The Justice League Dark animated film Apokolips War brings the DC Animated Movie Universe to a satisfying conclusion. Even so, it suggests that a new shared animated universe could be on the way. Not to be confused with the old DCAU timeline or the Timmverse, the DCAMU began in 2013 with Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, an adaptation of the 2011 comic storyline Flashpoint. The DCAMU continued through a line of animated movies, with the first Justice League story arc of the New 52 era, Justice League: Origin, being adapted into the 2014 film Justice League: War. The shared universe later expanded to adapt older classic comic book storylines.

It is somewhat surprising that Apokolips War tells a wholly original story that evokes the spirit of earlier crossover events rather than replicating fan-favorite moments from popular comics. The effect invites comparison to Twilight of the Superheroes, a storyline proposed but never published by legendary comic book creator Alan Moore, which would have detailed a potential ending for DC Comics' universe. While the events of Apokolips War and its 32 brutal deaths deliver a definitive ending, it also suggests a new beginning, both for those who survive the war and the DC animated films line.

Why Apokolips War Is A Justice League Dark Story

An image of Superman, Robin, Raven, John Constantine, and Etrigan The Demon standing together in a line in the Justice League

One question that many fans asked when Justice League Dark: Apokolips War was announced was why the movie was being released under the Justice League Dark banner rather than Justice League. The answer is that while Apokolips War does draw upon all the heroes in the DCAMU, John Constantine and Raven are its main point-of-view characters. There are others who have important roles to play in the narrative, but it is the Daughter of Trigon and The Laughing Magician who undergo the most development and have the strongest character arcs. In hindsight, John Constantine's DCAMU arc could be part of why Keanu Reeves may return for Constantine 2.

How Flashpoint Paradox Caused The Apokolips War

Justice League Flashpoint Paradox Animated Movie

Early in the film, as the Justice League is discussing a potential invasion of Earth by Apokolips, the Flash mentions the "visions [he] had about the Flashpoint," and while not everybody believes him, a war with Apokolips would certainly cause unimaginable destruction. Later, as John Constantine worked a sleeping spell on Barry Allen, John had a psychic flashback of one of Barry's visions, leading John to declare that the Flash was responsible for causing the Flashpoint and the war with Apokolips. Constantine explained that if Barry had never gone back in time to save his mother, it would never have resulted in the reality shift that caused Darkseid to emerge.

All of this exposition ties into the first DCAMU feature Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. The film saw Barry Allen accidentally creating a terrible alternate timeline where the world was nearly destroyed after Atlantis declared war on Themyscira and the rest of the world got caught in the crossfire. While Barry seemingly fixed his mistake, the film's post-credits sequence revealed a Boom Tube portal opening above the Earth and the first wave of Darkseid's Parademon soldiers flying out. Constantine's vision confirmed what the Easter egg merely suggested - it's all Barry Allen's fault that Darkseid attacked their reality.

What Happened After The Opening Scene

Justice League Dark Apokolips War Cyborg John Constantine Batman and Zatanna

The opening scene of Apokolips War shows Superman leading the Justice League in an all-out assault on Apokolips, with the Teen Titans and Earth's other superheroes staying behind to act as a home-guard. The opening credits begin just after the team is attacked by a new breed of Parademons with the DNA of Doomsday (similar to the Snyder Cut's Parademons). Once the credits end, the story jumps forward two years to a bombed-out London, where Raven and a powerless Superman search for John Constantine, who fled the battle on Apokolips and left the rest of the Justice League for dead after his girlfriend, Zatanna, was overtaken by Darkseid's forces.

Superman reveals that Darkseid knew the Justice League was coming and was prepared. Most of the Justice League's membership, like the Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Aquaman, Zatanna, and most of the Teen Titans, were killed during the battle and the subsequent invasion of Earth. Others, like Wonder Woman, Mera, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, and Starfire, were outfitted with Apokoliptian technology and turned into cyborg slaves of Darkseid through the same process that created the Parademons. Yet Darkseid had even darker fates in mind for those Justice League members who had been key to his earlier defeats.

