Prelude Hal Jordan is summoned by
Ganthet to investigate a dark presence that he senses on Earth, the location of which is revealed to be the
Batcave. Upon his arrival, he meets
Duke Thomas. As they investigate, they stumble upon a hidden room in the Batcave, where they hear a mysterious voice that lures them in. This leads them to a cell where
Batman has imprisoned the
Joker. Meanwhile, Batman has been investigating random frequencies across Earth, which he believes are a part of a bigger mystery that he has been investigating for years regarding mysterious metals and dark energy. He enlists the help of
Mister Terrific to collect more data from
Earth-Two. After conferring with him, he realizes that he needs to use the
Anti-Monitor tower at the
Fortress of Solitude to further his investigations. Joker escapes from the Batcave and smashes a machine that Batman has built, claiming that it will herald the end of the world. Batman explains that he needed the machine to peer into the source of visions he had been seeing from the Dark Multiverse. Batman receives a vision of complete darkness, while a group of dark figures exclaim that the seal has been broken and that the Dark Knights are coming, implying that Batman opened up a door to the Dark Multiverse. Batman reveals that he has previously exposed to the divine metals: electrum, dionesium, promethium, and Nth Metal. In an attempt to escape the last metal, Batman steals Darkseid, who has been reduced to a baby. He aims to use Darkseid's Omega Beams to go back in time again and prevent Barbatos from meeting him. However, Batman is tricked by the
Court of Owls and exposed to the last divine metal: batmanium. This causes Batman to exchange places with Barbatos and seven dark versions of himself from the Dark Multiverse. Mister Terrific interprets vibrations coming from
Plastic Man's egg which indicate the coordinates of four locations that need to be investigated.
Wonder Woman, Doctor Fate and Kendra Saunders go to investigate the
Rock of Eternity.
Green Lantern and Mister Terrific head to the remains of
Thanagar.
Aquaman and
Deathstroke go to
Atlantis. Finally,
Superman has Steel and the
Flash create a path into the Dark Multiverse for him through the
Phantom Zone. Once he arrives, Superman realizes that it was a trap set by the Dark Knights so that they can harness the energy from his cells to power their doomsday device, which would unleash their reality into the multiverse. While searching for Nth Metal at the Rock of Eternity, Wonder Woman, Doctor Fate and Kendra Saunders face the personification of the Seven Sins. Kendra tries to fire the Anti-Monitor's astral brain into the center of the multiverse as an attempt to stop the Dark Multiverse, but is interrupted by Barbatos, who transforms her into a dark-hawk version of herself named
Lady Blackhawk. Fate is confronted by
Black Adam, who alongside
Vandal Savage, have brokered a deal with Barbatos. At the outskirts of Atlantis, Aquaman and Deathstroke enter the burial ground of Atlantis' first king,
Arion. Meanwhile, Hal Jordan and Mr. Terrific reach Thanagar and learn that has been conquered by
Onimar Synn and
Starro. They have known of the Dark Multiverse's existence for eons and have prepared to "raze the Earth" with a doomsday device called the Phoenix Cannon. Starro neutralizes Lantern and Terrific and the two are incarcerated.
Daniel Hall rescues Batman and Superman, to whom he explains the history of the multiverse. Alongside the
Monitor and the Anti-Monitor, there is a third being: a "
Forger" tasked to watch over what had yet to come. Within the Dark Multiverse is a "World Forge", which creates new universes from the hopes and fears of all living beings. Barbatos was originally meant to destroy unstable worlds, but killed his creator, which corrupted the Forge as dark universes were allowed to persist. Convinced that there is still hope, Superman and Batman head for the Forge of Worlds, but are confronted by the Dragon of Barbatos — a corrupted Carter Hall. On Thanagar Prime, Hal and Mr. Terrific are rescued from their cells by
Martian Manhunter (who has been exploring Thanagar Prime to learn about the secret Nth Metal deposits) and the trio proceed to rescue Plastic Man from Synn and Starro. They soon learn several Dark Knights have seized control of the Phoenix Cannon, reversing its polarity to make Earth sink further into the Dark Multiverse. Kendra regains control of her body after Wonder Woman uses her
lasso on her, restoring Kendra's memories. Both are beaten by The Batman Who Laughs, who explains that all the heroes have done is help accelerate Barbatos' plans and that Earth is now low enough for Barbatos' army to claim it. Refusing to give up, Diana and Kendra use the Rock of Eternity's core to reach Barbatos and are confronted by his Dark Army. Reaching the Dark Forge, Kendra manages to break Carter out of Barbatos' corruption, reigniting the Forge in the process.Barbatos is confronted by the Flash and
Cyborg, who have gathered reinforcements from other realities. Refusing to lose, Barbatos reveals his last resort; using the combined power of the positive energy of his prisoner the
Over-Monitor, the Anti-Monitor's brain, and the Batman Who Laughs' dark energy, he plans to destroy all of creation and leave nothing but darkness in his wake. An unexpected team-up of Batman and the Joker, however, halts this plan, the Justice League defeats the remaining Dark Knights, and Hawkgirl subdues Barbatos. After the Over-Monitor explains that all living things have trace amounts of Tenth Metal, the League use this power to pull Earth out of the Dark Multiverse, which inadvertently shatters the
Source Wall. After the battle, the Over-Monitor chains Barbatos at the bottom of the Dark Multiverse.
Epilogue The Justice League, with the inclusion of the Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl, are invited to a gala dinner at
Wayne Manor. They speak of their victory against Barbatos, Hawkman recovering on Blackhawk Island and having written about mysterious glimpses of what is to come. Most importantly, they address cracking the Source Wall, an matter of utmost importance. During the after-dinner party, Bruce, Diana, and Clark talk more about the possible incoming threats now that the multiverse has been expanded, including a hidden threat they have not yet told anyone else about. Bruce tells his friends not to worry, as he has a plan. On the desk of his study lay a number of blueprints for a
Hall of Justice.
Aftermath During the event, portals were created over Gotham City which
Derek James fell into and gained the abilities of trans-dimensional travel. == Titles involved ==