- "The Mother Boxes will be found and united. No protectors here. No Lanterns, no Kryptonian. This world will fall, like all the others. For Darkseid."
- ―Steppenwolf[src]
The War for Earth was a series of conflicts between the newly formed superhero team Justice League and Steppenwolf, a servant and uncle of Darkseid, and his army of Parademons from the planet Apokolips.
Seeking redemption from Darkseid, Steppenwolf traveled to Earth shortly after Superman's death, and began a long search for the three Mother Boxes. Unfortunately for Steppenwolf, the newly formed Justice League used the power of a Mother Box to resurrect the Kryptonian, confronting the New God in the Battle of Pozharnov only for him to be subsequently killed by his own master.
Background[]
Invasion of Earth[]
- "But before the Unity could synchronize, the defenders of Earth attacked and fought as one. Amazons alongside Atlanteans. Zeus and his son Ares alongside the guardians from the sky. A golden age of heroes fighting together to defend life on Earth."
- ―Diana Prince to Bruce Wayne[src]
Darkseid and his army attack Earth.
Millennia ago, the powerful ruler of the planet Apokolips, Lord Darkseid, came to Earth to conquer it and turn it into a copy of Apokolips with the power of three Mother Boxes. Darkseid faced the united armies of humans, Amazons, Atlanteans, Old Gods, and a Green Lantern. Although he managed to find the precious Anti-Life Equation in the process, Darkseid was defeated by Ares, forcing him to retreat and return to Apokolips humiliated.
The Unity of Earth makes the oath after defeating Darkseid.
During the retreat, the Mother Boxes were left on Earth, falling asleep in a deep sleep that would last thousands of years. Having established themselves as the first army to repel Darkseid's invasion, the Unity of Earth swore an oath to preserve and protect each of the Mother Boxes separately. Therefore, the Amazons and Atlanteans kept their Boxes in protected fortresses, while the humans buried the remaining ones in secret.[1]
Steppenwolf's Exile[]
- "You betrayed him! Your own family!"
"I saw my mistake! I slaughtered those who sought his throne!"
"You still owe the Great One 50,000 more worlds." - ―DeSaad and Steppenwolf[src]
For unknown reasons, Darkseid's servant and uncle, Steppenwolf, betrayed his nephew in an attempt to seize his throne, allying himself with his enemies and waging a civil war across the planet of Apokolips. Eventually, Darkseid exiled his uncle from Apokolips, condemning him to a debt of conquesting over 50,000 worlds to obtain forgiveness.[1]
Superman's Death[]
Superman sacrifices himself to defeat Doomsday.
- "If man won't kill God, the Devil will do it! Ancient, Kryptonian deformity. Blood of my blood, born to destroy you! Your Doomsday."
- ―Lex Luthor to Superman[src]
In his evil plan to eliminate the Kryptonian refugee Superman, Lex Luthor accessed the Scout Ship, where he used the corpse of General Dru-Zod to create the Kryptonian deformity known as Doomsday. After Lex freed the monster, Batman and Superman joined forces with Wonder Woman, resulting in a massive battle in which Superman sacrificed himself to kill the abomination with a Kryptonite Spear, resulting in the death of both.[2]
War[]
Attack on the Penetralium[]
- "Defenders. They have failed 100,000 worlds. They always fail. I've come to enlighten you to the Great Darkness! I will bathe in your fear!"
"Daughters of Themyscira... Show him your fear!" - ―Steppenwolf and Hippolyta[src]
Steppenwolf takes possession of Themyscira's Mother Box.
As the world mourned Superman's death, Steppenwolf traveled to Earth with his Parademons seeking redemption to return to Apokolips. In his plan to recover the Mother Boxes, Steppenwolf transported himself to Themyscira to confront the Amazons army. Although the warriors managed to temporarily stop him, Steppenwolf managed to take possession of the Box and settled in the abandoned town of Pozharnov, Russia.[1]
Justice League's Formation[]
- "They said the age of heroes would never come again."
"It will... it has to." - ―Diana and Bruce Wayne[src]
Diana informs Bruce about Steppenwolf's threat.
In the aftermath of the attack, Queen Hippolyta used one of the goddess Artemis's arrows to warn her daughter Diana of the impending invasion. Having learned of Darkseid's invasion from ancient writings and murals beneath the Shrine of the Amazons, Diana met with Bruce Wayne, to whom she informed about Steppenwolf and the Mother Boxes. Determined to defend the planet, Bruce and Diana began their search and recruitment of metahumans to form the Justice League.
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Bruce sucessfully recruits Barry.
With files stolen from Lex Luthor, Bruce and Diana opted to recruit the speedster Barry Allen and cyborg Victor Stone, respectively. However, although Barry accepted Bruce's proposal immediately after discovering that Bruce was Batman, Victor, considering himself a monster due to his cybernetic modifications, refused to help Diana and opted to work on his own without help from no one.[1]
Attack on the Atlantean Stronghold[]
- "You have been near a Mother Box. The scent is on you. Where is it?"
"No son or daughter of Atlantis will ever tell you. Our people have guarded the Mother Box for thousands of years. I will never betray my own people." - ―Steppenwolf and Atlantean Guard[src]
Steppenwolf takes possession of Atlantis' Mother Box.
