Being the most powerful team in the DC Multiverse, the Justice League has faced threats capable of destroying reality itself. With heavy hitters like Superman and The Flash leading the charge, the League has battled villains who could have wiped out entire timelines.
And while they’re often praised for their tactical brilliance, the Justice League has also pulled off some truly insane plans that should’ve failed instantly. Somehow, against all logic, they actually worked. So let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the wildest Justice League strategies that unexpectedly got the job done.
5. Superman’s Plan to Stop a Moon-Earth Collision
In ‘JLA #6–7‘ by Grant Morrison, Superman faces a classic “Heaven vs. Earth” scenario when the rogue angel Asmodel leads an army of angels to Earth in search of Zauriel. While the Justice League prepares to fight back, demons cast a spell that drags the Moon toward Earth.
Weakened at the time, Superman comes up with a bizarre solution: he builds two massive electromagnets and uses his energy powers to act as a living battery. By charging the Moon with a magnetic polarity opposite to Earth’s, he manages to push it back into orbit without ever touching it. The madcap plan actually works.
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4. The Justice League’s World War III Plan
The final storyline of Morrison’s ‘JLA‘ run, ‘World War III,’ features the universe under attack by Mageddon, a primordial destroyer created by the Old Gods. To stop it, the Justice League turns to the Purple Ray, a healing device capable of granting superpowers. Their solution? Use it on the entire planet.
Suddenly, everyone on Earth gains abilities, and the population teams up with the Justice League to defeat Mageddon. It’s one of the most outrageous moments in DC history, but their extreme, last-ditch thinking ends up saving the multiverse.
3. The Final Battle With Darkseid
‘Final Crisis‘ remains one of the most iconic Justice League stories ever written. During the climactic battle, the multiverse faces destruction when a black hole forms from Darkseid’s collapsing body. Superman uses the Miracle Machine, a device capable of granting any wish. But even then, Darkseid’s spirit attempts to invade his mind. Superman anticipates the attack and remembers Darkseid’s weakness: music.
He activates the Miracle Machine, wishes the multiverse back into existence, and whistles at a frequency that matches the multiverse’s vibration, weakening Darkseid in the process. It’s one of the strangest, boldest endings in Justice League history and it still holds up as one of DC’s wildest finales.
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2. Wonder Woman Defeats the Darkest Knight
In ‘Dark Nights: Death Metal,’ Wonder Woman faces one of the most overpowered villains DC has ever created: the Darkest Knight. To fight him, she leads an army of Lobos to the World Forge, hoping to create Death Metal strong enough to take him down. But since the World Forge has become part of the Dark Multiverse, it’s also where the Darkest Knight’s power is at its peak.
The Lobo army is wiped out, but Wonder Woman survives long enough to forge a suit of armor made from Anti-Crisis energy. With it, she defeats the Darkest Knight and ultimately helps rebuild the multiverse. It’s reckless, desperate, and completely insane—but it works.
1. The End of Gorilla God
The ‘We Are Yesterday‘ Justice League storyline follows Gorilla Grodd after he transforms into Gorilla God and attempts to access the Omega Rift. After stealing Martian Manhunter’s mental abilities, Grodd mind-controls Air-Wave II and uses him to send his consciousness back through time. He even brings back the Legion of Doom. But Air-Wave II, once reduced to tachyon energy, turns the tables and pulls heroes from different points in DC history into the battle.
Together, this unexpected lineup defeats the Legion of Doom. Furious after being manipulated, Air-Wave II focuses all his remaining power into a single knockout blow that finally takes Grodd down. As ridiculous as it sounds, the Justice League proves once again that even the craziest plans can somehow save the day.
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