The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional DC Comics superhero team.

First appearing in The Brave and the Bold #28 (1960), the League originally appeared with a line-up that included Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter. However, the team roster has been rotated throughout the years with the recognizable characters Green Arrow, Atom, Hawkman, Black Canary, Captain Marvel, Plastic Man and dozens of others. Throughout the years, various incarnations or subsections of the team have also operated as Justice League America, Justice League Europe, Justice League International, Justice League Task Force, Justice League Elite, and Extreme Justice.

Various comic book series featuring the League have remained generally popular with fans since inception and in most incarnations, its roster includes DC's most popular characters. The League concept has also been adapted into various other entertainment media, including the classic Saturday morning Super Friends animated series (1973-1986), a lesser known live action television movie, and most recently the successful animated series Justice League (2001-2004) and Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006). A live-action film was in the works in 2008 before being shelved.

Silver and Bronze Age / Justice League of America

Having successfully re-introduced a number of their Golden Age superhero characters (Flash, Green Lantern, etc.) during the late 1950s, DC Comics asked writer Gardner Fox to re-introduce the Justice Society of America. Fox, influenced by the popularity of the National Football League and Major League Baseball, decided to change the name of the team from Justice Society to Justice League. The Justice League of America debuted in The Brave and the Bold #28 (1960), and quickly became one of the company's best-selling titles. Fox wrote virtually all of the League's adventures during the 1960s, and artist Mike Sekowsky pencilled the first five years.

As with the Justice Society, the concept of the Justice League was simple: to include all of DC's most popular characters in one book (hence the original lineup included Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman). Three of DC's other surviving or revived characters, Green Arrow, Atom, and Hawkman were quickly added to the roster, the latter two having been re-introduced by Gardner Fox himself. JLA's early success was indirectly responsible for the creation of the Fantastic Four. In his autobiography Stan Lee relates how, during a round of golf, DC publisher Jack Liebowitz mentioned to Marvel-Timely owner Martin Goodman how well DC's new book (Justice League) was selling. Later that day Goodman told Lee to come up with a team of superheroes for Marvel; Lee and Jack Kirby produced the Fantastic Four.