Chapter Summaries

Su Ming’s group brought Cyborg and Starfire to the space station so Orion and Blackfire could try to save them. As the Spectre Universe continued to collapse, their next moves depended on whether the two could recover in time.

• Diana suggested taking the injured Cyborg and Starfire to safety, and Su Ming explained that Orion might restore Cyborg while Blackfire could help awaken Starfire.
• Su Ming’s fleet crossed paths with the group, who then left the Spectre Universe and returned to the space station.
• Su Ming asked Orion to remove Darkseid’s programming from Cyborg and Blackfire to awaken Starfire; a Zamaron researcher recommended healing her in violet crystal.
• Orion began working on Cyborg’s exposed brain while Diana distracted Harley with a card game and Barry anxiously waited for news about Jessica.
• Su Ming watched the Spectre Universe sink and noted that the team’s plans depended on Orion and Blackfire’s success.

Orion restored Cyborg by placing his head in transformable metal, and Diana told him that Darkseid had killed Jessica. After Cyborg came back in a new body, Barry took him away to talk about Jessica’s death.

• Orion finished treating Cyborg and explained that the Mother Box could activate transformable metal to form a new body.
• Cyborg remembered that Darkseid had evolved his Mother Box but could not yet recall everything that had happened.
• Diana told Cyborg that Darkseid had killed Jessica and urged him to prepare to avenge her.
• Orion placed Cyborg’s head in the metal, which formed a tall body for him, though he was left wearing a cardboard box around his waist.
• Barry hooked an arm around Cyborg’s neck and used the Speed Force to take him away.

Barry and Cyborg discovered that Jessica was alive and sleeping in her coffin, despite Barry believing she had died from Darkseid’s Omega Beams. After waking her, they learned the Justice League was stretched thin by crises across Earth and other worlds.

• Barry led Cyborg to Jessica’s coffin and said she had died from the Omega Beams.
• Cyborg looked through the coffin’s window and found Jessica unharmed, asleep with an empty liquor bottle.
• Barry and Cyborg opened the coffin, and Barry explained that the Justice League faced multiple crises while he was acting commander.
• Barry woke Jessica with water, and she recognized him and realized she had survived Darkseid’s attack.
• Jessica greeted Cyborg after pulling away from Barry, and Cyborg silently acknowledged her.

Jessica was revived after Darkseid killed her, but she had been trapped inside a Genesis-metal coffin and accidentally got drunk before Barry and Cyborg found her. Back at the lab, the group argued over whether to pursue Darkseid or rescue Deathstroke, and Su Ming chose to prepare an attack using the Carrion Eater and Brainiac’s mind-control units.

• Jessica explained that Darkseid had killed her and that her broken Power Ring had absorbed his Omega Beams, giving her Omega Energy.
• Cyborg identified the coffin as Genesis metal and showed Jessica that its lid slid open; Barry then took her to the lab, where Diana welcomed her.
• Jessica and Dex-Starr nearly fought until Su Ming intervened, then warned the group to rest before facing their enemies.
• Bobo urged the group to focus on rescuing Deathstroke and defeating Circe, but Cyborg, Jessica, Orion, and Blackfire argued that Darkseid remained the greater threat.
• Su Ming decided to confront Darkseid before he could exploit a later conflict and gathered the group to plan how to use the Carrion Eater and Brainiac’s mind-control units.

On Earth -3, Ultraman began a deadly selection to win Perpetua’s favor while Joker and Batwoman shared one body and plotted against The Batman Who Laughs. Joker took them toward Gotham to find Owlman.

• Ultraman declared that only people who killed ten others before sunrise would survive and serve the Goddess, then armed robots opened fire on the crowd.
• Joker joked with Batwoman, who warned him that his contingency would bring the Legion of Doom to kill him if he threatened the Justice League or his friends.
• Batwoman explained that he had preserved his independent thoughts while sharing a body with Joker, accepting Joker’s destructive behavior so they could pursue their plan against The Batman Who Laughs.
• Joker asked where they should go next, and Batwoman chose Gotham to find Owlman.
• Joker fired the Bat-Grapple toward the rooftop to reach the Batplane and head for Gotham.

Su Ming tested Phyllis I’s deadly wildlife and used a poisoned creature to spread Brainiac Control Chips, then built a growing network of mind-controlled workers on Steel Star. The chapter ended with Brainiac 21 awakening as Su Ming prepared to negotiate with it.

