Nothing quite says superheroes like a massive team-up. Both DC and Marvel have relied on the power of friendship to create some dynamic storylines, wracking their extensive catalogs to create the most interesting, powerful, and even dysfunctional team-ups imaginable. But the credit for the first united Superhero front goes to DC and the Justice Society of America way back in 1940. Though it would later be replaced by the Justice League just 20 years later, the JSA has remained an important part of DC history. The original members included popular characters like Green Lantern and The Flash who would later be reworked for subsequent appearances in The Justice League.
For this listicle, we’re setting the Golden Era Justice Society to the side in favor of the one portrayed in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. To level the playing field, we’re adding Shazam to the Justice Society’s roster. Likewise, the Justice League won’t include staples like Martian Manhunter or Green Arrow, instead we’re going with the team put together in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Dr. Fate vs Superman
Dr. Fate
Dr. Fate, also known as Kent Nelson, was the son of an archeologist. While on an expedition in the Valley of Ur in Egypt, Kent stumbled upon the tomb of Nabu the Wise, an ancient wizard and advisor to the pharaohs. When Kent’s father was killed by the traps in the temple after Nabu awakened, the wizard’s guilt drove him to take Kent under his wing. With the helm of Nabu, Kent was granted a slew of potent magical powers. He was able to master flight, astral projecting, teleportation, illusion casting, fire energy bolts, use pyro and telekinesis, and even freeze time temporarily.
Superman
Superman is an alien in need of little introduction. One of the only survivors of Krypton, home planet to a powerful race of aliens, Kal-El was sent to Earth where he was raised with all of the virtues of a rural Kansan from the 1960s, but none of the racism. The last son of Krypton has battled all sorts of supped-up baddies over the years. With the power of flight, X-ray vision, superhuman strength and speed, heat vision, cold breath, enhanced hearing, and, of course, his incredible near-invulnerability, Superman easily tops the list as the most OP superhero in the DC universe.
The matchup
With his many gifts, Superman might seem like the obvious winner of this contest, but there is one massive favor in Dr. Fate’s corner: Superman is only impervious to dangers in the realm of the physical. Dr. Fate’s abilities being magical in origin give him an advantage, and combined with his mastery of time, he is neigh unstoppable. If Superman were to lay hands on the sorcerer things could get rough, but that leads to another ace up Nabu’s sleeve: the secret of immortality. Even if he fell in battle, Nabu’s spirit would live on and eventually find another human host to team-up with. The winner is Dr. Fate.
Batman Vs Hawkman
Batman
An obscenely wealthy crime fighter, Batman has one of the most diverse gadget sets in the entire DC universe. As Bruce Wayne, he has access to a multitude of development tools and regularly uses his superhuman intellect to create whatever tool he needs for any occasion. Though he is technically a regular human, his rigorous training has made him one of the strongest fighters in the Justice League. His speed, endurance, agility, and strength are all off the charts for a normal human, and when combined with his monstrous intellect and mastery of all things martial arts, Batman becomes a rival worthy of even the most dangerous metahumans.
Hawkman
Carter Hall, the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian prince, made himself a suit capable of flight out of the long-lost Nth metal. Controlled telepathically, the suit enhances Carter in every way, giving him superhuman senses, accelerated healing, and regulated body temperature. With a superhuman intellect honed over dozens of lives, Carter has mastery over a plethora of melee weapons and is a brilliant tactician.
The matchup
With both heroes clocking in with super intelligence and unmatched tactical prowess, this fight would be long and painful. Ultimately, Hawkman has something Batman doesn’t: a super suit that grants accelerated healing, and superhuman senses. As a normal man, Bruce would hit a point of no return, while Hawkman’s nth metal suit would allow him to just keep going, making Hawkman the winner.
Cyborg Vs Shazam
Cyborg
College student Victor Stone has had a truly rough time of things. After nearly dying in an incident at his father’s lab, Victor went through drastic body modifications, making him more machine than man. Victor possesses superhuman speed, stamina, strength, and the power of flight thanks to his mechanical body, but it lends much more than just physical abilities. It makes him less vulnerable than your average human and is filled with useful gadgets and gizmos that Cyborg regularly tinkers with. Much like Batman, when Cyborg has prep time, his super genius can best almost any challenger.
