The 10 Best Superhero Teams In Comics

Little did DC know that when the second version of The Suicide Squad appeared in 1987, it would completely turn the concept of a team comic book on its head. The Suicide Squad isn’t comprised of altruistic do-gooders in capes and tights; it’s a team of sleazy ex-cons and super villains hired by the government to do its dirty work in exchange for shortened prison sentences.

The squadwasn’t involved in high-profile missions for public consumption; they were in charge of taking on the clandestine duties that the government didn’t want to touch. Assassinations, espionage, and other dirty deeds were carried out by villains like Deadshot, The Penguin, Captain Cold, Enchantress, and other baddies from the DC Universe.

"Dysfunctional" doesn’t begin to describe the Suicide Squad, and their constant strife and untrustworthy nature made for some of the most intriguing stories the company put out during the late ‘80s and ‘90s. The book continues today with a new roster and creative team, but the team itself is just as violent and antisocial as ever.

It’s no secret that the comic book industry is almost completely male-dominated, but DC made some pretty strong steps forward in the diversity game by introducing the title Birds of Preyin 1999. The book revolves around a team of muscled-up superheroines, led by Oracle, the former Batgirl. During the book’s history, vigilantes like Black Canary, the Huntress, Powergirl, Poison Ivy, and others have filled out the Birds' estrogen-filled roster.

But despite the comic book itself being called Birds of Prey, the team doesn’t have an official name. It’s actually more of a ragtag group of crime fighters united to place their high-heels in between the eyes of the company’s most vicious villains. Some people might find the idea of a female-powered group intimidating, but Birds of Prey has long been amongst DC's freshest titles. Most of the praise has to be heaped on writer Gail Simone, who has brought the team to its creative peak in recent years.

Years before The Avengers and Justice League lined comic book store shelves and movie theaters across the country, The Justice Society of America made its debut in DC’s All Star Comics#3 in 1940, officially marking the first-ever appearance of a superhero team. The crew's first roster was comprised of Golden Age heroes like Doctor Fate, Hour-Man, the Spectre, the Sandman, and the first versions of the Atom, the Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman.

Since then, the team has obviously taken a backseat to the likes of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and newer versions of The Flash and Green Lantern; however, a series of relaunches led to the return of the JSA, and the book quickly became a must-read every month. As an older set of heroes, the JSA comics had the types of plots that weren't possible for the Justice League books, and the title sometimes took on an even darker tone than its younger competition.

Drenched in DC lore and history, the recent Justice Society of America book is one of the company's finest achievements over the past decade, serving as the perfect compliment to the team’s lineage that began in the ‘40s.

There's no doubt about it: the Avengers are all pretty boys. They’re rich, powerful, good -ooking, and the public absolutely loves them. But as we all know, interesting fiction doesn't come from perfection; instead, heroes with problems and flaws are what really make for a great comic book. Including outsiders like the Hulk, Doctor Strange, Namor, Silver Surfer, Valkyrie, Hell Cat, Beast, and other quirky characters, The Defenders is a team set up for heroes who aren't exactly beloved by everyday civilians.

Unlike the Avengers, the Defenders really had no reason to be together, and the roster was constantly in flux. Their adventures were always satirical and filled with absurd humor, but this non-traditional approach helped the book stick out amongst the army of other team comics on the shelves. And the most recent incarnation of the team is following in the mighty Marvel way.

In the waning days of the ‘90s, Wildstorm Comics, which operates under the DC banner, debuted a team comic called The Authority, created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch. The outfit itself was billed as the anti-hero super team, and the stories reflected a darker vision that was taking over the comic book industry. They got the job done by whatever means were necessary, unlike The Justice League and Avengers. The book was violent, dark, morally questionable, and absolutely thrilling to read.

Spinning out of Jim Lee’s Stormwatch, The Authority consisted of no-name heroes Jenny Sparks, Jack Hawksmoor, The Engineer, and Apollo and Midnighter, one of the first openly gay couples in comics. While the Justice League and Avengers were designed to appeal to movie studios, toy companies, and parents around the world, The Authority was happy to spit in the face of the norm and challenge the preconceptions of the genre.

The Authority’s brand of totalitarian control might not sit well with traditional superhero fans, but, similar to what Alan Moore did with Watchmen, the book turned an entire industry on its head for a brief period of time.

