Surrounded on all sides by the Thanagarian army and a rogue Hawkman, three members of the Justice League are trapped on Thanagar Prime. While looking for answers that could save the Multiverse, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter have discovered a much more sinister plot being orchestrated. Meanwhile, with the injured Starman in League custody on Earth, things threaten to get explosive. Have you ever wondered what other inhabitants of the universe think about Earth’s heroes always running around and causing trouble? Unfortunately for the Justice League, they are about to find out.
(Spoilers Incoming)
When we left off, Savage Hawkman was back from the dead and prepared to kill Hawkgirl. As he prepares to deliver the final blow, a vale is lifted to reveal a Thanagarian wingman in Hawkman’s clutches. Shayera then realizes that Martian Manhunter must have influenced what they were seeing. As she orders the wingmen to set out in search for the heroes, she promises Hawkman that she will “restore you fully soon enough.” Based on that, I’m assuming that this reincarnation of Savage Hawkman never fully recovered from his sacrifice fighting Despero. Across Thanagar, three wingmen land and reveal themselves to be the three heroes using a Martian mind trick to escape. As Kendra vents her frustrations over this entire situation, Manhunter recommends that it is time to get to the core of all the secrets on the planet. He recommends doing this by breaking into the Thanagarian vault that is said to house the secrets of the empire. This leads to some resistance from Green Lantern, as he would rather not violate any pact the Thanagarians have with the Green Lantern Corps. However, Manhunter is able to convince him otherwise, and the three begin planning their break-in. This would prove difficult, as the Thanagarians take security at their grand vault very seriously. Difficult or not, these members of the Justice League are determined to get the answers they seek.
At the vault, we see a number of different species from around the universe taking some of their prized possessions into the vault. One of these beings is from the Dominator species (the antagonists from Invasion! Secret No More). The Dominator is presenting a large chunk of Kryptonian rock leftover from when Krypton exploded. As access is granted and the Dominator moves into the vault, the chunk of Krypton attacks, revealing the three heroes in disguise as the rock. They quickly defeat the Dominator and the nearby guards before Shayera and Hawkman arrive. As Green Lantern prepares to attack, he is blindsided by the most unexpected of enemies: members of the Green Lantern Corp. With the arrival of her apparent allies from the Green Lanterns, Shayera states, “This is my problem with Earth’s heroes. You think you have the right to every corner of the universe that suits you. You do not consider the cost of your actions.” As the battle erupts inside the vault, Manhunter is able to slip away and find the Elder Martian. When he finds the Elder, she is connected to something called an Absorbascon, a Thanagarian artifact that can store the entire knowledge of their race. She states that they need this for more than memory storage now, and that they are relying on this for the very survival of their species. She tells him that the Thanagarians have lied about everything. They are using the combined power of the Absorbascon, Nth Metal and the Elder Martian to shape reality around them. Everything the League has seen on Thanagar has been a lie. The Elder Martian then tells Manhunter something that could potentially affect every single person in the DC universe: “There was a Multiverse before this one, J’onn. And its creator…she is coming back.” At the same time on Earth, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman have stopped Starman from going supernova. Starman states that the Totality (the cosmic entity that made itself known to the League after the events of No Justice) has connected him to every corner of the universe. He is fully aware of the events transpiring on Thanagar, but he can also feel a presence. Someone watching him. As he states to the Leaguers present, “Your friends are about to learn a story that hasn’t been told in billions of years. A story that could destroy the universe itself. The story of Perpetua.”
That is the second time the name Perpetua has come up. The first time was when the Batman Who Laughs told Lex Luthor about her. According to him, Perpetua was imprisoned inside the Source Wall and wielded the seven forces of the universe. If someone that powerful is coming, it has to relate to the reveal of a prior Multiverse. Is this referring to the Multiverse from before Crisis? Could this be leading to once again having an infinite number of universes with endless possibilities? Make no mistake about it, the stakes have just been exponentially raised.
While at times convoluted if you aren’t much for space and Multiverse themes, Scott Snyder is absolutely killing it with Justice League. Not only is everything from this run of the team tying together, it seems like plot points from the previous series and Dark Nights: Metal are being brought in to completely tie together all of the work Snyder has done over the last year and a half. If you thought things couldn’t get any more crazy, buckle in. It looks like the Justice League is in for a massive, wild ride that could reshape the entire Multiverse.