The Vile Menagerie versus the Legions of Doom

The Injustice Society of the World was among, if not "the," first super-villain teams made up of foes of the individual members of its opposing super-hero group. The Monster Society of Evil was one of, if not "the," first super-villain teams made up of foes of an individual hero working together for that champion's downfall. The Justice League of America is perhaps the world's greatest super-hero team, and its first attempt at an Injustice Society type group came in their fifth issue. The unnamed gang consisted of The Getaway Mastermind (Martian Manhunter,) Captain Cold (the Flash,) Professor Menace (Wonder Woman,) Clock King (Green Arrow,) Electric Man (Aquaman,) The Puppeteer (Green Lantern,) and the newly created Doctor Destiny. Most had only appeared once before, and many would not be seen again. Later, Earth-3's Crime Syndicate of America had no Martian Manhunter analogue. A more accomplished one-off collective of Earth-1 villains appeared in 1968, with Dr. Light (a commonly used bad guy amongst the League) standing in as a quasi-parallel to the Alien Atlas. Once J'Onn J'Onzz left the Earth in the late '60s, no such half-measures were necessary. The Injustice Gang debuted in 1974 without a Manhunter adversary, the Secret Society of Super Villains followed suit in 1976, as did TV's animated Legion of Doom on Challenge of the Super Friends beginning in 1978. This was excusable in the Bronze Age, since the Sleuth from Outer Space himself rarely appeared anywhere. However, following the Manhunter's splashy return in 1984, the Martian and his rogues gallery continued to be snubbed. Not a single one appeared in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, and The DC Comics Encyclopedia relegated them to blurbs within the Martian Manhunter's entry. Unless you count the unwilling participation of Jemm in an Injustice Gang scheme, the Vile Menagerie was denied entry into any noteworthy villainous organization for decades. Finally this year, Ma'alefa'ak broke the blacklist by working with Vandal Savage's Legion of Doom in the direct-to-DVD feature Justice League: Doom.

In 2013, the Manhunter from Mars will join a new Justice League of America for the first time in fighting the New 52 debut of the Secret Society of Super Villains. The Vile Menagerie of Martian Manhunter Rogues demands representation, not to mention its pound of flesh from all the scrubs that somehow have been rated by DC while they languished in obscurity. Commander Blanx requires sacrifice, Ma'alefa'ak lusts for anguish and Professor Arnold Hugo will not be ignored! Mister V invites readers to cast their votes, as Despero oversees the beginning of a glorious contest, pitting the Alien Atlas enemies against the greater DC Universe of villainy...

• Alex Dunster vs. Captain Cold
• B'enn B'urnzz vs. Black Adam
• B'rett vs. Black Manta
• Bel Juz vs. Poison Ivy
• The Capsule Master vs. Ocean Master
• Cay'an vs. Fatality
• Commander Blanx vs. Baron Blitzkrieg
• The Conjurer vs. The Scarecrow
• D'Kay D'Razz vs. Maxima
• Despero vs. Lobo
• Diabolu the Wizard vs. Anton Arcane
• The Diabolu Idol-Head vs. Pandora's Box (Earth-3)
• The Getaway King vs. The Toyman
• The Human Flame vs. Effigy
• The Human Flame vs. Heat Wave
• Iwangis vs. The Creature King of the Sea
• Korge vs. Giganta
• The Lizard Men vs. The Gordanians
• Malefic vs. Bizarro
• Malefic vs. Black Adam
• The Marshal vs. Captain Nazi
• The Master Gardener vs. The Floronic Man
• The Mercurian Renegade vs. Sonar
• Mr. Moth vs. Firefly
• N'or Cott vs. Deathstroke the Terminator
• The Orchestra of Doom vs. Goth, Pied Piper & The Fiddler
• Professor Arnold Hugo vs. Professor Hugo Strange
• The Prophet vs. The Demon Etrigan
• Rʾes Eda vs. Raʾs al-Ġūl
• The Saturnian Criminal vs. Prometheus
• Scorch vs. Captain Cold
• Scorch vs. Killer Frost
• Thantos the 3-In-1 Man vs. Thanatos
• TOR the Robot Criminal of Mars vs. Lord Havok
• The Trickster vs. The Riddler
• The Vile Menagerie (The Human Falcon, Human Squirrel & Mister Moth) vs. The Terrible Trio