| Tales from the Dark Multiverse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | October 16, 2019 – December 29, 2020 |
| Main character(s) | Dark Multiverse, Tempus Fuginaut |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Various |
| Artist(s) | Various |
Tales from the Dark Multiverse is an American superhero/anthology comic book limited series published by DC Comics, beginning on October 16, 2019. The series takes some of the most famous events in the DC Universe and puts a twist on them.
Following the Source Wall being shattered at the end of Dark Nights: Metal , the mysterious watcher known as Tempus Fuginaut (introduced in Sideways ) begins trying to recruit several "heroes" from across the Dark Multiverse in the wake of a coming crisis. [1]
Azrael/Jean-Paul Valley refuses to give back the mantle of the Batman to Bruce Wayne and defeats him and the Bat-Family, ruling Gotham City as the Saint Batman for 30 years. Bruce, referred to as the Broken, is kept alive, dissected, and tortured as he is forced to watch what Jean-Paul has done to Gotham. With Saint Batman's body failing due to his Venom addiction, Bruce is rescued by the Son of Bane and Shiva and turned into a cyborg. The latter two defeat Saint Batman but Bruce/the Broken, his perception of Gotham warped, kills the two and takes over as Gotham City's new ruler. [2]
Lois Lane becomes enraged and bitter after the death of her fiancé Superman by Doomsday's hands, believing the world failed him. After meeting the Eradicator, who failed to bring Superman back to life, Lois proposes that the two merge, turning Lois into the Eradicator. Taking extreme measures to 'make the world a better place', along with killing Lex Luthor, the Joker and Batman (as he was about to kill her for being a threat) among others, Lois goes against the Cyborg Superman after he kills Superboy and Steel. When the real but now-weaker Superman returns and sees people's fear for Lois, the Cyborg Superman prepare to kill the now-reunited couple with a large Kryptonite cannon. Lois then thoughtlessly kills the cyborg to protect Superman but the resulting impact unleashed a Kryptonite gas into the atmosphere which the latter choked, accidentally killing him too. Mourning and guilt-ridden for Superman's second and definitive death, as he even dies while terrifyingly looking at what she became, Lois continues her role as Earth's "savior". [3]
Sinestro never had the powers of the White Lantern taken away, leading to Nekron and the Black Lanterns consuming almost the entirety of the universe. Sinestro, now a Black/White Lantern hybrid called the Limbo Lantern, teams up with the Dove, Lobo, and Mister Miracle, the last mortal beings in the universe, in order to recreate the universe with the Dove as a template for the new universe. However, when Mister Miracle realises that their efforts will just create a new universe and Barda will still be destroyed, he betrays them and the Dove is killed, leaving Sinestro to use Lobo as the template instead after Lobo kills Mister Miracle in revenge. However, the result is no better, leaving Sinestro to try and find a way to recreate the universe again, as the one he is in has been taken over by new lifeforms who worship Lobo. Eventually, Sinestro decides to leave that universe to reside in the current universe. [4] Tempus Fuginaut, not wanting that universe to pollute the main universe, uses his powers to leave Sinestro presumably trapped in that universe forever.
Ted Kord/the Blue Beetle was not killed by Maxwell Lord and managed to kill the latter instead. Taking control of Brother Eye and Checkmate, Kord tries to bring peace to the universe, with methods deemed questionable by Batman and long-time friend Booster Gold. Alexander Luthor of Earth-3 tries to get Kord to ally with him and destroy multiple Earths to create a single perfect one, but Kord refuses, resulting in Luthor killing the Earth-2 Superman and Lois Lane when they discover the truth, but then being killed himself by Superboy-Prime. Kord teams up with Superboy-Prime and realizes that the only way to bring true peace is to convert everyone into OMACs. Donning a Blue Beetle/Anti-Monitor hybrid armor AND turning himself into an OMAC-inspired cybernetically-enhanced entity with Brother Eye installed into the system, Kord, now dubbing himself as OBAC (One-Beetle-Army-Corps), achieves his plans, at the cost of the lives of several Teen Titan members and Booster Gold. [5]
On the night Dick Grayson gives up being Robin, he has a private discussion with Terra and empathizes with her. He tells her that having a mentor can sometimes limit one's ability to forge their own path. Terra reports to Deathstroke shortly afterwards, who reprimands her for opening up to Dick. Inspired by Dick to become more independent, she murders Slade in retaliation and forces Wintergreen to inject her with the same serum that gave Deathstroke his powers. Unlike Slade who was left in a coma for weeks, Terra easily survives. Now calling herself Gaia and viewing herself as a goddess, Terra uses her heightened abilities to murder the Teen Titans, reduce their headquarters to rubble and destroy most of the world by destabilizing Earth's core. Robin and Kid Flash keep Gaia at bay long enough for Superman to arrive, but even the Man of Steel is no match for her, thanks to Gaia's control over kryptonite. After killing Changeling, the last person to care about her, Gaia rules over the broken Earth and forces the survivors to live in constant fear. [6]
The Elliots are the ones who raise Bruce Wayne instead of Alfred after Bruce's parents are killed after they invited the firsts to the movie theater. When Thomas Elliot's parents die in a car crash, he grows up to become the Senator of Gotham and CEO of Wayne Enterprises thanks to connections from his girlfriend, Talia al Ghul, the head of the League of Assassins. With the help of Gotham's other elites, they turn Gotham into a militaristic city-state, leading Barbara Gordon to form a rebellion group called the Outsiders after the corrupt police force murdered her father. He also had Bruce committed to Arkham Asylum with help from the facility's lead scientist, Dr. Jonathan Crane.
