The best superhero teams: the tier list

A great team is more than an addition of heroes: it is a dynamic, tensions, a substitute family. This tier list does not measure the combined power but the team success as a concept — richness of characters, great runs, imprint on pop culture.

Editorial Ranks, Facts verified. Each team points to a site resource.

Tier S: the four founding teams

THE X-Men (1963) are undoubtedly the richest team: their allegory of difference has fueled decades of great stories. THE Avengers (1963) brings together the greatest Marvel heroes and carries the major events. There Justice League brings together the DC pantheon (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman). And the Fantastic Four (1961), the first Marvel family, literally launched the publisher's modern universe.

Tier A: the major formations

THE Teen Titans, especially in their 1980 version of Wolfman and Pérez, rival the X-Men. THE Guardians of the Galaxy brought a cosmic and pop breath. There Justice Society is the very first superhero team in history (1940). And the Defenders form Marvel’s cult “non-team”.

Tier B: teams with strong identity

X-Force embodies the dark side of mutants. There Suicide Squad sends villains on suicide missions. There Doom Patrol, especially under the pen of Grant Morrison, is DC's strangest team. And the Birds of Prey imposed a sustainable women's team.

Tier C: safe values

THE Thunderbolts (villains pretending to be heroes) are based on a brilliant twist. THE Inhumans and Alpha Flight complete the selection: good teams, a notch below the formations which define their universe.

To remember

• The criterion is the success of the team concept, not the combined power.
• Marvel and DC dominate the top equally (two teams each).
• A strong team carries events: Avengers and X-Men structure entire sagas.
• Each team refers to a key number or site file.

Frequently asked questions