Warning! Spoilers ahead for Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Secret Origin from Scott Snyder and Geoff Johns

While Dark Nights: Death Metal has certainly had its big twists and turns, one of the most surprising was the redemption of longtime villain Superboy-Prime. Coming from a world where he was the only real superhero in a world that believed them to be comic book fiction, this Superboy lost his world in the Crisis on Infinite Earths. As a result, this eventually led to him becoming one of the most vicious and dangerous villains in the DC Universe at large. However, Superboy-Prime has now seen the light and been convinced to abandon his alliance with the Darkest Knight. Now, Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Secret Origin from writers Scott Snyder and Geoff Johns show the aftermath of this choice, and Superboy-Prime actually rewrites his own origin story.

In previous issues of Death Metal, Superboy-Prime had agreed to work with the Darkest Knight and give him all the crisis energy he desired, provided he was spared and given a perfect world where the heroes on the DC Universe would exist in peace, albeit locked in a state where they would never grow or evolve, permanently locked as versions of themselves akin to those seen in the Golden Age of DC Comics. However, Wonder Woman convinced Superboy-Prime to believe in change and the future, regardless of the unknown dangers that could arise. Taking a risk, Superboy-Prime chose to not send the energy to the Darkest Knight, and also joined Wonder Woman and the other assembled heroes and villains in what may very well be the last battle for the DC Universe.

Related: Superboy-Prime is BACK in New Death Metal Artwork

Now, Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Secret Origin sees Superboy-Prime in the midst of the conflict, resolved to take the Darkest Knight down once and for all, despite the distrust and hate many still feel towards him. As he fights the Darkest Knight, Prime realizes that he has the ability to change all of the 52 dark worlds the Knight created, provided he can beat the former Batman Who Laughs. Remarkably, Superboy-Prime does take the Darkest Knight down and even gets the opportunity to take his power. He's then becomes tempted to remake his old world by destroying everything around him, and why not? They all hate him anyway (or so he believes). However, Superboy-Prime makes the right decision, rejecting the Darkest Knight's power and giving everything he has into one final punch. In the aftermath, all of the Darkest Knight's Earths are destroyed, thus giving the other heroes and villains a fighting chance to win the day. However, Superboy-Prime is no more...in this universe.

Amazingly, Superboy-Prime's sacrifice inadvertently allowed him to reboot and rewrite his own origin, seeing him reading his own comic back on Earth-Prime. Not only that, but his girlfriend Laurie is alive and well, and he also now has a new dog. For this Earth's Clark Kent, his ending in the primary DC Universe has become his secret origin for a whole new beginning, back home where he should be.

This is an incredible way for Superboy-Prime's story to seemingly conclude. The redemption and happy ending he gets is well earned for a character who has gone through so much, including his own personal darkness that some probably thought he'd never get out of. Whatever happens as Death Metal continues from DC Comics, fans can be satisfied in the knowledge that Superboy-Prime got the best ending (or beginning?) that he possibly could have from Snyder and Johns.

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