Chapter Summaries

Alex, as Dragon King, endured Steppenwolf’s Omega Beams to save Superman, losing his left arm but continuing to advance. Cyborg and the arriving heroes joined him against Steppenwolf and his army.

• Steppenwolf blasted Dragon King with the Omega Beams, destroying his left arm, but Dragon King survived and kept moving forward after Kara carried Superman away.
• Cyborg watched Dragon King’s sacrifice and realized what it meant to be a superhero.
• Cyborg flew in front of Dragon King and readied his weapons as Steppenwolf summoned his Parademon army.
• Green Lantern, Aquaman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman arrived and joined Dragon King and Cyborg in facing Steppenwolf.
• A Batwing flew from Gotham into the cross-river channel toward Apokolips.

The Justice League fought Steppenwolf and the Parademons across Western Australia, with The Flash badly injuring Steppenwolf after Alex helped launch him into the sky. Seeing Alex’s severed arm, Wonder Woman unleashed her divine power and began battering Steppenwolf while the others returned to fighting the Parademons.

• Green Lantern, Cyborg, and Aquaman attacked Steppenwolf, but he deflected their attacks and fought back.
• The Flash created a lightning cyclone to scatter Parademons, then struck Steppenwolf with a powerful Speed Force punch after Alex launched him upward.
• Alex caught The Flash in his paw, and The Flash thanked him before joining the others.
• Wonder Woman removed her bracelets, released her golden divine power, and told the others to handle the Parademons.
• Alex warned Wonder Woman about Steppenwolf’s Omega Beams, and she flew at Steppenwolf and repeatedly sent him flying with her blows.

Earth’s heroes and hidden superpowered individuals fought the Parademon invasion while Wonder Woman battered Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf called on the Olympian Pantheon, and a rift opened to reveal Mount Olympus.

• Superpowered defenders across the world joined forces to fight the invading Parademons.
• Green Lantern gathered Parademons in a green net for Cyborg to destroy, while Aquaman and The Flash attacked the forces on the ground.
• Alex brought down giant Parademons as Wonder Woman continued to beat Steppenwolf in the sky.
• Steppenwolf asked whether Wonder Woman was the Olympian God of War and accused the Olympian Pantheon of interfering in Darkseid’s affairs.
• A rift opened in the night sky, revealing Mount Olympus.

Mount Olympus appeared in the sky, revealing the Olympian Pantheon's presence at the center of the universe as Wonder Woman fought Steppenwolf. Hippolyta emerged from Themyscira, declared that Olympus would not join the war, and ordered Diana to return with her.

• Steppenwolf inferred that the Olympian Pantheon had hidden at the center of the universe and believed Wonder Woman was its newly created weapon.
• Wonder Woman rejected Steppenwolf's description, while the heroes and Alex watched Mount Olympus appear and wondered what it meant.
• Hippolyta left Themyscira and appeared before Mount Olympus, shocking Diana.
• Hippolyta told Steppenwolf that the Olympian Pantheon would not take part in Apokolips's war.
• Hippolyta ordered Diana to return with her, and Diana demanded to know why.

Diana refused to leave Earth, but Hippolyta bound her with the Lasso of Truth before a divine beam carried Hippolyta into Mount Olympus. As the battle resumed, Steppenwolf fired his Omega Beams and pierced Dragon King's chest, destroying his heart.

• Diana refused Hippolyta's order to return to Themyscira, so Hippolyta used the Lasso of Truth to bind her and strip away her divine power.
• Alex caught the falling Diana and demanded to know what Hippolyta was doing.
• A beam from Mount Olympus lifted Hippolyta into the sky, and she shouted for Diana not to look for her before disappearing.
• Steppenwolf laughed and fired his Omega Beams at Dragon King.
• The Omega Beams pierced Dragon King's chest and destroyed his heart, sending his massive body crashing into the trees and rocks.

