WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Justice League #25 by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Javier Fernandez, Alejandro Sanchez, Hi-Fi and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
The Justice League's journey to the Sixth Dimension comes to an epic conclusion in the oversized Justice League #25, with the issue revealing the fate of a stranded Superman on a world without sunlight, the League's confrontation against their future counterparts and Batman's new alliance with the World Forger.
The Dark Knight finds himself at the center of the conflict, seemingly siding with the World Forger and donning his Final Batsuit in an effort to bend the team to his will while also trapping Superman in his dark abyss. But like most things concerning Batman, there is more to the story than meets the eye, and the finale sets the Justice League up with not one, but two completely unexpected new members.
Light vs. Dark
According to the World Forger, Superman is the reason the heroes fail to stop Perpetua from turning the multiverse back to its intended Doom formation. The son of Perpetua has looked at every possible scenario and come to the conclusion that Batman, the Sun Knight, is their only hope. For his part, Batman does believe in what World Forger is saying, which is why he moved all the suns orbiting Superman's prison world away from him.
Without sunlight to energize his cells, Superman's body starts to wither away. The only thing he has to cling to are memories growing up on the Smallville farm with his father, and raising young Jonathan Kent. Both memories center on the tradition of lighting a lantern, symbolizing what happens when the suns Batman moved come back into focus for the Man of Steel.
This gives Superman enough motivation to fly ahead through each of the suns, letting their rays supercharge his cells. While this is going on, Batman buys him some time by going toe-to-toe with his teammates on the Justice League. He puts on a convincing performance as a traitor, but when World Forger realizes Batman is stalling, he attempts to strike his Crisis Anvil to reshape the Justice League's minds. However, he's met with an epic punch from a pissed off Man of Steel.
Once the dust settles, an offer is made and the Justice League welcomes two new members to its ranks.
Welcome To The Justice League
Even though Superman has a right to be furious over being held captive, he goes fairly easy on World Forger -- if you ignore the Grand Canyon-size hole his punch left in the ground. Batman admits he did believe World Forger's plan to defeat Perpetua and the Legion of Doom was the key to victory, but he also gave his friend, Superman, a chance to prove him wrong. And, of course, that's exactly what Superman did.
We find out the reason for this is because, out of all of World Forger's calculations, the one he didn't account for was him teaming up with the Justice League. When World Forger reminds the heroes his cells prohibit him from interfering, Superman reminds him that he can remake his own cells to solve that problem. So, with that, the Justice League adds one of the most powerful figures in the DC Universe to its roster.
World Forger isn't the only addition to the team from the Sixth Dimension. When the Justice League returns to Earth, Martian Manhunter and Kendra's son, Shane, also tags along. When Superman super-punched World Forger, the cosmic reaction destroyed the future Justice League, including Shane's parents. However, Shane was the first person to reveal the deep, dark secret behind the Sixth Dimension, and is primed to add his unique skill set to the team. Shane's powers may already exceed those of Martian Manhunter, and Kendra is still learning the secrets behind her special wings.
The Justice League will need all the help it can get if the heroes are going to show the cosmic judges the multiverse is worthy of being spared. Of course, the Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom aren't going to make things easier for them as the Year of the Villain begins, but World Forger and Shane should help even the odds in favor of the Justice League.