The Justice Society of America is the predecessor to the JLA and one of the most powerful superhero teams formed. With the buzz around the new Black Adam film, we get a glimpse of some of these classic characters through the trailers, and it will be exciting to finally see them in action.
These powered individuals are all strong in their own right, and we’re confident they would easily be able to give the modern JLA a run for their money.
Let’s look at the strongest members of the Justice Society of America!
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#11 Hourman
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #48 (March 1940)
Best Comic Feat: On Miraclo, Hour man is said to have the strength of 10 Olympic athletes and more
To kick off this list, we have Hour man. The first Hour man, Rex Tyler, is a chemist who discovered a powerful drug called Miraclo. This pill gave Rex superhuman abilities and allowed him to become a superhero.
The only downside to this power pill was that the effects lasted only an hour, meaning that his powers would wear off as soon as the clock hit 60 minutes. Hence, the name. This Chemist started as ‘The man of the hour’ and would fight crime wearing a suit he found at an abandoned costume shop.
Even though the circumstances and the methods used by the hero are questionable (his addiction to the Miraclo drug), He was still one of the most respected and strongest members of the Justice Society of America.
In the JSA’s battle against the Injustice Society, Hour man proved to be an integral part of the team, fighting off many of the ISA members and still leaving unscathed. While Hour man is not the strongest team member, the powers that followed his pill-popping allowed him to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Tigress, who is nearly as strong as Wonder Woman.
A pill-popping superhero. Who would have thought?
Powers:
- Super Strength
- Superhuman Durability
- Superhuman Stamina
- Resistance To Physical Damage
- Aquatic Adaption
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#10 Atom Smasher
First Appearance: Kingdom Come #2 (June 1996)
Best Comic Feat: Punches Black Adam hard enough to send him flying into the sky
Albert Rothstein, a.k.a. Atom smasher and formerly Nuklon, is a charter member of the JSA, JLA. Also, Infinity Inc. Atom’s powers allow him to grow in size and alter the density of his body. This entailed brute strength and made him one of the most powerful members of the JSA.
The moral compass of this hero is questionable, the same as his close confidant Black Adam but what isn’t up for debate is how mighty he is. With the ability to grow up to six stories tall, this superhero is a mammoth in his own right. His size manipulation allows him to reach strengths enough to beat Power Girl with a single blow.
He has even gone toe to toe with Black Adam, and that is saying a lot.
Powers:
- Super Strength
- Size Manipulation
- Superhuman Durability
- Superhuman Speed
#9 Hawkman
First Appearance: Flash Comics #1 (January 1940)
Best Comic Feat: Slams Black Adam into a brick wall during the events of ‘Black Adam: The Dark Age #3’
Hawkman is a DC hero that most are familiar with. This Hero is the reincarnation of an Egyptian prince named Khufu and lives in the modern world as Carter Hall. Hawkman has been part of the JSA and the JLA and even assumed the Chairman of the Justice Society. This winged Hero has all the memories of his past self, and the experiences of his past lives make him a very intelligent and experienced super.
Hawkman is a great asset; with strength levels matching Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter, Hawkman is one of the strongest superheroes in both the JSA and JLA. He has been hurting the likes of Black Adam and even Superman. The mace he uses is made of Nth metal and uses it as his weapon of choice.
Hawkman has done severe damage to Superman with his magic mace. That in itself is impressive.
Powers:
- Possess Nth Metal
- Flight
- Reincarnation
- Superhuman Strength
- Superhuman Durability
#8 Stargirl
First Appearance: JSA: All Stars #4 (October 2003)
Best Comic Feat: The beams from Stargirl’s comic staff have been shown to disrupt the humanoid form of Clayface and turn him into a puddle
Courtney Whitmore, a.k.a. Stargirl, became a member of the Justice Society during the World War ll period. Courtney was an avid kickboxer and gymnast.
The Star Spangled kid took on her superhero alias after she found the Cosmic Converter Belt in her Step-Father’s (Pat Dugan) belongings. This belt gave her enhanced strength, speed, and the ability to create light constructs and shoot star-like energy blasts.
The young hero eventually joined the Justice Society when she was given the Cosmic Staff by Starman upon his retirement. The Cosmic staff enhanced her abilities and made her even stronger. Stargirl is a competent member of the JSA and the JLA, but her simple inexperienced approach to the hero life has sometimes held her back.
