"War for Earth-3" is a 2022

crossover event A crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, unofficial efforts by ...

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

publications. Written by Robbie Thompson, Denis Hopeless and Jeremy Adams, the story follows a conflict between the

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

Crime Syndicate of America The Crime Syndicate are teams of supervillains from one of DC Comics' parallel universes where they are the evil counterparts of the Justice League. The original team was specifically known as the Crime Syndicate of America and is sometimes abbrev ...

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

, and

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid ...

Amanda Waller Amanda Blake Waller (née White), also known as "the Wall", is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Legends'' #1 in 1986 and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and ...

creates a plan to have an everlasting

. The story appeared in five issues spread across three comic titles published over five weeks in March 2022. The event received mixed reviews from critics, with critics praising the story and action but criticizing the art and characters, particularly the Crime Syndicate.

Publication history

"War for Earth-3" storyline was teased at the end of 2021, when it was revealed that DC Comics would create a crossover event featuring the Teen Titans, Suicide Squad, Crime Syndicate and

that will deal with Amanda Waller trying to exert her influence over the

DC Multiverse In DC Comics, the Multiverse is a "cosmic construct" composed of the many fictional universes the stories of DC take place in. The worlds in this multiverse share a space and fate in common, and its structure has changed several times in the h ...

Plot summary

Prelude

Bloodsport A blood sport or bloodsport is a category of sport or entertainment that involves bloodshed. Common examples of the former include combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, and some forms of hunting and fishing. Activities characte ...

is hired by

to recruit more alternate universes of Suicide Squad in

Earth-3 Earth-Three, or simply Earth-3 or Earth 3, is a “partially-reversed” Earth, where supervillainous counterparts of the mainstream DC superheroes reside. It first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #29 (1964), and the concept has been r ...

when he sees

Ultraman ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one ...

Owlman In Cornish folklore, the Owlman ( kw, Cowanden), sometimes referred to as the Cornish Owlman, or the Owlman of Mawnan, is an owl-like humanoid creature said to have been seen in 1976 in the village of Mawnan, Cornwall, UK. The Owlman is sometim ...

Superwoman Superwoman is the name of several fictional characters from DC Comics. Most of them are, like Supergirl, women with powers similar to those of Superman, like flight, invulnerability, and enhanced strength. Detective Comics, Inc. trademarked the ...

, Emerald Knight (an evil version of

John Stewart John Stewart may refer to: Business * John Aikman Stewart (1822–1926), American banker * John Killough Stewart (1867–1938), businessman and philanthropist in Queensland, Australia * John K. Stewart (1870–1916), American entrepreneur and inve ...

) terrorizing civilians. Bloodsport attacks Black Siren (an evil version of

Black Canary The Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics: Dinah Drake and her daughter Dinah Laurel Lance. The original version was created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and ...

) when Ultraman arrives and nearly kills him. Back on Earth-Prime, Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad (

Talon Talon or talons may refer to: Science and technology * Talon (anatomy), the claw of a bird of prey * Brodifacoum, a rodenticide, also known as the brand Talon * TALON (database), a database maintained by the US Air Force * Talon, an anti-vehicle- ...

, Nocturna,

Match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...

, Culebra,

Ambush Bug Ambush Bug is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. His real name is supposedly Irwin Schwab, but he has mental problems that prevent him from truly understanding reality around him, so even his true identity might ...

, and

Major Force Major Force (Clifford Zmeck) is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Major Force is the evil counterpart of the superhero Captain Atom. Publication history Major Force first appeared in ''Captain Atom'' (vol. 3) #12 ( ...

) are training with Amanda Waller still not trusting

Peacemaker Peacemaker or The Peacemaker (in various forms) may refer to: Individuals and groups * UN Peacemaker, a project of the UN to support international peacemakers and mediators * Peace makers, a list of contemporary individuals and organizations inv ...

for letting

Rick Flag Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...

escape. Amanda Waller sends the Suicide Squad to Earth-3 where they fight the

and they rescue Bloodsport and kidnap Black Siren before going back to Russia where they meet

Conner Kent Superboy (also known as Kon-El or Conner Kent) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A modern variation on Superboy (Kal-El), the original Superboy, the character first appeared as Superboy in ''The Adventures ...

. Rick Flag and Amanda Waller had a fallout because Amanda Waller sees Suicide Squad as disposable and wants to create a new Justice League to take over the world, which causes Amanda Waller to imprison Rick Flag, but Peacemaker frees him. Match and Conner fight while Bloodsport and Nocturna investigate and it's revealed that Amanda Waller cloned Conner Kent which created Match. Amanda Waller teleports the Suicide Squad members away, and Rick Flag decides to recruit his own team starting with

Mirror Master Mirror Master is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a recurring foe of the Flash with considerable technical expertise and skills involving the use of mirrors. Three individuals hav ...

