Forever Evil
"Forever Evil" is a 2013–2014 crossover comic book storyline published by DC Comics that began in September 2013 and ended in May 2014, consisting of an eponymous, central miniseries written by Geoff Johns and art by David Finch. It is the first line-wide crossover since The New 52 reboot of the DC Universe. It focuses on all the villains of the DC Universe. The miniseries spins out of the events in "Trinity War".
Johns revealed in August 2013 that the Crime Syndicate, an evil version of the Justice League from Earth-3 in the Multiverse, are the true villains of the event and not the previously thought Secret Society. The event was originally scheduled to end in March with Forever Evil #7, yet ended in May 2014, after the final issue was delayed to April, and eventually again to May. The final issue's delay was due to Johns realizing he needed more pages to conclude the story than originally intended.
Premise
With the three Justice League teams—the Justice League, Justice League of America, and Justice League Dark—"dead," the Crime Syndicate comes from Earth-3 to take over this world, where they recruit villains to their cause. Earth-0 villains that resist the Crime Syndicate follow Lex Luthor to form the Injustice League to take down the Crime Syndicate.Synopsis
Lead-up
In the final issue of the "Trinity War" event, the leader of the Secret Society, revealed to be Alfred Pennyworth of Earth-3, uses Pandora's Box to open a gateway from Earth-0 to Earth-3, which allows Ultraman, Superwoman, Owlman, Johnny Quick, Power Ring, and Deathstorm to arrive; their teammate Sea King, however, does not survive the trip. In addition, Superwoman brings a hooded prisoner through the gateway with them. Atomica is revealed to be the mole in the Leagues and is actually Atomica from Earth-3. Grid, a sentient computer virus, separates Cyborg's prosthetics from his body. The Crime Syndicate attack the three Justice Leagues, claiming Earth-0 now belongs to them.At this time, Cheetah is imprisoned at Belle Reve and communicates with an unknown person, indicating that she will wait for Black Manta. Meanwhile, Zatanna mentions premonitions of an upcoming war between superheroes triggered by a death and John Constantine shaking hands with Lex Luthor.
Main plot
Lex Luthor meets with Thomas Kord in a bid to buy Kord Industries, when his helicopter loses power and crashes. Getting up from the wreckage, he sees Ultraman entering a LexCorp building looking for kryptonite. Ultraman asks Grid to find other locations of it. Grid also cuts power to all major cities and orchestrates the release of all superhuman prisoners. Returning to Gotham City, Nightwing is kidnapped by Superwoman and Owlman. In Central City, the Rogues attempt to break into Iron Heights Penitentiary to free Trickster, only to be interrupted by Johnny Quick, who succeeds in freeing all the inmates, while Deathstorm and Power Ring infiltrate Belle Reve. Scarecrow tries to recruit multiple Batman rogues to the Secret Society, and they, along with many other villains, gather at the Justice League's fallen Watchtower. There, the Crime Syndicate present Aquaman's trident, Wonder Woman's lasso, and Superman's cape as proof that the Justice League is dead. During the Crime Syndicate's broadcast to the world, Superwoman reveals that Nightwing is Dick Grayson. After the villains disperse, Ultraman is affected by the rising sun, and moves the moon in front of it to create a solar eclipse.Luthor goes to the bowels of LexCorp to release Subject B-0, an imperfect attempt to clone a Kryptonian. At the Justice League Watchtower, Grid informs Ultraman that there is an uprising in Kahndaq, requiring his attention, and that the Rogues refuse to join the Crime Syndicate. Ultraman tells Grid to send Deathstorm and Power Ring to take care of the Rogues. Before departing, Ultraman checks on the prisoner brought from Earth-3. Owlman and Superwoman believe he should be killed, but Ultraman refuses, claiming that they might need him. Owlman asks that Grayson stay alive, but Ultraman and Outsider disagree, knowing he is not the Dick Grayson they knew from Earth-3. After Ultraman leaves, Superwoman reveals to him that she is pregnant with his child. They make plans to have Owlman overthrow Ultraman and take control of the Crime Syndicate.
The Teen Titans arrive at the Justice League Watchtower to attack the Crime Syndicate, only to be greeted by Johnny Quick and Atomica. Quick uses his powers on Kid Flash, creating a hole in time that traps the Titans. At S.T.A.R. Labs, Silas Stone and Dr. Thomas Morrow remain in the Red Room to protect its technology and research. Batman and Catwoman arrive with the critically injured Cyborg, the only ones to survive the Syndicate's initial attack. Batman explains that, after the Crime Syndicate arrived, Deathstorm attacked Firestorm and imprisoned everyone except Batman, Catwoman and Cyborg inside the Firestorm matrix. While Stone and Morrow prepare to stabilize Cyborg, Batman learns of Nightwing's unmasking and leaves to find him. Elsewhere, Luthor connects to one of his personal satellites to locate the Crime Syndicate. He finds Ultraman and notes that he is avoiding direct sunlight. In Central City, Deathstorm and Power Ring confront the Rogues for failing to level the rest of the city. When Power Ring attacks, Captain Cold freezes his hand. Deathstorm attacks Captain Cold and extracts his freezing powers from his DNA. Mirror Master attempts to get the Rogues out through the Mirror World but Power Ring destroys the mirror they were using to escape, causing the Rogues to be separated. Captain Cold ends up at Luthor and Bizarro's location where they are joined by Black Manta, who has retrieved Black Adam from the ocean after his defeat by Ultraman.
