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A humongous humanoid has appeared over the White House, holding a glowing ball on one hand, causing fear and panic between among the population. Wonder Woman arrives just in time to stop an out-of-control car from colliding with a school bus and mulls ove


Quote1 He calls himself nothing but-- The Adjudicator! I didn't learn all I wanted to about him-- and even now I've no way of knowing whether what I learned is true, or merely his own massive self-delussion. Either way, I'm certain the alien is powerful enough to destroy all Earths, in this dimension and in others-- Quote2
Wonder Woman src

Judgment In Infinity is a three issue Multiverse crossover published in Wonder Woman (Volume 1). It is the first crossover among female heroes of the DC Multiverse, with guest appearances by heroines from Earth-One, Earth-Two and Earth-X.

Synopsis

A humongous humanoid has appeared over the White House, holding a glowing ball on one hand, causing fear and panic between among the population. Wonder Woman arrives just in time to stop an out-of-control car from colliding with a school bus and mulls over the silent creature's nature and intentions.

Meanwhile, the army arrives, ready to fire a warning shot. Wonder Woman realizes the mortar shell is going to hit the alien instead of missing him, so she quickly leaps and deflects the projectile. Unfortunately she's so swift that the soldiers below think it is the alien who has deflected their shot, and fire at him. The shell barely tears his robe, but in retaliation the alien sends glowing beams from his eyes which strike the soldiers. The men are turned into glassy statues before dissolving.

Outraged, Wonder Woman states he didn't need to obliterate them because they couldn't harm him, and lassoes his left foot. Diana manages to pull him down slightly, which causes him finally to notice her. Another of his eye beams makes the lasso free his feet and smashes Wonder Woman into the obelisk.

As Wonder Woman struggles to not lose consciousness, her head is filled with images showing scenes of the alien's past. The creature visits planets at the height of their civilization and then revisits them centuries later, and, if they have become sufficiently decadent, he destroys them. Earth confounds him because it doesn't live up to his standards but its inhabitants haven't blown themselves up yet. Wonder Woman feels him scrutinizing mentally several alternate Earths and wondering whether Earth survives because one of those alternate universes is what he would deem "worthy".

Suddenly, the alien notices Wonder Woman is reading his thoughts. Before Wonder Woman can talk him out of destroy Earth he cuts off the mind-link and vanishes. Still Wonder Woman sensed his intent to visit other Earths and put them to his tests. If he destroys one of them, he'll set off a chain reaction which will destroy all alternate Earths. Diana also learned he calls himself the Adjudicator.

Wonder Woman summons a meeting of the Justice League and also contacts Supergirl. Diana narrates her meeting with the mysterious Adjudicator, who neither of her teammates have ever heard of, and adds she is certain he will sense the existence of three Earths closely bound to Earth-One and head for them first.

Black Canary decides she needs to travel back to Earth-Two and alert the Justice Society immediately. Likewise, the remainder Leaguers leave the Satellite. Wonder Woman is lost in thought when she realizes Zatanna has remained behind. The spellcaster says she may know where the Adjudicator's first test will take place. She felt a mystic twinge when Diana mentioned four tests, which reminded her of an old legend. Zatara teleports both of them to India and states if she is right, all they can do now is wait.

Somewhere and somewhen else, the Adjudicator is checking differents Earths. As he observes Earth-Two, spying on the Justice Society through his mystical orb, he can sense some Earths are more important than others to his purpose. He decides he'll test the Earth he just left first, and summons four physical manifestations of his will which are known to humans as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Famine, Plague, War and Death.

Famine abruptly heads for Earth-One.

Down on India, Zatanna can feel him making his way to Calcuta. As soon as Famine touches down, all surrounding food gets turned to dust. His mad ride is blocked by Wonder Woman and Zatanna. Diana grapples with him, but Famine manages to break free and inflicts terrible hunger on both heroines. Zatanna is so overwhelmingly hungry she can't counter Famine's spell until Wonder Woman lassoes her into doing so. Turned back to normal, both heroines rush after Famine.

Zatanna stops his mount by turning the ground beneath his hooves into quicksand, and Wonder Woman tackles him to the ground. Diana commands him to leave and never return, but her Lasso of Truth is ineffectual since Famine is not a physical being. Wonder Woman opts for a close-quarters grappling combat, but the Adjudicator unexpectedly calls Famine back. Wonder Woman and Zatanna are left alone, wondering where he will strike next.

