Justice League Unlimited: Destroyer

Justice League Unlimited: Destroyer


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Justice League Unlimited: Destroyer is the series finale of Justice League Unlimited.

Plot[]

At the Legion of Doom's base, Lex Luthor is attempting to reactivate the sole piece of Brainiac, but it fails once again. Tala urges Luthor to simply give up, but he tells her that this is science, something she doesn't understand. Tala counters that transmutation is exactly what they need, so Luthor allows Tala to work her magic on the piece. It fails to revive Brainiac, but it does allow Luthor to see a vision of where Brainiac's asteroid was destroyed. Using this knowledge, he orders the Legion to begin modifying the base.

Once the modifications are complete, the Legion are assembled in the meeting room. Toyman asks to know what is going on, Luthor explains that they will help him recover some pieces of Brainiac from outer space. Goldface is quite hostile at the prospect of Luthor becoming more powerful than them, but Luthor says that they will be rewarded by being his lieutenants in the new order. He also causes Goldface pain with a device in his belt as a reminder that he is already more powerful than they are. When Atomic Skull asks what their plan is, Luthor reveals that they have modified the Legion headquarters into a spaceship, with the cloaking field being a hyperspace field.

In his cage, Gorilla Grodd becomes aware of movement, as Tala enters. She wants to release Grodd and kill Luthor. Assembling other dissidents, Grodd demands that Luthor turn the base around and surrender. Soon, a massive fight breaks out among the members of the Legion. The Grodd loyalists are larger in number, but the Luthor loyalists are more powerful. Grodd finds out that Giganta escaped from prison and is very mad that he tried to fry her brain. Ultimately, the Luthor loyalists triumph.

Luthor himself engages Grodd in combat. Even with enhanced metal gloves, Luthor is no match for Grodd's brute strength, and is nearly beaten to death. But he taunts Grodd as a mindless brute, goading Grodd into unleashing his telepathic powers - which is what Luthor has been waiting for. With a touch of his belt, he turns Grodd's mind control powers back onto himself, making Grodd an unwilling puppet. With no choice but to obey Luthor's commands, Grodd kneels and calls Luthor his better, then loads himself into an airlock. Luthor bids Grodd farewell, then releases him into space.

Luthor asks the remaining mutineers for a good reason they should be allowed to live. Killer Frost buys a pardon by callously freezing her comrades. The only other one left alive is Tala, who begs for her life, pleading insanity. Luthor says she still has an important part to play while Volcana knocks her out.

Arriving at the coordinates, Luthor sets up collectors to bring in the debris which houses Brainiac's essence. Luthor plans to use Tala as a mystical conduit to bring Brainiac back to life, a process which will kill her. Once they are ready, he orders Toyman to throw the switch. However, time is momentarily frozen and the entity Metron appears, urging Luthor not to go through with what he is attempting, saying that it will have consequences for the entire universe. Luthor dismisses him, saying that he's on the verge of godhood and nothing will stop him. Back in normal time, Toyman throws the switch, and Tala crackles with energy, shrieking in agony.

As a figure appears within the smoke of the containment device, a triumphant Luthor exults to the Legion, "meet your new lord and master!" The smoke clears, and there stands not Brainiac, but Darkseid, himself fused with Brainiac and now much stronger than ever before. He thanks the horrified Luthor and Legion for resurrecting him, saying that while Earth will suffer, they in return for resurrecting him will be granted a small mercy: a quick death. With that, Darkseid destroys the Legion's base.

On Apokolips, the forces of Granny Goodness and Virman Vundabar are preparing for a last battle for control of Apokolips. As the Female Furies lead Granny's army, Vundabar's army charges under Kanto and Mantis. Before they reach each other, a massive explosion occurs in front of both armies. As the light fades and the smoke clears, they see Darkseid, who teleported to Apokolips without the use of a boom tube. Shocked at the sight of their dead master (and fearful of his wrath), both factions quickly regain enough of their wits to bow down and repledge their loyalty. When Bernadeth asks for Darkseid's commands, he tells them that he is temporarily halting his search for the Anti-Life Equation to take revenge on Superman by destroying Earth. Kanto respectfully reminds Darkseid that to attack Earth would break his pact with Highfather, and invite retaliation from New Genesis. Darkseid, however, is not concerned with reprisals—once he is finished with Earth, New Genesis is next. At the Metro Tower, a staffer runs into the control room, telling Superman he needs to get out to the front door now. As Superman and other members of the Justice League head outside, they discover Lex Luthor and the remaining members of the Legion of Doom, as Luthor announces that they have a "little problem"...

