# Justice League Dark: Apokolips War

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is a 2020 American adult animated superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Home Video. The film is directed by Matt Peters and Christina Sotta, while Ernie Altbacker and Mairghread Scott wrote the screenplay. It stars an ensemble cast including Rosario Dawson, Jerry O'Connell, Jason O'Mara and Matt Ryan. In the film, members of the Justice League, Justice League Dark, Teen Titans, and Suicide Squad join forces against Darkseid to save Earth.
Based on the comic book storylines "Darkseid War" by Geoff Johns, "Final Crisis" by Grant Morrison, and elements of "Futures End", it is the 40th overall film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies as well as the fifteenth and final feature film set in the first half of the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU), generally marking the continuity's conclusion. The film was released digitally on May 5, 2020, and in 4K/Blu-ray/DVD on May 19. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and fans alike.

## Plot

The Justice League and the Teen Titans devise a plan to defeat Darkseid, the ruler of the planet Apokolips, but they are soon defeated by Paradooms, hybrid creatures made from Parademons and Doomsday using Superman's Kryptonian DNA. The battle quickly ended with most of the League members and Titans killed, while those who survived are either enslaved by Darkseid or have escaped and are in hiding.
Two years later, Darkseid has placed devices known as "Reapers" which mine the planet's core. Superman is depowered after being tattooed by Darkseid with liquid kryptonite. He is then released so that he can spend the rest of his life knowing that his failed plan cost his teammates lives. Superman reunites with Raven, who has been struggling to maintain her father Trigon's imprisonment. They seek John Constantine for a location spell to track Damian Wayne to help free his father Batman. Although considering himself a coward for fleeing during the initial attack on Darkseid and leaving his wife Zatanna to die, Constantine locates Damian at a League of Assassins outpost, and he reluctantly agrees to join the group.
They travel to Stryker's Island in Metropolis and meet with Clark's wife Lois Lane who has recruited the Suicide Squad to their cause, now led by Harley Quinn. Clark and Lois' plan is to infiltrate LexCorp and use a Boom Tube to reach Apokolips and kill Darkseid. Meanwhile, the remaining heroes attacking the Reapers are slowly being killed by the Paradooms. Lex Luthor, who was working with Lois to gain intel on Darkseid, is at LexCorp. Lois, Luthor, and the Squad remain on LexCorp to defend the Boom Tube while Clark, Damian, Raven, Constantine, and Etrigan the Demon infiltrate Apokolips. Batman learns of Luthor's betrayal and sends Paradooms and the new Furies after the heroes.
Upon arrival, Clark's group is attacked by the Furies, consisting of cybernetic versions of Wonder Woman, Mera, Hawkman, Starfire, and Martian Manhunter. Wonder Woman kills Etrigan, before Constantine breaks her free using her Lasso of Truth; she decides to stay behind to fend off the other Furies. Superman's group later rescues Flash from a treadmill powering Apokolips. Cyborg, who has been integrated into Apokolips's network confronts them. Constantine frees him from Darkseid's control, which also frees the remaining Furies. Darkseid orders Batman to kill Damian, but he hesitates when being reminded of his parents' death, which breaks him free of Darkseid's control. Furious, Darkseid tries to kill Batman, but Damian intercepts him, dying in Batman's arms. Damian's death overwhelms Raven, the two having confessed their love for one another earlier on Striker's Island, and her emotional instability frees Trigon. Constantine offers his body as a vessel for Trigon, but he refuses and takes Clark's body instead, purging the kryptonite from him, restoring his powers, and kills Constantine by breaking his neck. Now possessing Clark, Trigon attacks Darkseid. Zatanna visits Constantine in the afterlife, revealing that she used a spell to manipulate him into fleeing the battle that killed her as part of a contingency plan prepared by Batman when she died. Raven and Zatanna then revive Damian and Constantine.
At LexCorp, Paradooms eventually overwhelm Lois' team, forcing them to initiate a self-destruct. Lois transmits a goodbye message to Apokolips with Cyborg's assistance. Her death shocks Clark back to his senses and frees him from Trigon's possession. Superman then battles Darkseid. Constantine and Raven combine their magic to give Trigon a physical body so he can continue fighting Darkseid. After sending the rest of the heroes back to Earth, Cyborg sacrifices himself to drag Darkseid, Trigon, and the Paradooms into a void Boom Tube with no destination. Trigon prevents Darkseid's escape as they are dragged into oblivion along with Apokolips.
Despite their victory, Batman reveals that the Reapers have drained 31% of Earth's magma, the planet's rotation was compromised, and billions of people will die before the League can find a solution. As a result, Constantine convinces Flash to run back in time and reset the timeline again. Despite knowing that the world will never be perfect or the same as before, it still has to be better than theirs. Flash eventually agrees and makes another flashpoint, resetting the timeline.

## Voice cast

| Voice actor | Character |
| Matt Ryan | John Constantine |
| Jerry O'Connell | Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman |
| Taissa Farmiga | Rachel Roth / Raven |
| Stuart Allan | Damian Wayne / Robin |
| Tony Todd | Uxas / Darkseid |
| Ray Chase | Etrigan |
| Jason O'Mara | Bruce Wayne / Batman |
| Rosario Dawson | Diana Prince / Wonder Woman |
| Rainn Wilson | Lex Luthor |
| Rebecca Romijn | Lois Lane |
| Camilla Luddington | Zatanna |
| Christopher Gorham | Barry Allen / Flash |
| Shemar Moore | Victor Stone / Cyborg |
| Hynden Walch | Harley Quinn |
| Liam McIntyre | Digger Harkness / Captain Boomerang |
| John DiMaggio | King Shark, Trigon |
| Sachie Alessio | Lady Shiva |
| Roger Cross | John Stewart / Green Lantern, Alec Holland / Swamp Thing |

## Production

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War was first announced in July 2019 at San Diego Comic-Con. Several voice actors from previous DC Animated Movie Universe films reprised their respective roles.

## Release

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War was released on digital platforms on May 5, 2020, and on 4K/Blu-ray/DVD on May 19. It features a showcase animated short based on Adam Strange.

## Reception
### Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. Jesse Schedeen of IGN said: "This film takes full advantage of the fact that it's the final chapter in a 15-movie arc. Its narrative veers into some very surprising and compelling directions, and somehow it manages to pay off on loose ends from across the DCU".

### Revenue

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War earned $5,661,974 from domestic Blu-ray sales.

## Future

In spite of Justice League Dark: Apokolips War being confirmed as the last film in the DCAMU, screenwriter Ernie Altbacker teased the possibility of a new project related to that continuity. He said that "the way we ended it ... it's really like a tough balancing act: It ends something on a bittersweet yet hopeful note, and I'll just say, people who are saying, 'Oh man, we're not going to get anymore of these!' ... you're not losing something, you're gaining something new ..."
The DCAMU's second phase occasionally references events from the first phase. In May 2022, Constantine: The House of Mystery was released. The short film deals with the aftermath of Apokolips War, setting the plot of the Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths film trilogy.