During the midst of a power struggle between the League of Assassins and the Court of Owls in the city, Crane and several other members of Gotham's elite are attacked and kidnapped by a man in a bat costume covered in bandages. Thomas initially receives protection from President Lincoln March's head of security from the Court of Owls, Richard Grayson, but the latter turns on him after realizing he and the Batman are connected and that Thomas was making a play for the Wayne family's fortune and presidency. The two are then captured by the Batman, who takes them to an underground prison with Gotham's other elite. Thomas is attacked by the masked man, known as the Silenced, who is revealed to be an insane Bruce Wayne. With Alfred's help, Bruce found out that Thomas had orchestrated the deaths of both of their parents as well as Jim Gordon's. Bruce and Alfred planted a handyman named Jack Napier in Arkham to fake Bruce's death and give him access to several inmates that taught him how to be a skilled warrior. He keeps Thomas and the rest of Gotham's elite in cages that are monitored by Jack and the now-delusional Alfred, who is set to inherit Wayne Industries. Talia begins dating President Lincoln March, and the Silenced sets his sights on taking down the Court of Owls and League of Assassins next. [7]
After the War of the Gods, Wonder Woman is possessed by the magic goddess Hecate, but manages to trap her in her subconsciousness. Phobos, a servant of Hecate, orchestrates an attack on Themyscira and the deaths of Diana's loved ones, causing an emotional response that allows Hecate to take over. Under Hecate's control, she declares war on both the Gods of Olympus and humanity's new gods: superheroes. Diana is eventually defeated by Earth's magic users, but remains under Hecate's control, imprisoned under Themyscira. [8]
When Barry Allen attempts to restore his powers in order to undo the Flashpoint timeline, he dies in the process and Eobard Thawne - the Reverse Flash - takes his place and begins to reshape the world as he desires. After he blackmails the President to grant him authority by killing Aquaman to end the war, Thawne is nearly defeated by 'Superman', only for Superman to be killed by Batman so that Thawne may someday bring Bruce back to life. When Wonder Woman reappears with the New Gods of Apokolips as her gods, Thawne runs back in time to save the Waynes as a deal with Thomas, and then turns his attention to trying to reconstruct reality to make himself the hero.
After the Anti-Monitor’s defeat, it was the Justice League who were forever trapped fighting in Ragnarok. The Justice Society/All-Star Squadron came in to rescue the team but were outmatched by Surtur. Alan Scott then sacrificed himself by becoming the pawn of Surtur known as the Dread Lantern, leading Surtur to other worlds in exchange for his promise that he will always spare Earth.
When the Justice League banded together with Element X, the energy corrupted them and they became the Dragons of Barbatos. Barbatos then conquered the Multiverse. All that was left to survive was Duke Thomas. He then assembles a new Justice League, consisting of Detective Chimp with the armor of the Red Tornado, Barry Allen/the Flash who is in a skeletal appearance and has a suit to convert with, Hawkgirl with Hawkman, the latter of which is now a Hawk God, Nightwing who has the Parall-Axe, and the Joker who is now a Joker Dragon. They banded together and defeated the Dragons of Barbatos. Duke Thomas then absorbed the deathwave energy becoming the Last Knight and confronted Tempus Fuginaut.
