Chapter Summaries

Kara reunited with He-El and then with her mother, while He-El prepared to escalate his conflict with Earth. After Zero reported that the United States was readying a weapon beneath Area Seven, He-El ordered Kal-El to destroy the country.

• Kara flew into He-El's arms, wept over Krypton's destruction, and shared a joyful reunion with him.
• He-El explained that he intended to keep Superman alive while extracting the Codex's genetic information, and Kara worried about the burdens he carried.
• He-El secured Superman and The Flash in the Fortress of Solitude before teleporting Kara to the mothership, where she reunited with Alura.
• Zero reported that the United States was preparing an ultimate weapon beneath Area Seven for a full-scale strike.
• He-El ordered Kal-El to lead five hundred thousand Kryptonian soldiers in eliminating the United States within ten minutes, with the Valiant providing logistical protection.

He-El’s Kryptonian army launched a swift assault that annihilated the nation’s leaders and military, leaving the country devastated by nuclear explosions. Kal-El returned victorious to the Marshal-class Battleship Valiant, where He-El ordered the conquered nation renamed.

• The Marshal-class Battleship Valiant appeared above Washington, D.C., and five hundred thousand Kryptonian soldiers deployed across the sky.
• Kryptonian soldiers used information from Zero to target and kill the nation’s leaders, including the president and the Speaker of the House.
• Kal-El ordered his soldiers to destroy resisting military bases, and nuclear blasts devastated the country as they swept through it.
• Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and other superheroes failed to stop the attack, while Kal-El defeated Captain Atom in space and prevented him from self-destructing near Earth.
• Kal-El returned to the assembled Kryptonian army and reported to He-El that the nation had been destroyed.
• He-El ordered the conquered nation renamed.

After Kal-El’s forces destroyed Earth’s strongest nation, Green Lantern Hal, Wonder Woman Diana, and Martian Manhunter discussed how to oppose He-El and rescue Superman and The Flash. They split up to seek reinforcements and free the captured heroes.

• Kal-El led five hundred thousand Kryptonian soldiers into the Marshal-class Battleship Valiant, leaving the destroyed country as the radioactive Nameless Zone.
• Green Lantern Hal and Wonder Woman Diana admitted they could not stop the Kryptonian army and planned to seek help from the Green Lantern Corps and the Amazon Warriors.
• Martian Manhunter joined Hal and Diana, warning that ordinary reinforcements would not be enough to defeat He-El.
• Hal insisted he would find someone in the universe capable of contending with He-El, while Martian Manhunter prepared to rescue Superman and The Flash.
• Green Lantern Hal traveled to Oa Star, Wonder Woman Diana flew to Paradise Island, and Martian Manhunter concealed himself among the crowd to begin his rescue plan.

Lex Luthor visited Professor Ivo’s underground laboratory and learned that Amazo was developing Kryptonian atomic cells from Jor-El’s body. After demanding proof from the mysterious “Joe,” Lex received a warning that magic might be the only way to defeat He-El and was directed to seek out Thaddeus Sivana.

• Lex Luthor entered his underground laboratory after surviving the destruction of the country’s political and military leadership.
• Professor Ivo told Lex that Amazo was changing into a vast gene bank, with each atomic cell containing a complete genetic sequence.
• Lex confronted the mysterious “Joe” and demanded a reason to trust him, threatening to stop Amazo’s evolution.
• “Joe” offered Lex a nuclear-cleanup machine blueprint, but Lex dismissed it as useless while He-El remained alive.
• “Joe” urged Lex to seek magic and told him to find Thaddeus Sivana, who had discovered a tomb sealed with immense magical power.

He-El dismissed the heroes’ open preparations and explained to Kal-El that Earth held hidden powers stronger than Captain Atom. He planned to settle New Krypton in Australia and present it as a limited foothold, while Kal-El wondered what would happen if they killed Earth’s gods and the visitors from the universe.

• He-El watched the heroes gather an army and concluded that he needed to make his own preparations.
• Kal-El reported that the campaign to destroy a nation was complete and asked why New Krypton did not simply conquer Earth.
• He-El warned Kal-El that powerful beings and forces lay hidden beneath Earth, which he called the center of the universe.
• He-El chose Australia as New Krypton’s territory on Earth and ordered Kal-El to prepare a Space Bridge.
• He-El explained that New Krypton would seek one continent rather than all of Earth to reduce the opposition it faced, and Kal-El asked what if they killed Earth’s gods and the visitors from the universe.