DC’s squad of junior superheroes might seem like an idea solely designed to get children into reading comics, but the Teen Titans are one of the most original and daring teams in the business. Characters like Robin, Raven, Kid Flash, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg all filled out the Titans roster at one point or another, and their radically diversified backgrounds made for some great reading.

During the ‘80s, which was one of DC’s most creatively fertile times, Teen Titans was one of the best superhero books on the market. The stakes were high, the villains were fierce, and the interplay between each hero was fascinating to watch. Stories like "The Judas Contract" completely shattered preconceptions of what a kid team could be. They might need fake I.D.'s to buy a 30-pack of Natty Ice, but this team is as hard-boiled as they come.

It can be argued that, since the '80s no other comic book property has been as popular as the X-Men; people simply can’t get enough of them. The team is capable of starring in a near-countless amount of spinoff books, and fans will consume them by the metric ton. The New Mutants, X-Factor, X-Force, Exiles, X-Static, and a whole host of other X-related books have hit shelves over the decade, and they have all been either best-sellers or cult classics. But the main core of Xavier’s mutants in Uncanny X-Men will always be the best.

Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus, and the others from Chris Claremont’s legendary run on the book during the ‘80s and ‘90s are still the most popular members of the team for most fans. During this time, classic storylines like “The Dark Phoenix Saga," “Mutant Massacre," “Fall of the Mutants," and “Days of Future Past” lit up the comic book world with inventive storytelling, shocking twists, and an emotional core of characters, all while preaching themes of peace and tolerance.

Marvel’s original super team is still its closest knit. The Fantastic Four aren’t separate heroes banded together to battle evil; they’re a family. If they didn’t have powers, they would still be just as close with each other as they are now. Reed Richards; his wife, Sue; her brother, Johnny; and their longtime friend Ben Grimm easily have the most complex team dynamic in all of comics. They argue, they fight, they make up, and they have each other’s backs. And they do it all with bits of humor and humanity that are absent in most superhero comics.

Over the years, the team has tackled villains like The Mole Man, Galactus, and Dr. Doom in some of the most pulse-pounding comics that Marvel has ever put out. But the writers of the books are always aware that the real draw is the family drama. In an industry as up-and-down as the comic book medium, the Fantastic Four have always been the conscience of Marvel. When every other comic that the company puts out begins to fail, “The First Family of Marvel” is something you can always pick up and enjoy.

The best thing about Marvel's Avengers is that they aren’t the well-oiled machine that most people think they are; they’re actually quite dysfunctional. Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hank Pym, and the Wasp could just as easily be found pounding on each other as often as they would be battling the likes of Ultron and Kang the Conqueror.

No matter if you’re talking about The Ultimates or the mainstream Avengers, the group is always in the middle of some of Marvel's best stories year in and year out. Every major development and storyline that runs through the Marvel Universe always has its roots in The Avengers comic book series, making the team the crown jewel at The House of Ideas.

This is a team that could fight intergalactic threats like Thanos one issue, and then small-time hoods like The Wrecking Crew during the next issue. They’re the working class heroes of the comic book world, and they don’t shy away from issues ranging from alien threats to social justice. That’s why they have endured for this long, and it's also why millions of theater-going people are about to become enamored with them.

Really, numbers one and two on this list could be easily swapped, but we’re giving the Justice League the slight, slight nod just due to the fact that the team’s trinity of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman makes up the foundation on which the entire comic book industry was built upon. Over the years, the League has been looked upon as heroes, demigods, and even public menaces from time-to-time, but no matter what direction the comic has gone in, the stories have always been larger than life.

Legendary talent like Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Dwayne McDuffie, J.M. DeMatteis, Keith Giffen, and countless others have all contributed to the team’s success by adding their own unique touches to the comic'sstorylines. The Justice League may not have been the first super team, but theirs is undoubtedly the model from which every one since has copied.

Any time you can say a team’s roster includes Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, The Green Lantern, The Flash, Zatanna, and Hawkgirl, it’s hard not to view said group as the best. The stories might not be as emotional and relatable as the Avengers' comics, but the moral complexities and thought-provoking questions asked by some of the team's best stories put Justice League right at the top.