WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Justice League: Last Ride #2 by Chip Zdarsky, Miguel Mendonca, Enrica Eren Angiolini & Andworld Design, on sale now.
Justice League: Last Ride takes place on an alternate Earth where the Justice League and the universe have survived another Crisis-level event — this time with Darkseid and the armies of Apokolips at the heart of the conflict. Although the Crisis hasn’t been fully revealed yet, the repercussions of the event still reverberate around the DC Universe, with hints about the demise of the Guardians of Oa, the deaths of multiple heroes, and the final fate of the New Gods being teased out.
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And in Justice League: Last Ride #2, we get our first real look at the fall of Apokolips, which seemingly happened during a battle between Apokolips and an army of Amazons led by Wonder Woman.
The comic opens with a brief moment from a titanic battle at the heart of the Amazonian/Apokolips war. In golden armor similar to what she wore in Kingdom Come and Wonder Woman: 1984, Wonder Woman led the charge against the villainous armies herself. Their mission was to keep the forces of Darkseid busy while a separate team stops the deployment of Boom Nukes, bombs of almost unimaginable destructive power. Although the Amazonians are skilled warriors beyond reason, they could only hold out against the hordes of Apokolips for so long before being overwhelmed with a desperate Wonder Woman fighting in the heart of the battle.
By the time the battle has turned for the worse, Diana had found herself confronting Granny Goodness and her Female Furies. The Amazonian Princess was able to easily dispatch Lashina and Stompa with her blade, killing both of them. But in the height of the battle, Granny Goodness was able to use the death of her soldiers to her advantage, catching Diana by surprise and striking her in the side with her spear. Wounded, Wonder Woman was still able to turn and swiftly behead Granny for the attack — but is left bleeding on the battlefield.
The scene shifts to Batman and Martian Manhunter, presumably right before the latter is forced to sacrifice himself, driving a wedge into the trust between Superman and Batman. Amazonians have come into conflict with Apokolips before, notably in the Post-Crisis DC Universe (with Granny Goodness manipulating them into attacking the United States in Amazons Attack) as well as the Post-Flashpoint timeline (with Grail being the villainous daughter of an Amazon and Darkseid, eventually playing a major role in The Darkseid War). It makes sense that in this timeline, the Amazons and the armies of Apokolips would go for one last battle — and that the Amazons would be crucial to victory.
But the battle of Justice League: Last Ride feels more desperate and brutal, with even Wonder Woman — one of the noblest and most heroic members of the Justice League) forced to fully abandon any of her mercy on the battlefield. The sudden deaths of the Female Furries and Granny Goodness confirm just how casually cruel and ruthless this world has had to become to survive. If this is the kind of battle that took place on Apokolips, then it makes sense that the Justice League would be wary of returning. It’s also unknown how many of the Amazons survived the battle, and how much additional aggression they were forced to show to end the battle once and for all.