He-El sent a Kryptonian force through the Traversal Vortex to conquer an Earth in another universe and establish a New Krypton base, while keeping Kal-El focused on the DC Earth. The force entered a world where one year would pass for every week in the DC World, giving He-El a prepared retreat and recovery route.

• He-El warned Kal-El that Earth's gods and the beings of the universe could pose threats, and explained that he would not act as though he were invincible.
• He-El led Kal-El to a hangar where Major Van-Ze stood with fifty thousand Kryptonian soldiers, three thousand administrative personnel, and a fleet of thirty-three thousand warships.
• He-El ordered Van-Ze and his forces to conquer an unfamiliar Earth in another universe and establish it as a logistical base for New Krypton within one year.
• He-El opened the Traversal Vortex, and Van-Ze's troops and fleet charged through it to carry out the mission.
• Kal-El volunteered to conquer another planet, but He-El closed the vortex and told him his battlefield remained on this Earth.

After the Planetary Defense Council detected a brief vortex near Madagascar, Lieutenant General Soniel led a Kryptonian force through it and began taking control of Earth’s networks and strategic targets. He dispatched Major Van-Ze and diplomat Christine to tell the United Nations that Earth had been conquered.

• Thomas Wade ordered the Planetary Defense Council to investigate the vortex and assigned Cheng Xin to track its effects on Earth.
• Lieutenant General Soniel and fifty thousand Kryptonian soldiers entered Earth through the vortex, then Major General Ayn connected to and took control of Earth's networks.
• Major General Damon detected a two-dimensional proton supercomputer but blocked it from discovering the Kryptonians, and Soniel ordered his forces to keep observing.
• Soniel instructed the Kryptonian soldiers to deploy to strategic targets without killing Earth's leaders, while three thousand administrators began setting up a governing system.
• Soniel sent Major Van-Ze, a hundred soldiers, and diplomat Christine to the United Nations to announce that Earth had been conquered.

At the United Nations, Luo Ji and three others were named as Wallfacers tasked with countering the Trisolarans. New Krypton then seized control of Earth and declared humanity part of its empire, directly warning the Trisolarans that they were the intended target.

• Secretary-General Sai announced Frederik Taylor, Manuel Rey Diaz, Bill Hines, and Luo Ji as the four Wallfacers.
• Luo Ji reluctantly walked to the podium, wishing the appointment would be revoked.
• Van-Zee led Kryptonian soldiers into the General Assembly Hall and secured the aisles.
• Christine took the podium and announced that Earth had been conquered by New Krypton.
• National representatives learned their communications, weapons, and electronic systems were under New Krypton's control.
• Christine offered Earth integration into the New Krypton Empire and addressed a Sophon, saying, “We are talking about you, Trisolarans.”

He-El visited the Fortress of Solitude, where researchers were extracting Superman’s genetic information to reconstruct Krypton’s Codex. After learning that Superman’s cells were rapidly adapting to his restraints, He-El expected Jor-El to use a copy of the Codex to create a weapon against him and went to investigate The Flash.

• Engineering machines dismantled much of the Fortress of Solitude and installed a biological information analyzer to study Superman.
• He-El arrived through a Space Bridge and asked Professor Jinda about Superman and the genetic research.
• Professor Jinda explained that rebuilding the Codex could take at least ten thousand years, while Superman might adapt to Kryptonian atmosphere, Kryptonite gas, and red sun radiation within ten years.
• He-El predicted that Jor-El would use his Codex backup and Superman’s potential to create a life-form capable of fighting him.
• He-El left the analysis area and headed to the laboratory holding The Flash to consider what energy on Earth could activate Jor-El’s creations.

He-El forced Barry Allen to run so he could harvest the Speed Force, threatening Superman and Barry’s family until Barry gave in. The containment system failed, and He-El absorbed the surging Speed Force directly as Barry ran faster.

• He-El examined a dwindling sample of Speed Force while researchers studied The Flash inside a superconducting chamber.
• He-El told Barry there were seven million Kryptonians, then ordered him to run so the researchers could collect his Speed Force.
• When Barry refused, He-El threatened to cut off Superman’s hand and revealed that he knew Barry Allen’s identity, prompting Barry to run to protect Superman and his family.
• Barry’s Speed Force overwhelmed the laboratory’s circuits and storage tank, causing the tank to crack and explode.
• He-El grabbed a transmission pipe and absorbed the raging Speed Force as yellow lightning enveloped him.

