Villains to Invite Black Lightning to Join the Justice League…and Instantly Get Rejected

Justice League of America #173 finds the team considering membership for the newest hero in Metropolis—Black Lightning. Green Arrow vouches for him happily, but the Flash loudly objects to Arrow’s judgment. Superman resolves to be the final judge and along with Green Lantern and Zatanna, the heroes disguise themselves as laughable super-villains, attacking Black Lightning out of the blue. “Primak,” “The Trans-Visible Man” and “Swashbuckler” throw everything they’ve got at the new hero, only to be quickly bested in combat. As Swashbuckler finds himself on the other end of a Simpsons-esque stranglehold, he quickly unmasks himself as Green Arrow, revealing the Justice League’s ruse. Insulted by the subterfuge and preferring to work alone, Lightning flatly rejects their offer saying that there’s too much work to be done in Suicide Slum for him to ever work anywhere else.
 

Doomsday Effortlessly Eats the Justice League’s Lunch

Is this unfair? After all, this is the same monster who famously killed Superman, in the same story this battle takes place in—The Death of Superman. In fact, it’s Doomsday’s utter annihilation of the Justice League that rang the alarm over just how intensely OP this new threat truly was.

Running interference for the monster before the arrival of Superman, the League—then populated by Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Bloodwynd, Guy Gardner, Maxima, Fire and Ice—are quickly shown how outmatched they are when Doomsday destroys the Bug ship they’re arriving in. Ever the eager braggart, Guy Gardner jumps into the fray first and is blinded by the pounding Doomsday delivers to him. Fire and Bloodwynd do little to stop the rampage, and Blue Beetle (one of the few non-powered human heroes on the team) is immediately made comatose when Doomsday grabs his neck and ragdolls him repeatedly into the concrete floor. Booster Gold runs out of power, giving Doomsday a chance to grab him as well and slam his head into a nearby car door.

In the end, while the team surprisingly escapes without any fatalities, everyone is humbled and changed by the experience. Meanwhile, Superman and his millions of fans worldwide came to realize the truth behind Booster Gold’s warning to the Man of Steel as he inadvertently gave the new villain his name: “It’s like Doomsday is here.”
 

Donovan Morgan Grant writes about comics, graphic novels and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on Bluesky at @donomark and X at @donoDMG1.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Donovan Morgan Grant and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.