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"An Anti-Crisis, Part IV: Shot in the Dark": Earth-0. The Metalverse. Now.

Quote1 Yes. You just gave me everything I need. To remake the Multiverse in my own image. So let me be the first to welcome you... to the Last 52. Quote2
The Darkest Knight

Dark Nights: Death Metal #4 is an issue of the series Dark Nights: Death Metal (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 2020. It was published on October 13, 2020.

Synopsis for "An Anti-Crisis, Part IV: Shot in the Dark"

Earth-0. The Metalverse. Now.

Sgt. Rock is explaining how the plan of Wonder Woman is fleshing out: the Lanterns went across the remaining universes to destroy the antennae which give Perpetua access to the Dark Multiverse's crisis energy. The speedsters are trying to help Wally West escape the Darkest Knight, as the evil Batman wants Wally's remaining Manhattan energy. Harley Quinn, Swamp Thing and Jonah Hex helped Diana, Bruce and Clark get into a portal for the Dark Multiverse, but they also got caught by the Robin King, who managed to kill Hex. Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman all got into one of the Dark Crisis worlds, where crises happen over and over again, to feed Perpetua with crisis energy. They expected to find something familiar, but what they found was completely different...

Dark Multiverse. The Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Final Crisis and the Infinite Crisis

Batman is trying to resist against the Antimatter, and tries to contact Diana and Clark, telling them they should get back as these worlds are not the ones they expected: in these crises, they lost. And then, the Anti-Monitor, Mobius, appears, speaking to Batman and telling him he's right: they did lost on this world, he defeated them all a long time ago. He also tells him that he is the real Mobius, not some kind of Dark version. Batman tries to reason with him, but it seems to be a wasted effort... Meanwhile, Superman has been captured by several versions of himself, under the control of Darkseid, who now reigns supreme on everything, controlling anything in existence through Anti-Life.

Superman senses something strange: this Darkseid is the real one, not some kind of alternate version. And the tyrant confirms it: in Superman's perception, he's been inside this world for only months. But in truth, he reigned over everything for eons, and now he's ready to put the nail in the coffin, with the submerging of the true Superman in his pits, to make him reborn into his Final Son. Clark tries to move him, telling him he must hear him out, because there is still a chance to defeat Perpetua, but Darkseid does not seem inclined to listen....

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman has been imprisoned by Superboy Prime, inside an antenna. He reveals to Diana it was him who, once freed from the Source Wall, came to the Batman who Laughs, telling him he wanted a universe where all heroes, and only heroes, survived. An utopian dream of total goodness made reality. And that's where Diana is now, a world where everyone truly is safe and happy. Wonder Woman tries to make him reason, but Superboy tells her he won't change sides: for this world to be born, he promised to the Darkest Knight the life of Diana herself.

Back on Earth-0. The Metalverse

Wally and the other speedsters are still escaping from the Darkest Knight, but the Speed Force is almost extinguished and the enemy is gaining on them. They contact Jarro, so that he might give them some updates on the status of Diana's team. The fact is, the little star does not know what to say, because there is no answer at the other end: the Alfred Boxes are still active, but Diana, Bruce and Clark are not. Also, Harley and Swamp Thing must deal with the Robin King, who just condemned Jonah Hex to an eternal punishment in Hell after hitting him with the Knife of Neron, triggering Harley's rage. Jarro just hopes that Wonder Woman and the others find a way to come back, or it's all doomed...

Inside the Dark Multiverse, the Crisis Universes

Batman starts to be consumed by Mobius, as he is the last bit of matter inside his world. Bruce's Alfred Box is destroyed. Superman is consumed by the pits of Apokolips, ready to be reborn as the Final Son of Darkseid. Holding Clark's Alfred Box in his hand, Darkseid shatters it, turning it into dust. Wonder Woman is imprisoned inside the antenna in the world of Superboy Prime, who is ready to give all the crisis energy to the Batman who Laughs, so that he might make the Crisis Universes real, and stable.

But Diana makes an effort to convince Superboy: the Multiverse, and the life of all things, is about change. We must accept it, never hold it back, because it's the natural order of things. We should stay the same in our values, and our hopes, but we must also adapt to what is new. Creating a world of constants, who must live alone and without change, is wrong. Is something that Superman will never do. But Prime answers Diana that allowing change means putting what you have in danger: it's a shot in the dark. And Diana then answers him: isn't a shot in the dark what Superman is all about? And so, Superboy gets convinced by Diana, and with his powers destroys the antenna, allowing the heroes to take the energy inside the Alfred Boxes.

Earth-0.

Coming back to Earth-0 with Batman and Superman, Wonder Woman tells Superboy to redirect the energy to the Mobius Chair, and Wally West. He does, but as they step inside their home, Wally tells them it did not work. And the Darkest Knight appears, telling them why: he rigged the Mobius Chair long ago, so that when Wally tried to use it again, all the energy would be redirected to him. With Perpetua unable to absorb the crisis energy anymore, and himself full of the powers of Manhattan, the Darkest Night will now give life to a Multiverse in his own shape: the Last 52.

Appearing in "An Anti-Crisis, Part IV: Shot in the Dark"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • Infinite Crisis characters (Dark Multiverse) (Flashback only)
    • Alex Luthor (Single appearance) (Appears only as a corpse)
    • Batman (Bruce Wayne) (Single appearance) (On a TV or computer screen) (Cameo)
    • Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) (Single appearance) (On a TV or computer screen) (Cameo)
    • Cyborg (Single appearance) (On a TV or computer screen) (Cameo)
    • Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) (Single appearance) (On a TV or computer screen) (Cameo)
    • The Flash (Wally West) (Single appearance) (On a TV or computer screen) (Cameo)
    • Martian Manhunter (Single appearance) (On a TV or computer screen) (Cameo)
    • Power Girl (Kara Zor-L) (Single appearance) (On a TV or computer screen) (Cameo)
    • Superman (Clark Kent) (On a TV or computer screen) (Cameo)
    • Wonder Woman (Single appearance) (On a TV or computer screen) (Cameo)
  • Alfred Pennyworth (Mentioned only)
  • Batman/Bruce Wayne of Crisis on Infinite Earths' Earth (Dark Multiverse) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
  • Demons (Mentioned only)
  • Harley Quinns of the Dark Multiverse (Mentioned only)
    • Harley Quinn of Robin King's Earth (Dark Multiverse) (Mentioned only)
  • Neron of Robin King's Earth (Dark Multiverse) (Mentioned only)
  • Nick Quinzel (Mentioned only)
  • Old Gods (Mentioned only)
  • Perpetua (Sixth Dimension) (Mentioned only)
  • Sharon Quinzel (Mentioned only)

Locations:

Items:

Concepts:

Notes

Trivia


See Also


Links and References

Superboy Vol 4 69
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