Batman brings Catwoman to the Batcave, where he shows her his contingency plans to take down each member of the Justice League, hoping each will work on their Earth-3 counterparts. Luthor attempts to revive Black Adam while Captain Cold attempts to construct another cold-gun. Luthor takes his group through the sewers and breaks into Wayne Enterprises only to find Batman and Catwoman. Superwoman finds Ultraman taking Metallo's Kryptonite and tells him she is pregnant with his child and that Owlman is planning to overthrow Ultraman and take control of the Crime Syndicate. In Central City, Ultraman requests Deathstorm to use Firestorm's ability to transmute elements so he can create Kryptonite and sends Power Ring after Captain Cold. Power Ring, scared to go alone, asks Grid for help, who sends Secret Society members to aid him. Back at Wayne Enterprises, Power Ring arrives and attacks Batman and Luthor. Batman decides to use his contingency plan to take down Green Lantern and puts on a Sinestro Corps power ring. Power Ring's constructs are able to remove the ring from Batman and destroy it, inadvertently drawing Sinestro's attention to him. Sinestro follows Power Ring through the sewers, eventually severing his right arm, allowing his ring to search for a new host. Relieved to be free, Power Ring dies thanking Sinestro. Luthor, his team, Batman and Catwoman are able to subdue most of the Society members, while convincing Deathstroke to join their side. Ultraman and Superwoman go to the Batcave to steal Batman's Kryptonite ring, only to find it missing. Grid informs them of Power Ring's death, adding that his ring released a pulse of energy sensed across the multiverse. Ultraman, knowing the creature that destroyed their world has found them, orders the Syndicate to regroup and heads to Maine with them.
Batman, Luthor and their team arrive at the fallen Watchtower in search of Grayson and the Crime Syndicate. Grid informs the Outsider of the intrusion, and he goes to protect their hooded prisoner, only for Black Manta to intercept him and kill him. Batman, Luthor, Catwoman, and B-0, who now calls himself, "Bizarro", enter the room with Grayson and see he has been placed in a "Murder Machine", originally intended for Doomsday. They realize the machine is a detonator for a bomb that can only be stopped if Grayson's heart stops. The remaining members of the Crime Syndicate return to the Watchtower and attack Sinestro, Deathstroke and Black Adam. Quick and Atomica attack Captain Cold and Black Manta, who have unmasked the prisoner and removed the tape from his mouth. Captain Cold freezes Quick's leg and then breaks it off. Back with Grayson, Luthor prevents Batman from saving Grayson, choosing to save the groups' lives over Grayson's. As Grayson dies, Batman wrongly attacks Luthor for murdering him, with Luthor trying to reason with him that he has everything under control. The hooded prisoner is revealed as Alexander Luthor. When he shouts "Mazahs!", Alexander transforms himself into the evil Mazahs and kills the injured Quick, taking his power.
Luthor is able to revive Grayson, having only momentarily stopped his heart to disable the machine, as Cyborg joins the heroes, having destroyed Grid. Cyborg gives Batman Wonder Woman's lasso, and he is able to release the trapped heroes within Firestorm. Superwoman reveals that the father of her child is actually Alexander Luthor, that she is actually loyal to Mazahs, and she's secretly been planning to overthrow both Ultraman and Owlman and have Mazahs take control of the Crime Syndicate. Mazahs kills both Deathstorm and Bizarro, and immobilizes Luthor. Realizing he sounds just like Mazahs, Luthor is able to use the magic word to summon the dark lightning, which transforms Mazahs back into Alexander Luthor. Luthor fatally stabs and kills Alexander before he can transform back into Mazahs. Ultraman attacks Luthor, but Black Adam and Sinestro move the moon, stopping the eclipse and rendering Ultraman powerless with sunlight. Atomica reappears from underneath rubble, only for Luthor to kill her by stepping on her. Luthor rejoins the heroes and saves Superman by removing the Kryptonite placed in his brain by Atomica. In the aftermath, Luthor tells Ted Kord he has decided to not buy Kord Industries, telling him that his father would want him to continue the family business and offering him any support or advice he might need. Ultraman and Superwoman are both captured, with Owlman still on the loose, and Luthor begins the process to create a clone of Bizarro, stating that it will take him five years to do so. It is also revealed that Luthor deduced that Bruce Wayne is Batman. Never learning from the Crime Syndicate who or what the entity was that destroyed their world, Superman believes that Darkseid has returned. At the end of the story, it is revealed that the entity is the Anti-Monitor, who has been going around consuming universes to attack Darkseid.