Tom Taylor's most recent Elseworld, Dark Knights of Steel, follows the bloody conflict between the House of El, controlled by Kryptonians, and the Kingdom of Storms ruled by humans after a prophecy signals the aliens as a menace for humanity. With art by Jasmine Putri, the series offers the fans a Medieval set brimming with magic, knights, and lore-like references to the DC main universe.
Taylor has explained that Dark Knights of Steel is a comic for fantasy fans, highly inspired by Game of Thrones and The Lord of The Rings. He has also described this story as his biggest Elseworld yet. Of course, it features everyone's favorite DC characters, but their stories are full of Medieval twists that bring a new perspective on them.
10 Jor-El & Lara Are The House Of El's Rulers
In Dark Knights of Steel, Superman isn't an orphan; Tom Taylor saved Superman's whole family from Krypton's destruction. Jor-El and Lara didn't die when their planet started destroying itself as it happened on Prime Earth. Instead, they traveled to Earth together, where they became King Thomas and Queen Martha's closest friends.
Upon the Waynes' death, Jor-El and Lara became the new monarchs. His peaceful reign came to an end after King Jefferson sent Oliver Queen to kill Jor-El by putting a magic arrow through his head. Jor-El's death is only the beginning of a war between the two kingdoms.
9 Jefferson Pierce Is The King Of The Kingdom Of Storms
King Jefferson Pierce is Black Lightning's counterpart in Dark Knights of Steel. Just like Tony Isabella's creation, he possesses Electrokinesis. In fact, all his family members do. This power isn't explained by science, but by magic. King Jefferson isn't a villain, but he considers the El's to be a threat due to their powers.
After putting a hit on Jor-El, King Jefferson starts a war between the two kingdoms. This results in his own assassination. In Dark Knights of Steel #3, Jor-El's daughter, Zala Jor-El, stabs him, leaving Anissa Pierce, his daughter, as the next Queen of the Kingdom of Storms.
8 Harley Quinn Isn't Psychotic... Yet
Since she first debuted in Batman: The Animated Series, Harley Quinn has been a force of chaos. Granted, she has changed plenty, especially in the last few years after she became independent. However, she's still wreaking havoc around. Funnily enough, not in Dark Knights of Steel.
Harley Quinn's position in the court and aesthetics remain faithful to her nature, and she's a playful Jester for the House of El. However, she isn't psychotic. In fact, she also serves as an advisor for the family. She's often the voice of reason in the court. Who knows how long this will last, though. After all, the Joker is on its way.
7 Constantine Is A Seer & The King's Advisor
Very on point with his Prime Earth counterpart, Constantine is a seer in Dark Knights of Steel. Able to use magic since he was a kid, he was also granted divination powers. When he was only a boy, he fell into a trance and spoke a prophecy that pointed at the House of El as a threat to the Kingdom of Storms.
After listening to this, King Jefferson took him under his services, and Constantine became his advisor. Just like John Constantine in the main continuity, Constantine isn't a villain, but his line of work constantly takes him into paths darker than expected. In fact, he doubted killing Jor-El was a good idea from the beginning, expecting a war to blow up, but King Jefferson was impervious to his opinion.
6 Oliver Queen Is Basically A Hitman
While Green Arrow is a vigilante always in the fight against evil, Dark Knights of Steel's Oliver Queen is a murderer. Since he's a master shooter, King Jefferson hires him to shoot the magic arrow that kills Jor-El. He isn't on Jefferson's side; he's just a paid assassin.
Enraged by Jor-El's death, the Bat-Prince seeks justice for his king. Once he finds Oliver, he cuts his left arm. This is a common punishment for archers in the DC Universe. In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Superman breaks Oliver's arm in a fight, rendering it unrepairable, so he has it amputated. In Justice League: Cry for Justice #5, Speedy loses his arm to the villainous Prometheus right before taking the mantle of Arsenal.
5 Zala Jor-El Is A Cold-Blooded Murderer
Kal-El's sister and Lara and Jor-El's daughter, Zala Jor-El doesn't have a counterpart in the main universe, but she's clearly based on Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl. Of course, she has the same solar-powers abilities as the rest of her family. She's a warrior princess, raised on Amazon Island, where she learned to fight and met Princess Diana, her girlfriend.
Although Zala is inspired by the Girl of Steel, this warrior princess is far from being a hero. After learning about her father's death, Zala flew to the Kingdom of Storms to murder Jacob, King Jefferson's son. After this, she finished with a whole army of Metal men, the Kingdom of Storm's guards. Finally, she murdered King Jefferson by stabbing him.
4 Diana Is A Sapphic Princess Warrior
Just like Wonder Woman, Diana is Queen Hippolyta's daughter. She's the princess of the Amazons, a warrior with superhuman physiology and Amazonian training. Since the Amazon Island isn't a part of either of the two kingdoms at war, Princess Diana believes Amazons should stay out of it, but only time will tell if this is possible.
Probably the biggest difference between Princess Diana and Wonder Woman is her romance with Zala. However, Diana's bisexuality isn't exactly a surprise for DC fans. At some point, Diana dated Mala and Kaisa, two fellow Amazonians.
3 Kal-El Isn't A Proper Hero Yet, But He's On His Way
In Dark Knight of Steel, Tom Taylor rewrites Superman's story from the very beginning. While the Man of Steel is Krypton's only survivor in the main continuity, this Elseworld starts with his mother, Lara, as a pregnant woman. As she's about to give birth, her husband, Jor-El, puts her in the pod and enters himself, saving his whole family.
Since Jor-El and Lara become king and queen, their son grows up to become Prince Kal-El. Since he's Kryptonian, he has the same powers as his Prime Earth counterpart. However, he's young and still far from being Superman. Regardless, Dark Knights of Steel follows him as he matures and understands his new responsibilities after his father dies.
2 Bruce Is A Half-Kryptonian Witcher
Dark Knights of Steel mainly focuses on Bruce Wayne, aka the Bat-Prince. While all characters are obviously modified to fit the Medieval universe, Bruce's origins are particularly contrasting to Prime Earth's Batman. For instance, he isn't a vigilante, but a keeper for the House of El, whose primary job is to take down anyone with magic.
In addition to this, Bruce is officially Thomas and Martha Wayne's son, but in reality, he's Martha and Jor-El's. This means he's half-Kryptonian. As of Dark Knights of Steel #4, readers haven't yet seen the extent of Bruce's powers, but considering Tom Taylor's knack for surprises, he will develop them the moment fans least expect it.
1 The Green Man Is A Terrifying Mix Of Lex Luthor, The Joker & Green Lantern
Originally, the Green Man only appeared as the person who gave Oliver the magical (but obviously Kryptonite-inspired) arrow that killed Jor-El. However, Dark Knights of Steel #4 finally introduced the main villain of this Elseworld properly, and it's worse than anyone could've imagined.
A few years after the El's arrived on Earth, they used their powers and technological knowledge to predict a volcanic eruption. When they attempted to explain King Thomas and Queen Martha, they were stopped by their advisor, Alexander Luthor, who didn't believe them. Once chaos ensued, the El's managed to contain the disaster, but Luthor was banished from the kingdom. While he walked out of the kingdom, he touched a mysterious green material and was granted a Lantern Ring. Thus he became "the Green Man, the cruel Joker, the man once known as Luthor."