He-El absorbed the Speed Force and compared it with Doomsday as a possible purpose for his genetic foundation. After subduing The Flash, he began investigating how to create cells that could store and produce Speed Force, then secretly placed a psychic projection inside him.

• He-El absorbed a limited but immense quantity of Speed Force and wondered whether his genes were meant to carry it or Doomsday.
• The Flash heard the Speed Force call He-El “The Nonexistent One” and erupted with greater power in anger.
• The Flash broke out of The Jail, but He-El stopped him with a biological magnetic field and knocked him unconscious again.
• He-El examined The Flash’s cells and his own, finding that his genes had begun developing traits for storing Speed Force.
• He-El halted his calculations when exploring the Speed Force overwhelmed him, then sent a psychic projection into The Flash using some of his stored Speed Force.

Lex Luthor’s magical eye revealed the hidden inscription in a tomb near Baghdad, and he summoned the sealed Black Adam. Luthor greeted him as a potential ally against the Kryptonian Emperor.

• Thaddeus Sivana led Lex Luthor’s expedition to a tomb forty-five miles north of Baghdad, where the team found ancient treasures but no visible source of magic.
• Luthor felt pain in his right eye, which transformed and let him see a magical dimension and the hidden writing on a blank wall.
• Luthor read that Black Adam had been sealed until someone capable of destroying him appeared, then found the word needed to open the tomb: “Shazam.”
• Luthor spoke “Shazam,” and the wall exploded, revealing Black Adam amid silver lightning.
• Luthor looked up at Black Adam and told him, “I'm here to help you deal with him!”

As the Nameless Zone descended into chaos, Martian Manhunter spoke with Joe, who urged him to rescue the Flash first so the Speed Force could activate a weapon against He-El. Martian Manhunter headed for LexCorp Tower to hear Joe out.

• Martian Manhunter saw looting and violence spreading through Middleton as cities and corporations struggled to maintain order.
• Joe contacted Martian Manhunter through his iPhone 6 and insisted that he save the Flash rather than Superman.
• Joe explained that He-El needed Superman's Codex and would keep Superman alive, while the Flash's Speed Force could activate Amazo, a weapon capable of killing He-El.
• Joe directed Martian Manhunter to LexCorp Tower in Metropolis, where he promised to reveal everything and gain his trust.
• Martian Manhunter flew toward LexCorp Tower, reflecting on Lex Luthor's efforts to preserve order and save millions of people.

He-El investigated Superman’s potential for dimensional ascension while his Speed Force research remained stalled. When The Flash vanished and the Speed Force researchers collapsed, He-El detected psychic interference and confronted a green phantom of the Martian Manhunter holding The Flash.

• He-El used the Celestial Magnifying Glass to study Superman’s body, but found no clear explanation for his dimensional ascension.
• He-El reflected on the limits of his Speed Force research and hoped studying Superman might provide new inspiration.
• A researcher reported that the Speed Force team had collapsed and The Flash had disappeared from the isolation chamber.
• He-El searched the department with multiple forms of vision but could not see the presence he sensed watching him.
• He-El found traces of a psychic attack in a researcher’s brain activity and struck toward the watcher with his psychic power.
• A green phantom of the Martian Manhunter appeared, wrapped around The Flash, with pain-filled red eyes.

The Martian Manhunter possessed The Flash and rescued him from He-El, then used his intangibility to escape He-El’s attacks. He-El studied the ability and developed a way to see through it before ordering the Space Bridge shut down and Sacrifice sent to Mars to activate the Star Annihilator Cannon.

• The Martian Manhunter possessed The Flash and led him out of the superconducting isolation chamber at the Fortress of Solitude.
• He-El attacked the Martian Manhunter with Mind Blast, but the Martian Manhunter resisted and fled through the Arctic Mountains in an intangible state.
• He-El used the psychic projection inside The Flash to analyze the Martian Manhunter’s ability and reverse-engineered Psychic Dimensional Boundary Sight.
• He-El spared the researchers at the Speed Force Research Department and ordered the Space Bridge shut down.
• He-El ordered Sacrifice to go to Mars and activate the Star Annihilator Cannon.

Martian Manhunter went to rescue Superman, while The Flash helped Jor-El enter Amazo’s body. Jor-El awakened in the body, killed Professor Ivo, knocked The Flash unconscious, and left the laboratory.

