- So, using the metal from the Forge of Worlds, the heroes reached out... with such power that everyone heard their call, and together, they cast the dark god out, and raised the Earth to its rightful place. But then they went further, with all of us at their backs, to the very limit of the Multiverse. To the Source Wall where everything ends. And before they knew it, they'd broken through to the other side. To where even greater mysteries lay waiting.
Dark Nights: Metal #6 is an issue of the series Dark Nights: Metal (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 2018. It was published on March 28, 2018.
Synopsis for the 1st Story
As Earth-0 is falling into the Dark Multiverse, The Batman Who Laughs unwraps the bandages around his prisoner's face, showing him what he and Barbatos have achieved. Most of the heroes of Earth are defeated and being carried away by the Dark Knights. Only Wonder Woman and Lady Blackhawk still stand against the hordes of the Dark Multiverse, who have now invaded Earth. As the two heroines support each other in their fight against despair, Kendra advises Diana to clash her Eighth Metal bracelet against the Ninth Metal mace that once belonged to Hawkman, so that she may be heard by the other members of the Justice League. The idea works, as Hal, Aquaman, Mister Terrific and Deathstroke wake up and fight back against the Dark Knights. Terrific manages to convince Plastic Man to wake up from his egg form, giving a huge advantage to his allies.
As Diana and Kendra fly over the battle, Plastic Man hints at the presence of a source from the Dark, which the duo spots near Barbatos himself. Diana jumps inside the hole leading to the Dark Forge, while staying linked to Kendra through the Lasso of Truth. When Diana reaches the ground, she's confronted by Barbatos's Dragon, who actually seems to start getting his conscience back as soon as Kendra arrives and calls him by his true name: Carter Hall. Barbatos promptly subdues Carter, reminding him of his role, when suddenly behind him comes Flash and Cyborg aboard the Ultima Thule, carrying with them reinforcements from other realities, including the newly discovered 53rd Earth.
Diana resolves to go even deeper to find Batman and Superman, while leaving Kendra with the Lasso to deal with Carter. Kendra screams his name again, this time managing to reignite the Forge of Worlds. Barbatos isn't concerned by this, though, since he deems it impossible for them to win down in his territory. However, Wonder Woman resurfaces with Batman and Superman, all of whom are dressed in a glowing metal: the Tenth Metal, coming directly from the Forge of Worlds. Barbatos manages to strike the Thule down, but Cyborg says he's spotted the Cosmic Tuning Fork, which the Trinity can use to channel the Tenth Metal.
Batman punches one of the Joker-dragons attacking them and tames him, so that he can get to the Tuning Fork faster. He then strikes Aquaman and Green Lantern with Tenth Metal Batarangs, which give them the same armor as their friends. In fact, the Tenth Metal is the prime constituent of the Forge of Worlds, meaning it is pure possibility. Meanwhile, Doctor Fate leads a team tasked with freeing everyone from the Fork.
As Barbatos watches all of this unfold, he decides he'll use the final measure to definitively lower the Earth into darkness: simply scream out his anti-music. Before he can build up his cry though, Carter Hall rises from the Forge and attacks him. Barbatos, enraged, calls for the help of The Batman Who Laughs, who's now freed his prisoner from his bandages: he's the Over-Monitor, who's only starting to recover from the last Multiversal Crisis. The final plan is to destroy everything by colliding the Over-Monitor's positive energy, the Anti-Monitor Brain's negative energy, and The Batman Who Laughs' dark energy. That way, nothing but darkness will ever exist again.
Suddenly, Batman turns up behind Who Laughs, but his armor isn't working in the enemy's cave because the dark energy cancels it out. The two Batmen fight until Who Laughs shoots Batman in the abdomen, saying he's the one winning because he's free from Batman's moral code. Unexpectedly, though, Who Laughs is shot himself in the back by... the Joker, who for once sides with Batman. As Laughs is prepared for anything Bruce Wayne would be prepared for, he's surely not prepared for a team-up with his own arch-nemesis: as he approaches the lever that will activate the machine, Who Laughs, realizing his position, starts laughing maniacally. He's assaulted by the Joker, while Batman runs away with the Over-Monitor.