, and it's revealed that Talon is a mole in the Suicide Squad. While the Suicide Squad deals with Sojourner "Jo" Mullein (a

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

) and Hellsquad with Rick Flag recruiting

Cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

, Peacemaker,

Lor-Zod Christopher Kent (Lor-Zod) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #844 (December 2006) and was created by Richard Donner, Geoff Johns, and Adam Kubert. As the bio ...

and a

Parademon Apokolips is a fictional planet that appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The planet is ruled by Darkseid, established in Jack Kirby's Fourth World series, and is integral to many stories in the DC Universe. Apokolips is co ...

to take down Amanda Waller. Amanda Waller has been gathering a group of superpowered villains to take over Earth-3, and Peacemaker asks Bloodsport on why is he still working with Amanda Waller when he has no bomb ever since his fight with Ultraman. Amanda Waller sends the Suicide Squad to

Earth-8 The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct used in DC Comics publications. The Multiverse has undergone numerous changes and has included various universes, listed below between the original Multiverse and its successors. The original ...

where they fight the Retaliators (Purple Rain, Behemoth, American Crusader, Hunda Jin, Red Dragon, LadyBug and Machinehead). Bloodsport and Peacemaker fight, with Bloodsport revealing he's still working for Amanda Waller because she has his brothers from different universes, and she has planted bombs in his brothers in case Bloodsport rebels against her. Bloodsport defeats Peacemaker, but spares him after Peacemaker tells him something, which causes Bloodsport joins Rick Flag's group. The Suicide Squad defeats the Retaliators, but are confronted by The Lightning Strikes (Thrill Kill, Thing Man, Dead Red, Oedipus, and Blood Pouch). Agent Parker asks Amanda Waller to retreat, but Amanda Waller stands her ground and wants to kill Dr. Rodriguez after realizing Dr. Rodriguez is working with Rick Flag. Major Force betrays the Suicide Squad and starts fighting them, but Black Siren kills him. Amanda Waller tries to detonate the bomb in Black Siren's skull, but Dr. Rodriguez disabled it. Amanda Waller is disappointed with how the Suicide Squad acted on Earth-8, and teleports Match to her due to her disgust with Match gaining emotions and feelings for Nocturna. Rick Flag confronts Amanda Waller, but Amanda reveals she employed

Clayface Clayface is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Most incarnations of the character possess clay-like bodies and shapeshifting abilities, and all of them have been depicted as List of Bat ...

, and plans to go to Earth-3 with her soldiers, Match,

Black Hand Black Hand or The Black Hand may refer to: Extortionists and underground groups * Black Hand (anarchism) (''La Mano Negra''), a presumed secret, anarchist organization based in the Andalusian region of Spain during the early 1880s * Black Hand (e ...

and Black Siren.

Main plot

Emerald Knight hosts a party for Ultraman, but Ultraman grows impatient and kills everyone in the party. While in space, Ultraman sees Amanda Waller arriving on his Earth, and sees Superwoman being a

dominatrix A dominatrix (; ) or femdom is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily limit the genders of her submissive partners. Dominatrices are known for inflic ...

to Owlman and gets angry so he confronts her and Owlman. Emerald Knight confronts Amanda Waller's team, but is defeated by Black Hand. Owlman goes out to fight Amanda Waller's team to save Emerald Knight, but his plane is taken down by Black Siren. Amanda Waller calls Ultraman from Emerald Knight's ring, and Superwoman and Ultraman go to confront her. Dr. Rodriguez injects her with a serum to save Rick Flag's team, and they all travel to confront Amanda Waller, but are shocked when Amanda Waller has convinced Ultraman and Emerald Knight to join her side. Rick Flag's team is forced to retreat, and Dr. Rodriguez is captured by Amanda Waller while Match and Nocturna are sent to Hell by

Etrigan the Demon Etrigan the Demon is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Etrigan is a demon from Hell who, despite his violent tendencies, usually finds himself allied with the forces of good, mainly bec ...