Regardless, her weapons and powers enhance her strength and allow her to even take on villains like Solomon Grundy.
It is worth noting that Grundy has given Superman a hard time on many occasions.
Powers:
- Possesses A Cosmic Staff
- Superhuman Strength
- Energy Blasts
- Flight
#7 Power Girl
First Appearance: All-Star Comics #58 (February 1976)
Best Comic Feat: Power girl can be seen stopping a ship the size of a small city from hitting Manhattan
Kara Zor L, a.k.a. Power girl, is the Earth-2 counterpart to Super-girl and is the first cousin to Kal L. Upon discovering that Krypton was about to implode, Kara’s father sent her on a ship to Earth at the same time as Superman’s Ship. However, her ship arrived on earth decades after the Man of Steel. The cryogenic nature of her ship stopped her from aging.
After learning and understanding the ways of Earth as Clark Kent’s niece, Kara joined the Justice Society as a replacement for Superman.
Power Girl has all the powers and abilities as her cousin, and her strength levels are shown to be on par with him. It can be argued that the only reason Superman would win in a fight would be because of his battle experience.
Power Girl once punched Wonder Woman into another country. Enough said.
Powers:
- Powered By Yellow Sun
- Super Strength
- Flight
- Superhuman Durability
- Superhuman Speed
#6 Alan Scott
First Appearance: All-American Comics #16 (July 1940)
Best Comic Feat: Alan Scott can resist Parallax’s possession. It is important to note that all other Green Lanterns have fallen into Parallax’s possession
Alan Scott is the first Green Lantern and arguably one of the strongest. Scott has often assumed the role of JSA’s leader and is one of its founding members. Unlike other Lanterns, Alan Scott gets his powers from a mystical entity called the Starheart. It was the Starheart that instructed Scott to fashion the ring. This ring gave him abilities like flight and energy constructs. Alan Scott is said to be the strongest Human on Earth 2.
Mr. Terrific, the 3rd smartest man alive, has said so himself and that Alan Scott could take out an entire Solar System by himself. Besides being physically powerful, the Starheart also gives him the mind control ability. He has even managed to control Dr. Fate and Obsidian.
When he eventually became the Starheart, his power is said to have crossed all previous limits. He is one of the strongest superheroes in the DC universe.
Powers:
- Energy Constructs
- Flight
- Enhanced senses
- Energy Projection
- Force Fields
#5 Jay Garrick
First Appearance: Flash Comics #1 (January 1940)
Best Comic Feat: Jay Garrick has been shown to run to the end of Speed Force
Every good team has a speedster, and the Justice Society had Jay Garrick, the predecessor to the modern versions of the Flash. The then fastest man alive was one of the founding members of the JSA and an on-again-off-again guest in the modern Flash story-arcs.
After receiving his speed in an accident, Jay took the title of Flash. He’s said to have almost matched the speeds of the current Flash. His powers allowed him to be faster than the speed of sound and made him a conduit of the Speed Force. Like the other speedsters, he can phase through solid objects and throw lightning bolts at his enemies.
Barry Allen’s ‘Round the world’ punches have taken out Luthor Brainiac, and though Jay Garrick is not as fast, a similar technique would give him the power to attack with force rivaling the Kryptonian.
Powers:
- Super Speed
- Accelerated Healing
- Super Speed
- Durability
- Phasing
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#4 Black Adam
First Appearance: The Marvel Family #1 (December 1945)
Best Comic Feat: He can be seen throwing one fighter jet into another with ease
We are no stranger to the King of Kahndaq, and we’re super excited to see The Rock’s portrayal of this character. With the magical powers of Shazam, Mighty Adam, Superhuman strength, flight, and a string of other mystical powers, Black Adam is an Anti-Hero who eventually became a JSA member.
Black Adam often finds himself in the middle of right and wrong and tipped over to both sides on many occasions. The violent protector of Kahndaq is mighty and easily outmatched every other mortal member of the JSA.
Black Adam is shown to be strong enough to land bloody blows against Superman, and it took both the Man of Steel and Captain Marvel to take him down in a DC Short movie featuring the three.
With all the powers of the ancient Egyptian Gods, Mighty Adam is a force to reckon with.
