The Justice League is the team to beat, so to speak, in this tournament. This team was our model for drafting other characters to their teams. The thought was, what would happen if the Justice League faced, say...the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, well I think you know how that would go. Especially if the Justice League has 7 members and the Turtles only have 4, therefore the Turtles had some characters added and their overall power increased. Still, a handful of teams can't hold a candle to the Justice League no matter how much we pad the team. The Justice League are also, arguably, the most well known team.
Superman - even the most novice fan knows who Superman is. The Man of Steel, the Man of Tomorrow, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. You know the deal. That famous description of Superman needs an update though. He is still faster than a speeding bullet, and can travel faster than the speed of sound (still not as fast as the Flash, but can definitely hold his own in a foot race), the stronger than a locomotive thing is VERY out of date. These days, Superman's strength is really immeasurable, at one point he pulls a planet through the solar system! With enough exposure to the Earth's yellow sun, the stronger he becomes. Not too mention the fact that he is invulnerable and most likely immortal. Superman is the closest thing to a god coming to Earth. Superhuman strength, speed, and stamina plus invulnerability, heat vision, x-ray vision, telescopic vision. His weaknesses are for Kryptonite and magic. Yes, magic. Now do you see why magic users are so important in this tournament?
Batman - seriously if you don't know who Batman is, then what are you even doing here? Arguably the most popular comic book character of all time, especially these days, and the World's Greatest Detective. Batman's intelligence alone makes him incredibly formidible, as he is a master strategist and tactician; learning everything he can about his opponent before confronting them. It's been said that as long as Batman has time to plan, then he can't be beaten. That is incorrect, but not too far off the mark. He can be beaten, but it's certainly NOT easy. Batman even has strategies in place to take out each member of the Justice League if they were to ever turn bad. He knows each of their weaknesses and exactly how to immobilize them if it ever becomes necessary. On top of his smarts, he is a master of ALL martial arts. Yes, seriously, he mastered ALL OF THEM. Can't stress that enough. Just to give you some context here, Batman once designed a battle suit to face the DC comics' Universe's biggest bad guy, Darkseid. Called the HellBat suit, Batman used this armor to beat the living shit out of Darkseid. That is something even Superman couldn't do on his own. Batman is just Batman though in this tournament. If we were to give him the HellBat suit, he'd just destroy everyone. And that's no fun.
Wonder Woman - Princess Diana from Themiscrya or Paradise Island. Diana was raised to be Wonder Woman, created by Zeus for that exact reason. She has super human strength, speed, agility, stamina, and is nearly invulnerable (that's 2 invulnerable members on 1 team!). Wonder Woman is said to be the greatest warrior in the DC Universe, having spent decades and decades battling monsters and defending the Earth from the forces of evil. She carries a magic sword that is so sharp that it can literally split atoms and therefore cut through anything. She's also famous for her "Lasso of Truth" which she uses to bind and interrogate enemies. The magic lasso compels those caught and bound to tell the truth. She was even able to make Lex Luthor admist that he is jealous of Superman and only ever wanted to BE Superman himself. I loved that. For defense, this warrior princess carries a shield that cannot be broken, but is more well known for her magic bracelets, which also cannot be broken and can deflect any kind of projectile (bullets, lasers, energy blasts, lightening or electricity, or anything organic or technology based).
The Flash - Barry Allen was the first Flash that I learned about growing up. It wasn't until later that I understood the Speed Force and the Multiverse and Kid Flash and the Future Kid Flash. Too technical for this post, but just understand the Barry Allen (by manipulating the Speed Force (the source of his speed, from another dimension)) is the fastest man alive. He can travel faster than the speed of light! He can run so fast that he can travel through time and phase through solid objects. Flash can rotate his arms or limbs at such tremendous speeds that he creates a whirlwind that can be used for offense, defense, or help him escape. One of the weaknesses that Flash faces is that he has trouble staying still or moving at regular speeds because his power is so great, he's often compelled to just keep moving. Also, if he is stuck in one spot, he becomes vulnerable.
Shazam - one of my favorite DC characters! I just love the premise. Young Billy Batson is about 10-14 years old (depending on what you are reading) and is a normal human boy until he says the magic word, "SHAZAM" and calls down the magic lightening that turns him into Shazam! He has the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. All alluding to the gods that gave him his magical abilities. All this stuff means that he has superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, heightened intelligence, he can fly at super speeds, is invulnerable (that makes 3 invulnerable Justice Leaguers!) and can control magical lightening. Shazam is also capable of casting magic spells!
Green Lantern - GL is not just 1 hero, but a member of an intergalactic police force led by the Guardians of Oa. A Green Lantern is chosen based on their resitance to fear and their willpower. Willpower is the what the green energy of the Green Lantern rings comes from. As a kid, the Green Lantern Corps. were the only light based group we knew of. About 5 years ago that all changed. It turns out that there is a ring for every color of the light spectrum and only a handful are good. The Green Lantern Corps. has an enormous amount of members, each tasked with protecting a section of the galaxy. Hal Jordan is known as the greatest Green Lantern of all time. His ring is the most powerful weapon in the universe and gives him the ability to create anything he can possibly imagine. Example, Green Lantern could be facing a group of thugs, and uses he ring to create a giant fist that punches all of the thugs at once! The only known weakness (aside from running out of juice, as the rings need to recharge with a battery) of the Green Lanterns rings is to anything yellow.
Martian Manhunter - Dudes, seriously, this guy is the shit. Ok, so he's nearly as strong as Superman and Shazam, can fly, can read minds, fire heated beams from his eyes, and is a powerful shape-shifter! He's been referred to as the "heart of the Justice League" to give you an idea of how his teammates see him. He is a valuable member of the team, AND very powerful. The 1 thing I have a problem with in regards to this character is his weakness. He's afraid of fire. A legit fear, but come on. He's a super hero for crying out loud, but he's afraid of being burned? Well, whatever, it's an easy weakness for such a powerful guy.
The Odds
As I said before, THIS is the team to beat. I'm certain you realize the difficult road the other teams have in front of them. However, even the heaviest hitters on this team are vulnerable to magic, including the Justice League's magic users. In what is possibly the most anticipated fight in the first round, the Justice League will face He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, a team with extremely powerful magic users combined with the muscle to face the Justice League head on!
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