WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Tales From The Dark Multiverse: Dark Nights Metal #1 by Scott Snyder, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Karl Mostert, Trevor Scott, Norm Rapmund and Romulo Fajardo Jr, on sale now
The powers and abilities of the DC heroes and villains could shape and destroy the world if fully unleashed. That's what makes it so worrisome when figures like the Batman Who Laughs finds a way to corrupt the remains of the fallen into new tools of destruction -- as he just did in the Dark Multiverse.
In Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Dark Nights Metal, a version of the Batman Who Laughs is revealed to have created a powerful mystical weapon out of the severed hand of Zatanna -- hinting at the terrible kind of fate the sorceress suffered in this twisted reality.
In the Dark Multiverse, there exists a world where the events of Dark Nights: Metal resulted in the corruption of the Justice League, the deaths of their heroic allies and the destruction of an entire multiverse. In this world, the Batman Who Laughs lived on as the champion of Barbatos in the ruins of the world. Basing himself in the ruins of the Hall of Justice, the Batman Who Laughs is revealed to have amassed a small collection of twisted trophies: this includes the captured Joker Dragon, Doctor Fate's helmet, the ever-burning carcass of Martian Manhunter, a fragment of Kryptonite, Wonder Woman's lasso, Aquaman's broken trident and the arrow-riddled corpse of Green Arrow.
As the last remaining heroes stage a surprise assault on him, the Helm of Nabu reluctantly warns him of their approach. This gives the Batman Who Laughs the chance to pull out his most useful trophy -- the severed left hand of Zatanna. Caught mid-spell cast, the witch's hand allows the Batman Who Laughs to cast spells in a way similar to how Zatanna once did, using backward incantations to affect the reality around them. Using this power, the Batman Who Laughs actually comes close to destroying the remaining Justice League -- with the magics quickly holding down most of the heroes. However, this keeps him distracted long enough for Dick Grayson to free the Joker Dragon, who quickly incinerates the Batman Who Laughs with a ferocious fire blast before he can cast another spell.
Zatanna's hand can be seen surviving the flames. It's a truly terrifying final fate for this version of Zatanna and not one without precedent. Previous DC storylines like Future's End have seen heroes like Black Canary harvested into weapons, and even this year the heroes of Marvel Zombies: Resurrection were forced to utilize the remains of their fallen friends to create devastating new tools to use against the undead hordes.
But Zatanna's hand might be one of the most powerful, as it gives the wielder access to her impressive mystical powers. It even allows the Batman Who Laughs to almost prevent the end of his lord Barbatos at the hands of the heroes, with the only counter to his newfound power being a surprise attack of serious ferocity. It's also a dour hint at what kind of fate befell this version of Zatanna, as with most of the heroes of this world. In a reality dominated by the Batman Who Laughs, it's surprising that more heroes weren't turned into weapons, similar to how the Robin King became the deadliest force in his reality thanks to his ability to adapt to the abilities of his fallen foes to help kill others.