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A new evil is rising in the Dark Multiverse and it’s already set its sights on the DC Universe, with a plot rivaling the Batman Who Laughs.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Batman/Superman: Authority Special #1, on sale now from DC Comics.
The 2017 crossover event Dark Nights: Metal and its sequel Dark Nights: Death Metal introduced the Dark Multiverse, a shadowy set of nascent universes that often provided dark twists on the DC Universe and its fan-favorite moments and characters. Both storylines saw the Dark Multiverse’s greatest nightmare the Batman Who Laughs rise to lead a team of evil versions of Batman to conquer the DCU and obtain supreme power to completely reshape reality in his fiendish image. And while the Batman Who Laughs was ultimately defeated at the end of Death Metal by a cosmically upgraded Wonder Woman and the combined might of the DC Multiverse, a new threat is quickly rising to power in the Dark Multiverse to pick up where the cackling supervillain left off.
Batman discovers that one of the worlds in the Dark Multiverse is a reality where Ra’s al Ghul has accomplished his vision of conquering the planet and bending it to his brutal will, dubbing the regime he has installed over this planet as the Empire of Shadows. This planet’s shadowy overseer reigns supreme with Talia al Ghul at his side as Talia’s children crush any hero that stands to oppose their rule, including variations on Green Lantern and Doctor Fate. And with this universe well under the Empire of Shadows’ control, the regime turns its attention to the main DCU resulting in an epic showdown in Batman/Superman: Authority Special #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Trevor Hairsine, Ben Templesmith, Jonathan Glapion, Scott Hanna, Rain Beredo and Tom Napolitano.
Far from the usual network of ninja warriors and the vast supply of resources to draw from, this vision of Ra’s al Ghul’s legacy employs both cosmic and magical means to stay in power as well as the world’s entire military might. In addition to the Empire of Shadows troops being highly trained, they are also each genetically enhanced, including having Lazarus resin, a substance derived from the life-giving properties of the magical Lazarus Pit, to make them virtually unkillable by most conventional means. As a result of having thoroughly conquered this world, the Empire of Shadows has the remnants of the multiversal being Tempus Fuginaut at their disposal to navigate the expanse of the multiverse. This includes their intended target of the DCU while they marshal their forces for an invasion.
The big twist is that the head of the Empire of Shadows isn’t Ra’s al Ghul at all but rather an aged version of Bruce Wayne from this world, with his trusted lieutenants the children he fathered with Talia. Many of the Dark Knights that the Batman Who Laughs menaced the DCU with were corrupted versions of Bruce and this world is no different, even in the Batman Who Laughs’ absence. This underscores that Batman is something of the cornerstone to the Dark Multiverse, with many of the most prominent worlds in this realm having a twisted Dark Knight rise as its dominant force, and a reminder that Batman broken bad could be the DCU’s worst nightmare.
This evil incarnation of Batman and his Empire of Shadows may have been soundly defeated, with the means for them to invade the DCU taken away for now, but the villains are still out there. There’s no doubt the Empire of Shadows is likely plotting their revenge for being preemptively beaten before they had a chance to strike from the Dark Multiverse. The Batman Who Laughs may have been obliterated, but the rise of the Empire of Shadows is a stronger reminder that the horrors of the Dark Multiverse remain a terrifying threat, with the DCU right on the front lines of any potential invasions from across realities.
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