Lex Luthor was put in charge of overseeing Apokolips' operations on Earth. Batman was tortured until he broke, becoming a servant of Darkseid outfitted with a Mobius Chair, acting as Darkseid's chief tactical advisor. Cyborg was dissected and put to work as Darkseid's personal computer. The Flash was put on a treadmill and turned into a power generator. Superman merited a special punishment, being tattooed with liquid Kryptonite, which left him powerless and in great pain, but still able to watch Darkseid mine his adopted home world for resources. These underscore how Apokolips War borrows from Snyder's DCEU, particularly in terms of twisting heroes to serve Darkseid's goals and sadistic impulses.

Despite this, Superman still sought to form a new Justice League from the surviving members and Teen Titans, plus whatever help they could win from Earth's other heroes and villains. This led Lois Lane to challenge Harley Quinn in a one-on-one fight to secure the help of the now-independent Suicide Squad. They also enlisted the help of Damian Wayne, who had left Raven (the only other surviving Teen Titan) to take over leadership of the League of Assassins. The team also earned the help of Lex Luthor, who claimed to have only turned traitor in order to wait for an opportunity to turn on Darkseid.

Was The Whole Thing Batman's Scheme From The Start?

Batman in Justice League Dark Apokolips War

One big question that remains at the end of the film is how much of the second attack on Apokolips was predicted by Batman two years earlier, which echoes Zack Snyder's Knightmare plans. It is revealed after John Constantine dies and goes to Heaven that John's sudden attack of cowardice during the first attack on Apokolips was the result of one of Zatanna's spells and that she mind-controlled her boyfriend into abandoning the fight at Batman's request. It seemed that Batman had a contingency plan in place in case the invasion of Apokolips went badly and keeping John Constantine at liberty was a key part of that plan.

This is because John Constantine is far more capable than he lets on. John's knack for being able to consider all the angles and plan for the treachery of others winds up saving the Justice League more than once. Notably, not only does John Constantine trick Swamp Thing in Apokolips War in order to compel the nature spirit to attack Darkseid's magma pumps, John also turns Wonder Woman's magical lasso against her to restore her true personality. It seems likely Batman reasoned that if Superman's direct approach failed, the Justice League would need a schemer who could do whatever was necessary to save the world.

How Justice League Dark: Apokolips War Is The End Of The DCAMU

The Universe Ends in Justice League Dark Apokolips War

Darkseid is ultimately defeated, but the Earth is far from saved. The Justice League is decimated and Earth is too far gone environmentally to be saved easily. As Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman begin to discuss what might be done to keep casualties out of the billions, John Constantine slips away and approaches the Flash, saying, "You know what you have to do, mate. Clear the board. Start again." When Barry protests that there's no way of telling what changes might be caused by another Flashpoint, Constantine argues that it can't possibly be worse than the mess they're in now. Without another word, Barry gets up and starts running.

The movie closes with a light washing over the horizon as the Justice League looks on and the world changes again, hopefully for the better. In August 2020, the release of Superman: Man of Tomorrow kick-started the new "Tomorrowverse" franchise, the successor to the DCAMU, acting as a soft-reboot to the previous franchise, which is set to continue in July 2023 with the release of Justice League: Warworld. Meanwhile, DC's slate of upcoming live-action movies includes no Justice League Dark projects.

A DC Showcase Short Followed Up Apokolips War's Ending

Constantine - The House of Mystery Director

Following Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, the animated DC showcase Constantine: The House of Mystery reveals what happened to John Constantine. After another Flashpoint, John finds himself in the House of Mystery, an interdimensional place where the magician is forced to face horrifying experiences and visions. While the feature makes references to Apokolips War and culminates in a similarly open-ended manner, Constantine: The House of Mystery explains nothing else about what happened after the Flashpoint. Moreover, while billed as a movie about John Constantine, the title only really applies to that one 30-minute short, which irked many expectant viewers who were expecting a full feature instead of four separate shorts.

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War's follow-up may actually be leading down an interesting path. Before Constantine: The House of Mystery, Netflix's Sandman series also made use of the location. In the Dreaming, while Cain lives in the House of Mystery, his brother, Abel, resides in the House of Secrets. Both houses exist as storytelling prompts for bridging DC characters from various titles, with roots in '50s DC serials. Though John escaped at the end of The House of Mystery, he could be headed to the House of Secrets, where interdimensional trials are held for those guilty of supernatural crimes — a great setting for a new Justice League Dark chapter.