WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Batman: Last Knight on Earth #1 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia and Tom Napolitano, in stores now.
Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's final Batman project is finally upon us. Published under the Black Label imprint, Batman: Last Knight on Earth is a prestige format miniseries which tells a different kind of Batman story, a darker, more twisted tale that take place outside of DC's main continuity.
Last Knight on Earth takes place at an unspecified time in the future of the DC Universe. The world has fallen, and nothing but wastelands remain. Undead, power ring-wearing Slingers conjure giant, monstrous, emerald infants as attack dogs, cities are left in ruins, and the superheroes are, for the most part, dead or missing. But as Batman emerges from his time at an insane asylum and begins to explore this fallen world, he does come across a few friendly faces in Wonder Woman and her new Amazons.
Diana explains to Bruce how the world came to be this way, revealing that there is someone to blame -- a new villain who goes by the name Omega.
The End of Everything
Omega is shrouded in mystery; in fact, the character doesn't actually appear in the issue. Only a dark silhouette is seen as Wonder Woman's story of how the world fell. What's most noticeable about Omega however is the weapon he wields: Darkseid's head.
Despite his absence, this isn't all that we learn about the new villain. According to Wonder Woman, Omega rose to prominence in the ruins of Gotham City. With the Anti-Life Equation as his weapon, Omega was able to defeat the world's superheroes and take control of the entire East Coast. What's more, he may have found the means to amplify its power. If he does that, he'll be able to control everyone, all over the world.
As for Omega's true identity, if the rumors Diana has heard are correct, it's "someone born and bred in Gotham." But not just anyone, and not necessarily a villain; Wonder Woman believes Omega is actually a former disciple of Batman's.
If true, Omega is likely someone we know, placing Dick Grayson, Kate Kane, Damian Wayne and every other member of the Bat-family under suspicion. Given that Last Knight on Earth appears to be feeding off of threads from Snyder and Capullo's long-running New 52 saga, it's possible Omega is someone who featured prominently in the duo's Batman epic, which shifts the potential list of suspects to a specific group, on icluding Duke Thomas, Harper Row and Commissioner Gordon, among others.
Whoever this person is, one thing is certain: Batman is on a collision course with Omega. The question is, will Bruce face a longtime enemy or a former friend when the pair meet?