For his part, Steppenwolf transported himself to the Atlantean Stronghold where the Mother Box was located. In an attempt to stop the creature, Commander Mera directly confronted Steppenwolf, who was about to kill her when Arthur Curry stopped him and challenged him. Although Arthur briefly stood his ground, Steppenwolf eventually recovered the box and returned to Pozharnov to order his Parademons to kidnap individuals scented with the latest Mother Box for interrogation.[1]
Skirmish under Gotham Harbor[]
- "Amazon, but not like your sisters. Stronger. Hold! This one will be mine."
"I belong to no one!" - ―Steppenwolf and Wonder Woman[src]
The Justice League confronts Steppenwolf under Gotham Harbor.
Sensing the Bat Signal on, the Justice League went to meet Commissioner James Gordon, who informed them of the kidnappings of S.T.A.R. Labs scientists between Gotham City and Metropolis orchestrated by Parademons. Because his father was one of the kidnapped scientists, Victor Stone joined the team and traveled to an abandoned underground facility. Although the League managed to rescue the kidnapped employees while engaging Steppenwolf's army, the tunnels were eventually flooded by a deflected missile. Fortunately, Arthur Curry, having decided to join them after Steppenwolf's attack on the Atlanteans, rescued them in time.[1]
Resurrection of Superman[]
- "Victor's father activated a Mother box more than a year ago, when Superman was still alive. Didn't call out to Steppenwolf. None of the Motherboxes did. Not until Superman died."
"It's like they were afraid of him."
"Yes. They were afraid of him. This is the only way. There are six, not five. There is no "us" without him." - ―Bruce Wayne and Barry Allen[src]
Flash uses the Speed Force to revive Clark Kent.
Knowing that the world needed Superman to restore hope in humanity and help them fight Steppenwolf's army, Bruce Wayne decided to use the last Mother Box recovered by Victor Stone to resurrect the Kryptonian on the Scout Ship. There, Clark's body was exposed to a strong blast of energy provided by Flash from the Speed Force, successfully reviving Clark.
A resurrected Clark Kent confronts the Justice League.
Disoriented and with few memories, Clark surprisingly attacked the group after Cyborg unintentionally launched a projectile at him due to his automatic defense system. On the verge of Batman being killed, Lois Lane, motivated by a Martha Kent disguised J'onn J'onzz, interrupted the fight to calm the Kryptonian, who fled with her to the Kent Farm, where he reflected and attempted to recover his memories of her.[1]
Sacrifice of Silas Stone[]
- "He wasn't trying to destroy the box, he was trying to superheat it. He made the core the hottest thing on Earth outside of a nuclear reactor. Now, anything that hot would have to-"
"Blink off the charts on a thermal imaging system. Your father sacrificed himself to mark that box." - ―Cyborg and Batman[src]
Silas Stone sacrifices himself to mark the Mother Box.
With the last Mother Box unattended, Steppenwolf transported himself to the Scout Ship facility to retrieve the artifact. To his surprise, Silas Stone quickly took the box and subjected it to the electron laser to superheat it, sacrificing himself in the process before the eyes of his son Victor Stone. Despite this, Steppenwolf eventually recovered the last Mother Box, before returning to Pozharnov to synchronize the Unity.
The Justice League abords the Flying Fox with direction to Pozharnov.
Although Victor initially believed that his father attempted to destroy the box, he eventually recognized that his father had thermally marked the box for the team to track its heat signature. Using Bruce Wayne's satellites, the League located Steppenwolf's stronghold at Pozharnov, so they headed to the location aboard the Flying Fox. At the same time, Clark Kent, determined to find out why he had been resurrected, returned to the Scout Ship and took a black Supersuit with a silver crest.[1]
Battle of Pozharnov[]
- "I'm gonna take out that power and knock down that shield dome. Whatever you see, stick to the plan. It's why I brought you together."
- ―Batman to the Justice League[src]
The Justice League attacks Steppenwolf's base in Pozharnov.
Determined to stop the Unity from threatening to destroy Earth, the Justice League, initially without Superman's support, traveled to Pozharnov, where Batman took down the base's defenses and fought his way through the Parademons to let the others get to Steppenwolf and separate the boxes. While Cyborg was connected to the Unity, Superman arrived to effortlessly defeat Steppenwolf, only for the Unity to eventually synchronize and destroy much of the planet.
Darkseid observes furiously at the Justice League after Steppenwolf's death.
With no other options, Flash was forced to break his rule to reverse time and help Cyborg separate the Mother Boxes. Finally, with the Unity divided with support from Superman, Steppenwolf was humiliated by the heroes while Darkseid appeared in a Boom Tube. When Steppenwolf's decapitated head landed at Darkseid's feet, Darkseid crushed it before glaring at the Justice League and ordering his henchman DeSaad to prepare his armada, intending to invade Earth using the "old ways".[1]
Aftermath[]
- "I'm sure you know Darkseid is not finished with Earth. The Anti-Life Equation is here somewhere. And we have to find it before he does. There's a war coming, and I'm here to help."
- ―Martian Manhunter to Bruce Wayne[src]
J'onzz visits Bruce and warns him about Darkseid.
Having defended Earth and defeated Steppenwolf, the members of the Justice League once again went their own separate ways, now being hailed by the general public as international heroes, with merchandise created in their honor. For his part, Bruce Wayne returned to the old Wayne Manor, initiating plans to rebuild it as the headquarters of the Justice League.
However, even though the League stopped the alien invasion, Darkseid redirected his plans of conquest towards Earth in search of the Anti-Life Equation. Therefore, J'onn J'onzz visited Bruce in his Glass House, warning him of Darkseid's future plans for conquest, as well as offering him help in finding the Anti-Life before him.[1]