When both the teams of superheroes faced similar foes in their respective universes, Justice League’s way of dealing with the enemies proved that they are smarter than the Fantastic four.
Justice League and Fantastic Four, both have faced enemies with shape-shifting powers. For the Justice League, it was The Hyper clan while for the Fantastic Four it was The Skrulls. Though both of the teams successfully defeated their villainous enemies and dealt with them in their own respective ways, the solution by one of the teams leads to even greater disaster.
About The Villains- The Hyperclan And The Skrulls
The Hyperclan, created by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter in JLA #1, were a group of White Martians who were engaged in a civil war with the other native species of their planet- The Green Martians. While they were defeated and exiled from Mars, the sinister schemes of the Hyperclan didn’t stop and they invaded Earth, pretending to be Superheroes from an alien origin all while slowly taking over the planet.
They tried to take out the only threats they faced, the Justice League but were defeated once again. Similarly, in the Marvel Universe, a similar shape-shifting threat aroused in the form of the Skrulls, who sent four imposters to infiltrate and replace the Fantastic Four, in order to gain intel on all the other beings or superheroes who were an obstacle in their path. The Skrulls were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and they first appeared in Fantastic Four #2. They too were defeated and dealt with by the Heroes but in a little different manner than that of the Justice League.
DC and Marvel- Their Solutions And Repercussions
In both of the cases, the Villains tasted defeat and then received the punishment for their actions by the Heroes. When the Justice League defeated the Hyper clan, Martian Manhunter used his telepathic powers to brainwash the members of the Hyperclans, making them forget their identities and motives and making them believe that they are humans, inhibiting their powers, while also allowing them to live among other humans but keeping them under the surveillance of the League. On the other hand, the Fantastic Four discussed and convinced the leaders of the Skrulls to leave the Earth alone, implying that Earth was home to more superpowered entities that the Skrulls would have to battle in order to conquer Earth while using hypnosis on the spies to make them believe that they are cows and letting them wander the earth.
Both the teams faced repercussions from the methods that they used. When the Hyper clan regained their memories, they were imprisoned on Earth Omega, a planet consumed by “fire,” a Martian’s only weakness. However, the Fantastic Four weren’t so lucky. The Skrulls cows that they let go free gave rise to a whole new problem. Anything produced by the Skrull cows, whether milk or beef made from their bodies, gave those who consumed it shape-shifting powers. While those caused by milk consumption were easily treated, in the cases where the Skrull cows were consumed, the consumers were diagnosed not only with powers but an unnatural infection which ultimately led to their deaths.
Humiliated from the fate of their spies, the Skrulls launched their “Secret Invasion of Earth’s superhuman population.” Even though the Fantastic Four’s solution prevented their prisoners from returning, it led to an entirely new disaster, however, the Justice League’s prisoners did escape and managed to return to earth, they were dealt with again by the successors of their old enemies in the “Future State: Justice League.” Despite Reed Richards being a part of the Fantastic Four and being one of the three smartest people on the planet, Justice League’s actions were somewhat smarter than those of the Fantastic Four.
