WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Dark Nights: Metal #2 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia and Steve Wands, on sale now from DC Comics.


This week’s issue of Dark Nights: Metal is packed full of surprises and deep dives into DC Universe continuity, but its most surprising moment comes in the form of a nod to a much more recent story. With the Justice League on his tail and the fate of the Multiverse in his hands, Batman wields a secret weapon that could change the complexion of the entire event... so long as it doesn’t fall into enemy hands.

Bat Out Of Hell

The bulk of the issue focuses on Batman’s attempts to flee from the Justice League, as the dark energy from the Dark Multiverse builds up around the world and the arrival of Barbatos and the Dark Knights draws closer. Batman has misdirected most of the Justice League to various locations around the world, sending them on numerous wild goose chases in their attempt to stop him from using a dangerous weapon that — according to Green Lantern — is far too deadly for any one being in the universe to possess

RELATED: Who Is Metal’s Barbatos? A Guide to the Demon That Made Batman

In an attempt to stop their arrival, Batman heads to what he believes to be the resting chambers of Prince Khufu — Hawkman’s original incarnation — where he is confronted by Superman and Wonder Woman, who want him to hand over the dangerous weapon he is harboring. That weapon is, in fact, one of the most dangerous beings in the DC Universe. The weapon is none other than Darkseid himself, who is also at this point in time, a baby.

Baby-Darkseid-Batman

Be My Baby

Darkseid hasn’t been seen since the conclusion of last year’s "Darkseid War." The self-contained event unfolded within the pages of Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok’s Justice League, and saw the God of All Evil clash with The Anti-Monitor on Earth with the fate of the multiverse once again at stake. Johns reached back into an earlier story, Forever Evil, to bring back the Crime Syndicate of America — the evil Justice League from Earth-3 — and more specifically bring back the plot point of Superwoman’s pregnancy, which iswasprophesied to result in the birth of a dark messiah.

The father of the baby was Earth-3’s Alexander Luthor, AKA the villain known as Mazahs. Unline Earth-0’s Shazam who gets is granted the powers of six ancient gods and heroes when he says his magic word, Mazahs steals the power of other heroes when he says his. Shortly after giving birth to the baby, Superwoman is killed by Darkseid’s daughter Grail, who uses the baby’s magic lightning to steal powers from Superman, Lex Luthor and Steve Trevor, who at the time of the story had become the New Gods of Power, Apokolips and Anti-Life. What happens when you mix those three ingredients together into a new-born baby? You get Darkseid.

Baby-Darkseid

Originally, the reincarnated Darkseid regained his hulking stature and intimidating presence, but none of his intelligence or cognitive functions. Instead, the reincarnated Darkseid followed the commands of his daughter who instructed him to destroy the Justice League, but Grail’s mother sacrificed herself by taking a blast of Omega Beams from her own daughter, tricking her into position so they would also hit Darkseid himself. This resulted in a massive explosion which seemingly destroyed all three of them, but Grail was later shown to be harboring Darkseid in a hidden cave, preparing to raise him to be even more evil and powerful than he was previously.

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Nobody Puts Baby Darkseid In The Corner

The reason why Batman wants Darkseid in Dark Nights: Metal stems back to Final Crisis, where Bruce Wayne was cast back in time by Darkseid’s Omega Sanction, which is where Barbatos first noticed The Caped Crusader. Armed with Hawkman’s Nth Metal mace — the only weapon to ever beat back Barbatos — Batman wants to use Darkseid’s Omega Sanction to travel back in time again and defeat Barbatos for good, even though it would be a one way trip that would erase Batman from from history.

Unfortunately, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman were lured into a trap by The Strigydae, the ancient priests who worship Barbatos, and the Judas Tribe, an outcast faction of The Court of Owls who split off to follow the way of the bat. Darkseid is taken into their care, but not for too long as they successfully summon Barbatos and his Dark Nights and The Judas Tribe are instantly ripped apart by the pet Robins of The Batman Who Laughs. As the issue ends, Batman is cast out in the Dark Multiverse, Superman and Wonder Woman are defeat at the feet of the Dark Knights while a diaper-wearing Darkseid — the most powerful being in the universe — is unattended in the face of the most powerful being from the Dark Multiverse.

RELATED: The DCU Origins of Dark Nights: Metal’s Sandman

It’s unlikely that Darkseid’s role in Dark Nights: Metal is over just yet, as he represents too good of an opportunity for Barbatos and his Dark Knights to pass up. There’s also the question of how this Darkseid lines up with the one in Tom King, Mitch Gerads and Clayton Cowles’ Mister Miracle. Although he hasn’t been seen yet in that title, his presence and inevitability drips from every page, and New Genesis is said to be at war with Darkseid, who had recently had Highfather killed. As a result, it’s unclear how, when or if the critically acclaimed series lines up with the rest of the DC Universe, continuity wise.

It’s possible that Dark Nights: Metal represents the bridging gap between “Darkseid War” and Mister Miracle, and at some point in the future of this story, Darkseid will return to his former glory and go toe-to-toe with Barbatos himself. After all, the only thing Darkseid wants is for the universe to be in complete subjugation under him and him alone with the Anti-Life Equation making it so that every being in the universe is essentially Darkseid. Of course, it’s unlikely that a chaotic being such as Barbatos is going to play well with the God of All Evil, especially if he stops being a literal baby anytime soon.