20 Years After Marvel, DC Finally Sets Up Their Own Civil War

Published Sep 1, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT Mark has been a comic book journalist for over 15 years and has interviewed comic book creators like Gail Simone and Caspar Wijngaard. And when he's not writing, he's working on beating his record of 1,200 comics read in a year. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Some comic book crossover events end without any real consequences for the universe. That wasn’t the case, however, with DC's recent K.O. event. Some of the heroes and villains who participated in the contest were left with visions of things to come. They were also informed that Darkseid would return, but they didn’t know when. Because of that, it was all hands on deck to protect the universe, and that included the enemies of many of the DC Comics universe. In Justice League Unlimited No. 17 by Mark Waid and Clayton Henry, some of DC's greatest villains voiced their frustration about being locked away when Darkseid attacked. This, on top of the upcoming threat from the Lord of Apokalips, leads to the Justice League starting an amnesty project to fight the upcoming war. With this came Justice League membership and access to the Watchtower. Both have now come into question by many of the team’s members. Amnesty Is Creating Division In The Justice League During Justice League Unlimited No.22, Atom was annoyed that Batman started speaking to the team as if they were in the military. On top of that, many of the team members were leaving because they were working with criminals. Batman’s excuse was that he needed to speak to them that way because of the number of members. He also added that Wonder Woman would handle the people who left. After that very one-sided conversation, Ray took it upon himself to get the readings of the people who were in the Omega Tournament. Air Wave confirms that the readings are Omega Energy, but says it could be from their fight during DC K.O. Atom doesn’t agree and thinks that Darkseid is influencing them. In Green Lantern No. 38, Kyle Rayner finds out that the guy who killed his girlfriend (Major Force) was one of the people granted amnesty. Kyle learns this after Major Force shows up to remove a villain and bring them to S.H.A.D.E. (the Super-Human Advanced Defense Executive). What’s worse is that a woman he loved was the one to break the news to him. This causes Kyle to leave without a word to anyone. DC Is Hinting At A Major Division In The Justice League No one wants to work with people who have spent their free time tormenting them. It leads to a hostile work environment, which isn’t beneficial to anyone. Now, imagine that, but with superpowered beings whose egos are bigger than Mogo. It will obviously cause major issues. Among them may be a possible civil war within the Justice League. Heroes working with villains happens often, but it always leads to dissension within a team’s ranks. It was also one of Steve Rogers’ biggest concerns during Marvel Comics’ famous Civil War event. There was no reason for Bullseye and Venom (Mac Gargan) to be working with Iron Man and Reed Richards. Yes, redemption is possible. Just look at Norman Osborn. Nevertheless, some people will never change. It’s not shocking that Atom held a secret meeting with Plastic Man, Black Canary, The Question (Renee Montoya), Doctor Occult, Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), and Air Wave. However, this isn’t a good sign. Eventually, Batman, Wonder Woman, or another teammate will learn about this and be furious. When that happens, the heroes will be forced to pick a side, which could be exactly what Darkseid wants. Atom believes that the people who participated in the King Omega Tournament are being influenced by Darkseid. But what if it’s the other way around? Who’s to say that Atom isn’t unknowingly being manipulated by him? Or, even worse, what if Ray’s a willing participant, like how the Legion of Super-Heroes were turned into the Omega Legion? It’s not out of the question and truly terrifying thought. Created By Jack Kirby First Appearance SuperMan's Pal Jimmy Olsen Alias Uxas Race New God Franchise D.C.