Somewhere among universes, Adjudicator feels intrigued by Earth-One and its heroes. Famine has failed and been reduced to nothingness. Now Plague rides his way to Earth-Two.

On Earth-Two, Black Canary is meeting up with two members of the Justice Society who have answered her summons: Power Girl and Huntress. Black Canary talks both heroines about the Adjudicator and Wonder Woman's gut instinct he will strike Earth-Two next. Power Girl starts wondering why Wonder Woman is so certain about it when a news report warns about a sudden, strange epidemic breaking out in Atlanta. Power Girl picks up both women and the trio heads to Atlanta.

On Atlanta, Plague has already infected thousands. No one has passed away... yet, but it is a matter of time.

Power Girl, Black Canary and Huntress fall from the sky, surrounding him. Dinah and Helena rush to evacuate innocent bystanders as Plague's blasts strike Power Girl. Despite her Kryptonian immunity to diseases, Plague's touch still causes her a sneezing fit. Plague's horse gallops towards Power Girl, but Huntress manages to distract him. Kara rips a metal beam off and swats Plague off his mount. Meanwhile, the Adjudicator watches doctors fighting to save lives in the disease control center with curiosity.

Back on the streets, Plague managues to touch Power Girl. Kara feels dizzy and collapses right away. Huntress guesses they can't help her best friend without touching her... so that, if they are going to expose themselves to infection anyway, she may as well go straight to the source. Huntress tackles Plague, being careful to only touch his robe. At the same time, Black Canary's shout brings Plague's horse down on his owner.

Dina and Helena are wondering how they can get rid of Plague when, to their astonishment, the Horseman is enveloped by a glowing light and vanishes.

Back on Earth-One, Linda Danvers has dropped by a handcraft store in Greenwich Village at Wonder Woman's behest. The shop owner opens the door before Linda knocks and identifies herself as Madame Xanadu. She already knows who Linda is and why she has come down there.

Unbeknownst to both women, their talk is being watched by the Adjudicator. He instinctively knows they will find a way to reach their destination and deems to postpone the inevitable confrontation pointless. Adjudicator sends War out and then summons Linda and Xanadu, removing the former's civilian clothes and leaving only her Supergirl costume.

Supergirl and Madame Xanadu land on the wrecked ruins of Earth-X Paris, the dimension which Wonder Woman wanted Supergirl to check out. Supergirl hears a faraway scream, and hefting Xanadu, takes off.

Supergirl tracks down the scream and sees a German tank about to steamroller a little girl. Kara quickly demolishes it with one punch and discovers it is empty. There's only a glowing hoofprint on its exterior.

War chooses that time to introduce himself, backed by an army of hollow tanks controlled by his magic. Supergirl tells Xanadu to take the girl to safety while she deals with War. War runs away while Supergirl utterly demolishes his mind-controlled tanks.

In the meantime, War is manipulating a crowd of Parisians into raiding the U.S. embassy. Phantom Lady tries to talk them down. Sandra fails, so she resorts to tackle War, who easily knocks her down. Phantom Lady is about to be stomped by the mind-controlled mob, but is dragged out of danger by Madame Xanadu. Madame Xanadu confronts War, pulling out one of her tarot cards. War is being pulled in by a light radiating from the card, when he is suddenly recalled by his master.

Supergirl and Xanadu also vanish, leaving Phantom Lady alone to stop the mad mob. Fortunately, War is gone and his magic's effects with him.

Supergirl and Xanadu materialize back on Earth-One. Even though they have saved one Earth, Supergirl is still shaken and worried. Their own world is still in deadly danger.

Meanwhile at Titans Tower, Raven is conversing with Wonder Girl when she abruptly starts screaming in extreme pain. Alerted by her cries, Starfire flies into the room to help, but Raven collapses in agony in spite of Donna and Kori's efforts. Seriously worried, both friends resolve to take her to Paradise Island for treatment.

On Themyscira, Paula von Gunther examines Raven. Queen Hippolyta reveals that the source of her pain is in another Earth: Raven is an empath, and that world's pain is so big it's affecting her across the dimensional barrier. The only way to cure Raven is to stop the pain at the source before it kills her within one hour. Starfire declares they will do whatever it takes, a reaction Hippolyta had anticipated. The Amazons have already prepared a cosmic portal, attuned to Raven's emanations. Wonder Girl and Starfire hop into the portal.

Somewhen else, the Adjudicator keeps finding himself intrigued by that world's heroes. Nevertheless, he's about the perform the final test. With one gesture, he makes his starship materialize. He teleports inside and sends Death out. The chosen world is a peaceful Earth named Earth-I because the inhabitants have become immortals.

