Bring on the Bad Guys: The Android Protectors

Real names: Terrane, Ocana, and Etheran

First appearance: Justice League of America I#18 (March 1963)

Abilities: Discharging radiation

Worst act: Discharging radiation, kidnapping

Quote: "We are the three protectors of this world! We brought you here--so you could destroy us!"

Created by: Gardner F. Fox (script), Mike Sekowsky (pencils), Bernard Sachs (inks) 

Not really villains per say, but the antagonists for sure. During their usual meeting, the JLA get shrunk and dragged off to the microscopic world of Starzl. The people are having a tiny problem. Some time ago, the people built three androids to protect them from various threats. The issue now is they are all putting out dangerous levels of radioactivity, so the androids figure kidnapping the JLA would be a solution, one way or another. The members:

Terrane (land protector)

Ocana (sea protector)

Etheran (air protector)

The team splits up and tries to take the androids down but all come up short; which is odd as they don't SEEM that powerful. 

Yeah, it seems their power is based more around confidence. If they think they're unstoppable, they are. The solution? Snapper Carr! Yeah, they figure bring him and don't tell him anything and something this will work. 

It does. Yeah, I can't explain it either. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: The Tornado Tyrant II

 Real name: Not applicable 

First appearance: Justice League of America I#17 (Feb. 1963)

Abilities: Tornado creations and control

Worst act: Attempted world conquering 

Quote: "I have defeated you, Justice League! Now will you acknowledge that evil has triumphed over good?"

Created by: Gardner F. Fox (script), Mike Sekowsky (pencils), Bernard Sachs (inks) 

Another odd one and the first foe that appeared somewhere else first. In Mystery in Space #61, Adam Strange battled a strange creature called the Tornado Tyrant. The creature had a crisis of conscious and renamed itself the Tornado Champion, vowing to be good!

Pity it didn't quite understand what that meant. In order to better understand the concept, it ends up creating its own version of Earth, including versions of the Justice League. Pity that in all this, either an evil double or a newer version of its old persona pops up and declares itself the Tornado Tyrant. The Champion is blocked at every turn, so it figures the best way to handle this is to hop over to Earth 1 and subject the JLA to the same pitfalls the Tyrant is using, hoping they can figure it out. 

Thanks mostly to Green Lantern, the Champion figures out a way to beat the Tyrant. This wouldn't be the end of the Tornado Champion. You might recall him better as the Red Tornado.  

Bring on the Bad Guys: The Maestro

Real name: Not applicable 

First appearance: Justice League of America I#16 (Dec. 1962)

Abilities: Mind controlling music 

Worst act: Theft, kidnapping 

Quote: "Certainly not! I've arranged for you to be so busy dancing--you won't be able to stop them!"

Created by: Gardner F. Fox (script), Mike Sekowsky (pencils), Bernard Sachs (inks) 

An oddity here. Imaginary stories were a unique thing at DC. Basically a what if or elseworld, with the main theme being that it wasn't canon. In other words, this is just a show and you should really just relax. 

So, the story here is actually credited to JLA superfan Jerry Thomas (a mash up of Jerry Bails and Roy Thomas), who on a whim writes to the JLA with a question, what if this villain I just created fought you? He plays the experiment fairly, I'll say.

The Maestro is committing a string of robberies, aided by his music which forces people listening to dance uncontrollably. Shades of the Music Meister, eh?

The JLA is actually fairly stumped for a bit when the Atom comes up with a novel solution. All in all, not bad but I'm honestly curious why this would be imaginary?

Bring on the Bad Guys: The Untouchable Aliens

Real names: Not revealed 

First appearance: Justice League of America I#15 (Nov. 1962)

Abilities: Can becoming intangible, teleporting 

Worst act: Theft

Quote: "They can't see us in this world--because about fifty seconds still separates us!"

Created by: Gardner F. Fox (script), Mike Sekowsky (pencils), Bernard Sachs (inks) 

Slightly different kind of entry this time, in that these fellows aren't really villains. They pop up across the globe and steal various super weapons from various countries and then reappear across the globe, seemingly trying to use said weapons against various cities. 

Ok, so far pretty standard villain plot. The twist? They're actually from Earth, just not the Earth the JLA know. Seems they're world and Earth-1 are separated by exactly one minute. A-bombs going off on both worlds have somehow thrown them out of alignment and now they risk sharing the same physical space. Thankfully Green Lantern is able to save the day.

