WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Dark Nights Death Metal: The Secret Origin #1 by Scott Snyder, Geoff Johns, Jerry Ordway, Francis Manapul, Ryan Benjamin, Richard Friend, Paul Pelletier, Norm Rapmund, Hi-Fi, Ian Herring, Rain Beredo, Adriano Lucas, & Rob Leigh, on sale now
Dark Nights: Death Metal has pit the heroes and villains of the DC Universe against the multiversal-scale threat of the Darkest Knight. In the process, many villains have been forced to fight alongside their great enemies, including one of the most powerful foes from the Post-Crisis DC Universe.
And in Dark Nights Death Metal: The Secret Origin, Superboy-Prime just completed his redemption, battling against the Darkest Knight and seemingly earning exactly what he's always wanted in return.
The Clark Kent who grows to be known as Superboy-Prime was introduced in DC Comics Presents #87 by Elliot S. Maggin and Curt Swan. Hailing from Earth-Prime (the "real world" of the DC Multiverse), Clark grew up a fan of DC Comics. He eventually discovered he also had powers, becoming the Superboy of his world. But almost immediately after discovering his powers, Superboy-Prime is thrust into the events of "Crisis on Infinite Earths". Although he survives the event, Superboy-Prime's entire Earth was one of the countless ones destroyed in the conflict. Taken to a "paradise dimension," Superboy-Prime became increasingly frustrated with how events played out on the one remaining reality of the Post-Crisis DC Universe.
Eventually working with Alexander Luthor Jr, Superboy-Prime helped break through the parallel dimension causing ripples across the fabric of reality with each hit. As their plans escalated into the events of "Infinite Crisis", Superboy-Prime was driven over the edge during a battle with the Teen Titans, and became one of the primary antagonists. Since then, Superboy-Prime has largely been a villain across the DC Universe, fighting alongside the Sinestro Corps, wiping out realities in Countdown to Final Crisis, and being imprisoned behind the Source Wall shortly before Flashpoint. Superboy-Prime finally broke out recently in Shazam and was one of the villains given their own pocket Crisis by the Darkest Knight.
However, Superboy-Prime was convinced by Wonder Woman to turn against his newfound ally. With the final battle for the Multiverse looming, Superboy-Prime finally has a moment to confront his actions, how the heroes he once idolized now fear and hate him, and how no matter what he tried there's no way to rescue the people he loves. However, Superboy-Prime also proves far more vital to the battle than he initially realized. Thanks to his monumental strength, Superboy-Prime is actually capable of still affecting entire realities with his punches. This includes the fledgling "Last 52" that the Darkest Knight has created to form an army of corrupted heroes and villains.
Blasting into the Darkest Knight at full speed, Superboy-Prime proves to be strong enough to actually hurt the force and damage the newly created realities in the process. Superboy-Prime even knocks the Darkest Knight onto the battlefield and gets the chance to steal all the Crisis energy. But the intervention of Krypto, the one DC character who doesn't hate him, gives Superboy-Prime pause. Even when a weakened Darkest Knight promises to give him his own reality where he's a beloved hero, Prime decides it isn't worth the cruel act. Instead, Superboy-Prime uses his full strength to lash out and attack the Darkest Knight with a powerful attack, severely hurting the Darkest Knight and destroying the corrupted realities he'd created.
However, the effort drains everything left within Superboy-Prime, leaving his lifeless body to tumble back to the remains of the Earth. None of the other heroes and villains are aware of what has really happened, with Krypto being the only one to find his body. It's interesting that in the end, Prime finally got the chance to be the hero he's wanted to be. With the Multiverse seemingly restored at the end of the issue, Superboy-Prime is giving a modernized version of his original reality. His loved ones were restored, his powers just coming in, and even with the added bonus of having his own Krypto. While it's strange to see the longtime villain achieve a happy ending, he at least proved he was capable of change during the battle.