Shazam
Shazam, though childish in mind, is one of the more powerful superheroes in the DC cinematic universe. We need only look at the hero’s name to see his power profile. S for the wisdom of King Solomon, which give him supernatural knowledge. H for the strength of Hercules, A for the endurance of Atlas, Z for the powers of Zeus, A for Achilles and his courage, and M for the speed of the god Mercury. Combine these abilities, and Billy Batson’s rival the powers of Superman.
The matchup
Even with his many gifts, Cyborg doesn’t stand a chance against Shazam. With his ancient wisdom and superspeed, Cyborg is heavily outmatched. We’re sure Cyborg would give Billy a run for his money, but at the end of it all, Shazam takes the win.
Atom Smasher Vs Wonder Woman
Atom Smasher
Albert Rothstein, also known as Atom Smasher, Is the godson of one of the most powerful Golden Age heroes, Atom. Though his powerset is less diverse than his Godfather, Albert is still a formidable foe. Already stronger than an average human, the more-than-seven-foot-tall man has the ability to change his density and strength proportionally to whatever size he chooses. This can come in handy for encounters with uber-powerful villains like Black Adam, with Rothstein able to scale up until his blows do serious damage. But his greatest strength is also his Achilles’ heel; like the old saying goes, “the bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
Wonder Woman
A woman who needs little introduction, Diana Prince is an Amazonian princess from the island of Themyscira. A demi-god, Diana has trained for combat her entire life. A skilled athlete, strategist, fighter, and acrobat, she has forgotten more about combat than many of her colleagues will ever know. Prince has accelerated healing abilities, superhuman strength/speed, and is well-nigh invulnerable. On top of her natural skills, she also possesses a number of weapons that enhance her abilities, like her Lasso of Truth, her shield, and her Bracelets of Submission.
The Matchup
Atom Smash may be able to grow to skyscraper proportions, but that doesn’t mean the 20-year-old has anything on Diana Prince. With her years of training and rich history of smacking the ever-living daylights out of bad guys, there is no way Atom Smasher would stand a chance.
The Flash Vs Cyclone
The Flash
Perhaps the best-known variation of The Flash, Barry Allen gained his abilities after being struck by lightning and doused by unknown chemicals while working late one night. The accident transformed the meandering scientist into the fastest man alive, giving him super speed, accelerated healing, heightened reflexes, the ability to vibrate through dimensions, create tornados from his movement, and even the ability to move so quickly he can vibrate himself — and other people — through solid objects.
Cyclone
The granddaughter of Red Tornado, 19-year-old Maxine Hunkel is incredibly intelligent and — due to being kidnapped by crazy scientists when she was just a child – filled with nanobots, the source of her power. The “nanobytes” give her the ability to manipulate wind, allowing her to create cyclones and whirlwinds as well as fly, manipulate soundwaves, and even channel wind into burst-like attacks.
The Match Up
With similar pieces in their power set, there are a few moves The Flash wouldn’t be able to pull off against someone like Cyclone. Fortunately for the Scarlet Speedster, his incredible speed would allow him to dodge any of Cyclone’s attacks, even if they came at the speed of sound. The Flash wins.
The trump card: Aquaman
Arthur Curry may get a lot of flak for “talking to fish,” but the rightful heir to the Atlantean throne is a force to be reckoned with. His telepathy has limited abilities outside of marine life, but he has been known to have limited effect on anything evolved from the seas. He has super strength, the ability to withstand the pressures of the deep sea, and superhuman speed when in the water. Beyond his physical self, Aquaman possesses a magically imbued trident that gives him the ability to control water, call down lightning, project ice, hurt any enemy, and even amplify Curry’s natural strengths.
Even with Doctor Fate’s grasp of magic, the added strength of Aquaman and the other victorious members of the Justice League would be able to overpower the ancient wizard and Shazam. In the end, numbers will almost always tip the scale and everyone knows, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”