The following contains spoilers for DC vs. Vampires #12, now on sale from DC Comics.
DC vs. Vampires has been a surprisingly epic storyline, charting a bloody path across an increasingly grim version of the DC Universe. With heroes and villains alike corrupted into bloodsucking monsters, the conflict has forced both sides to carry out some grim plans -- with the latest issue seeing some serious wins and losses on both sides.
The conclusion of DC vs. Vampires #12 (by James Tynion IV, Matthew Rosenberg, Otto Schmidt, Francesco Mortarino, Pierluigi Casolino, and Tom Napolitano) doesn't fully resolve the conflict, and instead sets the stage for a climactic final push from both sides. While the remaining survivors have gained some serious boosts thanks to the likes of Supergirl and the death of Nightwing, the rise of a corrupted Batgirl could spell the end of this timeline's last hope.
Batgirl is DC's New Vampire Queen
The resistance movement against the undead armies of DC vs. Vampires has been a hard-fought one, with plenty of notable heroes and villains. However, by the end of DC vs. Vampires #12, the survivors have actually earned some pretty solid victories. After splintering into groups with three different objectives, all the survivors gain their intended goals. Green Arrow's mission to liberate captured humans was a success -- resulting in the death of the vampiric Hawkman. The reveal of a still-alive Swamp Thing, and the rescue of the ever-resourceful Grifter. Steel's mission to restore Supergirl to full strength also works (in part due to the sacrifices of Mary Marvel and her allies), giving the survivors a major weapon in the fight against the vampire army.
Their biggest win though comes at a very costly price. After allowing themselves to be captured and taken to Nightwing, Harley Quinn is forced to watch as Batgirl is bitten and turned into a vampire. But the villainous Dick Grayson is then tricked into drinking Harley's blood, which has been tampered with to become a poison to bloodsuckers. As he realizes what's happening, Nightwing dies -- leaving his killer, the now villainous vampire Batgirl as the new Queen of the Undead. She quickly seems to lose herself to this role and formally announces how she'll now oversee the destruction of her few remaining enemies.
DC vs. Vampires is Not Quite Over
On one hand, the survivors are in a better position than ever to take back control of the world. As it stands, the heroes still have some solid figures in their corner. The Atom and anyone else left in Kandor could also provide assistance, while the other Batgirls, Batwoman, Starfire, and Red Arrow are implied to still be alive (albeit not seen in the final pages). Meanwhile, Mera was last seen dragging her villainous husband down to the depths of the ocean, opening up the possibility that she survived as well. With the ash cloud that had been blotting out the sun removed courtesy of Captain Cold, Supergirl is also officially back on the table -- and ready to fight.
While the vampire army has suffered some serious losses beyond Nightwing -- as even Superman, Hawkman, and Shazam have all been felled by the resistance -- Batgirl's corruption could be a game-changer. She's aware of the plans held by the rest of the resistance and is aware of the location of their base of operations. With powerhouses like Wonder Woman still under her command, she could lead an attack to rout the survivors and her possession of Harley Quinn means the heroes have lost their secret weapon. While there's the chance Batgirl's corruption is playing into some overarching plan to bring down the vampire nation, it's unlikely that the coming battle will be anything less than a bloodbath and could even result in a fully corrupted DC Universe. As the dust settles by the end of DC vs. Vampires #12, it seems like the fate of Earth-63 is still very much up in the air, and that there's at least one more battle to be fought.