| Title | Publication date | Initial writer(s) | Initial artist(s) | Based on | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Batman: Knightfall | October 16, 2019 | Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins | Javier Fernandez | "Batman: Knightfall" | [1] |
| Tales from the Dark Multiverse: The Death of Superman | October 30, 2019 | Jeff Loveness | Brad Walker and Andrew Hennessy | "The Death of Superman" | [9] [10] |
| Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Blackest Night | November 13, 2019 | Tim Seeley | Kyle Hotz | "Blackest Night" | [11] [12] |
| Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis | November 27, 2019 | James Tynion IV | Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan | "Infinite Crisis" | [13] |
| Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Teen Titans: The Judas Contract | December 11, 2019 | Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom | Tom Raney | "The Judas Contract" | [14] |
| Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Batman: Hush | November 3, 2020 | Phillip Kennedy Johnson | Dexter Soy | "Batman: Hush" | [15] |
| Tales from the Dark Multiverse: War of the Gods | December 1, 2020 | Vita Ayala | Ariel Olivetti | "War of the Gods" | |
| Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint | December 8, 2020 | Bryan Hitch | Bryan Hitch | "Flashpoint" | [15] |
| Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Crisis on Infinite Earths | December 15, 2020 | Steve Orlando | Mike Perkins | "Crisis on Infinite Earths" | |
| Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Dark Nights: Metal | December 29, 2020 | Jackson Lanzing, Scott Snyder, and Collin Kelly | Karl Mostert | "Dark Nights: Metal" | |
The entire crossover received generally positive reviews and received an average score of 7.5 out of 10 based on 147 reviews. [16]
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tales from the DC Dark Multiverse | Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Batman: Knightfall #1, Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Death of Superman #1, Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Blackest Night #1, Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis #1, Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Teen Titans: The Judas Contract #1, Batman #497, Superman #75, Blackest Night #1, Infinite Crisis #1 and Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #3 | March 2020 | 978-1779501370 |
| Tales from the DC Dark Multiverse II | Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Batman: Hush #1, Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint #1, Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Wonder Woman: War of the Gods #1, Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Crisis on Infinite Earths #1, Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Dark Nights Metal #1, Batman #619, Flashpoint #1, Wonder Woman: War of the Gods #4, Crisis on Infinite Earths #12, and Dark Nights: Metal #6. | June 2021 | 978-1779510075 |
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book Detective Comics on March 30, 1939. In the DC Universe continuity, Batman is the alias of Bruce Wayne, a wealthy American playboy, philanthropist, and industrialist who resides in Gotham City. Batman's origin story features him swearing vengeance against criminals after witnessing the murder of his parents Thomas and Martha as a child, a vendetta tempered with the ideal of justice. He trains himself physically and intellectually, crafts a bat-inspired persona, and monitors the Gotham streets at night. Kane, Finger, and other creators accompanied Batman with supporting characters, including his sidekicks Robin and Batgirl; allies Alfred Pennyworth, James Gordon, and Catwoman; and foes such as the Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face, and his archenemy, the Joker.
The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC continuity. It contains such well-known superheroes as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Shazam, Martian Manhunter, and Cyborg; as well as teams such as the Justice League, the Justice Society of America, the Suicide Squad, Doom Patrol, and the Teen Titans. It also contains well-known supervillains, including the Joker, Lex Luthor, the Cheetah, the Reverse-Flash, Sinestro, Black Manta, Deathstroke, Black Adam, Brainiac, and Darkseid.
Superman & Batman: Generations is the umbrella title of three Elseworlds comic book limited series published by DC Comics in the United States, written and illustrated by John Byrne. A major concept of the series is the avoidance of so-called comic book time; it places Superman, Batman, and the other members of the DC Universe in a single timeline, showing the characters aging and being replaced by their progeny.
Mongul is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Writer Len Wein and artist Jim Starlin created the first version of the character, who debuted in DC Comics Presents #27. Jerry Ordway created the second version, who first appeared in The Adventures of Superman #454 as the lord of Warworld. He was later embellished by Peter Tomasi and Scot Eaton in Showcase '95, #8. He is based on the Mongol Empire's founder Genghis Khan and his successors, hence his name. The character was given an origin story in Green Lantern #23.2 by his co-creator Jim Starlin and artist Howard Porter as homage to the writers who participated in developing the character.
Henry "Hank" Henshaw is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and normally goes by the name Cyborg Superman. Created by writer-artist Dan Jurgens, the character originally appeared primarily as an enemy of Superman, however in recent years he has also been an enemy of the Green Lantern Corps.
