SPOILER ALERT: If you have not read JUSTICE LEAGUE #23 yet and do not wish to know what happens, stop reading this post now (major spoilers ahead!).
For months, you’ve wondered about who the true evil masterminds behind “Trinity War” are. Well in this week’s explosive conclusion in JUSTICE LEAGUE #23, you learned that all of the tragic and jaw-dropping events of this blockbuster crossover event were orchestrated by the Crime Syndicate!
Below, take a look at Ultraman, Superwoman, Owlman, Johnny Quick, Power Ring, Deathstorm, and the mole within the Justice League, Atomica (aka Atom). As for the mystery behind Pandora’s Box? That was the portal that the Crime Syndicate used to travel to this Earth from Earth Three!
“Regularly you have heroes and villains," event co-writer Jeff Lemire teased to USA TODAY. "But now you have this other element that's even a shade darker than our regular villains and what does that mean for the world when they're introduced?”
“Evil is relative – and what I mean by that, is that our villains are as complex, as deep and as compelling as any of our heroes. Every antagonist in the DC Universe has a unique darkness, desire and drive. And the reason for being of Forever Evil is to explore that darkness,” event co-writer Geoff Johns explained to IGN. “We start literally, in the first issue, when the whole world goes dark; communication and power are gone. And as our Earth is plunged into darkness, the Crime Syndicate begins their plan for conquest.”
“ make themselves known and they enact their mission to take over,” Johns continued. “They will lead an army of super villains, but not every villain sees things the way they do. Every villain in the DC Universe wants something different and not all of them want to rule the world. Or at least, not all of them want to rule the world in the way the Crime Syndicate do.”
For more from Geoff Johns and Jeff Lemire about the climactic finale of “Trinity War” and the introduction of the Crime Syndicate, check out the interviews that recently ran in USA TODAY, THE HUFFINGTON POST, THE WASHINGTON POST, MTV GEEK, IGN, and COMIC BOOK RESOURCES.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #23, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Oclair Albert, Eber Ferreira and Rod Reis, is available in stores now. And find out what happens next when FOREVER EVIL #1 launches into stores next week!