• Martian Manhunter returned to LexCorp Tower and joined The Flash and Jor-El in the Amazo Laboratory.
• Jor-El explained that he planned to use Amazo’s power to stop He-El, even if doing so meant sacrificing himself.
• Martian Manhunter decided to rescue Superman despite Jor-El’s warning, then saw a battleship projection showing the Sacrifice racing toward the space beyond Mars.
• The Flash agreed to help Jor-El, and he used the Speed Force to activate Amazo’s atomic cells.
• Jor-El awoke inside Amazo’s body, killed Professor Ivo, and knocked The Flash unconscious with his biokinetic field.
• Jor-El left the laboratory, leaving The Flash unconscious on the floor.

Sacrifice aimed its Star Annihilator Cannon at Mars, prompting Martian Manhunter to attack He-El at the Fortress of Solitude. He-El overwhelmed him with a powerful Mind Blast, and Martian Manhunter woke in a crater to see the cannon still targeting his homeland.

• Sacrifice assembled its Star Annihilator Cannon and aimed it at Mars, while people on Earth realized He-El might destroy the planet.
• Martian Manhunter flew to the Fortress of Solitude and lunged at He-El, enraged by the threat to his homeland.
• He-El struck Martian Manhunter with a Mind Blast that shattered his right hand, forced his arm bone through his shoulder, and blasted him into a distant mountain.
• He-El told the guards and researchers to resume their work, then walked toward the injured Martian Manhunter.
• Martian Manhunter recovered enough to use Far Vision and saw Sacrifice's cannon aimed at Mars, then screamed in horror.

Martian Manhunter begged He-El to spare Mars, but He-El refused and watched as the Sacrifice’s Star Annihilator Cannon tore the planet apart. Martian Manhunter was left blind and trembling as the destruction of his homeland was imprinted on his mind.

• Martian Manhunter struggled to kneel before He-El and pleaded for him to spare Mars, offering to return The Flash and stop opposing him.
• He-El refused to heed Martian Manhunter’s pleas and told him to look at the stars and bear the consequences of his actions.
• The Sacrifice fired its Star Annihilator Cannon, drilling through Mars and driving the planet’s core out into space.
• The cannon split Mars in two, devastating the subterranean world and killing countless Martians.
• Martian Manhunter’s eyes ruptured, leaving him blind as he collapsed and trembled in the crater.

After the Marshal-class Battleship Sacrifice destroyed Mars, Bruce woke at Wayne Manor and learned that Kryptonian forces had defeated the Justice League and erased the country’s government and military. As Bruce tried to rise despite his injuries, Alfred and Zatanna insisted he rest, while the story left him confronting the scale of the catastrophe.

• The Sacrifice destroyed Mars with its Star Annihilator Cannon, leaving Earth’s leaders terrified of the Kryptonians’ power.
• Bruce woke at Wayne Manor with his chest wrapped in bandages, and Alfred helped him sit up and recover.
• Alfred told Bruce that the Justice League had been defeated, twenty thousand soldiers had been killed, and the surviving heroes had been captured, scattered, or taken for repairs.
• Alfred explained that five hundred thousand Kryptonian soldiers had destroyed the country’s government, military, and bases in ten minutes, while Gotham’s prominent families formed the Gotham Autonomous Alliance.
• Bruce was shocked to learn the country was gone and tried to get out of bed, but Alfred held him back as Zatanna entered and told him to lie down.

Zatanna awakened Bruce and angrily confronted him for risking his life against the Kryptonians, while Alfred explained the dire state of the Justice League and Atlantis. Bruce considered recruiting more forces, but Nimu Inwudu refused to help after her Tarot cards repeatedly foretold that she would become pregnant.

• Zatanna used magic to wake Bruce, then stormed out after he insisted someone had to stand against the Kryptonians.
• Alfred told Bruce that the Kryptonian Emperor had destroyed Mars with the Star Annihilator Cannon.
• Alfred explained that Orm had imprisoned Arthur and taken his throne, while Superman and The Flash were captive, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman had gone to seek aid, and Steel Bone was still being repaired.
• Bruce considered using Steel Bone's Mother Box to lure Steppenwolf as a last resort and asked Nimu Inwudu for help.
• Nimu Inwudu said The Flash was key to confronting the Emperor, then refused to help after her Tarot readings repeatedly predicted pregnancy.