What is the best order to watch the Justice League movies?

While Batman spends a great deal of his time flying solo, on a number of occasions he has teamed up with other super heroes as part of a group. This group is the Justice League – a titanic team that usually (but not always) includes the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman and the Flash.

If you know a thing or two about Batman, you are probably more than familiar with the Justice League. But are you familiar with all of the Justice League films?

More importantly, how many Justice League movies are there? There are probably more JL movies than you might think.

In this post I will provide a rundown of all the Justice League movies – both live-action and animated. I will discuss the movies as they appear in their own little subcategories, then I will present the best viewing order for all of the films.

Ready? Then let’s go to work.

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A shout out for the specials

Did you think the Justice League movies began in 2018 with an offering from director Zack Snyder? Well they didn’t, in fact the first live-action team up for the League was via two TV specials which ran under the banner of Legends of the Superheroes.

Loosely based on the Super Friends cartoon of the ‘70s and ‘80s (which in turn were inspired by the Justice League of America comics), Legends of the Superheroes were two team-up adventures featuring Batman, Robin, Green Lantern, Captain Marvel (Shazam), Black Canary, the Flash, the Huntress, Hawkman, and the Atom. Villains included the Riddler, Dr. Sivana, Sinestro, Giganta, the Weather Wizard, and Solomon Grundy.

Any good?

No, not really. The specials aired in 1979 and were played for laughs, which is rather bizarre as they were simply not funny.

The most notable thing about them? ‘60s Batman stars Adam West, Burt Ward and Frank Gorshin reprised the roles of Batman, Robin, and Riddler respectively.

Anyway, I’m giving these TV specials a mention as they paved the way for the Justice League movies that followed. Should you want to give them a whirl, then they are as follows:

• Legends of the Superheroes – The Challenge (1979)
• Legends of the Superheroes – The Roast (1979)

The two Legends of the Superheroes specials aren’t all that easy to come by, but DVDs of the specials were released by Warner Archive back in 2010, so copies are still in circulation.

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The unaired movie

In 1997, CBS produced a made for television live-action Justice League movie. The core cast included Martian Manhunter, the Flash, Green Lantern, Fire, Ice and the Atom (no Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman).

Conceived as a pilot for a potential TV series, the TV movie was not well received and went no further than this single offering. However, it has cropped up on other stations over the years, and regularly does the rounds on the convention circuit via bootleg DVDs.

• Justice League of America (1997)

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DC Universe Animated Original Movies

In 2007, Warner Bros. Animation kick-started a long-running and very successful series of direct-to-video movies based on DC Comics characters. Running under the banner of DC Universe Animated Original Movies, the films have adapted a number of iconic tales and have been well-received by fans.

In addition to solo Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman stories, a collection of Justice League movies has been thrown into the mix. Should you want to watch these movies (and you should) then work your way through this list:

• Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
• Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
• Justice League: Doom (2012)
• Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
• Justice League: War (2014)
• Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
• Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
• Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016)
• Justice League Dark (2017)
• Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019)
• Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
• Injustice (2021)

Please note, I’ve only included the movies that predominantly focus on the Justice League. I have not included films which feature League members or movies that are not specifically League focused.

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JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time (2014)

In 2014, Warner Bros. produced a one-off Justice League direct-to-video movie. The film was not part of an ongoing series and to date has never been given a sequel.

Should you want to watch this solo Justice League movie, then check out the following:

• JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time (2014)

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Lego

Popular construction toy, Lego has developed a long association with Batman, resulting in movies, games and playsets. But did you know that Lego and the Justice League have also joined forces for a number of direct-to-video releases?

Here they are:

• Batman Be-Leaguered (2014)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League (2015)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Attack of the Legion of Doom (2015)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Cosmic Clash (2016)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Gotham City Breakout (2016)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman: Rage of Atlantis (2018)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash (2018)

Members of the Justice League also feature in The Lego Movie (2014), The Lego Batman Movie (2017), and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019).

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DCEU

And now for arguably the most prolific JL movie to date – 2017’s live-action film, Justice League. The movie starred Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa and Ray Fisher, and was the first Justice League movie to be released theatrically.

Two versions of this movie exist. The first is a two-hour theatrical cut, while the second is a four-hour director’s cut.

• Justice League (2017) / Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

Please note: Justice League is part of the DC Extended Universe which also includes the following movies: Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Suicide Squad (2016), Wonder Woman (2017), Aquaman (2018), Shazam (2019), Birds of Prey (2020), Wonder Woman 84 (2020) and The Suicide Squad (2021). Many of these films include League members – with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice including brief appearances from the core members.

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Teen Titans GO!

In 2018, the League put in a brief appearance in the animated movie, Teen Titans GO! to the Movies. As the title states, this is a Teen Titans film, not a Justice League movie, but enough members appeared in the picture to give it an honourable mention here.

• Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (2018)

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DC League of Super-Pets

In 2022, Superman’s best pal, Krypto the Super Dog, took to the big screen for the feature-length animated adventure, DC League of Super-Pets. Although the movie was primarily about Krypto and his animal friends, the movie did include appearances from the Justice League.

• DC League of Super-Pets (2022)

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Justice League x RWBY

And finally, in 2023 the league joined forces with the RWBY franchise for Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Hunstmen: Part One.

• Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Hunstmen: Part One (2023)

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Justice League movies in order

OK, so those are all of the Justice League films. Here is a list of all the movies grouped together.  

You’ll note that I’ve not included the Legends of Superheroes specials or films that are not specifically JL-related.

• Justice League of America (1997)
• Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
• Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
• Justice League: Doom (2012)
• Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
• Justice League: War (2014)
• Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
• Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
• Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016)
• Justice League Dark (2017)
• Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019)
• JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time (2014)
• Batman Be-Leaguered (2014)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League (2015)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Attack of the Legion of Doom (2015)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Cosmic Clash (2016)
• Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Gotham City Breakout (2016)
• Justice League (2017)/Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
• Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)
• Injustice (2021)
• DC League of Super-Pets (2022)
• Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Hunstmen: Part One (2023)

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Thanks for stopping by. I do hope you have found this Justice League movies post useful.

I am a fan of the League and am always interested in watching good Justice League films, which is why I highly recommend checking out the animated JL movies that fall within the DC Universe Animated Original Movies category – especially Justice League: Doom (2012). And speaking of recommendations, you will find some further reading recommendations set out below (feel free to give them a read) and you may also wish to check out my post: Five popular opinions about the Batman movies.