The Reach

The Reach is a group of aliens who came to Earth. Also known as the Kroloteans' Competitor, the Reach allied themselves with the Light, who referred to them as their Partner. However, that term was also often used synecdochically, as it referred to their field agent specifically as well.

Early history
According to John Stewart, millennia ago the Reach were conquerors, so powerful that it took the entire Green Lantern Corps to halt their rampage. As a result, the Reach signed a peace treaty with the Guardians of the Universe, that forbade them from invading any world on which they were not invited.

2011-2015
The Reach was a fierce rival of the Kroloteans. Some Kroloteans suspected they were behind exposing their presence on Earth, by hiring Lobo to attack the Tseng impostor.

2016
The Reach sent out an agent to Malina Island to plant a bomb in the Krolotean base. He personally informed the Light's field commander, Kaldur'ahm, that he had five minutes before detonation. The explosion destroyed much of the island, and many Kroloteans, who had nowhere to go.

At their behest, Queen Bee had her subordinates abducting runaway children for their Meta-Gene research.

The Reach conducted experiments on the abductees, as well as captured heroes Impulse and Beast Boy. Their prize capture, Blue Beetle, was kept in a separate room, where the Scientist analyzed his scarab. She could not find out why it was off-mode.

The Team managed to liberate the abductees, and decided to inform the world about the Reach.

The Reach made sure to gain the public trust. The Ambassador introduced himself and the Reach to the United Nations. This openness gained appreciation from even the most staunch critic, G. Gordon Godfrey.

In secret, the Reach continued with their invasion. They hid scores of vessels in the Mariana Trench.

The Reach Ambassador participated in a joint press conference at the United Nations with Secretary-General Tseng and Captain Atom. The atmosphere was tense, and Captain Atom requested that they discuss certain matters away from the glare of the cameras. At the discussion inside Tseng's quarters, the Ambassador let it slip that the Justice League were wanted criminals, and used children as covert operatives. When Captain Atom accused the Reach of abducting runaways, the Ambassador claimed that he confused them for the Kroloteans, and challenged him to provide unbiased proof. The conversation was interrupted when Captain Atom received an urgent message -- the Hall of Justice was encased in a red energy field, and nobody could enter or exit.

Tseng and the Ambassador arrived via transport helicopter, with the Justice League still unable to breach the force field. The Ambassador easily disabled it with a device, and let it slip that the Justice League was fortunate to still have the Watchtower for their base. This visibly irked the Secretary-General, and provided additional ammunition for G. Gordon Godfrey's anti-League rhetoric as well.

The Ambassador was later able to secure Despero as a prisoner; Captain Atom could not think of a good reason to deny their offer.

G. Gordon Godfrey continued his pro-Reach anti-League rhetoric, and reported that the Reach have partnered with LexCorp Farms to increase food production and end world hunger. In the interest of transparency, full public tours were available.

Inside a laboratory underneath the facility, the Scientist instructed her personnel to go easy on the formulation of the "additive." Unknown to them, Alpha Squad infiltrated the building, procured a sample of the additive, and planted explosives around the laboratory. The explosives detonated before Alpha Squad left the area, and they were intercepted by Black Beetle.

Black Beetle was too powerful, forcing Alpha to retreat. He caught up to them in a cornfield, but was ambushed by a Green Beetle, from Mars. Green Beetle aided the Team, and Black Beetle was knocked unconscious.

After gaining the trust of Miss Martian, Green Beetle and the Team watch a commercial advertising the Reach energy drink air. The drink was a joint collaboration between LexCorp and the Reach. Green Beetle added that the drink contained trace amounts of chemicals that would slowly, but surely over generations weaken the resolve of humans to resist. He added that there was a mitochondrial marker that could pinpoint the metagene in individuals. Pleased with the results, Nightwing dismissed the meeting.

Blue Beetle walked off with Green Beetle, and started discussing his predicament. Blue feared falling under the thrall of the Reach, but Green Beetle assured him he could control it with training and motivation. But Blue wanted more -- Green Beetle had claimed he used his shape-shifting abilities to reach inside his scarab and take control of it -- Jaime pleaded with Green Beetle to do perform the procedure on him. Green Beetle protested that the procedure would be dangerous, but Blue Beetle was adamant.

