Even though it was a few years ago, Justice League's "Darkseid War" arc remains one of writer Geoff Johns' most action-packed DC epics. Along with artists like Jason Fabok and Francis Manapul, the story -- which ran from Justice League #40-50 in 2015 -- focused on the League fighting off various threats including Darkseid, the Anti-Monitor and Darkseid's daughter, Grail.
However, in the process, Batman was imbued with power like never before, becoming a New God with endless mental abilities. He transcended everything we knew the Caped Crusader to be and would go on to play a critical role in stopping Grail and preserving the fabric of reality. Now, CBR is taking a look back at how the literal "Batgod" came to be during this cataclysmic event and what he eventually did with his abilities.
HOW DID BATMAN BECOME BATGOD?
Batman ascending to godhood was all down to Grail's machinations, since she wanted revenge. As the daughter of Darkseid and the Amazon Myrinna Black, she was trained by her mother after they left Themyscira to kill the Lord of Apokolips on the same night Wonder Woman was born. Grail worked with the Anti-Monitor on her big scheme, since killing Darkseid would have granted the latter freedom. And when the Anti-Monitor arrived on Earth to wage war, the League was teleported to the Rock of Eternity by Metron.
While Metron told the League about the oncoming threats, Wonder Woman trapped him in the Lasso of Truth, since she was distrustful of him. In that moment, Batman jumped on the Mobius chair to find answers and a route to victory. Little did he know he'd become one with the chair's essence, and all of the knowledge of the Multiverse was pumped into Batman's header as a result. He basically took over Metron's job as DC's all-seeing and all-knowing deity, calling out the League's plays as the Anti-Monitor went on to kill Darkseid.
WHAT COULD THE BATGOD DO?
Bruce's infinite knowledge saw him take his evolved form of crimefighting in Gotham to a whole new level, since he could predict crimes before they happened. He teleported criminals to various parts of the world for torture such as the North Pole and Themyscira, becoming a bit more sadistic as he started enjoying his newfound power. Even Alfred noticed he became addicted and couldn't get off the chair, which nourished him. It kept plugging info into him like a drug as seen in Darkseid War: Batman.
Batman even traveled to Joe Chill, the man who killed his parents, in prison and tortured him before erasing his mind and nearly cracking his psyche. Bruce essentially became an omnipotent entity, which culminated in his mind traversing space and time to find out that there were actually three Jokers in existence. He also used his mind's eye to help the League save Steve Trevor, who wasn't the avatar for the Anti-Life Equation like Grail though. Although at this point, Bruce preferred to remain on the chair than join the fight, as he knew it would cost him his godlike abilities.
HOW DID HIS GODHOOD END?
When the Anti-Monitor, Mobius, eventually killed Darkseid and returned to his original form, Grail betrayed him and returned to enact a series of rituals using Steve and the Anti-Life Equation. She ended up resurrecting Darkseid under her control as she felt enslavement was better than that, and in the melee, Mobius and the Green Lantern Jessica Cruz perished as well. Amid the fracas, Hal Jordan realized he needed Bruce back and used his ring, placing it on Batman's finger so he'd finally have to will to leave the chair.
The Dark Knight broke free and in the finale, Grail was defeated, going into hiding with Darkseid, who was now a baby. Steve was saved, and Mobius remained dead, but Batman could do nothing but watch as Owlman took his place on the chair. The latter would end up dying alongside Metron when Doctor Manhattan incinerated them on the Moon, so it's clear Bruce dodged that bullet there as the Watchmen demigod was clearly trying to prevent eyes from prying into his business.
Ultimately, Bruce managed to recover as he knew his teammates needed him. Superman was dying, Wonder Woman had to search for her brother, Lex had become his own Superman, Jessica was revived and Flash had to erase the Black Racer from his mind, and Batman had to help his friends. He also had to regain composure to solve the case of the multiple Jokers, which is still on his to-do list.