Outside, the Justice League, armored with Tenth Metal, manages to defeat the remaining Dark Knights, while Barbatos has subdued Carter once again. Diana throws a piece of Tenth Metal at Kendra, who grabs it and flies through Barbatos, ripping a hole in his chest. While Barbatos is down, Batman arrives with the Over-Monitor, who says they don't need the antenna to raise the Earth back up. Since every living thing has trace amounts of Tenth Metal in it, they can use the spark retrieved from the Forge to connect the traces in everyone on Earth, reveal a path out of the dark, and raise the planet as one.
The League unites in an embrace and they let the power of the Tenth Metal flow in everyone. The power spreads across the Earth, putting it back in its proper place and destroying Barbatos's power. On top of that, it lets them reach the Source Wall, the extreme limit of the Multiverse, and shatter it.
Appearing in the 1st Story
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Batmen of the Multiverse
- Detective Chimp
- Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson)
- Deathstroke (Slade Wilson)
- Green Arrow
- Hawkman/Dragon of Barbatos (Carter Hall)
- Joker
- Justice League
- Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders)
- Martian Manhunter
- Mister Stubbs
- Mister Terrific (Michael Holt)
- The Over-Monitor (Post-Flashpoint( (Real identity revealed)
- Plastic Man
Antagonists:
- Barbatos (Dark Multiverse)
- Dark Knights (Dark Multiverse) (Disbands)
- Dark Multiverse Army (Disbands)
- Cheetah-Wonder Woman Mashup (Unnamed) (Cameo)
- Dark-lighted Wonder Woman (Unnamed) (Dies) (Cameo)
- Giant Darkseid (Unnamed) (Cameo)
- Giganta-Wonder Woman Mashup (Unnamed) (Cameo)
- Minotaur Wonder Woman (Unnamed) (Dies) (Cameo)
- Monster Etrigan (Single appearance; dies) (Unnamed) (Cameo)
- Monster Hal Jordan (Unnamed) (Dies) (Cameo)
- Monster Sinestro (Single appearance; dies) (Unnamed) (Cameo)
- Monster Superman (Single appearance; dies) (Unnamed) (Cameo)
- Scarecrow (Single appearance) (Unnamed) (Cameo)
- Superman-Parasite Mashup (Unnamed) (Cameo)
- Joker Dragons (Dark Multiverse)
- Perpetua (Behind the scenes)
Other Characters:
- The Anti-Monitor (Post-Flashpoint) (Appears only as a corpse) (Cameo)
- Nightwing
- Promethean Giants (Cameo)
- Raven
- Robin (Damian Wayne)
- Steel (John Henry Irons)
- Suicide Squad
- Teen Titans
- Bat Tribe (Mentioned only)
- Bird Tribe (Mentioned only)
- Martha Wayne (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Martha Wayne (Earth -22) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Thomas Wayne (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Thomas Wayne (Earth -22) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Dark Multiverse (Also in a vision)
- Forge of Worlds
- Earth -1 (Destroyed) (Mentioned only)
- Multiverse (Also in a vision)
- Earth 0
- Earth
- United States of America
- Gotham City
- Challengers Mountain (Displaced)
- Gotham City
- United States of America
- Earth
- Rock of Eternity (Cameo)
- Source Wall (Destroyed) (In a vision) (Cameo)
- 53rd Earth (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
- The Bleed
- House of Heroes (Mentioned only)
- Earth 0
Items:
- Anti-Monitor's Astral Brain
- Batarang
- The Batman Who Laughs' Visor
- Batsuit
- Bracelets of Submission
- Carter Hall's Journal
- Cosmic Tuning Fork
- Dark Matter
- Eighth Metal
- Drowned's Trident
- The Merciless' Helmet
- Element X
- Tenth Metal Armors (First appearance)
- Green Lantern Ring
- Hawkman's Mace
- Joe Chill's Gun
- Joker's Acid Flower
- Lasso of Truth
- Nth Metal
- Trident of Poseidon
- Wonder Woman's Tiara
- The World Forger's Hammer
Vehicles:
Concepts:
Synopsis for "Epilogue"
The members of the Justice League, with the inclusion of Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl, are invited to a gala dinner at Wayne Manor. They speak of their victory against Barbatos, Hawkman recovering on Blackhawk Island and having written about mysterious glimpses of what's to come. Most importantly, they address shattering of the Source Wall, which means their Multiverse just got much bigger. This is a matter of utmost importance, but for the night the League decides to enjoy themselves and start preparing the next day.
