The Justice League has been the DC Universe's foremost superteam for a long time. However, not every member of the Justice League is built the same, and the team has had to turn to some alternative methods of getting around. For anyone who isn't a speedster or able to fly through space on their own, this is exactly where the Justice League Teleporters come into play. Though they might be one of the greatest assets that the League has ever had at their disposal, they are also criminally undersused by DC's greatest heroes.
First appearing in 1970's Justice League of America #78, the Justice League Teleporters were initially of Thanagarian design before later iterations of the DC Universe would settle on them having been created by Martian scientists. These teleportation chambers proved invaluable to the Justice League, serving as a way for heroes such as Batman and Black Canary to traverse not just the globe, but the distance to and from the League's orbital headquarters. While they have always played an important role, their use became even more important during the heyday of the Justice League International, though they weren't always used in the most responsible manner.
In 1989's The Flash #30 by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque saw Mary West, mother of the titular hero, reprogram Wally's teleporter to ferry her to and from Rome. Since Wally West was a member of the Justice League Europe at the time, this might not have seemed too strange an occurrence, if not for the fact that Mary was merely skipping off to Italy for some shopping following a heated argument with her son.
While the Justice League of America and its various branches have certainly made good use of their teleporters in the past, recent years have seen these devices fall out of favor, or at least out of popularity. There is little doubt that the members of the Justice League who are in need of them still use the teleporters to transport themselves to and from space or across the globe in an instant, but it doesn't seem that the full extent of their abilities have ever really been touched on, especially in contrast to how the X-Men's world has been changed by their somewhat similar portal bio-technology.
Since the founding of Krakoa as a sovereign mutant nation, the X-Men and their compatriots have made remarkable use of their own instantaneous travel method -- the Krakoan Gates. These doorways to anywhere have been strategically placed all over the globe and even in realms beyond our own such as Otherworld. Anyone with an X-Gene can simply walk through the appropriate gate and step out the other side on land in another country, planet or dimension, and this incredible technology has served to allow mutants to grow closer to one another as well as the rest of the world around them. For what could have easily become a gimmick or gag, the Krakoan Gates have proven themselves to be one of the most important tools that mutants have ever had at their disposal, whereas the Justice League have just as often used their own teleporters for comedy as for travel.
Booster Gold and Blue Beetle have had plenty of laughs at the expense of their teammates, thanks to the Justice League Teleporters, and they might just be the two members of the team who have gotten the most use out of the devices because of that. There are few iconic moments surrounding the League's favorite yet least mentioned mode of transportation, which seems like it shouldn't be the case considering how incredible their purpose is in the first place. But for such powerful pieces of equipment, it seems like a waste for the Justice League not to get more mileage out of them.
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