Warning: The following article contains spoilers from Action Comics #1033, on sale now from DC Comics.
Batman is no stranger to inviting conflict with the others members of the Justice League (as evidenced by the famous "Tower of Babel" storyline) but his fight with Aquaman in Action Comics #1033 (by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Daniel Sampere, Adriano Lucas, and Dave Sharpe) could signal the start of another war between Atlantis and the surface world. Such a largescale conflict could drag the entire DC Universe into another potential crisis.
The catalyst for this new conflict is the powerful Genesis fragment, a mysterious but powerful stone hinted to have originated from the Source. This stone fell into the possession of Atlantis when refugees from Warworld (hinted to be Kryptonian in origin) crashed their ship into Atlantean waters with the fragment aboard their vessel. Since this landing, the fragment has introduced more and more questions regarding its origin, a questioning furthered when contact with the crystal began to transform Atlanteans into kaiju-like beings that attacked the surface.
With such a dangerous artifact in Atlantean hands, the United States government began to get nervous, leading to Amanda Waller taking action. When Steve Trevor failed to convince Aquaman to speak with the Atlanteans regarding a transfer of the fragment, she instead sent in agents to take it by force. These agents were captured at the beginning of this issue by Atlantean warriors, furthering the tension that already existed between Atlantis and the US government. Amanda Waller, a woman who is no stranger to conflict considering her connection with the Suicide Squad, is unlikely to let such actions against her go unanswered.
The Justice League then begin to discuss this situation at their roundtable, with Batman maintaining that such a power should not be in the hands of the Atlanteans, and Aquaman maintaining that it is the property of the Atlanteans, and that forcing Atlantis into a corner will only lead to war. This situation invokes memories of "The Throne of Atlantis," a story arc in Geoff John's Justice League in which Atlantis invade the surface under the leadership of Aquaman's brother, Orm (otherwise known as Ocean Master), with cities drowned and thousands dead. Another such conflict would rock the fragile status quo of the DC Universe, likely leaving lasting, and potentially dire consequences in the relationship between Atlantis and the surface world.
With the threat of Warworld looming over the Earth, as well as the Genesis crystal causing general mayhem, the League is divided between two brewing conflicts. Superman, Black Adam and Hippolyta (all currently members of the Justice League) are all drawn to freeing the slaves of Warworld, while Aquaman and Batman each stand on opposing sides of a conflict that could escalate beyond the borders of their boardroom.
Coming issues will test the bond between nations, and more than that, the bond between friends, as the world could potentially be drawn into fighting a war from two fronts.
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