11. The Guardian

Jim Harper was a New York City policeman who grew sick of every criminal he tried to catch getting away scot free. So he donned a costume and took to the streets as The Guardian.

Jim worked with the teenage Newsboy Legion as a protector of the home front during World War II, and also served in the All-Star Squadron during that time. His child wards grew up and took positions in the genetics lab known as Cadmus, where they managed to transfer Harper’s brain into a new, younger cloned body, allowing him to take on his role as The Guardian once more.

He spent years fighting crime in Metropolis before retiring for a time. He later came out of retirement during the New Krypton affair to act as the police liaison to the superhero community, eventually leading to a place in the Justice League.

A brief place, but a solid one.

10. Elongated Man

So I’m a serious old-school Flash fan. Like, Barry Allen, Wally West, Jay Garrick, even that one-year stretch of Bart Allen Flash we got before he died and came back. And, as a result, I’ve always loved the Elongated Man.

Ralph Dibny was a young man fascinated by contortionists. And so he decided to track down the source of their miraculous abilities. He found a substance called Gingold that gave stretching abilities to whoever drank it. Ralph drained an entire bottle of the stuff and became The Elongated Man. Not…not the BEST name, but what are ya gonna do?

He became fast friends (heh) with the Flash, and eventually got the nod to join the JLA, which was the right call. He served as the team’s comic relief and one of its more cunning minds, as Ralph’s detective skills are and have always been shockingly on point.

And when you’re on a team with Batman, being the one doing the detective work is damn impressive.