Warning: SPOILERS for Tales from the Dark Multiverse: The Death of Superman #1
The Knightmare sequence of Batman v Superman ruffled plenty of feathers among fans of the big blue boy scout, depicting the dark, angry, and compassion-less god he would become if Lois Lane was taken from him. But the same case is now being made in the pages of DC Comics, showing that if Superman was the one unfairly murdered... Lois Lane would become the same tormented monster as a result.
When DC Comics introduced fans to the Dark Multiverse roiling beneath the hopeful, hero-filled one they already knew, it was a notion perfectly encapsulated by The Batman Who Laughs: if tragedy struck at just the right moment, what would our beloved heroes become instead? That's the question being explored in a series of one-shots (starting with a darker outcome for Batman's Knightfall story). But in the new Tales from the Dark Multiverse: The Death of Superman, readers get to see the same pain, rage, and hunger for revenge stir inside Lois Lane... and the murderous tyrant she becomes when given the power to create a 'Knightmare' of her own.
The twist on the death and return of Superman was announced as one of the most prominent re-tellings in the Tales series (for obvious reasons), showing Lois Lane enraged and wearing the bloody Superman symbol used to promote the event when it was first released. Now that the book has arrived, readers finally know why.
The actual events of this re-telling follow the same major beats as the original, with the key difference being Lois's grief, resentment, and anger now acting as the lens through which the story is told. So when Superman's death shocks the world, which then returns to the same horrors and pointless squabbles within a matter of weeks, Lois, like the Knightmare Superman, becomes un-tethered. And that's the moment she's given the power to do change it.
The Kryptonian Eradicator arrives too late to save Superman (fans who know the full story know better), but Lois offers herself as a new host for its overflowing energy. Lois is blessed with the power of Superman, overwhelmed by her grief and anger. While the creative team is obviously not following the path laid out by Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman, it's clear both arrive at the same result due to the same reasoning. If the veneer of goodness and meaning was erased by the senseless death of Lois Lane... Superman would be (or could be) faced with a dark new truth.
No room for sympathy. No time for diplomacy. The world is broken, and humans refuse to fix it, meaning the job falls to a Kryptonian. And if Lois Lane's life meant nothing in the end, then who cares about the lives of those who would protect the world that took her? The result is the Knightmare Superman BvS. And in this Tale of the Dark Multiverse, it's Lois, if given the power to make it so. Which means their mission plays out much the same--including their ultimate showdown with Batman.
The story is just as effective with Lois in the suit as Clark, emphasizing the love and power of their bond. Take away Lois, and Superman could lose his belief in humanity. Take away Superman, and Lois might lose all the belief she had. Will readers cry foul as they did with the movie? Only time will tell.
The Dark Multiverse takes on the highest-selling comic book event of all time—the Death of Superman! In a broken world much like our own, Lois Lane, twisted by rage and grief, becomes the Eradicator and takes revenge on those who let Superman die, and the corrupt world he could never defeat. Now, with the power of a god, she’s going to end the battle by any means necessary…and the Reign of the Supermen will be over before it begins!
Tales from the Dark Multiverse: The Death of Superman #1 is available at your local comic book shop.