Warning: contains spoilers for Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Last 52 - War of the Multiverses #1!
In the latest tie-in issue to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's huge Dark Nights: Death Metal event, John Constantine is right in the middle of the War of the Multiverses, and it seems like it's the last place he wants to be. However, trouble finds him all the same when he inadvertently comes face to face with his Dark Multiverse counterpart. By the end of the short story in this Death Metal tie-in, Constantine ends up killing himself in a way that might make readers questions which one of them was truly the darkest one of the two.
Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Last 52 - War of the Multiverses #1 is an anthology of short stories taking place across this final battle, coming from a variety of all-star DC writers and artists. The tale featuring Constantine is entitled "Armageddon Blues" coming from writer Matthew Rosenberg with art by Rob Guillory. While many of these tales have featured heroes or villains valiantly fighting for the light or coming face to face with the darkest versions of themselves, Constantine isn't really interested in fighting (at least not conventionally). Despite eventually meeting the Dark Multiverse version of himself and engaging in a brief magical duel, the Constantine of the primary Earth eventually surrenders, inquiring if the Dark Constantine would permit a final drink at a nearby bar before he kills him.
The Dark Constantine agrees to the request, which leads to both Constantines actually starting to bond on their way to the bar, taking about their differing tastes in music and their shared hatred of their father. While they both agree that they're the same person, they do question which one of them it was that went off the rails of their supposed destiny. Was Constantine always meant to become as dark as his counterpart, or vice versa? In any case, there's still some distrust despite their commonalities, leading to prime Constantine getting the glasses and ice, while the "dark" one pours.
As they continue talking, the Dark Constantine considers not killing the prime Constantine, offering him a place alongside him in the Darkest Knight's New Order. In his mind, Constantine's flirtations with darkness could make him a good fit. However, the prime Constantine proves that all of those times he's gotten close to darker deeds and actions have only been to make sure he can survive to fight another day. He does whatever he has to do to win, as the Dark Constantine realizes all too late, choking and dying from the ice cubes Constantine poisoned with a hidden spell.
While Constantine may be shady and dabble in the dark arts, he ultimately does the right thing in the DC Universe, which is something the Dark Constantine missed (and subsequently paid dearly for.) By the end of the story in the Death Metal tie-in from DC Comics, Constantine decides to have another round before getting back out there and joining the fight once more as the hero he's always been at his core.