WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Justice League #39, by Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran, Alejandro Sanchez, Hi-Fi and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.

Scott Snyder's run on Justice League has culminated in the fate of the entire DC Multiverse at stake, thanks to the power of the omnipotent villain, Perpetua, and her vast army to reshape all of reality in her image. Assembling superheroes from across the DCU's various alternate universes and timelines, the two forces converged outside the Hall of Justice in an epic battle, resulting in the surprise return of the Martian Manhunter to help turn the tide for the heroes as the Legion of Doom's signal loomed over the Earth. However, in Snyder's final issue on the series, the team's war against Perpetua takes a shocking turn while hinting at a new status quo for the DC Universe.

In a last-ditch effort to weaken Perpetua and imprison her once and for all, the Martian Manhunter telepathically contacts everyone on Earth to lend their support to the beleaguered heroes, with their mental connection defeating Perpetua and sealing her away for good. While the plan appears to work at first, Perpetua appeals to humanity's selfish and fearful nature, leading them to instead support her out of fear of retribution and promises to fulfill their own potential for individual greatness at the expense of others. With that, the League is soundly defeated, watching Perpetua conquer Earth from the solitude of the moon.

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On a broader, thematic level, Snyder's run had largely been about the need for individuals to come together to elevate themselves in the face of the darkness. With strong echoes of social commentary, the Justice League can only watch as humanity chooses fear and self-interest over the greater good before being confronted by the Quintessence, five of the DCU's most prominent omnipotent characters. These include Phantom Stranger, New Genesis' Highfather, Guardian of the Universe Ganthet, the Spectre and the Olympian Goddess Hera.

The Quintessence reveals to the League that they were never destined to win against Perpetua in a simple, conventional fight; the omnipotent being would simply keeping resurfacing until her conquest of the DC Multiverse was successful. Instead, the League was only ever meant to inspire humanity through their virtuous example of what the world should aspire to become -- elevating themselves after witnessing the League's countless, selfless acts of heroism. The Quintessence offers the League a second chance to try to lead humanity again through a heavenly portal, and the League resolves to do better next time as they charge once more unto the breach.

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It's unclear how much exactly the Quintessence's portal resets prior to Perpetua's final victory. She notes that the consequence of rebooting the DCU this time will lead to increased stakes for the team, with the ripple effects of outside events reflecting the change. To drive this point home, events from the Wonder Comics publishing imprint and the climactic final battle in the crossover event, Doomsday Clock, are seen. While Perpetua is nowhere to be seen in solicits for upcoming DC Comics titles, her influence is still felt, particularly in Lex Luthor who retains his abilities as Apex Lex in other series -- including his current role in Action Comics.

The final issue of Scott Snyder's Justice League run boldly and loudly states his mission statement for the entire series: A call for readers to rally behind the team's example even in the face of growing darkness in an increasingly frightening world. Evil may have triumphed in the climactic battle but the team is gifted a second chance as they charge headlong into the unknown. The narrative impact on the DCU is still unclear. There are visible after-effects of Perpetua's emergence.

It's likely that the team faces the future of a post-Doomsday Clock world, with the Legion of Super-Heroes and Justice Society of America restored to the DC Universe; Robert Venditti's upcoming run would theoretically reflect this change more visibly. In the meantime, Snyder's run stands as a blend of social commentary, a meta-textual meditation on the inspirational nature of superheroes and a love letter to the various incarnations of the eponymous team as they face evil personified.

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