WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Dark Nights: Death Metal - Rise of the New God, #1 by James Tynion IV, Jesus Merino, Vicente Cifuentes and Ulises Arreola, on sale now.
Dark Nights: Death Metal had the Darkest Knight gain the Crisis energy necessary to have cosmic power on par with the omnipotent villain Perpetua to become the most powerful villain in the DC Multiverse and reshape it in his nefarious image. As the two titans battle for supremacy across the Multiverse, their conflict attracts the attention of higher beings in the Omniverse that oversee the Multiverses. With the DC Multiverse in its death throes thanks to the planet-smashing intensity of Perpetua and the Darkest Knight's showdown, the Omniverse sends a figure known as the Chronicler to get all the vital information about the Multiverse before its destruction.
Now, we're taking a closer look at the three figures the Chronicler approaches as the preeminent experts in their respective fields in Death Metal: Rise of the New God and why what they know makes them DC's smartest characters.
PSYCHO-PIRATE
Psycho-Pirate is the first person approached by the Chronicler, imprisoned in Hellscape, the remains of Themyscira that had been rewritten by the Batman Who Laughs after he conquered the DCU. Created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson in 1965's Showcase #56, Psycho-Pirate was eventually recruited by the Anti-Monitor to aid him during Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Because of his role in the Crisis, Psycho-Pirate is one of the few characters in the DCU who recalls the cataclysmic changes the Crises had caused to reality. The Chronicler absorbs the Psycho-Pirate's knowledge of the Multiverse and the Crises, with glimpses of the Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age and modern era all shown before the cosmic figure moves on.
VRIL DOX
To gain a greater sense of cosmic awareness, the Chronicler then seeks out Vril Dox, the son of Brainiac and the leader of the spacefaring superhero team R.E.B.E.L.S. With Colu destroyed in the miniseries Justice League: No Justice, Dox had managed to salvage his home planet's data banks in his ship, offering it to the Chronicler, already aware of the Omniverse's existence.
Created by Edmond Hamilton, Cary Bates and Curt Swan in 1964's Superman #167, Dox would go on to found a modern precursor to the Legion of Super-Heroes and reject his father's legacy. Dox's cosmic knowledge initially surprises the Chronicler, with the Watcher-esque figure surprised by his understanding of the innate power of the Multiverse and its constant corruption leading to a propensity for self-destruction. Still, the Chronicler ultimately decides Dox's level of knowledge is inadequate.
METRON
The final character Chronicler confers with is Metron. Created by Jack Kirby in 1971's New Gods #1, Metron sits atop the Mobius Chair to travel through space and time as a passive observer -- like a chronicler himself. The character was killed in the final moments in the New 52 era at the end of "Darkseid War" alongside Owlman by Doctor Manhattan to keep the omnipotent figure's role in changing reality a secret.
Using his own cosmic abilities, Chronicler resurrects Metron to observe the battle between the Darkest Knight and Perpetua. No longer bound to the Mobius Chair, Metron has a greater appreciation for the wonders of the DCU and conveys them and their inherent values -- heroes and villains alike -- to the Chronicler, who is visibly impressed by what he learns. Moreover, Metron is able to articulate the answers to the big questions the Chronicler had been searching for all along: Why does the DC Multiverse exist? What does it bring to the larger Omniverse? And gaging from how the Chonicler responded to Metron's answers about its value, he might be just the only figure who can still save it.