Like I said, interesting. Admittedly, most of the drama could have been spared if someone had taken the time to explain things but for drama's sake I understand. A pity they never showed up again. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Mr. Memory

 Real name: Amos Fortune/Bruce Wayne

First appearance: Justice League of America I#14 (Sept. 1962)

Abilities: Via use of a De-Memorizar, can remove memories 

Worst act: Attempted murder, brainwashing

Quote: "That is why you took those pills--to protect your own memories! The side effect of the De-Memorizor blast caused everyone else on Earth to forget the person at whom you aimed!"

Created by: Gardner F. Fox (script), Mike Sekowsky (pencils), Bernard Sachs (inks) 

Big impact this story; first we have Ray Palmer (the Atom) officially joining the team. The crazy thing is, he has zero memory of just HOW that happened. He soon forgets about that too, as the entire population of Ivy Town just got shrunk, including himself. 

Mr. Memory, whoever he is, sets out forming his own gang.

Hector Hammond (Green Lantern): Here is where Hammond evolves himself into a 'man from the future', i.e. a big forehead. 

Pied Piper (Flash foe)

Sea-Thief (Aquaman foe) his only apperance by the way

Angle Man (Wonder Woman)

Dr. Davis (Green Arrow)

The Joker (sort of?)

Yeah, seems the Joker kidnapped Batman on the behest of Mr. Memory, who put his own costume over Bat's but apparently never bothered to look under the hood. 

Martian Manhunter and the Flash get to work as the JLA fights the assembled team manages to snap Batman out of his haze and quickly bust Fortune. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Robot Duplicates

Membership: Robot Superman, Robot Batman, Robot Wonder Woman, Robot Flash, Robot Green Lantern, Robot Green Arrow, and Robot Martian Manhunter

First appearance: Justice League of America I#13 (Aug. 1962)

Abilities: Exact powers as the originals 

Worst act: Attempted murder

Quote: "I'll allow you to shoot first! But my follow-up arrow will touch you before yours can reach me--and I'll have won!"

Created by: Gardner F. Fox (script), Mike Sekowsky (pencils), Bernard Sachs (inks) 

Well, these guys are different, I'll say that. On the planet Skarn, the life energy of their universe is dying out. This has happened before, so the residents opt to use the same plan they've used before, namely kidnap the champions of a neighboring universe and force them to fight the robot duplicates of themselves, with the loser's universe being one destroyed. 

Snatching the entire league, it is spelled out to the confused heroes. All the heroes are forced, save Aquaman since Skarn has no bodies of water big enough to stage a proper fight. Aquaman is then roped into being the JLA's coach, a role he does shockingly well. 

Seriously, with Aquaman's leadership the JLA manages to defeat the robots and get sent home. 

Although most of his coaching seems to be "Wonder Woman, remember you're an Amazon!"

Bring on the Bad Guys: Doctor LIght

Real name: Arthur Light

First appearance: Justice League of America I#12 (Jun. 1962)

Abilities: Powered suit with various light based attacks

Worst act: Murder, and NOTHING ELSE that will be discussed here. 

Quote: "There is no Justice League anymore, young man! Step in--I want to tell you all about it!"

Gardner F. Fox (script), Mike Sekowsky (pencils), Bernard Sachs (inks) 

Lord, considered skipping this guy entirely. I mean, for YEARS Doctor Light was basically the Barry Horowitz of DC. A jobber, punching way out of his weight class and getting the utter hell kicked out of him. 

Then some jackass decided that comics had to be grown up and the single dumbest thing DC put out that decade went and made him utterly unusable as a villain or even a concept. "Oh no, he was NEVER really a loser, he was a bad ass! The JLA just mindwiped him and had kids fight him!"

Not sure who comes out looking worse in that situation. His Suicide Squad take was really the best, in that he was a total loser. His luck was the kind where he manages to escape Hell and come back to life...only to suffocate inside his coffin. 

He then escapes Hell once again, only to mistaken for a vampire and shot with a crossbow. 

His first story was a pretty basic. He shows up and when the story starts, is boasting of already taking down the JLA and forces Snapper Carr to write up the caper. He managed to get the drop on Aquaman and with his signal device, lure the JLA and send them to worlds that would render them helpless (i.e. a world of yellow for Green Lantern, fire for Martian Manhunter, etc.). 

He's only foiled because Batman and Superman switched costumes. He then creates duplicates of himself to rob various light related items but team stops him. 

His powers don't seem all that related to light but eh, 1960's. Things were more of a suggestion back then. 

Honestly, killing him off via the Spectre was probably the best thing for him but I have a feeling some fanboy will bring him back. Sometimes dead is better.