During the after dinner party, Bruce, Diana, and Clark talk more about the possible incoming threats now that the Multiverse has been expanded, including a hidden threat they haven't yet told anyone else about. Bruce tells his friends not to worry, as he has a plan. On the desk of his study lay a number of blueprints for a "Hall of Justice".
Appearing in "Epilogue"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Alfred Pennyworth
- Justice League
- Arthur Curry
- The Flash (Barry Allen) (Also in a vision)
- Hal Jordan
- J'onn J'onzz (Joins team)
- Kendra Saunders (Joins team)
- Victor Stone
Antagonists:
- Barbatos (Dark Multiverse) (Cameo)
- The Controllers (In a vision) (Cameo)
- Kellic (In a vision) (Cameo)
- Quaddo (In a vision) (Cameo)
- "The Dark Pantheon" (First appearance; unnamed) (In a vision) (Cameo)
- The Omega Titans (First appearance; unnamed) (In a vision) (Cameo)
Other Characters:
- Atlanteans (In a vision) (Cameo)
- Garth (In a vision) (Cameo)
- Barbara Gordon (Cameo)
- Damian Wayne (Cameo)
- Detective Chimp (Cameo)
- Dick Grayson (Cameo)
- Dinah Drake (Cameo)
- Dinosaurs (Cameo)
- Donna Troy (Cameo)
- The Flash (Wally West) (In a vision) (Cameo)
- Hawkman (Carter Hall) (Also in a vision) (Cameo)
- Immortal Men (Cameo)
- Caden Park (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Ghost Fist (Unnamed) (Cameo)
- Immortal Man (Cameo)
- Reload (Unnamed) (Cameo)
- Stray (Unnamed) (Cameo)
- Timber (Unnamed) (Cameo)
- Jason (Unnamed) (In a vision) (Cameo)
- Jason Todd (Cameo)
- Jon Kent (Cameo)
- Kate Kane (Cameo)
- Kent Nelson (Cameo)
- Lilith Clay (Cameo)
- Lucien (Cameo)
- Metal Men (Cameo)
- Michael Holt (Cameo)
- Oliver Queen (Cameo)
- Red Tornado (Cameo)
- Roy Harper (Cameo)
- Sideways (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Skeleton Wonder Woman (Dark Multiverse) (Cover only)
- Swamp Thing (Alec Holland) (Cameo)
- The Unexpected (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Ascendant (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Firebrand (Janet Fals) (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Neon the Unknown (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Viking Judge (Turin Goldenaxe) (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Dark Knights (Dark Multiverse) (Mentioned only)
- Dream (Daniel Hall) (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Dark Multiverse
- Forge of Worlds (Cameo)
- Multiverse
- Earth 0
- Sector 1
- The World of the Controllers (Unnamed)
- Darkstar HQ (In a vision) (Cameo)
- The World of the Controllers (Unnamed)
- Sector 2814
- Earth (Also in a vision)
- Atlantis
- Atlantean Royal Palace (In a vision) (Cameo)
- Blackhawk Island (Cameo)
- United States of America
- Gotham City
- Washington, D.C.
- Hall of Justice (First appearance) (In picture only) (Cameo)
- Rocky Mountains (Mentioned only)
- Challengers Mountain (Mentioned only)
- Atlantis
- Earth (Also in a vision)
- Sector 1
- Speed Force (In a vision) (Cameo)
- Sphere of the Gods
- The Dreaming
- Ghost Castle
- Lucien's Library (Cameo)
- Ghost Castle
- The Dreaming
- The Bleed
- House of Heroes (Mentioned only)
- Source Wall (Destroyed) (Mentioned only)
- Earth 0
Items:
- Darkstar Exo-Mantle (In a vision) (Cameo)
- Bracelets of Submission (Cameo)
- Bright Marshall (First appearance; unnamed) (In a vision) (Cameo)
- Carter Hall's Journal
- Conflict Engine (First appearance; unnamed) (In a vision) (Cameo)
- Tenth Metal Armors (Mentioned only)
- Wonder Woman's Tiara
Concepts:
Notes
- Final issue.
- The Justice League story is continued in Justice League: No Justice (Volume 1).
- Lucien and Dream's story is continued in The Sandman Universe #1.
- Dark Knight Returns Batman cameos in this issue which implies that a version of Earth-31 also exists in the Post-Flashpoint Multiverse.
See Also