SPOILER WARNING for Dark Nights: Death Metal Multiverse’s End
During a fight to save the Multiverse, a Green Lantern gets a stark reminder of one of the worst events in his life: the death of his girlfriend. The events of the Dark Nights: Death Metal storyline have left DC’s heroes scattered throughout the multiverse on a variety of missions to defeat Perpetua and the Batman Who Laughs. Earth’s Green Lanterns are working together with other Justice League members from across the multiverse to cut off Perpetua’s supply of crisis energy. Unfortunately for Kyle Rayner, though, the enemies are also skilled at bringing up bad memories.
Alexandra DeWitt was introduced along with Kyle Rayner in 1994’s Green Lantern vol. 3, #48 by Ron Marz. Alex was Kyle’s girlfriend for his first few adventures as the new Green Lantern until her untimely death only six issues later in Green Lantern vol. 3 #54. The villain Major Force strangled Alex and shoved her body into a refrigerator, only to be discovered by Kyle upon his arrival home. The scene shocked readers and went down in history as one of DC’s most disturbing deaths. It also inspired writer Gail Simone to coin the phrase “Women in Refrigerators,” referring to female characters who are injured or killed for the sole purpose of pushing a male character’s story forward. Rayner has continued his role as a Green Lantern, but Alex’s death remains a devastating loss for the hero.
Writer James Tynion IV, along with artist Juan Gedeon, decides to revisit that moment back in Dark Nights: Death Metal Multiverse’s End. As the heroes travel to various Earths to destroy the towers that feed Perpetua crisis energy, they are attacked by the Rainbow Batman Corps. The Rainbow Batman Corps is a group of various versions of Batman with their own power rings, and one of them stands out as particularly sinister as he fights Kyle Rayner. As two other Batmen hold the Green Lantern down, this Batman says, “I know what to do with this one. Where can we find a refrigerator?”
The vicious remark is a fairly blatant jab at Rayner’s history with Alex and it shows that the evil Batmen running rampant through the multiverse aren’t afraid to make things personal. Trying to kill a hero is one thing, but a comment like that is just a low-blow that is totally uncalled for. Luckily, the heroes are able to succeed in their mission with some help from Earth-3’s Owlman and they voyage on to whatever lies ahead.
The Death Metal storyline is still in full swing and while Multiverse’s End highlighted a victory, DC’s heroes still have a lot of work to do to fully save the day. Without her crisis energy, Perpetua will probably be less of a problem, but she and the Batman Who Laughs still pose a huge threat to the multiverse. Hopefully, they will be kind enough not to bring up Green Lantern’s dead girlfriend.