. Talon and Culbera travels back to Earth-3's

Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his allies and foes. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, the cit ...

where its revealed he did not kill Talon in order to find a weakness for the Crime Syndicate of America's members. Culbera is killed by Johnny Quick and takes over Owlman's body. Ambush Bug transports Peacemaker to Owlman's

Fortress of Solitude The Fortress of Solitude is a fictional fortress appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. It is the place where Superman first learned about his true identity, heritage, and purpose on Eart ...

to find a weapon to stop Owlman when they are confronted by Superwoman who wants to kill Ultraman and Amanda Waller for what they did to Owlman. Johnny Quick rushes in and gets the secret weapon while Black Siren uses her powers to bring down the Fortress of Solitude on Superwoman, Peacemaker and Ambush Bug.

Johnny Quick Johnny Quick are two fictional DC Comics characters, each with the power of superhuman speed. The first was a superhero who first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #71 (September 1941) during the Golden Age. The other was a supervillain, an evil ve ...

arrives on Earth-Prime to get the Cosmic Treadmill. After

Wally West Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. His power consists mainly of speedster (fiction), superhuman speed. ...

returns from his recent adventure with his kids, Wally learns that

Linda Park Linda Park (born July 9, 1978) is a South Korean-born American actress, best known for her portrayal of communications officer character Hoshi Sato in the television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise''. Early life Park was born in South Korea and ...

has developed superspeed. Wally hears that Johnny Quick is trying to find the Cosmic Treadmill from orders of

, but

appears and tries to destroy the Cosmic Treadmill. It is revealed that Johnny Quick was trapped in the

Speed Force A Speedster is a character, primarily in superhero comics, whose powers primarily relate to superhuman speed (also known as superspeed). Primary abilities shared by all speedsters include running at speeds far in excess of human capability (to var ...

but Amanda Waller and Etrigan freed him, with Johnny Quick getting the Cosmic Treadmill and disappearing.

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

tries to heal

Cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

and

Beast Boy Garfield Mark Logan, better known as Beast Boy, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He has also gone under the alias Changeling. Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown, he is a shapeshifter who ...

after

Red X Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to Orange (colour), orange and opposite Violet (color), violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the ...

injured them in a previous battle, but they are interrupted by Rick Flag and

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a comic relief henchwoman for the supervillain Joker (character), Joker in ''Batman: The An ...

from Earth-8.

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character has appeared in various incarnations; the identity was adopted by Dick Grayson when he left his role as Batman's vigilante partner Robin. Although ...

, Starfire,

Donna Troy Donna Troy is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the original Wonder Girl and later temporarily adopts another identity, Troia. Created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, she first appeared in ''The ...

, Roy Harper, and Wally West decide to go help out the Suicide Squad, but unbeknownst to them

Emiko Queen Emiko Queen is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jeff Lemire and artist Andrea Sorrentino and debuted in ''Green Arrow'', Vol. 5 #18 (March 2013). She is the younger pater ...

and a couple of their students sneak in their ship. Rick Flag's Suicide Squad and the Teen Titans fight the Crime Syndicate on Earth-3 while Amanda Waller captures Emiko Queen and the Titans students. Earth-8 Harley Quinn and Mirror Master capture Yorick (a creature with a bird skull for a head) to find out what Amanda Waller is planning. Superwoman saves Peacemaker and Ambush Bug, who goes off to fight Ultraman, who is convinced by Rick Flag that Amanda Waller is using him as a puppet because her true plans is to remove Earth-3 from the

. Amanda Waller tells the Teen Titans to stand down and promises to teleport the Teen Titans and their students away from Earth-3 as she deems them innocent people who are not involved in this. Ultraman nearly kills Superwoman, but Ambush Bug and Mirror Master use their teleport abilities to teleport Ultraman to multiple locations where he is weakened, while Rick Flag, Bloodsport, and Peacemaker shoot Ultraman which gives Emerald Knight enough time to fix the

Phantom Zone The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created ...

projecter to send Ultraman into the Phantom Zone. Amanda Waller teleports the rest of the Suicide Squad back to Earth-Prime, creates her own Justice League (Match, Earth-3 Black Canary, Nocturna, Etrigan, Johnny Quick and Superwoman) and Earth-3 is split off from the DC Multiverse.

Critical reception

According to Comic Book Roundup, ''War for Earth-3'' #1 received an average rating of 6.8 out of 10 based on 10 reviews. According to Comic Book Roundup, ''Suicide Squad'' #13 received an average rating of 7.6 out of 10 based on 6 reviews. According to Comic Book Roundup, ''The Flash'' #780 received an average rating of 8.6 out of 10 based on 7 reviews. According to Comic Book Roundup, ''Teen Titans Academy'' #13 received an average rating of 7.6 out of 10 based on 6 reviews. According to Comic Book Roundup, ''War for Earth-3'' #2 received an average rating of 5.7 out of 10 based on 5 reviews.

Collected edition

References

{{Suicide Squad