Steppenwolf defeated Earth's superheroes and prepared to slaughter them after Dragon King took the Omega Beams meant for Wonder Woman and lay dying. Just as a bright evolution theme began and the heroes looked toward a glowing figure rising on the horizon, the chapter left their identity unknown.

• Steppenwolf pierced Dragon King's heart with the Omega Beams while Alex shielded Wonder Woman, and Alex fell with Diana safe in his palm.
• Green Lantern, Cyborg, and Aquaman attacked Steppenwolf, but he cut Cyborg in half, wounded Aquaman, and broke Green Lantern's barrier.
• The Flash caught the falling Green Lantern as Steppenwolf declared that Earth had lost and descended to kill the defeated heroes.
• Alex used his remaining strength to comfort the sobbing Diana, then his vision darkened as he neared death.
• An evolution theme began, and a glowing figure rose into the air on the distant horizon.

BrutalGreymon appeared to fight Steppenwolf and closed an intergalactic passage before throwing the Mother Box fragments into Dragon King's chest. Steppenwolf's Omega Beams then pierced BrutalGreymon's heart, and he screamed Anna's name.

• BrutalGreymon emerged in a burst of light and music, startling the heroes with her savage appearance.
• BrutalGreymon fired a Super Flame at Steppenwolf, who split it with his axe as she crushed a Mother Box passage closed.
• BrutalGreymon hurled the kneaded Mother Box fragments into the hollow in Dragon King's chest.
• Steppenwolf sensed a deadly threat and fired his Omega Beams at BrutalGreymon, piercing her chest.
• BrutalGreymon bled and smiled faintly as Steppenwolf shouted, "ANNA!"

As Alex sank toward death, BrutalGreymon’s attack on Steppenwolf and the sight of his little sister Anna being struck reignited his will and triggered the Mother Box Central System to begin his evolution. The heroes bought him time, and Mother Boxes from around the world flew to him as his transformation began.

• The Mother Box Central System mourned as Alex seemed to die, while Alex heard Diana grieving and gently reached out to comfort her.
• BrutalGreymon attacked Steppenwolf and placed a Mother Box component on Alex’s chest, but a red blast tore through her, and Alex recognized his little sister Anna.
• Alex’s rage and refusal to die awakened the Idealistic Gene, and the Mother Box Central System began unleashing his genetic evolution.
• Steppenwolf charged Alex, but Aquaman, Cyborg, Hal, Barry, and Green Lantern intervened to keep him away while Alex transformed.
• As the Digimon theme played, Mother Box components across the world shut down their passageways, reassembled, and flew toward Alex in Western Australia.

Alex completed his evolution into MetalGreymon, whose armored body survived Steppenwolf’s axe and drove the wounded enemy to flee. After MetalGreymon’s Super Flame failed to finish Steppenwolf, he launched into pursuit.

• Alex absorbed Mother Boxes and formed an Eternal Power Furnace, which transformed his body and rebuilt his severed left arm as metal.
• Steppenwolf attacked the wounded heroes and struck the evolving Dragon King with the Earthbreaker Axe, but the blow could not damage MetalGreymon’s metallic helmet.
• Hal, Cyborg, The Flash, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman saw that Dragon King had survived and evolved into MetalGreymon.
• MetalGreymon bit off Steppenwolf’s thigh and spat it into the mountains, then attacked him with a Super Flame.
• Steppenwolf survived by blocking the fireball with the Earthbreaker Axe and fled as MetalGreymon took flight after him.

Alex pursued the wounded Steppenwolf into space and tried to stop Darkseid from rescuing him through a Boom Tube. Alex launched the Ultimate Destruction Cannon after Steppenwolf just before the passage closed, leaving the outcome unknown.

• MetalGreymon took flight and caught up to the fleeing Steppenwolf, smashing him out of the atmosphere and leaving him barely alive.
• Alex pursued Steppenwolf into space, where a Boom Tube opened and began pulling him away.
• Alex blasted the Boom Tube with fire, but Darkseid stabilized the passage and reached through to seize Steppenwolf.
• Alex launched the Ultimate Destruction Cannon from his chest, and it followed Steppenwolf into the Boom Tube as it closed.

