WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis #1, by James Tynion IV, Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan, on sale now.

In the original Countdown to Infinite Crisis, ex-Justice League International boss gone bad, Maxwell Lord -- then a member of covert ops organization, Checkmate -- is exposed by his former colleague and friend, Blue Beetle, for creating an army of OMACs (Observational Metahuman Activity Construct), so that he can subdue all the DC heroes.

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When confronted, Lord kills Beetle in cold blood by shooting him in the head, assuming complete control of Checkmate and setting off a chain of events that led to the Infinite Crisis. Despite Max being killed by Wonder Woman in retaliation, his legacy continues, sparking several tie-ins and connected crises. But the thing that struck fans the most was Blue Beetle's tragic death. And it caused a whole lot of hot debate as to whether or not it was necessary.

Why kill off one of the Justice League International's most-loved characters? Well, Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis may finally have answered that question. And it's not an answer everyone is going to like.

In the Dark Multiverse version, the oft-underestimated Ted Kord (Blue Beetle) turns the tables on Max Lord, killing him instead. It's a change that, initially, would have made long-time JLI/Beetle & Booster fans very happy. But then, Beetle proceeds to systematically alter the events and outcomes of the Infinite Crisis we once knew, and we begin to realize that, sadly, his death may have been a necessary evil.

Blue Beetle's newfound life sees a complete turnaround in his actions, if not immediately in his attitude. He quickly becomes obsessively driven to right all of the wrongs Maxwell Lord would have caused, and he does so by filling Max's shoes as Checkmate's new "Black King." He then systematically uses his OMACs to stop the events of Day of Vengeance, the Rann-Thanagar War and Villains United -- all crises that altered the DCU in some way.

Beetle's noble intentions turn out to be his undoing. Pushed by Brother One to take evasive action against all of Earth's heroes -- just as Maxwell Lord intended to -- Beetle becomes the worst "accidental" villain the DC Universe has ever seen. Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis is the first chapter in the Dark Multiverse series to start off with a more positive outcome than the original timeline did, but its descent into darkness is no less shocking and destructive than the tales that preceded it. The sad and unfortunate fact is, Beetle had to die. It was a tragedy that weaved itself seamlessly into an outcome that left the DC Universe in a position to bounce back and triumph over a greater evil in the end.

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The common thread in the Dark Multiverse seems to be that, when a timeline behaves out of character, the players do, too. We saw it with Lois Lane in Tales From the Dark Multiverse: The Death of Superman, when she becomes bitter and resentful about Superman's death, turning into a destructive avenging angel. In Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Knightfall, Bruce Wayne, having been tortured for many years, returns as an insane, nano-tech-driven machine that delivers his own warped brand of justice. And in Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Blackest Night, Mister Miracle -- another inherently noble character -- brings about the destruction of a universe, which is replaced by a horrifying new one.

The damaged timeline in Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis results in Blue Beetle acting out of character, too. In the end, he becomes so obsessed with the "greater good" that he inadvertently descends into evil. Merging with Brother One to become a "One-Beetle Army Corps," he uploads the OMAC nano virus to Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, turning them into compliant drones.

Then, while the other OMACs battle Earth's remaining heroes, Booster Gold confronts Beetle and Brother One kills him, leaving Beetle emotionally distraught by his part in killing his best friend. To put an end to the pain and do what he feels is best to "save the world," Beetle allows Brother One to remove the emotional centers of his brain, turning him into a cold, robotic version of himself, bent on taking over the planet, which he and the OMAC forces ultimately do by assimilating everyone.

The world falls under the control of Brother One and the assimilated Blue Beetle -- a bleak reality that leaves behind a mechanical world under the despotic rule of a machine, with no heroes left to save it.

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As has been the pattern with the Dark Multiverse titles so far, the bleakest possible outcome is brought about by a single event that was never meant to be, setting off a macabre chain reaction that leaves a world in tatters. Even though Beetle started out with the best intentions and prevented several terrible things from happening at first, the Dark Multiverse had its way and destroyed all hope. And as the story continues to unfold, it's becoming more apparent that the Dark Multiverse is quietly forming a seemingly unstoppable evil Justice League.

The team is set to become even more powerful with December's upcoming Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Teen Titans -- The Judas Contract. And the DCU could well be in for its biggest crisis yet.

KEEP READING: Dark Multiverse: Mister Miracle Turns Into DC's Most Sympathetic Traitor