WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe #3 by Tim Seeley, Freddie E. Williams II, Jeremy Colwell and Wes Abbott, on sale now.


In the Injustice realm, much like the main DC universe, as long as there's a Batman there will always be hope. That's why when the Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe crossover kicked off, folks were left wondering who was under the cowl in this alternate reality story that trailed off the Injustice 2 video game ending.

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This finale saw the Man of Steel defeat Brainiac and then swiftly turn on Batman to reestablish his firm grip on Earth. In the process, he used the alien's technology and converted Bruce Wayne into the Black Oracle, a slave to help him suss out crimes before they happened. With Bruce still captive, the crossover finally revealed the identity of this Batman leading the Resistance. Sadly, just as quickly as the big moment unfolds, the all-new Dark Knight meets his brutal demise.

In the last issue, He-Man and Teela got access to Kryptech, which would allow them to sneak into Superman's Metropolis base and take down his regime. As they all head out, Batman confronts He-Man about disobeying his orders by going out into the city. He reminds He-Man of the value of teamwork and admits that, as grateful as everyone else is for his gift, he didn't enlist him from Eternia to be hotheaded and, of course, a liability. Batman tells him he knows all about this sort of behavior and unmasks, revealing he's a more mature Damian Wayne.

Damian admits how wrong he was for siding with Superman initially. He apologizes for accidentally killing Dick Grayson and for his prior actions that led to his father being imprisoned and Kal-El once again taking on a dictator's role. Instead of receiving the advice poorly and reacting rashly, He-Man is reminded of his brash days as Prince Adam and instead shows Damian mutual respect, as they both have Earth's best interests at heart.

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The issue barrels into the Resistance's attack on Kal-El's base, and Batman's team takes on Wonder Woman's Suicide Squad, which we now see has extended to include Lobo, Deathstroke, Grodd, Cheetah, Riddler and even Two-Face, among others. Meanwhile, Damian goes after his dad. He tries to break the mental stranglehold of the Kryptech by pouring his heart out and apologizing for letting Superman use him. As soon as he's finished, though, Wonder Woman lassos him by his neck and, being the merciless villain that she has become, Diana of Themyscira takes a page from her mainstream DC Universe counterpart's killing of Max Lord and snaps Damian's neck.

This quickly shunts Bruce out of his trance, leaving him screaming and mourning yet another son. It's an isolated and heartbreaking moment as he's left staring at Damian's lifeless body, all while the rest of the Resistance is busy fighting off Skeletor and Superman. It remains to be seen how the Caped Crusader will cope in the aftermath, because he has lost Tim Drake as well. This might be the tragedy that really breaks him. Ironically, this sequence is a callback to Superman losing his child when Joker tricked him into killing a pregnant Lois, which means both fathers may feel like they well and truly have nothing left to lose in the war.

Fans will recall Damian brought Alfred back using the Lazarus Pit, so if things do get dark enough Bruce has that option. It's unlikely he'll exercise it, though. With a redeemed Jason Todd as the Red Hood still around, if Bruce wants time off he can always loan him the cowl, as Jason already acted as a gun-toting Batman for Ra's al Ghul in Injustice 2 when he was still filled with hate.

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Either way, whatever comes next, fans can only hope Bruce doesn't go over the edge, because that won't spell good news for Injustice's heroes or villains.