Justice League: The Animated Series – The Founding Members (Ranked By Likability)

With DC’s Dark Crisis ending soon, fans are wondering what will be next for the Justice League now that the iconic heroes of old will be returning. If newcomers want to see the perfect distillation of what makes the team so special, they only need to turn to the 2003 animated series.

From the minds behind Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League had an ensemble of beloved characters from the DC Comics pantheon, with the creators picking incarnations of the characters many weren’t expecting. The founding seven members are all pretty much likable but are at different levels of likability.

Batman

Batman is a lot of things, but likable isn’t necessarily one of them. While he is a “founding member,” Batman isn’t a full-timer, making that very clear in his interactions with his teammates. His blunt, sometimes uncaring attitude tends to rub his teammates the wrong way, but at the end of the day, everyone has family members like that.

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Although he often comes across as a jerk, Batman does clearly show affection for his fellow Leaguers, reacting with horror when he believes Wonder Woman and Flash have been injured and swooping in to save them. Naturally, Kevin Conroy delivers his a-game, making The Caped Crusader’s stand-offish nature appealing and even funny on occasions.

Hawkgirl

Making Hawkgirl a founding member of this incarnation of The League was a bold move, but an incredibly smart one, as it not only bolstered mainstream awareness of the heroine, but turned her into one of the DCAU’s greatest heroes. Compared to the more even-tempered members, Hawkgirl has a hot temper and proves to be quicker to do the things that her teammates wouldn’t have the stomach for.

Hawkgirl ranks a little lower because her act-first attitude sometimes gets her into trouble and her betrayal of the team at the end of season 2 still stings a bit. However, it can’t be argued that her interactions with the team, especially her paramour Green Lantern, weren’t a highlight of the series. The character’s impact on the audience is aided by the performance by actor Maria Canals-Barrera, who gives her a gravitas and a ferocity that helps her stand out from the other Leaguers.

Green Lantern

Outside his stories in the comic books, Justice League made the John Stewart incarnation of Green Lantern a fan-favorite. GL’s military background gives him a commanding aura, but that betrays a true compassion for those he finds himself fighting beside.

Green Lantern can come across as a bit jackbooted on the rare occasion, but when he lets his guard down (which is usually when he shares the screen with his future love interest Hawkgirl), he shows a caring, sentimental side that often has to hide. Actor Phil LaMarr gives the character a real prescience, with his booming, drill-sergent-like voice, making the viewer sit up and pay attention to what the character is saying.

Martian Manhunter

Out of the seven members of The Justice League, J’onn J’onzz is the most steadfast and even-tempered. More often than not, Martian Manhunter tends to be the voice of logic and reason, very rarely raising his voice or acting violently, save for when he has to forcefully read someone’s mind.

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Though he isn’t necessarily the most emotional member of The League, J’onn shows a degree of warmth in some of the show’s more sentimental moments, especially in “Comfort & Joy.” Aiding the character’s evenness is the smooth, silky voice that actor Carl Lumbly provides him.

Superman

Justice League managed to give The Man of Steel an edge without turning him into a bully or an edgelord. While the series’ first season slipped up a tad by often having the threat of the week punk him out, the second season showcased Superman’s outer and inner strengths.

Whenever Superman shows his true kindness, it makes the viewer smile, and whenever he goes dark, it feels 100% earned, proving a cartoon intended for kids struck the right balance with The Last Son of Krypton, something his more recent cinematic outings have arguably failed to do. George Newburn slips right into Tim Daly’s shoes whilst making the role his own, maintaining Superman’s Midwestern charm whilst giving him a bit more of a seasoned voice.

Wonder Woman

Bringing Wonder Woman into the show must have been tricky for Bruce Timm and company, as while the other two members of DC’s Trinity got animated shows of their own, Wonder Woman made her debut in Justice League. The early days of Justice League present a Wonder Woman at the beginning of her career before becoming the legend that comic book fans know and love.

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Wonder Woman has a wide-eyed, fish-out-of-water persona in the first season which eventually gives way as she becomes more confident. Actress Susan Eisenberg expertly gives Diana of Themyscara a kind, gentle voice, but a gentle voice with a lot of strength.

The Flash

The Flash, who, in Justice League is Wally West, was also had to be a tough nut to crack. The character, as he was presented in the show, could easily come off as annoying or unlikeable in the hands of a lesser production team, but, instead, his brash wisecracking personality comes across as incredibly charming.

While he comes across as cocky and a bit brash, at his core, The Flash is the heart of the team, so much so that in a parallel universe, they lost their way after he was unjustly murdered by Lex Luthor. Michael Rosenbaum, who ironically was also famous at the time for playing Lex Luthor in Smallville, nails the character’s swagger and mild arrogance whilst also making sure his buffoonery doesn’t betray the character’s understated intelligence.

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