Like a raucous Silver Age adventure, Dark Nights: Metal #1 begins in media res, leaving the Justice League to wonder how the tyrannical Mongul escaped watch by the metal-manipulating Braalians, and readers to puzzle over how some of the mightiest heroes of the DC Universe became gladiators in his arena.
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While we don't yet have the answers to those questions, we do know how the ruler of Warworld bound the League to his pit, fighting for the enjoyment of the cheering crowd: the delightfully customized armor first seen in the preview released last month.
In Dark Nights Metal #1, by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo, we quickly learn Mongul's minions weren't merely sticklers for details (and branding) when they crafted the armor -- logos on belts and breastplates, little wings on The Flash's helmet -- they were downright devious in the materials they chose. Of course, they'd have to be if they had any hope of subduing the Justice League and bending its members to Mongul's will, if only briefly.
To that end, the armor isn't merely "power-dampening," a vague catch-all that might've satisfied some writers and some readers. Instead, the pieces are forged with the many terrible wonders of the DC Universe, tailored to the weakness, or history, of each hero.
The Dust of a Few Thousand Crushed Red Suns
Mongul is nothing if not thorough, as you might expect of a planet-conquering tyrant with a penchant for intergalactic gladiatorial games. Most foes would be content to try to keep Superman constrained by a sliver of Kryptonite, a radioactive fragment from his doomed homeworld. However, that risked not only weakening the Man of Steel but killing him, so Mongul turned to a substance far more ingenious, if unimaginably laborious: "the dust of a few thousand crushed red suns," presumably fashioned by the forges of Warworld (or is it now "War Moon"?) into the signature "S" emblem on the chest plate of Superman's armor.
Under their sun, the red dwarf star Rao, Kryptonians possessed the same levels of strength, speed and durability as ordinary humans. It's only when exposed to the rays of a yellow sun like Earth's that Superman, Supergirl and other survivors of Krypton gain superpowers. Therefore, while wearing the tailored armor in Mongul's arena, the Man of Steel is merely a man, at least physically. Of course, Mongul's resources might have been better spent simply relocating his satellite near a red sun, but that wouldn't have been nearly as fun.
Vibration-Domination Boots From the Dominators
To negate the superhuman abilities of The Flash, Mongul turned to "our friends" the Dominators, the metagene-manipulating aliens who returned to prominence last fall as the antagonists of The CW's Arrowverse crossover. The name "vibration-domination boots" suggests they were specially manufactured to prevent Barry Allen, or any other speedster, for that matter, from tapping into the Speed Force or, perhaps more specifically, vibrating his body, allowing him to pass through solid objects.
Why Mongul would seek the help of the Dominators to restrain The Flash, and why a race of master geneticists would possess such unique footwear, is anybody's guess.
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A Lock From Stheno, the Elder Gorgon
Greek mythology nerds undoubtedly cheered to see a Gorgon other than the spotlight-hogging Medusa receive a shoutout. After all, Medusa only received the attention because she was the mortal sister, who was careless enough to allow her head to be chopped off. By contrast, her lesser-known elder siblings, Stheno and Euryale, were (are?) immortal. Stheno is said to be the most ferocious of the Gorgons, having killed more men than the other two combined.
The snake-shaped lock, "venom infused," on Wonder Woman's armor potentially has double meaning. It may simply be a latch or clasp, with supernatural attributes, but it's more likely a piece of Stheno's "hair," a crown of writhing serpents (that would certainly explain the venom). While the armor has the obvious outward effect of neutralizing Wonder Woman's superhuman abilities, we're left to theorize how. Perhaps the venomous lock is slowly turning Diana to stone, forcing her body to concentrate its vast strength to fighting an assault on a molecular level.
A Gauntlet With a Micro Black Hole
Limited primarily by the willpower, and the imagination, of its wielder, a Green Lantern's Power Ring is inarguably one of the most powerful devices -- most powerful weapons -- in the DC Universe. To contain that energy, Mongul somehow affixes a micro black hole to a gauntlet, which is then fastened onto Hal Jordan.
A micro black hole is a real-world concept, conceived by renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. But in Dark Nights: Metal #1, it would presumably either drain the Power Ring's charge or instantly absorb any energy it emits. In either scenario, that renders the weapon useless. Hawking and others have predicted that a micro black hole would evaporate almost instantly, but if Mongul and his minions are smart enough to create or harness one, and then attach it to a gauntlet for use in an arena, they've also probably devised a workaround for that little problem.
Sleeves Made of Pit Glass From the Fires of Apokolips
Aquaman is reduced to "half-strength" by "sleeves" -- more like vambraces, or forearm guards -- that emit intense heat, dehydrating and, therefore weakening, the Sea King. The devices, like the others depicted in this scene, evoke the Silver Age, when Aquaman had to come in contact with water every two hours or else die.
However, Dark Nights: Metal #1 adds a decidedly sci-fi, and otherworldly, twist, as the king of Atlantis specifies the origins of the power-dampening devices: the enormous burning fire pits that dot the face Apokolips, the planet ruled by Darkseid. The pit glass is presumably a byproduct of their molten fire.
But What About Batman and Cyborg?
Batman's lack of superpowers and Cyborg's cybernetic enhancements, presumably make their neutralization more straightforward, which may explain why no mention is made of their specific armor. Take away the Dark Knight's utility belt, and he's left with his wits -- which, of course, turns out to be all he requires to discover the key to defeating Toyman's "Fulcum Abominus," and freeing the League from Mongul's arena.
Dark Nights: Metal #1, by Scott Snyder, Scott Capullo, Jonathan Glapion and FCO Plascencia, is on sale now from DC Comics.