The following article contains spoilers from DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #4, on sale now.

The war against the forces of anti-life is set to begin. In DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #4 (by Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, Neil Edwards, Andy Lanning, Rain Beredo, Saida Temofonte) a summit between the Justice League and the entirety of the Green Lantern Corps saw the Guardians of the Universe authorize lethal force against the now interplanetary pandemic. Naturally, the Justice League was opposed to this, causing conflict between the two groups.

Unfortunately for them, the Guardians of the Universe do have a point about the gravity of the situation. Though the League has a viable cure, their hopeful attitude is naive in the face of an enemy that has no compunction about slaughtering whatever stands in its way. Ironically, in their bid to offer a better solution, the Justice League might end up dooming their universe.

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The Justice League and the Guardians of the Universe Make Good Points

There is an old saying that "War does not determine who is right - only who is left." In this issue, both sides represent this phrase as they debate over the correct course of action. The Justice League obviously wants to save lives instead of taking them. Having been at ground zero at the start of this epidemic, they understand how the initial reaction to an army of zombies would be to give up on saving those who are lost to protect those who remain. However, after learning there was always a cure out there, they now must reconcile with the lives they chose to destroy because they didn't try hard enough. This isn't just about preventing further loss of life, but also saving the Green Lantern Corps from the guilt of that decision.

On the other hand, the Guardians of the Universe do have a good point here. Before, the Justice League was only up against hordes of normal undead without powers. Granted, there were a handful of heroes and villains who got turned as well, but they made up a small portion of the army and were nowhere near the kind of strength that Darkseid is amassing to his side. Now, the universe faces a literal army of undead gods who have slaughtered their way through twelve planets, culminating in a body count of over a hundred billion.

To them, the idea of spending time and energy to mass produce a cure, and then using restraint in administering it must seem like a fool's errand. In ordinary circumstances one cannot hold back against the forces coming their way, to do so now would be deadly. As a result, both sides do have their merits, but it is the classic battle between optimism and pessimism, and given how things have been going as of late, the Justice League's ideals don't offer a promising solution.

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The Justice League's Hope May Destroy The DCeased Universe

Both Sides Have a Point

The Justice League always wants to save lives, and that is a noble thing. It speaks to their characters and convictions that even in the face of such overwhelming odds they still want to try and help rather than destroy. Unfortunately, they may be overestimating their chances in this war. Now with every passing second, Darkseid's forces grow more powerful. To use the restraint necessary to keep so many bodies whole and then create an opening to administer a cure doesn't really seem possible.

Then there is the fact that the cure has not been established as also functioning as a vaccine. There are too many unknown factors in their plan, and the potential risks greatly outnumber the potential benefits. This universe has repeatedly proven itself to be cold and cruel, so perhaps the time has come for the Justice League to cut their losses and focus on building a better tomorrow for the living.