DC's massive "Darkseid War" storyline wrapped up in the pages of Justice League #50 today, and it was a doozy. This comic introduced a number of big changes to the DCU that will impact both heroes and villains leading into DC Rebirth. We're breaking down the eight key developments below.
Art by Jason Fabok
Beware of spoilers for Justice League #50!
This one won't be a surprise for anyone who's been reading DC's various Superman books over the past two months. The "Final Days of Superman" crossover (which takes place after "The Darkseid War") revealed that Superman is dying because of various recent physical traumas, one of them being his exposure to the Fire Pits of Apokolips. Though Superman eventually rid himself of that deadly energy, it was a case of too little, too late for the Man of Steel.
For more on what the future holds for Superman in DC Rebirth, you can read our spoiler-y report on Superman #52.
Wonder Woman was front-and-center for "The Darkseid War," so it's only fair that one of the biggest developments in this final chapter concerns her. Darkseid's daughter Grail attempted to harness the power of "the first man to step foot on Paradise Island." She believed that man to be Steve Trevor. And why not? Traditionally, that's how the various Wonder Woman origin stories have depicted him. But as it turns out, Steve was the second man to visit Paradise Island. The first was Diana's twin brother, Jason.
It turns out that Queen Hippolyta actually gave birth to twins on that fateful night. What became of Jason Prince is a complete mystery, but it's safe to assume his existence was kept a secret and that he was probably removed from the island right away. We're guessing that this revelation will be at the heart of Greg Rucka, Liam Sharp and Nicola Scott's upcoming Wonder Woman run. The first story arc is called "Lies," and will deal with Diana confronting uncomfortable revelations about her past.
For more on what to expect from the new series, check out our interview with the Wonder Woman creative team.
The first major death in "The Darkseid War" was actually Darkseid himself. He fell in battle against the Anti-Monitor, with more than a little help from the Black Racer-possessed Flash. However, Darkseid returned in this issue (with a swanky new costume courtesy of artist Jason Fabok) as Grail stole the godly powers the Justice League had acquired and fused them with Superwoman's newborn son, Alexander Luthor, Jr., creating a bigger, meaner Darkseid. As Grail put it, "Death is too good for Darkseid."
However, it wasn't long before Darkseid underwent another major transformation. Grail finally saw the error of her ways and used her power to separate the Anti-Life Equation from the fused Darkseid/Luthor hybrid. Now Luthor has reverted back to infant form, though still with the telltale gray skin and red eyes of Darkseid. The repentant Grail is now determined to raise the baby to be a good man and prove that nurture can overcome nature. We're not convinced there's any redeeming that baby.
This issue finally revealed the secret readers have been dying to know for months. What did the Mobius Chair say when Batman asked it about Joker's true identity? It turns out that the answer was, "There are three Jokers." Needless to say, Batman is not amused, and at the end of this issue he began the long journey towards making sense of this revelation.
Click here for more on this Joker twist and what it means for the Batman franchise.
Power Ring is the newest member of the Justice League. She differs from the other Green Lanterns because she wields a ring powered by her inner fear and containing the spirit of Volthoom, the First Lantern. Needless to say, it's not a healthy relationship. Jessica was finally freed from this burden when the Black Racer escaped being bound to Flash, traveled into the ring and claimed Volthoom's spirit. At first it seemed that Jessica had died as well, but she awoke when a stray Green Lantern ring chose her to be its new host. Now she's officially become a member of the Green Lanterns.
This development feed into the status quo driving the two new Green Lantern comics during DC Rebirth - Green Lanterns and Hal Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps. Whereas the latter will feature Hal attempting to rebuild the Corps in the face of the Sinestro Corps' rise to power, the former series will focus on Jessica and fellow rookie Simon Baz as they settle into their new roles as the assigned Green Lanterns for Sector 2814.
Big Barda and Mister Miracle have been helping the Justice League to battle Darkseid in this storyline. In issue #49, Barda seemed to betray her lover, choosing to return to Apokolips and take advantage of Darkseid's absence rather than stay and face certain death fighting Grail and her allies.
The good news is that Barda didn't betray Scott, she merely went to get reinforcements. The bad news is that in order to win the aid of Darkseid's Furies, she had to agree to join their ranks once more. So while she helped turn the tide against Grail, Barda is now doomed to remain forever apart from the man she loves. Do we detect a new Mister Miracle comic in the works?
Lex Luthor was one of several Justice League members who gained godlike power during the course of this story and then lost it when Grail stole that power away. But even now that he's lost the power of the Omega Effect, Luthor seems determined to maintain his grip as ruler of Apokolips. In the aftermath of this issue's big battle, Luthor returned to Apokolips and had his new minions fashion a powerful suit of armor. This armor looks very much like Luthor's traditional battle-suits, but it's adorned with the colors and Kryptonian crest of Superman.
Luthor will be using that suit to further his superhero career back on Earth, proving to the world that he's a better Man of Steel than the real Superman ever was. Look for that status quo to be explored in the pages of Action Comics this summer.
The majority of the Crime Syndicate managed to survive the events of Forever Evil, ultimately joining forces with the Justice League to stand against Grail. But by the end of Justice League #50, this alternate universe super-team is no more. Ultraman was already killed in an earlier chapter of "The Darkseid War." In this issue, Superwoman was obliterated mere moments after giving birth to her son. And in the final epilogue scene, Owlman also met his end.
Owlman managed to gain possession of the Mobius Chair after Batman forfeited it. He met with the chair's former owner, Metron, on the Moon and gloated about the secrets of the universe being open to him. But his victory didn't last long, as a mysterious foe appeared and obliterated both Owlman and Metron in one fell swoop.
Justice League #50 doesn't reveal the identity of that foe, but DC Universe Rebirth #1 does.
Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.
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