Trinity War Timeline
The timeline for the Trinity War event is very straightforward, however it does involve a few non-essential tie-in issues that help contribute additional background to the story as a whole. For the most part, it reads directly through issues of the Justice League, Justice League of America, and Justice League Dark series.
This timeline is a counterpart to our “Trinity War Reading Order“. Non-indented sections correspond with the “Essential” storyline while indented sections correspond with the “Extra” storyline. Make sure to check out our reading order here for more information.
Prelude
Thousands of years in the past, three individuals are sentenced for their crimes against humanity. One of them is Pandora, whose only crime was opening a box. She is condemned to walk the Earth eternally, forever witnessing the horror she unleased upon the world.
In the present, she shows up at a secret A.R.G.U.S. vault and steals Pandora’s Box. She claims that now she knows what to do with it.
This portion of the storyline is told in The New 52 Free Comic Book Day Special 2012. This issue is collected in Trinity of Sin- Pandora Vol. 1: The Curse (Review) or in Trinity War (Review).
Pandora Tie-In
Thousands of years in the past, a tribal woman, named Pandora, came across a box in the middle of the woods. She opens it and accidentally releases Seven Deadly Sins into the world. The sins kill her entire tribe and thank her for releasing them.
Soon afterword, she is summoned by a council of wizards, who curse her to eternally walk the world and witness the sin she has unleashed. She spends the rest of her life attempting to right the wrongs of her past, however few of her efforts work.
Now, she learns that the secret to ending her curse is contained within the Box itself. She also learns that only the strongest or darkest of hearts can open the Box.
This portion of the storyline is told in issue #1 of Trinity of Sin: Pandora Vol. 1. This issue is collected in Trinity of Sin- Pandora Vol. 1: The Curse (Review) or in Trinity War (Review).
Main Story
Pandora approaches Superman and asks him to open the Box. However, when he tries, Superman is overcome by rage. Pandora teleports away and takes the Box with her. Meanwhile, the Justice League learns that Shazam is heading into Kahndaq, an area forbidden to outsiders.
The Justice League arrives in Kahndaq to escort Shazam out and the Justice League of America arrives to escort the Justice League out. Tensions start to rise and Doctor Light’s powers are accidentally activated. Superman goes in to restrain him but ends up killing him with his heat-vision. Elsewhere, the leader of the Secret Society of Super-Villains watches and implies that he is behind Superman’s power malfunction.
Superman’s action causes a full out fight to break out between the Justice League and the Justice League of America. However, the fight is cut short when Superman demands to be brought in to A.R.G.U.S. and restrained. Once he is put in cuffs, Batman realizes that Superman is sick and that there is more to the situation than meets the eye.
In response, Wonder Woman and a group of heroes leave in an attempt to find Pandora; Batman and a group of heroes begin an attempt to contact Dr. Light, from beyond the grave; and Superman and a group of heroes go out to investigate Dr. Psycho, a mind-controlling supervillain who was loose in Khandaq when Dr. Light was killed. Along the way, the Justice League Dark, the Phantom Stranger, and the Question become involved in the investigation.
This portion of the storyline is told in issue #22 of Justice League Dark Vol. 1, issue #6 of Justice League of America Vol. 3, and issue #22 of Justice League Vol. 2. These issues are collected in Justice League Dark Vol. 4: The Rebirth of Evil (Review), Justice League of America Vol. 1: World’s Most Dangerous (Review), and Justice League Vol. 4: The Grid (Review); or in Trinity War (Review).
Constantine Tie-In
While the other heroes investigate various leads, Constantine tricks Shazam into coming with him. He then steals Shazam’s magic and begins using it for himself. However, he is attacked by an assassin and Shazam gets his powers back in the confusion.
This portion of the storyline is told in issue #5 of Constantine Vol. 1. This issue is collected in Constantine Vol. 1: The Spark and the Flame or in Trinity War (Review).
Pandora Tie-In
After Superman failed to open the Box, Pandora now is attempting to get the “darkest” of hearts to open the Box. To do so, she approaches Vandal Savage. She gives him the Box but he is unable to open it, revealing that there is still some tiny fragment of good within him. Disappointed, she moves on.
This portion of the storyline is told in issue #2 of Trinity of Sin: Pandora Vol. 1. This issue is collected in Trinity of Sin- Pandora Vol. 1: The Curse (Review) or in Trinity War (Review).
Phantom Stranger Tie-In
The Phantom Stranger has brought Batman and a group of heroes to an area of the afterlife in order to find Dr. Light. They find him but quickly learn that he knows nothing about his murder. The Stranger attempts to bring him back to life with them but is stopped by an angel. The heroes are sent back to the physical world while the Phantom Stranger is punished.
This portion of the storyline is told in issue #11 of Trinity of Sin: Phantom Stranger Vol. 4. This issue is collected in Trinity of Sin- The Phantom Stranger Vol. 2: Breach of Faith (Review) or in Trinity War (Review).
Main Story
Superman and a group of heroes go to see if Dr. Psycho was controlling Superman’s mind when Dr. Light was killed. It turns out that the Secret Society sent Psycho to Khandaq at that time but he was not responsible for Superman’s actions. Along the way, the Atom admits that she has been spying on the Justice League for the Amanda Waller. The heroes then go to investigate and ask Waller what she knows but are interrupted when a bomb goes off at A.R.G.U.S.
Meanwhile, Pandora is approaching Lex Luthor to see if he can open her Box. However, before she is able to see, Wonder Woman and her group of heroes find them. Wonder Woman attacks Pandora and quickly falls under the Box’s control.
This portion of the storyline is told in issue #7 of Justice League of America Vol. 3. This issue is collected in Justice League of America Vol. 1: World’s Most Dangerous (Review) or in Trinity War (Review).
Pandora Tie-In
The box is driving all of the heroes mad and forcing them to fight one another to posses the Box. While this is happing, Pandora sees the Seven Deadly Sins around her, taunting her. She remembers her training and suddenly realizes the secret to destroying the Sins. She attacks and kills Envy and appears ready to kill the rest of them.
This portion of the storyline is told in issue #3 of Trinity of Sin: Pandora Vol. 1. This issue is collected in Trinity of Sin- Pandora Vol. 1: The Curse (Review) or in Trinity War (Review).
Main Story
The heroes are still busy fighting each other for control of the Box when John Constantine shows up. He picks up Pandora’s Box and seems unaffected by it, so he teleports himself somewhere. He ends up at an ancient Greek temple but every one of the groups of heroes are quickly drawn to his position. They all fall victim to the Box’s influence and begin fighting each other.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Secret Society, now going by the name Outsider, explains his backstory to the reader. The Outsider was a citizen of another world, one destroyed a long time ago. However, when the Justice League fought Darkseid, boundaries between universes were weakened and the Outsider made his way over to this world. From that day, he began working on a plan to bring over the rest of his people.
Now, his plan is in its final stages. The Atom reveals that she has been working for the Outsider the entire time; she is from the same universe as him. In revealing her identity, she activates a computer virus in Cyborg which rips the machine parts from his human parts. While this is going on, the Outsider arrives and opens up Pandora’s Box. The Box opens up a portal to Earth 3 and an evil version of the Justice League steps out. They immediately begin their new mission, to take over the world.
This portion of the storyline is told in issue #23 of Justice League Dark Vol. 1 and issue #23 of Justice League Vol. 2. These issues are collected in Justice League Dark Vol. 4: The Rebirth of Evil (Review) and Justice League Vol. 4: The Grid (Review); or in Trinity War (Review).