Hours later, Impulse found Green Beetle perched over Blue Beetle, with tendrils reaching inside the latter's scarab. He demanded that Green Beetle desist, but Jaime surprised him by saying he was cured. The scarab was now silent.

Blue Beetle was revealed to have been turned by Green Beetle, who reprogrammed his scarab under the guise of curing him. Blue regretted losing control, and allowing the four abductees to evade the Reach again. Green Beetle and Black Beetle consoled him, saying that building up his reputation was more important.

The Reach detected the Warworld's incursion into the solar system. The Ambassador tried to dissuade Mongul from proceeding to Earth, but Mongul would not turn back.

Green Beetle briefed Nightwing and Captain Atom on the Warworld and its controller - Mongul. He provided them with information about Mongul's background and possible motivations.

The Ambassador conducted a joint press conference with Tseng. He claimed that although the Reach only had one weaponless ship, they would stand by the Earthlings.

The Team began their assault on the Warworld, not realizing that Blue Beetle was under Reach control and provided them with a full video stream of his visual. The Ambassador commented on the irony of the Reach rooting for Earth's heroes to succeed.

Mongul launched all of the Warworld's weapons to obliterate the Earth with saturation fire. Although the weapons were thinned out by the heroes and Earth's military, the Reach estimated that 23% of the weapons would survive. Even this fraction would be enough to destroy a hemisphere and kill the human race. In order to protect their investment, the Ambassador ordered the deployment of their hidden invasion fleet to defend the Earth.

The invasion fleet emerged from the depths and destroyed the remainder of the Warworld's weapons. The Earth was protected, but two-thirds of the fleet was destroyed, much to the annoyance of the Ambassador. The annoyance turned into glee when the Team brought down Mongul, and Blue Beetle defeated the Team in turn. Their investment had yielded a return -- they now have most of Earth's heroes in custody, and the Warworld's crystal key was in their possession.

Blue Beetle concocted a cover story to conceal his duplicity. Nightwing was placated, and allowed him to return home. Dr. Fate opened a portal, which a contrite Blue Beetle stepped through, with Green Beetle accompanying him.

Both Reach agents step out of the portal into the front of Jaime Reyes' house. They nod at each other, and wordlessly went their separate ways.

The Reach hold a news conference praising Blue Beetle as the hero who almost singlehandedly save the Earth from the Warworld.

The Ambassador congratulated a jubilant Black Manta who was still giddy from his son's full recovery, and told him that the day has been good to them.

Unbeknownst to the Justice League, the Reach had set up shop inside the Warworld. They had the captured heroes, as well as Mongul and Despero, in stasis cells. But because the Ambassador refused to authorize an attack on the Justice League members guarding the crystal key chamber, they were unable to fully utilize the Warworld.

In another section of the space fortress, Reach patrols relentlessly attempted to capture the sole holdout of the Team. However, Arsenal continued to elude them. He eventually came across a group of misfits -- four former abductees who had developed metahuman powers, and were sent by Luthor to the Warworld on a mission to rescue the Team. They had used a Father Box provided by Luthor to boom-tube into the Warworld, and were tracking Superboy with the living computer through his Kryptonian DNA.

The Reach continued their PR offensive, and presented Blue Beetle as a heroic alternative to the Justice League, who, according to the Ambassador, was virtually non-existent during the Warworld fight. He promised that the Reach would not enter the fortress, and would turn it over to humanity as a gift once it is ready to assume control.

That night, the Ambassador authorized the use of deadly force on Arsenal and the Misfits as he prepared for another appearance on G. Gordon Godfrey's show. Godfrey greeted him warmly, but his tone quickly turned accusatory as he confronted the Ambassador with evidence of Reach lies and propaganda.

Black Beetle intercepted the misfits, but they fought him to a standstill with Arsenal's guidance. The Reach guarding the crystal key were ambushed by Deathstroke, who teleported in with a Father Box and spirited away the key. Arsenal released Mongul to distract Black Beetle. The ruse worked -- Black Beetle was so fixated on punishing Mongul that the Team and the misfits escaped during their battle.