The Justice Society is the oldest team in comics, and one of the most formidable. Over the decades, they’ve faced off against the greatest villains of the Golden Age and beyond, and have helped defeat the most dangerous threats to the multiverse itself. Many of the greatest heroes of all time have been members of the team, and they’ve proven to be as tough as they come. The Justice Society is a team that is all about legacy, so they’ve also fielded numerous young heroes and taught them to live up to the grandeur of the mantles they’ve taken up. They represent the history of the superhero community.
Over the decades, the JSA has boasted a lot of the toughest heroes out there. Some of them have been fighting evil for years, others of them are young and powerful, but they all share an innate toughness. These are the ten toughest members of the Justice Society, the hardiest heroes of numerous generations.
10) Mister Terrific II
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Mister Terrific II is one of the greatest members of the Justice Society of all time. An Olympic decathlete with multiple PhDs, he became a superhero after the death of his wife and has since become the Batman of the JSA. He’s as tough as they come. He’s a man who knows how to push himself beyond his limits, and is as mentally tough as anyone out there. He’s since become the de facto leader of the Justice League, outsmarting the most dangerous villains in the multiverse.
9) Jay Garrick
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Jay Garrick is one of DC’s greats, having inspired numerous generations of speedsters and just heroes in general. Jay isn’t as powerful as he once was, and has to push himself to match the younger, more powerful Flashes, but he never stops. He’s the kind of guy who will volunteer to stay back and protect everyone. He’s old and tough, a man who faced the worst and never stopped smiling. He’s the ultimate superhero, and what he lacks in power, he makes up for in gumption.
8) Damage
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Damage is the son of the Golden Age Atom, but he didn’t automatically jump into the Justice Society’s orbit. His body is a cauldron of energy, giving him super strength, durability, and explosive energy powers. He joined the Freedom Fighters, and was nearly killed by member of the villainous Society. He was heavily scarred and joined the Justice Society. His powers make him extremely tough, and surviving that savage beating from Zoom made him tougher than ever, especially once he let go of his trauma. He ended up getting killed by Black Lanterns, but has since returned, although he hasn’t had much impact.
7) Alan Scott
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Alan Scott is the first Green Lantern on Earth, and has long been one of the heavy hitters of the team. Scott is as tough as they come. His mastery over the Starheart, the mystical energy that powers him, is amazing, allowing him to take down all kinds of foes, and he’s become a being of made of energy, held together by his indomitable will. He can survive nearly anything because of the unique nature of his body, and stopped aging. He also was a closeted man for decades, so he’s as mentally tough as they come. He’s a titan of the superhero community, in more ways than one.
6) Atom-Smasher
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Atom-Smasher was once Nuklon of Infinity, Inc., the Justice Society’s Teen Titans. As the godson of the Golden Age Atom, he was trained to be a hero and used the powers he inherited from his villainous grandfather Cyclotron, super strength and the power to grow, to fight evil. He’s as durable as they come, and can grow massive to survive anything. He’s been raised to be a superhero, and has some setbacks, but he always comes back to the light ready to fight. He has his anger issues, but that has made him into a more formidable hero.
5) Hawkgirl
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Kendra Saunders is the modern Hawkgirl, a reincarnation of Sheira Hall. She’s the granddaughter of Speed Sanders, a Golden Age adventurer, and joined the Justice Society not long after getting her hands on the Nth metal accoutrements of her last life. Since then, she’s fought hard against her destiny and has become the main Hawk of the DC Multiverse, even joining the Justice League several times. She’s proven to be one of the toughest heroes out there, the steel in her soul as much hers as it was Sheira’s.
4) Hawkman
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Hawkman is one of DC’s toughest heroes, and has been for numerous lifetimes. Carter Hall is a founding member of the Justice Society, and would end up with the Justice League during his life as Thanagarian cop Katar Hol, saving the universe and the city of St. Roch. He loves to fight almost as much as he loves his forever partner, Sheira Hall. He’s all about brawling against the strongest foes out there and has lived numerous lifetimes of pain and privation. He can come back from everything, showing just how endlessly tough he is.
3) Black Adam
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Black Adam was almost a DC superstar, and all of that is because of the Justice Society. He joined the team on a probationary basis, and proved to be one of the most powerful members of the team. Of course, his violent ways saw him fall of out of favor with them, driving him to villainy again, but he’d join the Justice League down the road. He has Superman-level power, so he can take quite a beating, and he has always believed completely in himself, making him as mentally tough as anyone out there. He can’t be bent or broken, and he has the power of multiple gods.
2) Shazam/The Captain
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Shazam is now known as the Captain, and most fans don’t even know that he used to be a member of the Justice Society. The Captain has the full power of the Wizard Shazam, and is called the World’s Mightiest Mortal for a reason. He can can take a licking and keep on ticking, and can punch it out with the most powerful beings in the multiverse. He’s a near-unstoppable force on the battlefield, both mentally and physically. Billy Batson may be a kid, but he’s as tough as the toughest adults, and he’s easily a top level hero when it comes to toughness.
1) Power Girl
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Power Girl is the most underrated Kryptonian, and has earned her place atop the Justice Society’s power pyramid. A pre-Crisis Earth-Two Kryptonian, she is one of the most powerful heroes on the planet and can survive nearly anything out there. She’s even vulnerable to Kryptonite, unless someone can get their hands on Earth-Two Kryptonite or the magic of that long-dead world. Her power level has always been pretty nebulous, but she’s known for her never say die attitude and her anger. She doesn’t quit, and very few foes can actually hurt her.
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