DCeased is a six-issue comic book miniseries published by DC Comics from May to October 2019. It was created by writer Tom Taylor and the artistic team including penciler Trevor Hairsine and inker Stefano Gaudiano. The story takes place in an alternate Earth named Earth 55, where a corrupted version of the Anti-Life Equation has infected most of Earth's inhabitants with a zombie-like virus. Lois Lane acts as the series' narrator, detailing how the events took place over the course of a few weeks.
It was followed by several sequels and spin-offs each narrated by a different character.
Publication history The first issue was released in May 2019, and was ranked #1 in the comic book sales for that period. Issue two came in at #2 for the month of June at 152,407 units. Sales for issue three came in at #3 in July at 132,072 units, with issue four to six selling roughly 120,000 units each.
Expanded material Spin-offs DCeased: A Good Day to Die #1 (2019) DCeased: Unkillables #1–3 (2019) DCeased: Hope at World's End #1–15 (2020)
Sequels DCeased: Dead Planet #1–7 (2020–2021) DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #1–8 (2022–2023)
Plot DCeased In the aftermath of a battle with the forces of Apokolips, Batman discovers that Cyborg has been kidnapped. On Apokolips, Cyborg is being tortured by DeSaad, who reveals that one-half of the Anti-Life Equation exists within his body and that Darkseid intends to merge it with the half in his possession. Darkseid summons the Black Racer, who is restrained and has his essence extracted to keep Cyborg alive during the procedure. During the process, the Equation is corrupted and becomes a techno-organic virus that transforms those infected by it into zombie-like monsters known as the Anti-Living. The virus infects Darkseid, who kills the Black Racer and obliterates Apokolips.
When Cyborg returns to Earth, the virus spreads to Earth, infecting hundreds of millions of people instantly. Superman flies to his apartment and rescues his wife Lois Lane, his son Jon Kent, and Damian Wayne from being infected. Batman locates Alfred Pennyworth, Nightwing, and Tim Drake, discovering that Nightwing and Tim have been infected. Batman holds the two off so Alfred can escape, but is infected in the process.
Elsewhere, Aquaman is overwhelmed by a swarm of infected and both the Joker and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) are infected from viewing corrupted screens. Green Lantern attacks Green Arrow and Black Canary. Black Canary is forced to kill Jordan while defending Green Arrow and is chosen by Jordan's power ring, becoming a Green Lantern. In Gotham, Batman succumbs to the infection and attacks Alfred, who shoots and kills him.
Superman heads for Smallville and meets with his adopted mother Martha Kent, who informs him that Jonathan Kent has been infected. Superman seals Jonathan in the basement of the barn before taking Martha to safety. Meanwhile, Mera is training Garth when they both notice the water above Atlantis darkening with the blood of Atlantean guards Aquaman has infected or killed. Garth inhales some of the blood and becomes infected, but is repelled by Mera.
In a Project Cadmus lab under Washington, D.C., Amanda Waller and Captain Atom await the return of Atom, who has entered an Anti-Living corpse to find a cure. However, they learn that Atom has become infected and is attacking Captain Atom's body to infect him, starting with his heart. Learning that Captain Atom is going to explode, Superman and Wonder Woman attempt to fly him into the atmosphere, where he can detonate safely. However, he explodes before they can do so, devastating Washington, D.C., Metropolis, and several other major cities.
Lex Luthor, saddened by the destruction of Metropolis, arrives and offers to join forces with Superman. Over the next few weeks, the heroes disable the Internet to stop the Equation's spread. Wonder Woman convinces her mother Hippolyta to allow survivors on Themyscira. Meanwhile, Damian (now operating as Batman), Green Arrow, and Green Canary meet with Poison Ivy to create a sanctuary in Gotham, and Luthor and Cyborg work together to build two space arks to leave Earth. However, an infected Martian Manhunter attacks the fortress, kills Luthor, and infects the Flash before being killed by Firestorm. Superman kills the Flash, but he is infected in the process.
As the infected Superman begins his attack in New York, Cyborg declares they must evacuate the planet, but Lois says Superman will destroy the arks and must be stopped first. Damian reveals that he possesses a shard of kryptonite, which he gives to Cyborg. Wonder Woman states that it will not be enough and they must use lethal force against Superman. She tells Green Lantern and Cyborg to come with her, while ordering everyone else to go to the Gotham Jungle and Themyscira to prepare for departure. In Superman's forge, Wonder Woman imbues her sword with magic and kryptonite, combining Superman's two principal weaknesses. Wonder Woman attacks Superman, but fails to kill him and is infected.
The Green Lantern Corps and the Guardians of the Universe arrive to stop Superman. Realizing that they are too powerful to take on alone, Superman retreats into the Sun and begins absorbing its energy. Ganthet states the Corps cannot stop him, and escorts the survivors to a new world to settle on.
On Earth, Cyborg interrogates Wonder Woman with the Lasso of Truth to find out if there is a cure, learning that the virus is sentient and controls its victims as a hive mind, and that the cure lies within his body. He attempts to message the arks, but is decapitated by Wonder Woman.
