DC Database
Register
Advertisement

As a result of their killing the Flash, Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Abra Kadabra, and Weather Wizard have been sent to the planet first. After two weeks of fighting, they are starting to snipe at each other, and the minor injuries are beginning to mount. They are searching for a mythical 'safe zone

Salvation Run is a DC Event tying into the Countdown to Final Crisis. Amanda Waller and Rick Flag through Checkmate and the Suicide Squad launch a campaign to round up all of the world's most harmful super villains, and deport them off planet. The idea being that they will not be unlawfully jailed, or sentenced to their deaths but merely exiled to a planet thousands of light-years away where they will be incapable of continuing to hurt people. They are left with their weapons and equipment, and the planet chosen is specifically identified as of harmless environment, and with adequate resources for the villains to begin their own civilization if they choose to get along and work together.

However, factors beyond Checkmate's control show the planet to actually have been a dormant almost mechanical world, filled with dangerous killer beasts. The villains are forced to deal with their circumstances, and confront a community entirely composed of dangerous and/or psychotic criminals, where the greatest danger to them is a difficult tie between the world trying to kill them, and them themselves.

History

As a result of their killing the Flash, Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Abra Kadabra, and Weather Wizard have been sent to the planet first. After two weeks of fighting, they are starting to snipe at each other, and the minor injuries are beginning to mount. They are searching for a mythical 'safe zone', free from killer biomechs, which the primitive native lifeforms are searching for. They are then joined by the group that attacked Green Arrow & Black Canary's wedding, as well as the Joker. The new arrivals don't believe how bad the situation is (except Psimon), but upon being attacked they wise up. Unbeknownst to them, the planet's situation is due to the machinations of Desaad, who has plans for the villains.

The villains form a rough camp, and new prisoners are sent. The new arrivals are sent to find food and information. This not only integrates them into the community, but also weeds out the less capable villains. They are divided on a plan - several villains want to go home, while some want to remain and build a civilization. However, when Psimon proposes the second course, in a plan which would force the (numerically inferior) female supervillains to remain constantly pregnant by different fathers, the Joker kills him with a rock. This act of casual brutality puts him in a position of power, and enforces the position that they should stay and do nothing.

On Earth, the Suicide Squad have captured Lex Luthor, the criminal mastermind. Sending him to the prison planet along with several members of the Squad who are considered too dangerous for normal society, he quickly cements his position by promising to get the villains home. This puts him at odds with Joker, who is content to live off the work of others. Grodd, unwilling to serve under Luthor sides with Joker, and uses his mental powers to plan a coup. However, Luthor has planned for this, and Joker eventually ends the coup by taking his group out of the camp and setting up his own camp. Luthor is rather pleased with this, since it both removes rogue elements from their own camp and gives them someone to blame when things go wrong. Catwoman, however, is remaining in the background.

The Brain and Monsieur Mallah of the Brotherhood of Evil try to convince Grodd to join them in staging another coup, but he rejects them, insulting Mallah. Enraged, the two great apes attack each other, and in the end Mallah and Brain are dead and Grodd is critically wounded. Joker then double-crosses Grodd, kicking him into a ravine. Meanwhile, Vandal Savage has taken four female super villains to his latest find - the safe zone. Here, he says, they will "build paradise".

The Joker's camp decides to live off the other camp's efforts, and stage a raid. This ends in a standoff, where both men have guns to their heads. Catwoman, nominally part of Luthor's group but rarely in camp, is looking at the situation from a tree when she is spotted and captured by the other villains. Luthor begins to set her up as a scapegoat, trying to divert both groups' rage against a common target, but she ducks their efforts, revealing her trump card - the Martian Manhunter has infiltrated the prisoners disguised as Blockbuster. Both camps unite, as Luthor planned, and they incapacitate Martian Manhunter. Desaad decides that this is the time to execute his plan: to use the united villains as the perfect training tool for his Parademons.

On the prison planet, Luthor has led a development team consisting Doctor Sivana, Professor Ivo and General Immortus to put the finishing touches to the teleportation device which will get them back to Earth. However, when Thunder and Lightning are caught sneaking food to the Martian Manhunter, Joker and Luthor disagree on how to deal with them. This argument leads the two men to fight. After a shaky first round Joker emerges triumphant, and is about to kill Luthor when the Parademons arrive. Once again the villains unite against a common foe. However, the teleportation device is endangered by the fight, so Catwoman convinces Luthor to use Warp's teleport ability to move the device to Vandal Savage's camp in the safe zone - which is in danger of falling apart due to Savage's habit of manipulating those around him. Luthor sets up the device, and it is revealed that he has been working with Grodd. As they set up the device, Warp says he "needs to do something" and flies away. Soon afterwards, Luthor activates the device and the villains are set to go back to Earth. Luthor opts to go last, and uses this period to open the machine up - to reveal that it draws power from several of the prison planet's inmates, enslaved by Grodd's telepathy. They accuse him of destroying their lives, and he responds by blaming the "heroes" who sent them here; he meanwhile saved as many lives as he could. He then leaves, taunting the Parademons to approach the teleporter, and passes through it just before it explodes, killing most of the Parademons and inmates. The view then shifts around the planet, taking in the destruction of the safe zone, the burning ruins of the camp, and the Martian Manhunter, imprisoned in a cage surrounded by flames, doomed to permanent exile. This is juxtaposed with a monologue by Captain Cold, remarking that, in a disaster, villains last longer than heroes because villains always "find a way."

Camps

Camp Luthor

Camp Joker

Camp Savage

Issues

Issues in event have not yet been added.

Notes

  • Salvation Run is one of many offshoot series from Countdown to Final Crisis.
  • Catwoman (Volume 3) #75-77 occurs during the series.

Deaths


Links and References

DC Universe
Countdown Crossover
The events from this issue or series are related to the Countdown to Final Crisis. Countdown was a weekly series spanning exactly 52 issues, and tying in with plots across many story arcs all over the DCU. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Countdown Crossover category.
Image-Final Crisis B
Final Crisis Crossover
DC Rebirth Logo


The events from this issue or series are related to Final Crisis, the "Day Evil Won". This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Final Crisis Crossover category.

Advertisement