Batman Debuts His Justice League-Replacement Team, All Members and Powers

Published Oct 26, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.

Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.

Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.

With the Justice League unavailable to back him up, Batman just unveiled a shocking new team to save the world. Cobbled together from the heroes and villains he can trust with the future of the planet, the Dark Knight just confirmed he's the Leaguer who will consider solutions no other hero would.

The new team debut in the recent Batman/Superman: World's Finest #56 - from Mark Waid, Adrián Gutiérrez, Luis Guerrero and Steve Wands. With the Justice League far from Earth on a mission to the alien planet Rann, Ra's al Ghul unleashes a plan to exterminate the vast majority of humanity.

Gathering together a group of villains with extinction-level abilities, Ra's strikes across the planet, with forces in South Korea, America and the Himalayas. The tactic forces Superman to fly across the globe at top speed and Batman to assemble a group of unlikely allies.

Batman, aka Bruce Wayne

A master detective who can control his body like few others in existence (purging poisons and requiring only two hours of sleep per day), Batman is at the head of this mission because it began with his recurring enemies Ra's al Ghul and Poison Ivy. Finding common ground in their ecoterrorist ideologies, the two have hatched a plan to reduce humanity to just 12% of their current numbers.

Taking place in the early days of the DC Universe, Batman lacks his expansive Bat-Family. His only personal ally is Dick Grayson's Robin, who the villains have struck down with a lethal disease that's spreading across the planet. As a result, Batman gets creative...

Superman, aka Clark Kent

The superstrong Last Son of Krypton, Superman was present for the Justice League's mission on Rann, but was selected to return home and protect Earth while the rest of the League undertook humanitarian clean-up.

Despite his near-limitless strength and vulnerability, Superman is essentially following Batman's calls, speeding between world-ending events. With a lethal disease spreading, nuclear plants melting down and an attack by the Atlantean armada, Superman is forced to trust Batman's judgment and rapidly address the biggest threat before moving on.

Despite this, Superman is demonstrating the highest levels of both his power and competence, using his existing powers to contain a nuclear meltdown in Batman/Superman: World's Finest #56.

Kid Flash, aka Wally West

With the Justice League off on Rann, only a few sidekicks are left as superhuman protectors of Earth, including Wally West's Kid Flash. Given his immense speed, Batman has been using Kid Flash for missions intended to undermine each emergent threat in the medium term, while Superman handles emergencies.

Kid Flash was instrumental in seeking the cure for the disease released by Ra's forces, and is otherwise dedicating his time to civilian rescue in the areas Superman can't prioritize.

Talia al Ghul

Usually a villain in her own right, Talia al Ghul is aligned against her father's latest mission. Desperate for help, Batman dispatches her to take on Poison Ivy in Kansas, trusting in her combat skills as one of the world's greatest assassins. Despite a protracted fight between the two, Talia has yet to succeed in taking out Ivy, given the villain's ability to wield plantlife as a weapon.

The Rogues

The most shocking members of Batman's emergency team, the Rogues are classic Flash villains who are often seen as DC's most reasonable evil-doers. Keeping loss of life to a minimum and carrying out professional heists, the Rogues have a code of conduct and a mutual respect with Barry Allen's Flash which allows for a more flexible relationship than someone like Batman has with his enemies.

The alliance begins when Batman theorizes that Mirror Master can use his Mirror Gun to reverse the genetic profile of the Ra's disease, creating an antidote. After the success of that mission, Batman reaches out to the larger Rogues, deploying them to help Superman take on the Atlantean armada in an effort to compensate for the Man of Steel's vulnerability to magic.

Classic Rogues Roster
Codename	Real Name	Abilities	First Appearance	Created By
Captain Cold	Leonard Snart	Can slow molecules using his Cold Gun, creating fast-hardening ice	1957's Showcase #8	John Broome and Carmine Infantino
Heat Wave	Mick Rory	Can wield fire and heat with his Heat Gun and flame-resistant suit	1963's The Flash #140
Weather Wizard	Marco Mardon	High-level control over the weather in his vicinity	1960's The Flash #110
Mirror Master	Sam Scudder	Can access the Mirror Verse with his Mirror Gun, transposing mirror rules onto real life (e.g. duplicating reality, changing sizes, etc.) Can teleport by traveling through reflective surfaces.	1959's The Flash #105
The Top	Roscoe Dillon	Can spin his own body using telekinesis, enhancing strength and durability as well as super-charging intelligence	1961's The Flash #122
Pied Piper	Hartley Rathaway	Can hypnotize small animals using hi-tech flute and unleash weaponized sound blasts	1959's The Flash #106
Captain Boomerang	George 'Digger' Harkness	Expert wielder of various hi-tech boomerangs	1960's The Flash #117

While the Rogues are traditionally self-serving, they have a long history (or, from the context of this story, future) of fighting for the planet in dire circumstances, with team leader Captain Cold being a protagonsit in 2013's Forever Evil event, when Earth's heroes were taken off the board.

The Rogues can be trusted to fight for the planet against villains attempting a mass genocide, but it's also likely that Batman is paying them to act as mercenaries. With the story set in DC's past, this Rogues roster includes several members who later left the team, including Captain Boomerang (who was forcibly recruited by the Suicide Squad), the Top (killed during a schism between team members) and Pied Piper (who sought redemption as a hero and ally of the Flash.)

The Villains: Ra's al Ghul's Harbingers Of The Apocalypse

Rendered immortal by his Lazarus Pits, Ra's al Ghul has become obsessed with saving the planet from humanity, believing he'll otherwise become the victim of environmental collapse and be forced to live alone on a ruined Earth.

In his latest plot, he's brought together villains who agree with his anti-human message, either believing that their own species and interests will thrive on a post-human Earth or desiring power over the survivors.

Harbingers Of The Apocalypse
Name	Title	Powers/Abilitie	First Appearance	Creators
Ra's al Ghul (The Demon's Head)	Leader	Enhanced physiology, access to resurrective/de-aging Lazarus Pits	1971's Batman #232	Dennis O'Neil, Neal Adams and Julius Schwartz
Poison Ivy (Pamela Isley)	Bringer of Familne	Control over all flora, can create a variety of toxins, able to control humans via pheromones	1966's Batman #181	Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff
Ocean Master (Orm Marius)	Bringer of War	Mystic abilities, superhuman physiology	1966's Aquaman #29	Bob Haney and Nick Cardy
Queen Bee (Zazzala)	Bringer of Pestilence	Control over insect life, enhanced physiology, can generate hypnotic pollen (utilizing robotic insect drones to spread disease)	1963's Justice League of America #23	Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky
Tokamak (Henry Hewitt)	Bringer of Death	Can generate and control energy, including radiation	1983's The Fury of Firestorm #15	Gerry Conway and Pat Broderick

Patterning his recruits after the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Ra's al Ghul genuinely believes that massive loss of life is vital for saving the planet, arguing that as a fellow immortal, Superman should support his plans. While his location is known to Batman and Superman, he remains free due to their commitments to protect innocent lives elsewhere.

DC's latest epic team-up between Superman and Batman sees the Dark Knight assembling a team of unlikely allies against a singular threat - the near-extinction of the human race.

Batman/Superman: World's Finest #56 are available now from DC Comics.