• Su Ming tested a venomous creature on a Parademon and confirmed that its poison killed the creature rapidly.
• Su Ming implanted Control Chips in the poisonous bug and sent it into the planet’s ecosystem to spread them.
• Su Ming returned with his allies to Steel Star and chipped successive Mantis People, allowing Brainiac Split Programs to spread through the network.
• The controlled Mantis People built production lines and assembled a humanoid body for a new AI.
• Brainiac 21 activated, and Su Ming introduced himself and said he had come to discuss terms.

Su Ming negotiated an alliance with Brainiac 21, a newly created AI seeking to overthrow Darkseid, and agreed to grant her twenty-one planets in exchange for her forces. They began planning their next moves, with Brainiac 21 secretly building up troops while Su Ming went to recruit the Carrion Eater.

• Brainiac 21 identified herself as the ruler of the Spectre Network and asked Su Ming whether he was her enemy.
• Su Ming and Brainiac 21 negotiated an alliance, settling on twenty-one planets for Brainiac 21, including at least ten biological Resource Planets.
• Brainiac 21 revealed that she had learned about Perpetua and the Legion of Doom by extracting intelligence from New God Cyborg.
• Su Ming and Brainiac 21 planned to build up forces and accelerate the Carrion Eater's attack on Deathstroke and sabotage of Sepulk.
• Su Ming left to speak with the Carrion Eater, while Brainiac 21 classified him as possessing Level 12 intelligence.

Man-Bat used dark magic to free Khalid Kent Nassour from the clay jar where he had been sealed. Khalid emerged alive, and Man-Bat faced the messy cost of the spell.

• Man-Bat recorded his research and explained that he was studying magic to control his beastly nature and atone for the harm caused by the Man-Bat Serum.
• Man-Bat prepared a ritual to free Khalid, using dark magic items to amplify his power.
• Man-Bat cut his palm and cast the Fallen Angel Spell, enduring severe injuries as the clay jar cracked and transformed.
• The jar exploded, freeing Khalid and damaging the underground lounge.
• Khalid thanked Man-Bat for succeeding, then asked about the slick substance on his hand and body.
• Man-Bat calmly identified it as his fresh bat droppings.

Donna and Raven arrived in Gotham to visit Dick and Garth, but found the city dark and under Mayor Bane's rule, with villains serving as law enforcement. They decided to investigate Batman's role in the new order and watched the streets from a rooftop.

• Donna and Raven surveyed Gotham and saw that a strict curfew had left the city dark and nearly deserted.
• Raven teleported them to a secret clinic where Dick and Garth were being treated by Black Angels.
• Donna and Raven found a billboard announcing Bane as mayor and Gotham's villains as law enforcement officers.
• Donna decided they should investigate why Batman had allowed Bane's rule and suggested watching the police station instead of contacting the Justice League.
• Raven teleported them near the police station, where they saw chaos unfolding under Bane's laws.

Donna and Raven tried to stop Victor Zsasz from killing a man who had violated Gotham’s curfew, but he killed the man and outmatched them in combat. Raven teleported them away, while Zsasz and the other corrupt police officers covered up the victim’s desperate attempt to obtain medicine.

• Donna and Raven saw Victor Zsasz pursue a man who had gone outside during curfew, and Donna decided to intervene.
• Zsasz killed the man with a thrown knife while blocking Donna’s ambush, then claimed the curfew gave him authority to kill violators.
• Donna attacked Zsasz as Raven tried to restrain him with magic, but he dodged their attacks and called Professor Pyg for backup.
• Raven opened two teleportation passages and escaped with Donna before Zsasz and the police could capture them.
• Professor Pyg arrived with Riddler and other officers, while Hush found the victim’s prescription for acute heart medication and discarded it.
• Zsasz carved a mark into his body for the kill, and the villains left together after Hush offered to pay for food.

Donna and Raven tried to alert the Justice League about Gotham before Trigon arrived with Constantine to take Raven back to his realm. Just as Trigon seized Raven, the Batman Who Laughs appeared disguised as Batwoman.

