Warning: spoilers ahead for Dark Nights: Death Metal Rise Of The New God #1

The entire DC Multiverse is about to become even more corrupted and twisted thanks to the efforts of the Batman Who Laughs in Dark Nights: Death Metal. In his plans to become a god, the Batman Who Laughs has even transcended that meager title, having become something even worse: the Darkest Knight. In the most recent issue of Death Metal, the Justice League thought they had a plan to restore their world and save the multiverse, and yet even that was all part of the Darkest Knight's grand design. Now, he has enough power to become a new god, but there's just one thing he needs to do before that happens in the Death Metal tie-in issue Rise Of The New God.

In Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Death Metal #4, The Justice League and their allies split into different teams working in unison to disrupt the power of Perpetua, the Mother of all Crises and the instigator of Death Metal. She was the one who accepted the Batman Who Laughs as her second in command, along with his recruited army of dark Batmen from across the multiverse. However, the Batman Who Laughs had plans of his own, and becoming the powerful Darkest Knight by transferring his mind into a Batman with Doctor Manhattan's powers was only the first phase.

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The second phase involved allowing the Justice League to get as far as they did, taking away as much power and Crisis Energy from Perpetua as they could, hoping to use it to restore things as they were. However, the Darkest Knight robbed them of it, gaining enough power for his third and final phase: betraying Perpetua himself in Dark Nights: Death Metal Rise Of The New God #1 from writer James Tynion IV with art by Jesus Merino. In the beginning of the issue, the Darkest Knight faces his former mistress, revealing the true plans and intentions he's had from the very beginning.

Perpetua vs. the Darkest Knight

The Darkest Knight goes on to tell Perpetua that he was always going to become the apex predator and new god, as he never would have been satisfied remaining as her second. With that, the two most powerful beings in the multiverse go to war with one another, using the Earths themselves as weapons to beat each other down. As they fight, the Chronicler of the Omniverse arrives to record the history of the multiverse before it is destroyed for good as a result of their conflict. The Chronicler is so confused by this drastic and catastrophic turn of events, he must know how the precious and special multiverse came to be this way, resurrecting the New God Metron to help explain.

While a victor is yet to be called by the issue's end, the Darkest Knight and Perpetua's war is causing the very fabric of the multiverse they've corrupted to be destroyed and eradicated completely. The Darkest Knight's plans have come to a head in this issue, and he stands ready to replace the Mother of Crises as a new god in his own right, gaining the ability to reshape the multiverse as he sees fit. The Batman Who Laughs has truly earned his new title as the Darkest Knight in this issue, and things are looking grim as Death Metal continues.

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