The dimensional maelstrom spits Starfire and Wonder Girl out right in the Death's path. Having been contacted earlier by her big sister regarding the Adjudicator and his minions, Donna recognizes the Horseman and both girls realize he's the cause of Raven's pain. Death swings his scythe down on Starfire, but when it's stopped by Kori's thunderbolts, he merely goes on his path in pursuit of easier prey. Starfire accosts him while Wonder Girl keeps innocent people out of his reach. Unfortunately Death shots Starfire down.

Wonder Girl manages to stop Kori's fall safely. But Death has decided they are a pest which must be looked after without further ado, and flies towards them. Donna and Kori are too weakened to fight or flee. However, the citizens of Earth-I come between them and Death, resolute to shield them.

Out of universe, the Adjudicator observes that scene and finally understands why those Earths haven't self-destructed so far. He recalls Death.

Back on Earth-One, Raven comes around. Pleased, Hippolyta prepares to fetch Donna and Kori back when Raven also vanishes.

At the same time, Wonder Girl, Starfire, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Zatanna, Madame Xanadu, Black Canary, Huntress Power Girl and Phantom Lady disappear.

The eleven heroines are teleported in the Adjudicator's starship and encased in energy diamonds. Maybe because they all have been bathed by Adjudicator's multi-hued energy beams, they can hear and understand his thoughts clearly: he has already made his decision on the fate of the four Earths, and he intends to save the heroines who opposed his servants as specimens of the four Earths he intends to destroy.

Horrified, Wonder Woman hits over and again her prison's walls. But neither her super-strength, nor Supergirl's or Power Girl's nor Zatanna or Raven's spells have any effect on their cells.

Meanwhile, they keep hearing the Adjudicator's reflections. He has decided it must be their capability for self-sacrifice which allow humans to survive against all odds. He finds it intriguing enough he considers for one second to spare those Earths for further study... but he is not interested in researching. He readies himself to blast all Earths across the Multiverse into oblivion.

The group of heroines rages against against their prisons, even knowing their struggle is useless. Wonder Woman, though, has an idea: Diana makes her Lasso vibrate through the inside of the diamond at super-speed before twirling it back inside and making it solid. The excessive tension shatters the solid encasement and Diana leaps onto solid ground.

The Adjudicator decides she is too dangerous to spare, and shoots her eye beams. Wonder Woman deflects his beams and her enemy summons back his Horsemen. Nonetheless, Diana had redirected his blasts towards the crystals holding Supergirl, Powergirl, Starfire and Wonder Girl, who breaks Huntress out. The five heroines drive the Horsemen back and away from Wonder Woman.

Annoyed, Adjudicator blasts them all down and changes his mind: he'll anihilate the heroines together with their homeworlds. Wonder Woman can feel herself and her friends slowly dissolving into nothingness. Still she has a last-second, desperate idea: as the Adjudicator ignores her, she vibrates her Lasso back into solidity and encircles his neck. Then she demands to know who set him up to be judge, jury and executioner.

The Adjudicator replies her Lasso is nothing to him, but her question arouses his curiosity. As Adjudicator tries to recall how and why he became a judge of worlds, Wonder Woman holds onto her Lasso. Her connection with Adjudicator through the Lasso has made her stop fading. Her fellow heroines also grab the far end of the lariat, becoming solid again.

Suddenly, the Adjudicator remembers: he was given that mission many eons ago by an overseer who hoped it would keep him out of mischief. Stunned, the heroines listen to him musing about some alien race giving him an array of worlds to play with, as long as he didn't bother them with his thoughts again. He realizes they'll sense he's thinking about them and will come to punish him. Angrily, he declares it is all their fault and he will destroy them and their Earths first.

Nonetheless, a shocked Wonder Woman realizes the truth at last: he isn't a judge of worlds. He is a lunatic whom his keepers let play with worlds they didn't care for so he didn't bother them again. It's because that the space-faring Leaguers hadn't ever heard of him.

Even more furious, the Adjudicator is about to blast them all into oblivion, when he is teleported away by his keepers. The heroines are solidifying at the same time the Adjudicator's starship starts fading.

Zatanna teleports the heroines back to their proper Earths just in time. The Themysciran princesses, Supergirl, Zatanna... appear on Paradise Island.

Donna hugs Diana. She has never been prouder of her big sister.

Issues


Recommended Reading

Links and References


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