Darkseid watched Apokolips reel from the destruction of the Ultimate Destruction Cannon and learned that Steppenwolf had been defeated on Earth after Batman disrupted the Doomsday operation. He ordered Steppenwolf treated and had Batman fitted with a Control Parasite before being sent back to Earth as an unwitting source of intelligence.

• Darkseid's Omega Beams split the Ultimate Destruction Cannon, whose explosion blasted a vast crater into Apokolips and tore a hole through its atmosphere.
• Darkseid found ten dead Doomsdays behind him and heard Deed ask whether the gravely injured Steppenwolf should be treated.
• Darkseid ordered Steppenwolf taken to a nutrient tank, accepting his defeat as a consequence of Earth's hidden powers.
• Deed asked what should be done with the unconscious Batman, who had released the Doomsdays and sabotaged the operation.
• Darkseid ordered Deed to implant a Control Parasite in Batman and send him back to Earth as an unwitting spy.

Reverse-Flash escaped the Speed Force Prison Chamber with help from his past self, while Alex searched for the vanished Anna and joined Earth’s forces to defeat the remaining Parademons. Earth survived the invasion at immense cost, and Alex feared Reverse-Flash’s escape would bring another threat.

• Reverse-Flash’s past self overloaded the prison systems and freed his present self, who escaped after learning Gideon had been modified by Alex.
• After the war ended, Alex searched Earth’s networks for Anna but found no trace of her and suspected she had hidden herself away with Doctor Manhattan’s help.
• Gideon informed Alex that Reverse-Flash had escaped, and Alex pieced together how his past self had rescued him through the Speed Force.
• Alex joined forces with nations and heroes to eliminate the Parademons remaining on Earth.
• At dawn, Earth’s crisis ended, but hundreds of millions had died in the catastrophic battle.

After Apokolips’s invasion, Alex helped restore order in Central City while mourning the dead and worrying about Anna’s disappearance. A week later, Superman called for a superhero organization at the United Nations and declared that political leaders could not stop its creation.

• Alex confirmed that Bert and Aunt Merri had survived the invasion, but Anna was missing again.
• Alex directed the Severed Hand Gang and the First Brotherhood to support rescue efforts, restore public services, and provide aid, and Central City quickly returned to order.
• Cyborg told Alex that Superman was speaking at the United Nations about forming a superhero league.
• Superman recalled the invasion’s losses and renewed his call for a superhero organization independent of politics.
• The American representative stood and strongly supported Superman’s proposal.

Superman reported that the nations had approved an independent international superhero team, with The Eye providing support and oversight. He and Batman discussed the team’s founding members, and Superman asked why Dragon King had been left out.

• Superman told Batman that most United Nations countries had agreed to fund an international superhero team, while The Eye would provide support and supervision.
• Batman explained that the nations would not control the team’s operations or choose its members, and Superman said America had donated land for a public headquarters.
• Superman and Batman agreed that they needed to announce the team and choose its founders soon because Darkseid still threatened Earth.
• Batman proposed Superman, himself, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash as founders.
• Superman noticed Dragon King was missing from the proposed roster and asked Batman why he had not included him.

Superman challenged Batman’s refusal to let Dragon King join the superhero team, arguing that Alex had repeatedly protected his allies and Earth. Superman left to invite Dragon King, while Batman secretly sent Dragon King’s combat data to Apokolips and then became confused about a gap in his memory.

• Superman asked why Dragon King had been excluded, and Batman said Alex was not a true superhero because he acted for self-interest rather than justice.
• Superman accused Batman of trying to isolate Dragon King by arranging Atomic Skull’s escape and framing Alex as a cruel dictator.
• Superman argued that Dragon King should join the team, but Batman refused, and Superman left the Batcave to invite him.
• Batman sent Apokolips Dragon King’s combat data and information about MetalGreymon’s abilities and possible evolution, then erased the traces.
• Batman wondered whether several minutes had disappeared from his memory, but could not recall doing anything beyond refusing Dragon King’s admission and speaking with Superman.