Spin-offs A Good Day to Die Mister Miracle and Big Barda survey the destruction of Apokolips before returning to Earth. Meanwhile, Mister Terrific examines an infected Captain Boomerang and realises he needs to trace the origin of the virus. He journeys to Mister Miracle's apartment to seek their aid in visiting Apokolips, only to be informed of its annihilation. Seeking another solution, Terrific, Miracle and Big Barda track down Blue Beetle and Booster Gold for transportation to England and rescue John Constantine from a horde of infected in Liverpool. Constantine states that there is no cure to the infection and refuses to help the heroes, teleporting himself away.
With technological and magical options expired, Mister Terrific theorises that the only hope for humanity is for Booster to use his time machine. Journeying to Malibu, they are attacked by an infected Fire and Ice, who seemingly kill Miracle and infect Barda. Booster and Blue Beetle locate the time machine, but Waverider appears and stops them from using it. Barda kills Terrific and infects Blue Beetle, and Booster fades from existence due to the timeline being altered. Constantine then attempts to sacrifice himself to stop Waverider before being rescued by Doctor Fate and Zatanna.
Unkillables Deathstroke encounters infected neo-nazis and is infected, but his healing factor purges the virus and returns him to normal. He retrieves his daughter Rose Wilson and meets with Mirror Master and Vandal Savage. Shortly after, Mirror Master contacts them to protect Vandal Savage, and offers to bring them to Savage's hideout on a remote island in exchange. The duo agree and find they are not the only ones helping Savage as Deadshot, Bane, Lady Shiva, Cheetah, Captain Cold, Solomon Grundy, and Creeper are also there.
Jason Todd goes to the Batcave and discovers the bodies of Nightwing, Batman, and Tim Drake. He buries them and takes Batman's dog, Ace, with him. Using a tracking computer, Jason discovers only two members of the Bat family are still alive in Gotham. At the Gotham City Police Department, Cassandra Cain, Harvey Bullock, and Commissioner James Gordon are fighting off infected when Bullock is slashed. He begs Gordon to kill him, but Cassandra intervenes and breaks his neck. Jason arrives in the Batmobile and dispatches the infected. He takes Gordon and Cassandra with him. The trio arrive at a Blüdhaven orphanage with only children left.
At the island, Savage attempts to vivisect Deathstroke and Creeper to discover how they manage to overcome the infection and to create a vaccine, but is attacked and killed by Wonder Woman. The survivors escape to the orphanage, thanks to Mirror Master, who is infected when he returns to the island for Captain Cold. Rose arrives and stabs Savage. As she saves both Deathstroke and Creeper, she suddenly tells everyone to run, as Wonder Woman comes crashing in. Wonder Woman rips Savage in half and is charged at by Grundy, who she punches through the wall. Captain Cold stays behind to hold off Wonder Woman, but is infected.
Deathstroke and Jason realize that the Anti-Living have been accumulating outside the orphanage walls and prepare to face them, training the children to assist them. For three months, Batgirl and the remaining villains teach the kids various fighting skills. The villains slowly start to bond with the kids, Deadshot teaches a boy named Zaid how to shoot with a slingshot, Solomon Grundy plays with the children, and Cheetah grows attached to a girl named Matilda. Deathstroke and Jason argue over the harshness of his training before imploring Jason and Rose to take advantage of finding happiness together. One night, while patrolling the orphanage, Bane is slashed by an infected Mirror Master, while Deadshot sacrifices himself to save Zaid from being taken by him. Bane opens a hole in the walls surrounding the orphanage, allowing the Anti-Living to enter.
The survivors regroup and travel to Gotham to get help from Poison Ivy, during which Wonder Woman kills Cheetah, Creeper, Grundy, and Deathstroke. Lady Shiva sacrifices herself to save Cassandra. Mary Marvel reveals herself as one of the orphans and saves the remaining survivors before taking them into the sanctuary, where they are greeted by Ivy, Harley Quinn, Doctor Fate, John Constantine, and Zatanna. Fate explains that they are truly safe as the sanctuary has been magically shielded and the Anti-Living cannot breach it.
Hope at World's End Hope at World's End is a loosely connected anthology series featuring stories of various heroes. Jimmy Olsen saves some of his co-workers in the initial outbreak of the virus and documents the heroes' actions throughout the DCeased event. In Kahndaq, Black Adam stops the initial spread of the virus, but is attacked and infected. In Keystone City, Wally West, Max Mercury, Impulse and Jesse Quick evacuate the uninfected residents to an alternate Earth. While they succeed, Max is infected. Before he can turn, Wally runs with him so he can join the Speed Force.
The Anti-Life army from Kahndaq travels through the shadowland towards Gotham's safe zone thanks to the powers of one of its members. In Gotham, Lex Luthor arranges for the army to be trapped in the shadow realm, while the other heroes manage to subdue Black Adam. Superman severs Adam's vocal cords to prevent him from regaining his powers.
Sequels Dead Planet Set five years after the original mini-series, Dead Planet follows the New Justice League as they return to an Earth, now overrun with the anti-living, in search of Cyborg, who survived Wonder Woman's attack and activated a distress signal. As the heroes return to Earth to respond to the signal, they are attacked by Wonder Woman, who infects Green Arrow. Learning from Cyborg that there is a cure for the infection, Jon rushes to stop Green Canary from killing Wonder Woman, but is too late and he is injured by a kryptonite sword.