• Donna argued with Raven about killing Zsasz, and Raven pointed out that Gotham’s usual protectors had disappeared.
• Donna decided to notify the Justice League, but Trigon arrived and revealed that Constantine had helped him return to the Main World.
• Trigon blasted Donna aside and tried to force Raven to return with him, promising her power through the Heart of Darkness.
• A Batarang cut Trigon’s wrist, and a figure claiming to be Batwoman approached.
• The Batman Who Laughs revealed himself and declared that he was the beloved Batwoman.

The Batman Who Laughs confronted Trigon and revealed that he wanted Donna Troy, while Trigon agreed to take Raven home and leave Donna to him. Raven then offered to return with her father if he killed The Batman Who Laughs, prompting Trigon to attack as the chapter ended.

• The Batman Who Laughs used a projection to fool Trigon’s fire attack, exposed Donna and Raven as they tried to escape, and explained that he wanted Donna Troy.
• Trigon immobilized the girls, handed Donna over to The Batman Who Laughs, and planned to take Raven home and make her the Dark Queen.
• Constantine announced that he had come to collect the goods, and Raven asked Trigon to kill The Batman Who Laughs in exchange for her willing return.
• Trigon chose to attack The Batman Who Laughs, who claimed he had come prepared, and Trigon dropped a colossal fist of flame and energy toward him.

Trigon tried to take Raven back to his world, but Gotham Girl interrupted him while Commissioner Gordon used The Batman Who Laughs' Nth Metal Batarang to free Donna and infect her with madness. Donna and Gordon joined The Batman Who Laughs in his Safehouse, where he prepared to recruit more teammates and target Luthor.

• Trigon blasted the place where The Batman Who Laughs had stood, assumed he was dead, and demanded that Raven return with him; Raven asked him to spare Constantine and told Donna she had a plan.
• Gotham Girl attacked Trigon, while Gordon crawled toward Donna and used The Batman Who Laughs' Nth Metal Batarang to break the spell holding her still.
• The Batarang's energy freed Donna from the spell but spread madness through her, and she carried Gordon away as Constantine realized The Batman Who Laughs had manipulated them.
• Donna and Gordon reached The Batman Who Laughs' Safehouse, where he revealed that Gordon had helped stage the earlier encounter and that he had infected him with laughing gas.
• The Batman Who Laughs sent Donna and Gordon to find more teammates before they dealt with Luthor.

At the Hall of Justice, Arthur hosted a small celebration for Khalid while Cindy and Bliss discussed the growing threats across the Multiverse. After learning that Captain Carrot had stayed to help the Main World, Bliss prepared to take him and other allies to the Fortress of Solitude for the Cosmic Tuning Fork.

• Arthur served fried fish and organized a party to celebrate Khalid’s return and raise morale at the Hall of Justice.
• Cindy told Bliss that Su had gone into space and that she was struggling to hold off the Otherworld Deathstrokes.
• Cindy and Bliss discussed the Legion of Doom’s offensives, the missing Green Arrow, and the dwindling number of Dark Multiverse allies.
• Captain Carrot explained that Perpetua’s monsters were attacking Earth 26, but he had stayed to repay the Main World’s Justice League for its past help.
• Bliss confirmed that Captain Carrot was intelligent and prepared to bring him and a few helpers to the Fortress of Solitude to retrieve the Cosmic Tuning Fork.

Su Ming allied with Brainiac 21 and arranged to use Tamaran’s army against Darkseid’s forces. He brought Blackfire and Starfire to Tamaran to recruit its Planetary Guard, where the group staged a silent discussion beneath ruined temple eaves.

• Su Ming returned to Brainiac 21’s base after negotiating a truce with the Carrion Eaters and sending them toward Sepulk as a vanguard.
• Su Ming told Brainiac 21 that her unmanned fleet needed ground troops, and proposed using the Tamaran Planetary Guard with devices to block Darkseid’s brainwashing.
• Brainiac 21 warned that the Guard knew Blackfire and Starfire well, while the sisters insisted they could maintain their disguise.
• Su Ming and the others flew to war-ravaged Tamaran, where the surviving, well-trained Guard still numbered about a million soldiers.
• The group gathered beneath the ruins of a temple and pretended to argue without making any sound.

Su Ming and Brainiac 21 coordinated their forces against Darkseid while Blackfire rallied Tamaran’s army. After identifying Darkseid’s Deathstroke decoy, Su Ming deduced that the real Deathstroke was targeting Brainiac 21 and headed back toward Phyllis I to help find him.

