Two of Superman’s greatest foes have joined forces in Justice League: Last Ride — and it might be too much for even the Man of Steel to handle.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Justice League: Last Ride #4, on sale now from DC Comics.
The world of Justice League: Last Ride is a surprisingly bleak one. Although the threat of Apokolips has been seemingly eliminated from the universe — both due to the Justice League defeating their armies and Lobo seemingly wiping out the remaining New Gods as part of a contract — there are now major rifts growing within the heroes.
Notably, there are still major threats out there — like the newest one introduced in Justice League: Last Ride #4 by Chip Zdarsky, Miguel Mendonca, Enrica Angiolini, and Andworld Design, who seems to be a fusion of two of Superman’s most fearsome foes, Brainiac and Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg-Superman.
The world of Last Ride has featured some major changes to the DC Universe. This includes the loss of the Martian Manhunter (and potentially Aquaman) in the final battle against Darkseid. Although the heroes were victorious, Apokolips was left in a ruin after Wonder Woman led the Amazons into a brutal conflict (and even killed Granny Goodness herself). The Green Lanterns have been spread thin while trying to pick up the pieces left behind from Darkseid’s assault on Oa, and Superman has lost his faith in Batman — blaming him for the failure to rescue Martian Manhunter from his tragic fate.
Arriving on the ruins of Apokolips with Lobo in tow, the Justice League find themselves dealing with the lingering fallout of their hard-earned victory. However, things have been set in motion against them, leading the League to split up and explore the planet for threats. While Batman and Hal Jordan venture into the heart of the now-dead planet and discuss what happened last time they were there, Wonder Woman and John Stewart move into orbit around the world — giving them the chance to confront the armada of ships that had just arrived alongside Mongul. The two heroes quickly engage Mongul in combat, while Superman and Flash remain with Lobo.
Speaking with the intergalactic bounty hunter, the pair learn that Lobo was seemingly hired by someone to eliminate the New Gods but refuses to divulge who his client was. But things are quickly interrupted when Flash notes it all feels like a trap — just in time for an entire armada of ships to appear over the horizon. At the front is the Cyborg-Superman — albeit transformed. Despite wearing the distinct Superman costume and with his half-Krptoniyan face, Henshaw has also gained a green hue to his skin. Coupled with the purple lights that appear across his body, it’s clear he’s gained some kind of upgrade that transformed part of him into Brainiac. Making matters worse, this composite villain arrives with an army of Manhunters — the ruthless robotic predecessors of the Green Lantern Corps — behind him.
It doesn’t bode well for the heroes in the slightest, as either Cyborg-Superman, Brainiac, or the Manhunters on their own are a dangerous enough threat. But together — bringing the fight to just Superman and Flash — they might be able to overwhelm the pair. Their full intentions have been left a mystery for now, but it likely involves a lot of pain and suffering for the Man of Steel and his friends. Even if the Battle of Apokolips was a hard-won victory, it might not be the most brutal fight the Justice League of this reality experiences on the planet.
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