Crime Syndicate (Earth 3)

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 *They are a morally bankrupt world's answer to the Justice League. Right there that tells you, they don't respect law, order or justice... or good-old fashioned common sense. They have devastated their own planet in their power grabs and they often come to ours looking for, well... more. They have our powers, they have our personas... they are like a diseased version of us.*
—**Superman**src

The **Crime Syndicate** are a team of evil counterparts to the Justice League, existing on Earth 3. Their original membership included Atomica, Deathstorm, Grid, Johnny Quick, The Martian, The Outsider, Owlman, Power Ring, Sea King, Superwoman, and Ultraman.

## History

### Trinity War

Main article: Trinity War

The Outsider was sent to Prime Earth as an emissary, preceding the entire Syndicate. He was responsible for creating the Secret Society of Super-Villains to make way for his masters. Using Pandora's Box, the Outsider opened a portal and lets the Crime Syndicate through. Sea King didn't survive the journey, and they carried an unknown prisoner with them. They declared that this Earth belonged to them.

### Forever Evil

Main article: Forever Evil

Sending out a call to the Secret Society and to the world, they began shutting off electronic communications and restarting them under their control. However, their seeming power was hampered by the weakness of their own pride, and they were eventually defeated by the Injustice League. In the end, almost every member of the team died, Owlman got free to lead his criminal empire, the Ring of Volthoom selected Jessica Cruz as a new host and made her the next Power Ring, and Ultraman and Superwoman were jailed by A.R.G.U.S.

### Darkseid War

Main article: Darkseid War

Seeking answers on the The Anti-monitor, Power Ring (Jessica Cruz), Cyborg, and Mister Miracle enter Belle Reve Prison in an attempt to speak with the surviving Crime Syndicate members. However, the Ring of Volthoom posses Jessica and hacks into Cyborg, resurrecting The Grid. Despite their plan not working as intended, the Justice League meets with the Crime Syndicate members in discussing a plan to stop Mobius. In the end, Ultraman and Superwoman are killed during the fighting, leaving only Owlman and the Grid's consciousness, now bound to the Mobius Chair. The two meet with Metron, who teaches Owlman how to use the chair, however, they are both killed mysteriously.

### Resurrection

The team was resurrected sometime after the Darkseid War. After the appearance of the Doom Symbol in the sky, they came to know about Perpetua and tried to gain her notice by trying to start a mass-slaughter on their planet. Their plan was successful as Lex Luthor arrived to their homeworld and took them for an audience with her. She agreed to let the CSA serve her, assigning them the duty of leading the humans of Earth 3, who she had turned into Apex Predators. Johnny Quick was vaporized by Perpetua for trying to oppose the idea of the CSA working with her, since he saw her as a great evil threat. When they left, Lex remarked he had watched many of them die and even their homeworld was destroyed, yet they were now alive before him. She in turn stated that the multiverse heals itself and sets back things into the order it thinks is correct.

The Crime Syndicate members however didn't retain memory of their deaths. After Perpetua finished taking over the Multiverse, Earth 0's John Stewart, Superman of Earth 23 and Wonder Woman of Earth 6 struck Earth 3 to destroy the tuning fork powering her with Anti-Crisis Energy. Owlman defeated John Stewart, but didn't kill him since he was seething at the Batman Who Laughs and the other evil Batmen taking over Earth 0, as he believed he was supposed to be the most twisted Batman, and was hesitant about Perpetua remaking the Multiverse. After learning from him that iterations of him had existed and died across realities in past, he decided to betray his team, believing he'll be reborn if he died anyway. As they were fighting their enemies, Owlman used the gun he created at Qward to kill both Ultraman and Superwoman, before blowing up the tuning fork along with himself.

### Post-Death Metal

After Wonder Woman convinced the Hands to rebuild the multiverse, Earth 3 was reformed as well. In this new timeline, Owlman & Ultraman were active for at least nine years, but after meta-criminals became more prolific, Earth was attacked by the Starro Collective, who sought to control the metahumans in its never-ending war against the Overlords of Oa. However, a group in Metropolis managed to kill the queen Starro, ending the invasion.

With the existence of metahumans proved, meta-criminals became more active. Owlman, Superwoman, and Ultraman began scheming to build a power base to control the other metahumans, but charismatic genius Alexander Luthor formed the Legion of Justice with the goal of protecting people from meta-crime. For a variety of reasons, the group from Metropolis reformed to defeat them, and from the satellite headquarters Luthor had built, they surveyed the world they now ruled as a syndicate of crime.

However, the world was chaotic and beset by problems, which Ultraman refused to exert the team to solve. So when Amanda Waller showed up and claimed the role of manager, to give the Crime Syndicate their benefits while she managed the crises, Ultraman took her offer. However, prodding from the enemies of Amanda Waller led him to attack her, unifying the team under her control, because none of them were fond of Ultraman. Boosting the rosters with agents from her world, Waller plotted to use the team as her personal Justice League.

## See Also

* 1 Appearances of Crime Syndicate (Earth 3)
* Images that include Crime Syndicate (Earth 3)
* Team Gallery: Crime Syndicate (Earth 3)

### Footnotes

1. ↑ *Justice League* (Volume 2) #6
2. ↑ *Justice League* (Volume 2) #23
3. ↑ *Justice League* (Volume 2) #47
4. ↑ *Justice League* (Volume 2) #50
5. ↑ *Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen* #1
6. ↑ *Dark Nights: Death Metal Multiverse's End* #1
7. ↑ *Dark Nights: Death Metal* #7
8. ↑ *Crime Syndicate* #2
9. ↑ *Crime Syndicate* #1
10. ↑ *Crime Syndicate* #3
11. ↑ *Crime Syndicate* #6
12. ↑ *War for Earth-3* #1
13. ↑ *War for Earth-3* #2