Alex oversaw STAR Labs’ successful creation of Tachyon Particles and considered Superman’s invitation to help establish the Justice League. He left the Speed Force Prison Chamber still weighing the invitation against his preparations for Reverse-Flash, his concerns for Anna, and the dangers facing Earth.

• Alex powered STAR Labs’ Particle Accelerator, and Director William’s team successfully created Tachyon Particles by colliding X-Energy with electrons.
• Alex processed the experiment’s data and restored his body after disconnecting from the accelerator.
• Little Ji told Alex that Superman’s invitation had been delivered and that the Justice League ceremony would take place in Washington, D.C., in three days.
• Alex considered joining the Justice League while preparing for Reverse-Flash’s return, worrying about Anna, and planning to grow stronger.
• Alex dressed with Little Ji’s help and left the Speed Force Prison Chamber, still uncertain whether to join.

A month after Apokolips’s invasion, the Justice League was publicly founded in Washington, and Barry brought Alex to the ceremony despite Alex’s reluctance. As the crowd recognized him as Dragon King, Alex transformed and joined the heroes onstage.

• Superman announced the Justice League’s mission at the crowded press conference, and the host introduced Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman, and the other heroes.
• Alex watched the ceremony from Green Shade Villa and told Little Ji to record the historic moment.
• Barry arrived with Alex’s silver mask and used the Speed Force to bring Alex to Justice Hall before he could refuse.
• The crowd recognized the masked Alex as Dragon King and roared his name.
• Alex removed his mask, transformed into Dragon King, and roared beside the Justice League as the crowd cheered.

Alex and Diana toured the Justice League headquarters, where they discussed her mother's predicament on Mount Olympus and Alex offered to accompany her. Their private conversation ended when they entered the conference room and Alex noticed four suited strangers.

• Alex toured the Justice League headquarters while Diana followed him, and the other heroes explored separately.
• Diana thanked Alex for saving her and explained that she had left the Lasso of Truth on Themyscira to be reforged.
• Diana told Alex that her mother had been summoned by the Olympian Pantheon and warned her not to leave the ground or Themyscira would be destroyed.
• Alex offered to go to Mount Olympus with Diana, then the two joked and talked about her costume and their recent troubles.
• Alex and Diana entered the Justice League conference room, where Alex noticed four suited men and women and asked what they were.

At the Justice League’s first meeting, Alex expelled government recording officers and uncovered 172 listening devices planted throughout headquarters. The League agreed to establish a headquarters in space, putting Hal in charge of building it.

• Alex and Diana arrived at the Justice Hall conference room, where the other Justice League members had gathered.
• Alex ordered four government recording officers out, then used his Magnetic Psionics to remove them without injuring them.
• Alex found and crushed 172 listening devices hidden throughout headquarters, while Cyborg said he had already blocked their signals.
• Batman proposed moving the League’s headquarters beyond national governments’ reach, and the team discussed possible locations.
• Hal suggested a hidden space headquarters, and the Justice League unanimously approved his plan, assigning him responsibility for its construction.

Alex helped the Justice League plan a space-based Justice Hall, then visited Lex Luthor in prison and learned that Lex still controlled his business from behind bars. Lex explained that Superman’s survival had forced him to abandon his presidential plans and wait for another opportunity.

• Alex, Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Barry contributed resources and ideas for Hal’s Justice Hall, including a transformable fortress powered by Alex’s Superluminal Engine.
• The Justice League ended its first meeting, and Alex reminded Diana to watch for the Olympian Pantheon before flying from Washington to Metropolis.
• Alex visited Lex Luthor, who had been sentenced to 3,211 years but had used his money and connections to make prison resemble his villa.
• Lex told Alex that he had planned to run for president, but Superman’s survival and Lex’s crimes had forced him into prison to wait for another opportunity.