The Justice League Has Their Most Unlikely Mission Yet (And You’ll Never Believe Who Needs Their Help)

DC All-In is the latest DC publishing initiative and has been a rousing success. They birthed the Absolute DC Universe, giving readers the bestselling, most critically acclaimed DC books in years. Meanwhile, the main line of DC books has been the best it’s been in years, giving readers some amazing superhero comics. Justice League Unlimited has been one of the epicenters of the main plot of DC All-In, and Justice League Unlimited #10 is the latest installment. The book opens with the Time Trapper, under attack by the Darkseid Legion, running back to the Justice League satellite for help, a massive hole in the chest. However, this Time Trapper just so happens to be one of the most dangerous villains in the DC Multiverse — Doomsday.

The Time Trapper is a complicated character in DC Comics. Originally a Legion of Superheroes version, there have been multiple versions of the Time Trapper, each of them changing as time itself has changed. This latest Time Trapper has played a big role in Superman, coming back in time to tell Superman about a terrible future coming. Doomsday became the Time Trapper in order to help the heroes (well, ostensibly; the story isn’t over yet, so there could be a twist coming). The Time Trapper has allied with the Justice League, and they need his help, which means that they have to save the monster who killed Superman.

Doomsday Has Met a Force Greater Than Himself

The Justice League has been through insanity lately. “We Are Yesterday” saw the Justice League saving time from Gorilla Grodd, who was trying to steal the power of the Omega Rift. The Justice League satellite is now home to multiple versions of the Justice League from across time. They’re basically in the middle of trying to figure out how to save time, which “We Are Yesterday” basically destroyed. Doomsday showing up on the Watchtower is yet another big problem for the team. In Justice League Unlimited #9, Doomsday went to the World-Forger, the brother of the Monitor and the Anti-Monitor and the being who helped create every universe in the DC Multiverse, to ask for help. Doomsday comes from a future where Darkseid, currently the god of the Absolute DC Universe, had taken over creation, and wanted Superman to kill him so he could become a god and save the multiverse from Darkseid. However, the Darkseid Legion has been hunting him to stop Doomsday from interfering, and Justice League Unlimited #10 began with the team attacking him. The Darkseid Legion is able to overwhelm Doomsday, who now also has amazing temporal powers, and forcing him to escape to the Watchtower.

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The Justice League Is Back (But Will It Doom the Earth?)

The Justice League, dealing with questions raised by “We Are Yesterday”, immediately springs into action, although several members question whether they should be helping Doomsday. Wally West is the first to approach his broken body, and is immediately aged up until he leaves the vicinity of Doomsday’s body. Black Lightning posits that his body is automatically defending him, and anyone who gets close will be aged to death. Meanwhile, the defensive field is expanding and destroying the Watchtower. The team calls in three members who can help — Niles Caulder, Martian Manhunter, and Metamorpho. Caulder is an expert in xenobiology and Metamorpho is inorganic, so he can survive the field. Martian Manhunter is there to link Cauler and Metamorpho’s minds so that they can close the wounds in his body, repairing his heart and lungs. Metamorpho is able to suture Doomsday’s heart, but the field keeps expanding, doing more and more damage to the Watchtower. Martian Manhunter, Caulder, and Metamorpho are in a race against time, and if they fail the Justice League’s Watchtower will fall apart all around, just as the team is needed the most.

Doomsday’s Death May Doom the Earth

DC All-In has been firing on cylinders, and the Time Trapper has been important to the overall plot of the publishing initiative since his return in Superman #19. The Time Trapper almost certainly has his own motives — while he is offering to help everyone, he does want to become a god — he has been rather helpful to Superman. The Justice League just got through with a story that saw time travel nearly destroy them, and the Darkseid Legion has been traveling throughout time and attacking any enemies of Darkseid. Doomsday as the Time Trapper wants to make sure the future of the Darkseid Legion doesn’t exist, so saving him is going to be a key part of the heroes’ ultimate victory.

What makes the whole situation worse is his automatic defensive field, which ages anything it touches. Doomsday almost certainly knew his body would do that, so he endangered the Justice League on purpose in hopes that they would save him. Even without the Time Trapper Doomsday, the Justice League would play a huge role in the battle against Darkseid, so he’s made saving himself an integral part of saving the future.

Justice League Unlimited #10 is on sale now.