WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the story "Hard-Traveled" from Dark Nights Death Metal: The Multiverse That Laughs #1 by Saladin Ahmed, Scot Eaton, Norm Rapmund, Hi-Fi, and ALW's Troy Peteri, on sale now
Green Arrow and Green Lantern have one of the most famous friendships in the DC Universe. Although they've sometimes fought, they tend to settle their differences with their words. But in one new world of the Dark Multiverse, things fall apart for the friendship in the worst way possible.
As deatiled in Dark Nights Death Metal: The Multiverse That Laughs, one of the realities created by the Darkest Knight features a world taken over by the Green Lanterns, and where Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen find themselves driven by their convictions to take one another down.
One of the worlds created by the Darkest Knight sees the Earth taken over by the Guardians of the Universe. The ancient commanders of the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians of this reality have extended their influence across the galaxy even more so than usual, leading to the Earth becoming a colony known as New Oa. Steel Guardians roam the streets for law-breakers and rebels, while Green Lanterns enforce the laws of the Guardians. However, there are some who still fight for freedom from their influence.
One notable figure is Green Arrow, who has seemingly made a place for himself in this world as a ferryman for people to escape to a safe house away from the Guardians. It's been years of battle for Green Arrow, with his hair and beard a stark white compared to his normal blonde locks. However, their escape is hindered by the arrival of Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern. Also aged in the years, it appears that Hal has spent the ensuing time trying to follow through on the commands of the Guardians.
RELATED: Green Lantern: John Stewart Just Changed A Young Justice Hero's Life
When he sees his old friend, Green Arrow argues that the Guardians have been whispering to the Green Lanterns through their rings, affecting their decisions and forcing them to take over the planet Earth. Green Arrow begs his former best friend to take off his ring, just for a moment, to regain control of himself. And although Hal seems initially tempted, he decides against it. Instead, he promises to bring down Ollie as well as the two teenagers he's been helping. Ollie responds by pulling out a yellow arrow he's been saving for Hal, and the story ends with the pair engaging in what is likely to be their last fight.
Green Arrow and Green Lantern have long been allies, albeit with a tenuous streak. In the Pre-Crisis DC Universe, the pair were partnered up for a new series in Green Lantern/Green Arrow where they traveled across the United States to learn more about the people they'd sworn to protect. Both men had radically different views on the world, with Hal's by-the-books attitude chafing against Ollie's more free-spirited (and occasionally arrogant) ideas. However, the pair developed a close-knit bond that has continued to endure over the years. It was Hal who resurrected Green Arrow after his fateful demise, and the pair have continued to work together in Post-Rebirth stories, regularly teaming up despite their differences.
While their different views have brought them to blows in the past, it seems like, in this reality, there's no way to stop such a brutal conclusion to their friendship. Neither Oliver Queen or Hal Jordan would stand down if they believed themselves to be fully in the right. And when that immovable object meets that unstoppable force, there's nothing left to do but fight. Regardless of who wins their next fight, both Green Arrow and Green Lantern lose when they finally turn against each other for one last time.