Lex Luthor and the surviving members of the Legion of Doom arrive at the Metro Tower, warning the Justice League of Darkseid's impending invasion (a small flashback explains that when Darkseid destroyed their headquarters, Sinestro and Star Sapphire managed to shield them with their Power Ring and gem, respectively), and they then stole a Mother Box from a rescue party headed by Lightray to return to Earth).

Upon receiving the message, the League announce that they're locking up the Legion. As several prepare to fight back, an emergency message arrives: Around the world, boom tubes open, and the Apokoliptan fleet appears, releasing Parademons and ground troops on the helpless masses. The Legion insists that they be allowed to fight alongside the League; they may be criminals, but Earth is their home too. Batman agrees, saying that the League needs all the help they can get. Superman and Wonder Woman are more skeptical, but Luthor announces that he isn't saving Earth: as far as he's concerned, both the Justice League and the Legion of Doom are little more than tools to help him achieve revenge on Darkseid for taking Brainiac away. Superman reluctantly goes along, but Wonder Woman orders that the villains fight in mixed teams.

Mr. Terrific, handling central command from the Watchtower, sends out an "Omega-level alert" to the entire League: around the world, various Leaguers prepare for battle and are teleported away. Battle erupts everywhere, with the allied heroes and villains defeating legions of Darkseid's forces. Superman, Batman, and Luthor confront Darkseid at his command ship, hovering over the Daily Planet building in Metropolis. Emerging from his ship in a beam of light, Darkseid tells Superman that he intends to make the Kryptonian suffer by watching his adopted world die before killing him. His speech ends with the same phrase Superman told him before their previous standoff: "Let's go."

As the battle progresses, the Apokoliptan forces set up huge drilling machines designed to dig holes straight through to the Earth's core, creating fire pits that will make Earth another Apokolips. Mr. Terrific orders them taken out at all costs, and the Leaguers destroy several, though Shayera is badly wounded.

Over the Great Wall of China, a middle-aged Asian man tells his wife to find cover, then reveals himself to be J'onn J'onzz, who joins Wonder Woman, Star Sapphire, Vigilante, and Shining Knight in battling Darkseid's Parademons. In Metropolis, the clash between Superman and Darkseid has destroyed much of the Planet's structure, while Luthor and Batman hold off Parademons. Suddenly, Metron appears to Luthor, who demands a solution. Metron offers him one, and they both disappear. Metron takes him to the Source Wall, beyond which contains the only thing that could stop Darkseid. Metron warns that only a "twelfth level intellect" could survive the journey through the wall, but Luthor only claims "then I'm overqualified". Luthor flies through an opening in the wall, sees a great light...and screams.

On Earth, Darkseid appears to be winning, but Batman repeatedly interrupts the tyrant's attempts to kill Superman. Darkseid is astonished that a mere mortal would dare to strike him-and even more so when Batman actually evades his deadly Omega Beams. He prepares to kill Batman the old-fashioned way, but Superman, who now has his second wind, knocks Darkseid through the wall. For the first time since their acquaintance, Darkseid is uncertain, maybe even a little afraid, as Superman approaches and delivers a single, earth-shattering punch that sends Darkseid flying into the air and through several skyscrapers. With his speed, Superman is waiting for him at the other end, and knocks him to the ground with a two-handed blow.

Deciding that he's wasted enough time in hand-to-hand combat, Darkseid traps Superman in a powerful torture field called the Agony Matrix. While Superman lies helpless, Darkseid draws a knife with a Kryptonite blade, intending to cut out Superman's heart. Then Luthor appears, having returned from the dimension Metron transported him to, and holding the only thing in the universe Darkseid wants: the Anti-Life Equation. Entranced, Darkseid takes hold of it, and both he and Luthor disappear in a blaze of light.

With Darkseid apparently gone, the invading forces from Apokolips retreat from Earth. The Justice League speculate over what happened, and if Darkseid and Luthor had died (most believe they did not). J'onn J'onzz reminds that if they do come back, the League will be ready for them. With the threat gone, Wonder Woman announces that it is time for the villains to go back to jail. Atomic Skull objects, saying they helped the League save the world. Batman agrees...and gives them a five-minute head start. When the League makes it clear that concession is all they are offering, the Legion turns and runs (although Giganta takes a moment to give a kiss to the Flash).

Finally, from the steps of the Metro Tower, the entire expanded League sets off after the villains, as "the adventure continues".