Dark Nights Death Metal will ‘sort out’ DC’s continuity and universe

Let’s say you’ve got a massive comic book universe, multiple realities and heroic doppelgangers running riot between dimensions. Sooner or later, continuity is going to get uglier than a macro picture of a haemorrhoid. DC Comics is no stranger to this (topsy turvy continuity, not haemorrhoids), with a timeline of madness that they’ve rebooted several times in the past.

The first time was in Crisis on Infinite Earths, they swept more of their history under the rug in Zero Hour and almost a decade ago a massive reboot helped kick off the New 52. A reset that was reset back to the old status quo, with DC Rebirth a few years later. Comic books! Things have once again gotten messy with the rise of the Dark Multiverse, the Source Wall being breached and the rise of Perpetua in the DC Universe, which means that change is once again in the air.

What’s the harbinger of the next slap of a comic book F5 key? None other than the next big rock ‘n roll adventure, Dark Nights: Death Metal. In this story, DC’s finest aren’t just fighting an unwinnable battle,they’ve already lost. Heroes are scattered, Superman is nowhere to be found and the Caped Crusader is organising a resistance against the might of Perpetua and the Batman Who Laughs.

Only Wonder Woman can unite the heroes and help save the day, but once the dust has cleared? There’s going to be a more organised and brighter DC Universe for new stories to take place in according to Dark Nights Death Metal co-architect Scott Snyder:

That’s the idea – The purpose of the whole story is to sort out continuity and the universe and give you something fun bright and coherent on the other side https://t.co/iSpbQGtSBH

— Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) April 14, 2020

Death Metal may not be the only bit of continuity house-cleaning that DC has planned, as the publisher also has several Generation one-shots in the pipeline that will retcon their history. Will all of this build towards the rumoured Generation Five event that will throw the DCU into the future and a bold new frontier? With the Coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc, those plans are probably going to be rejiggered about.

Whatever Dark Nights Death Metal does end up doing by the time it runs its course, this Snyder and Greg Capullo adventure still looks set to end the defining creative partnership of the 2010s on a massive high note that’s simply…metal.

Last Updated: April 15, 2020