Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
David Corenswet as Superman
Superhero Movies How to watch DC movies in order (release date and chronological)
Hal Jordan's brownish Green Lantern uniform hanging in a closet
DC TV Shows The first trailer for DC's Lanterns has leaked and it has a surprising lack of Green Lantern in it
Superman in a battle-damaged costume brandishing both Mjolnir and Captain America's shield
Comics The best Marvel/DC crossover returns to pit the Avengers against the Justice League in the biggest superhero fight ever
DCU Chapter One explained: James Gunn smiling.
Superhero Movies DCU Chapter One: Every movie and show in the new DC cinematic universe
Aaron Pierre as John Stewart and Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan in Lanterns.
Superhero Shows Lanterns release date speculation, cast, plot, and everything else we know about the new DCU TV show
Norgal the warrior beheading a monster
Animated Shows The studio behind Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX almost made the perfect fantasy anime, but only 2 minutes of it exist
Robert Downey Jr. during the Doctor Doom announcement at Marvel's SDCC 2024 panel
Superhero Movies Upcoming superhero movies: every Marvel, DC, and comic book movie in 2026 and beyond
Aaron Pierre as John Stewart and Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan in Lanterns.
DC TV Shows DC fans aren't impressed with the suit in the new HBO Lanterns trailer
Batman standing on a rooftop at night, looking over Gotham City, before fighting crime in one of the best superhero games, Batman: Arkham Knight
Action Games After a string of flops, Batman Arkham and Hogwarts Legacy publisher teases a "return to some of our biggest franchises"
Robert Pattinson in The Batman
Superhero Movies Upcoming DC movies and TV shows: Every DCU title coming soon
A legion of different incarnations of Brainiac
DC Movies James Gunn explains his comic influences for Man of Tomorrow's Brainiac, including the classic story he's not adapting
Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Dorothy, and Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz
Fantasy Shows Daniel Radcliffe pitched a Wizard of Oz remake alongside his Harry Potter co-stars
Spider-Man 2 PC
Action Games The 10 best superhero games that you should play today
Superman coming face to face with an eerie, inhuman version of Brainiac
DC Movies Braniac star says it's a "true miracle" that he was cast in Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow
Creature Commandos
DC TV Shows Creature Commandos season 2: Everything we know so far about the return of James Gunn's DC show
  1. Comics
  2. Dc Comics

The all-female Justice League book that could've been

News
By Chris Arrant published 11 March 2021

Lois Lane, Batgirl, Supergirl, Big Barda, Hawkwoman, Vixen, and a female Martian Manhunter were almost the Justice League

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Justice League
(Image credit: Bengal)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

What if the Justice League were all women? That's the idea behind a recently-unearthed aborted project from 2015.

That's right, at the same time Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok were capping off the 'New 52' era with their 'Darkseid War' arc of Justice League, there was also talk of another league.

Lois Lane, Batgirl, Supergirl, Big Barda, Hawkwoman, Vixen, and a female Martian Manhunter - presumably Miss Martian.

You may like
  • Ben Affleck in Justice League Guillermo del Toro's scrapped DC movie would have been led by John Constantine and included a Batman cameo
  • Scrapped Zatanna DC movie was "maybe a little too far away from the genre," director admits
  • Supergirl poster James Gunn wants DCU's Supergirl to prove not every female superhero lead has to be "perfect"

Justice League

(Image credit: Bengal)

"You will easily recognize the seven characters on those sketches: they could/should have been an all-women Justice League team project," Bengal tweeted recently. "Brenden Fletcher and I almost brought to life several years ago, right after I did a Batgirl issue."

Fletcher was co-writing Batgirl at the time, which explains the connection. .

When asked more about their all-female Justice League idea, Bengal tells Newsarama that he and Fletcher ultimately became too "busy with other projects" to pursue this idea further with DC.

"It could have been awesome, no?" Bengal adds.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Yes, Bengal, it would have.

And call it something in the air, but around that same time another Justice League series - the future-set Justice League 3001 - actually converted to be an all-female team. When asked about it at the time, series co-writer Keith Giffen said came about naturally.