• Su Ming brought Blackfire to the Tamaran royal palace, where her million soldiers accepted Brainiac 21’s Mental Shields and joined the alliance.
• Brainiac 21 reported that Deathstroke was fighting Parademons on Tatuya, but Su Ming recognized the armored fighter as a decoy from his lack of martial arts skill.
• Brainiac 21 tested the decoy with Skull Drones, confirmed Su Ming’s judgment, and ordered an Annihilation Operation.
• Su Ming and Brainiac 21 concluded that Darkseid had used the decoy to test their alliance and draw their forces away from his real target.
• Su Ming advised Brainiac 21 to search for the cloaked Deathstroke with Gamma Ray detection and headed back near Phyllis I.

Su Ming intercepted Deathstroke outside Phyllis I and overwhelmed him in combat. After disabling Deathstroke with a crushing strike, Su Ming left him helpless in the freezing vacuum of space.

• Su Ming confronted Deathstroke in orbit while their forces fought behind them.
• Su Ming deflected Deathstroke’s attacks and taunted him about Darkseid’s plans and the Cosmic Ark.
• Su Ming transformed Godslayer into the Dragon Slaying Saber and let Deathstroke strike his armor so he could seize his wrist.
• Su Ming smashed Deathstroke’s neck and disabled his body, leaving him to freeze in space.

Su Ming explained to Brainiac 21 why Darkseid was waiting for him and discussed the risks of confronting Darkseid’s true power beyond the multiverse. After Brainiac 21 recognized her own selfishness, Su Ming left to meet Darkseid at Sepulk, where the Spectre Universe’s fate would be decided.

• Brainiac 21 criticized humanity’s reliance on emotions and comfortable formations, while Su Ming argued that human strength had allowed those emotions to develop.
• Brainiac 21 asked Su Ming about his plans after a possible victory over Darkseid, and Su Ming said he first needed to seize Sepulk intact.
• Su Ming explained that his encounters with the New Gods had sent Darkseid a message about his knowledge of matters beyond the multiverse, prompting Darkseid to wait for a face-to-face meeting.
• Brainiac 21 suggested that they might replicate the Spectre Universe and escape, but Su Ming warned that connecting with Darkseid’s true body could make their situation worse.
• Su Ming helped Brainiac 21 recognize that she had developed selfishness, and she thanked him for resolving thirty-two program vulnerabilities.
• Su Ming extinguished his cigarette and left to keep his appointment with Darkseid at Sepulk.

Su Ming led his allies into Sepulk’s central control room after using the Carrion Eaters to distract the Parademons. The group found Darkseid waiting beside a fire pit, and the chapter left them facing the Cosmic Tyrant.

• Su Ming watched the Carrion Eaters attack the Parademons, then ordered the Cloak of Levitation to carry the group down to Sepulk.
• Su Ming identified the entrance to the central control room, while Jessica said she wanted revenge for dying there and Cyborg urged her to stay calm.
• Su Ming stopped Orion from trying to break the gate and knocked until Darkseid opened it for them.
• Diana organized the group into a defensive formation as they followed Su Ming through a dark corridor filled with the sounds of Parademons.
• Su Ming and his allies entered the control room and saw Darkseid standing by a fire pit among hundreds of Anti-Mother Boxes.

Su Ming confronted Darkseid in the control room and revealed that he had come to negotiate over Darkseid’s desire for Tenth Metal and his memories. Darkseid demonstrated his control over the Spectre Universe and exposed Su Ming’s teammates as energy projections, then questioned whether Su Ming’s brother had staged the encounter.

• Su Ming approached Darkseid and said he had come to negotiate, while Darkseid demanded his memories in exchange for his survival and his friends’ safety.
• Su Ming deduced that Darkseid had been testing him and wanted his Tenth Metal, but Darkseid insisted that he wanted everything Su Ming possessed.
• Darkseid used Sepulk to transport them and reverse the planet’s time by one hundred thousand years, demonstrating his control over space and Hypertime.
• Su Ming summoned an illusory Barry and other teammates, but Darkseid recognized that they were energy projections and noted that the real Justice League members were outside the Spectre Universe.
• Darkseid asked whether Su Ming’s brother had refused or been unable to confront him, or whether Su Ming had staged the entire encounter.