Power:
- Superhuman Strength
- Flight
- Magic
- Superhuman Durability
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#3 Doctor Fate
First Appearance: More Fun Comics #55 (May 1940)
Best Comic Feat: His telepathic abilities have been shown to sense Bruce Wayne’s consciousness a world away
Doctor Fate is a sorcerer and an agent for the Lords of Order in their never evening battle against the Lords of Chaos. He gained his abilities when he accidentally released Nabu from an ancient pyramid, and this entity took him as its host. Nabu gave him mastery over the mystic arts and made him one of the most powerful begins to exist.
Dr. Fate was one of the first heroes to encounter Specter; they have worked together on many occasions.
He has a wide array of powers that would allow him to take on any of the big hitters in the DC universe and come out victorious in most cases. In addition to the powers most supes have, he also possesses the power of Inter-Dimensional Travel and matter manipulation. The combination of all these powers makes him quite the powerhouse.
Oh, and he has knocked out Superman once. Pretty neat.
Powers:
- Telekinesis
- Flight
- Wizardry
- Mystical Awareness
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#2 Kal L
First Appearance: Action Comics #1 (June 1938)
Best Comic Feat: This version of Superman creates a sun by throwing two moons together and then throws a planet in its orbit
Superman is the strongest in almost every version of the multiverse. The Man of Steel has been the leader of numerous teams, with the JLA and the JSA being the most notable. This version of Superman got his powers slowly as he aged, and though the earlier version of Kal L didn’t have all the bells and whistles, we eventually got to see what he was capable of.
Most iterations of Superman had a strong compass, but this one, not so much. He was a more violent version and was aggressive when handling criminals. Not a good look for a Superman.
We do not know the limits of Kal L, but in Superman: Infinite Crises, Kal L punches Kal El so hard that he would experience his life each time. The fight between the two is said to have shaken the space-time reality.
Powers:
- Super Strength
- Flight
- Superhuman Durability
- Enhanced Speed
- Enhanced Senses
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#1 Jim Corrigan (Spectre)
First Appearance: More Fun Comics #52 (February 1940)
Best Comic Feat: The Specter can be seen catching an entire planet moving at the speed of light
Specter is easily one of the coolest characters in the DC universe. He is the divine spirit of Vengeance and an Angel of the Presence. Jim Corrigan has been a visiting member of the Justice Society and the Justice League on many occasions and helped both teams win their battles. This God-like being has all the powers of one, including omnipotence.
The Divine wrath’s duty was to exact God’s vengeance upon the universe and humble anyone who needed it.
Corrigan found the Specter force in limbo after he was killed in a gangland killing and was released back into the universe to fight evil wherever it lay. Jim Corrigan was instrumental in stopping the Nazi movement in the Comics and played a pivotal part in the victory of the allied forces.
His Nigh-omnipotence gives him limitless power and allows him to do anything in his imagination.
The Specter is not only the strongest member of the Justice League but is also the Strongest in the Universe.
It’s hard to beat a God.
Powers:
- Omnipotence
- Divine Empowerment
- Dimensional Travel
- Cosmic Awareness
- Energy Projection
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Honorable mentions
- Hawkgirl
- Wonder Woman (Hippolyta)
- Citizen Steel
- Jesse Quick
- Obsidian
With this, we come to the end of our list. Some of these Golden age heroes have made a comeback through TV shows like “The Flash” and “The Legends of Tomorrow.” The Black Adam trailer confirms the appearance of some of them in the DCEU as well.
Here are a few most searched questions to know about the JSA from all over the web.
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FAQs
Who Is the Leader of the Justice Society?
Alan Scott has been the leader of the JSA for most of its existence, with leadership sometimes going to Jay Garrick and Hawkman.
Who Are the Founding Members of the Justice Society of America?
The founding member of the JSA is Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, Specter, Hawkman, Atom Smasher, Hour man, and Sandman.
Who Is the Most Powerful Member of the Justice Society?
The Specter is the most powerful member of the JSA. He has God-like powers that are only second to the Presence.
Who Is the Best Justice League Member?
Batman is the best Justice League member and has been the leader of the League on many occasions.
Who Is the Weakest Member of the Justice League?
Green Arrow is the weakest member of the Justice League.
That’s all for today folks! We believe you found the answer you are looking for. So, Which JSA member is your favorite, and who would you like to see on the big screen?
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