WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Dark Nights: Death Metal #3 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia, and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
As Death Metal has descended on the DC Universe, Lobo has been shown traveling the galaxy under unknown orders, collecting mysterious artifacts from remote locations throughout the DC Universe. His journeys have taken him to the limits of what remains of the multiverse - including one of the most bizarre and secretly powerful places within all of creation.
And in Death Metal #3, Lobo just invaded the Fifth Dimension and proved that even the all-powerful Fifth Dimensional Imps are no match for the Main Main.
LOBO VS. THE FIFTH DIMENSION
The Fifth Dimension exists outside the basic space/time continuum of the DC Multiverse. It doesn't even exist on the same scale as the rest of the multiverse, instead operating as the collective imagination of all beings. Beings who come from this world are governed by a different set of physics and rules than beings in most other dimensions, and include magical users such as Superman's frequent foe Mister Mxyzptlk. This makes them particularly powerful when crossing over into lesser defined dimensions, such as the main DC Universe.
Compared to the beings of the core DC Multiverse, beings from the 5th-Dimension operate essentially as gods, capable of bending reality to their will. Next to the likes of Mister Mxyzptlk, even overwhelming powerful figures like Superman pale in comparison. Although some have posed massive threats to all of existence, the imps of this realm are typically peaceful beings who don't intend to cause any trouble for the multiverse. However, that doesn't mean others can't bring trouble to them.
Lobo's latest stop in his adventures is the Fifth Dimension, where he comes up against resistance in the form of the cartoonish Fifth Dimensional Imps. Lobo invades their dimension and quickly unloads a slew of gunfire against the Imps. To their shock, his bullets actually seem to be doing damage to the Imps, despite their claims that killing has no place in a realm of pure imagination. But Lobo counters that he uses his imagination plenty when he figures out how to kill people that get in his way. In addition, none of their weapons are strong enough to counter his titanic healing factor.
Despite their best efforts, the soldiers of the Fifth Dimension are torn to shreds by Lobo, with their weapons doing nothing to slow him down. Lobo even quotes "Memento Mori" to one of the talking cartoon trees - a common Latin phrase that means "remember that you die" - as he reaches inside it and pulls out a mysterious artifact. He merely adds that it especially applies when you stand in the way of the Main Man and whatever job he's currently on. Sometimes referred to as a twisted version of Superman, Lobo has survived devastating attacks such as being ripped in half and thrown into the sun, and each time Lobo has come back for more.
Even in the Dark Multiverse, the only way Lobo seems capable of being destroyed is by being overwhelmed by the pure energy behind the Source Wall (such as in Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Blackest Night), and even then that energy was infected by influence to create an entirely new universe of Lobo-like beings. While he's been defeated or held at bay in the past, the fall of the 5th-Dimensional Imps is a reminder of just how powerful the Main Man really is, and how unstoppable he can be when he's on the warpath. Along with Lex Luthor, another equally deadly villain, Lobo may just end up being the secret weapon that the heroes of the DC Universe didn't even realize they needed.