"It's not because I decided I wanted to write all females. It's not there to say, 'Oh look, we've got an all-female team!' Who cares?," Giffen told Newsarama in 2015. "It's just the way it shook out. Some of the characters just seemed more interesting or more appropriate for the kind of stories we're trying to tell."

Here are the best female superheroes of all time - many of these prospective Justice League members are on that list!

Chris Arrant
Chris Arrant
Social Links Navigation

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)

Read more
Ben Affleck in Justice League
Guillermo del Toro's scrapped DC movie would have been led by John Constantine and included a Batman cameo
 
 
Scrapped Zatanna DC movie was "maybe a little too far away from the genre," director admits
 
 
Supergirl poster
James Gunn wants DCU's Supergirl to prove not every female superhero lead has to be "perfect"
 
 
Superman in a battle-damaged costume brandishing both Mjolnir and Captain America's shield
The best Marvel/DC crossover returns to pit the Avengers against the Justice League in the biggest superhero fight ever
 
 
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
James Gunn was interested in adapting Woman of Tomorrow with Milly Alcock as Supergirl before he took over DC Studios
 
 
Milly Alcock as Supergirl
DC fans are split on the Supergirl trailer, but everyone can agree that it has "heavy Guardians vibes"
 
 
Latest in Dc Comics
Superman in a battle-damaged costume brandishing both Mjolnir and Captain America's shield
The best Marvel/DC crossover returns to pit the Avengers against the Justice League in the biggest superhero fight ever
 
 
One Piece filler arc
DC Comics boss knows why anime and manga has an "advantage" over American comics
 
 
Absolute Wonder Woman in action.
DC Comics had a triumphant 2025 – but can it sustain its momentum in an uncertain future?
 
 
Absolute Martian Manhunter image with red GamesRadar+ Best of 2025 badge in upper right
Absolute Martian Manhunter isn't just the best superhero comic of 2025 – it pushes into the wild spaces of the form itself
 
 
Superman and Spider-Man leaping into action by Clayton Crain
Superman/Spider-Man #1 will bring in some of the biggest names in the comic industry for a new Marvel/DC crossover
 
 
Neal Adams drawing of Batman featuring his blue-and-gray costume with white eyes and a yellow circle around his bat symbol
Fans are begging James Gunn for a blue-and-grey Batman costume with white eyes, but he's doubling down that it's "less important" than the writing and the actor who takes the role
 
 
Latest in News
Battlefield 6
Battlefield 6 designers say developers have a "responsibility" to make games intuitive
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Gustave winces
"The first track spoils the whole game": Clair Obscur Expedition 33 dev confirms it was filling your ears with spoilers
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead Gustave faces a gommage
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 took inspiration from a surprising anime - Soul Eater creator's Fire Force
 
 
A close-up of Grace talking with someone through glass in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem leads let actors re-do "technically" perfect scenes if it made them happy, says Grace actor
 
 
Kratos approaches Aphrodite's bedchamber in God of War 3
"The God of War sex mini-games were designed by women," which is why Aphrodite's bed looks "like a labia"
 
 
Alan Ritchson in Reacher season 3
Reacher star Alan Ritchson says season 4 is coming this year: "It's by far the best season we've had yet"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Battlefield 6
    1
    "The fundamentals of FPS should drive our decision": Battlefield 6 designers say developers have a "responsibility" to make games intuitive
  2. 2
    "The first track spoils the whole game": Clair Obscur Expedition 33 devs confirm they were filling your ears with spoilers the entire time
  3. 3
    The Super Mario Galaxy Movie reveals Donald Glover as the voice of Yoshi and more new casting in a star-spanning trailer that sends the entire Mushroom Kingdom to another planet
  4. 4
    Reacher star Alan Ritchson says season 4 is coming this year: "It's by far the best season we've had yet"
  5. 5
    Clair Obscur Expedition 33 took inspiration from a surprising anime - Soul Eater creator's Fire Force: "Because it was a JRPG, we tried to find a mix"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...