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.
The New Gods are typically among the more powerful forces in the DC Universe. But even their power pales in comparison to the scale of figures such as Perpetua and the Darkest Knight, the final form of the villain formerly known as the Batman Who Laughs. But even as the multiverse itself falls apart in the wake of their battle, one New God who's been dead for years gets the chance to live again -- at least for a little bit.
In Death Metal: Rise of the New God, Metron was just revived by the mysterious Chronicler, and the New God quickly uses this chance to help convince Chronicler that the DC Universe is worth remembering even after it is destroyed.
Metron was one of the original New Gods, who was created by Jack Kirby in 1971. An innately curious deity, Metron resisted choosing a side in the eternal war between New Genesis and Apokolips to instead travel the galaxy in pursuit of knowledge. Although he has at times worked with the heroes of the DC Universe, he prefers to spend his time learning mysterious facts about the galaxy aboard his Mobius Chair. However, things took a turn following the war between Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor. Working with Owlman on Earth's Moon, Metron allowed the villainous version of Batman to try and learn more about the secrets of the universe.
But this caught the attention of Doctor Manhattan, who instantly vaporized both of them for this intrusion into his plans in Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok's Justice League #50. This was the death that truly sent the DC Universe hurtling towards Doomsday Clock, and the hunt for Metron's chair was a major factor in the DC Universe for years. But Metron just got another chance at life, even if it's only a brief one. Arriving from the Omniverse, the Chronicler comes to dying multiverses to record them and their stories within his Codex. To do this, he seeks out specific figures with deep knowledge of the true history of the DC Universe.
But as he explores the DC multiverse and becomes increasingly enamored with the stories of heroes and villains across space and time, the Chronicler seeks out more answers. This leads the being to fly to the moon, where Owlman and Metron met their unfortunate fate. Using some of his power, the Chronicler revives Metron. It doesn't take long for Metron to realize the scale of this meeting and recognizes just how much more powerful the Chronicler is. But Metron is able to influence the being and help him realize just how much he's grown to appreciate the DC Universe.
Metron's revival may be short-lived, as the multiverse begins to collapse around them from the titanic nature of the battle between the Darkest Knight and Perpetua. But by speaking with the Chronicler and helping ensure the legend of the DC Universe lives on -- even if it's finally destroyed, Metron has made one last major impact on the universe he was once so content to merely observe.