DC Comics' Justice League is one of the medium's most prolific superhero teams, and that reputation naturally comes with some landmark comic book storylines. And given the threats required to pose a challenge to the likes of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and more, several of those arcs came with grueling events.
These brutal events range from character deaths, to an overall tense atmosphere, to internal conflicts within the League itself. Infinite Crisis will go down as a monumental multiversal arc in Justice League and DC history, while more recent stories like Injustice pitted Superman, Batman and other DC heroes against each other.
10 Kingdom Come
Even though the Justice League is DC's most important team, they have made for some compelling stories when explored outside mainline canon. An Elseworlds tale, Kingdom Come by industry veterans Mark Waid and Alex Ross sees the old and new guards of the Justice League go head-to-head in a battle of ideals.
With the new generation becoming uncomfortably and violently close to the villains, Kingdom Come presents an exciting conflict. And as an Elseworlds story, it's the perfect setting for tackling such a bold story that deconstructs the idea of the superhero, the Justice League, and what they all stand for.
9 Injustice
Arguably the most famous example of brutality in the Justice League's world, Tom Taylor and Brian Buccellato's Injustice serves as a prequel to the events of NetherRealm Studios' fighting titles panned out to be some of the best DC video games developed. Injustice takes place on an alternate timeline chronicling the ramifications that broke Superman and turned him into a fascistic overlord.
It's hard to point to just one or two instances that shine in this series. The entire premise of Injustice revolves around bleakness, whether it's the Joker murdering Lois Lane, Superman killing him in retaliation, or the world being under the thumb of the authoritarian One Earth Regime. Injustice is known for taking darker spins on its characters and their fates, to the point where Wonder Woman advises the Man of Steel.
8 Crisis On Infinite Earths
Reboots aren't a new concept in many franchises or mediums, and DC Comics, Marv Wolfman, and George Pérez's Crisis on Infinite Earths is one of the publisher's early and most famous examples. This limited series began with the Anti-Monitor wreaking havoc across the multiverse in an attempt to annihilate all Earths.
Crisis on Infinite Earths was a landmark moment in DC canon, with this conflict having proved so daunting that it united heroes and villains alike against a greater common foe. The brutality of its battle and outcome is part of why it's so well-known, with monumental character deaths occurring, including the original Supergirl and the Flash.
7 Infinite Crisis
With how successful Crisis on Infinite Earths was thanks to Wolfman and co.'s creative talents, it's not surprising that DC Comics would revisit that idea down the line. Geoff Johns' Infinite Crisis was a direct sequel to the 1980s arc.
The storyline already begins with the world in dire straits, with the Trinity arguing among themselves, and the world over being overwhelmed by a series of threats. Things only escalate when the alternate heroes from Crisis on Infinite Earths return to alter the course of events yet again, leading to a slew of bloody casualties, to the point of entire teams like the Teen Titans being killed off.
6 Tower Of Babel
Mark Waid has legendary status within DC Comics, and he continued to do so well after Kingdom Come with Tower of Babel alongside artists Howard Porter and Steve Scott. This arc was later adapted into an animated movie, revolving around Batman's secret contingency plans against the League are discovered and weaponized by Ra's al Ghul.
It simultaneously works as one of the best Batman and Ra's al Ghul comics available, as it highlights the bitter rivalry between these two characters and how dangerous Ra's is. But Tower of Babel proves quite tumultuous for the League, as Batman's intense paranoia leads to the team being systematically picked off by the villain. It's a showcase of Batman's mind for strategy, but also the inherent weakness in being so aggressively distrusting.
5 The Darkseid War
Infinite Crisis isn't Geoff Johns' only contribution to the Justice League and its overarching storylines, with the writer returning with artist Jason Fabok for The Darkseid War. The villainous New God returns to cause mayhem for the world and the League, but not alone as a prophecy comes true that pits Darkseid against the Anti-Monitor.
The Darkseid War boasted a thrilling premise as the Justice League would need to intervene to save the world from irreparable collateral damage. Even tenser is how various League members gained the powers of New Gods and became threats to the world themselves, forcing Wonder Woman to take the battle to her friends and allies.
4 Final Crisis
Darkseid wasn't the first and won't be the last major threat that the Justice League faces, but the New God made for quite the adversary in Grant Morrison's Final Crisis. Bleeding into the events of their landmark Batman run in the comics, Final Crisis centers around Darkseid's sinister plan to overthrow reality with the Anti-Life Equation.
This expectedly results in consequences that would affect the wider DC universe, deaths or otherwise. Wonder Woman gets corrupted by an alien bacterium, Martian Manhunter is murdered by an army assembled by Darkseid, and – famously – Batman is seemingly killed by the New God before it's revealed he's instead been fired ages back in time.
3 Dark Nights: Metal
Even though it isn't explicitly marketed under the "Justice League" name, Snyder and Capullo's Dark Nights: Metal qualifies as such. This story arc also serves as a complement to the duo's tenure on the mainline Batman book during the New 52, as Metal begins with the hero discovering a Dark Multiverse beneath the core of the DC multiverse, and seven evil versions of him are unleashed.
Both the premise and title, Dark Nights: Metal is a brutal crossover by design. Especially the concept of the Batman Who Laughs being led by the demon god Barbatos to lay ruin across universes. Characterized by over-the-top action and explosive multiversal clashes, Metal ignited a chain of events in the more expansive DC universe, and even more so with its direct sequel arc.
2 Dark Nights: Death Metal
The sequel to Metal ramped things up another few notches, with Snyder and Capullo making Death Metal the grand finale its title and scope have suggested. It picks up after the events of Metal, with the goddess and creator of the multiverse Perpetua being released and taking on the Batman Who Laughs as her lieutenant.
The stakes in Death Metal measured up to a level arguably higher than the likes of Final Crisis, with each DC hero fighting a bloody, drawn-out war for existence itself. Perpetua and the Batman Who Laughs were multiversal threats who nearly rewrote reality, with the only solution being restarting it all together and ending the continuities of the New 52 and Rebirth.
1 Rock Of Ages
Morrison's Final Crisis may have been received more divisively, but their Rock of Ages story arc with artists Howard Porter and John Dell is a modern classic. This storyline sees the Justice League clash with Lex Luthor's Injustice Gang as the latter attempts to replace them.
But as big of a conflict as this is alone, the more sinister threat looming was Darkseid once again, as the New God has been counting on the League's defeat, as it would allow him free rein to use the Anti-Life Equation to take over the world and turn the team of heroes into mindless slaves. Rock of Ages stands as one of DC's most prominent dystopian tales.