Batman: In Darkest Knight is a one-shot, comic book, published in 1994 and written by Mike W. Barr with art by Jerry Bingham. The comic is an Elseworlds story in which Bruce Wayne becomes the Green Lantern instead of Hal Jordan. This one change creates a domino effect which alters many events and characters in the DC Universe. The story draws heavily from related Batman comics, including Batman: Year One and The Killing Joke.
Cyborg Superman is a persona that has been used by two supervillains who appear in comic books published by DC Comics.
In most of the DC Comics media, the Multiverse is a "cosmic construct" composed of the many fictional universes the stories of DC media take place in. The worlds in the multiverse share a space and fate in common, and its structure has changed several times in the history of DC Comics.
Flashpoint is a 2011 comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011. The core miniseries was written by Geoff Johns and pencilled by Andy Kubert. In its end, the series radically changes the status quo for the DC Universe, leading into the publisher's 2011 relaunch, The New 52.
Batman is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Geoff Johns (writer) and Andy Kubert (artist), he made his first appearance in Flashpoint #1. He is a hardened murderous version of Thomas Wayne seen in the alternate timeline comic Flashpoint (2011) whose son was killed instead of Martha Wayne and himself, eventually helping Barry Allen/The Flash defeat Eobard Thawne. His character returned to the main DC Universe in DC Rebirth as a revived amalgamation of his original self that was killed by Joe Chill and the Flashpoint version of Batman that was killed in "The Button", a storyline revolving around the "Smiley-face" button from Watchmen.
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is a 2013 direct-to-video animated superhero film directed by Jay Oliva and written by Jim Krieg. It is the adaptation of the 2011 comic book crossover "Flashpoint" by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert. The film stars Justin Chambers as Barry Allen / Flash, C. Thomas Howell as Eobard Thawne / Professor Zoom, Michael B. Jordan as Victor Stone / Cyborg, Kevin McKidd as Thomas Wayne / Batman and Cary Elwes as Orin / Arthur Curry / Aquaman. The film also sees actors reprising roles from other DC animated series, including Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Nathan Fillion as Hal Jordan / Green Lantern, Ron Perlman as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke, Dana Delany as Lois Lane, Vanessa Marshall as Princess Diana / Wonder Woman and Dee Bradley Baker as Etrigan.
"Dark Nights: Metal" is a 2017–2018 monthly crossover comic book storyline published by DC Comics, which consisted of a core eponymous miniseries, and a number of other tie-in books. Premiering in June 2017 and lasting until April 2018, the plot was written by Scott Snyder, with art by Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion and FCO Plascencia. The story closely links with Snyder and Capullo's run on Batman during The New 52 DC relaunch.
Injustice: Gods Among Us is an American comic book series that serves as the prequel to the fighting video game of the same name. The series takes place in an alternate reality, where Superman descends into villainy following his family's death at the Joker's hands. The Justice League is split by those who put their trust in Superman, establishing the totalitarian One Earth Regime, while Batman forms an insurgency out of the other half of the League to fight back against the Regime.
The Batman Who Laughs is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo, he is the evil counterpart and alternate version of Batman within the Dark Multiverse.
New Justice is a 2018 relaunch by American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles, using the end of Dark Nights: Metal as its launching point, followed by the Year of the Villain event. The relaunch is a follow-up to DC Rebirth (2016-2017), and was succeeded by Infinite Frontier (2021-2023).
DCeased is a six-issue comic book miniseries published by DC Comics from May to October 2019. It was created by writer Tom Taylor and the artistic team including penciler Trevor Hairsine and inker Stefano Guadiano. The story takes place in an alternate Earth, where a corrupted version of the Anti-Life Equation has infected most of Earth's inhabitants with a zombie-like virus. Lois Lane acts as the series' narrator, detailing how the events took place over the course of a few weeks.
"Dark Nights: Death Metal" is a 2020–2021 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo, and a number of tie-in books. The seven-issue miniseries was released from June 16, 2020, to January 5, 2021. The crossover was received with acclaim, with critics praising the unique plot, the art, the action, and the ending. It serves as the conclusion of the five-year Dark Multiverse Saga, taking place near the end of the New Justice era.
"Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths", originally "Dark Crisis", is a 2022 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, comprising an eponymous central 7 issue mini-series by writer Joshua Williamson and artist Daniel Sampere, and a number of tie-in books. The event received critical acclaim, with critics praising Williamson's writing, inclusion of characters, art, story, and action. The storyline takes place towards the end of Infinite Frontier, with the conclusion of the series leading into the Dawn of DC in 2023.
