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It would be easy for Dark Knights of Steel to merely transplant its characters to a medieval setting, but proves with Batman it’s far more ambitious.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Dark Knights of Steel #4 by Tom Taylor, Bengal, Arif Prianto, and Wes Abbott, now on sale from DC Comics
The joy of telling tales set in alternate universes is in getting to remix and redefine the origins of popular characters like Batman and Superman, adapting their familiar tales in unfamiliar ways. That is certainly the central hook to Dark Knights of Steel, which portrays a medieval fantasy-inspired world where such heroes fight their battles with swords and sorcery for a refreshing change of setting.
But it is not just the setting that Dark Knights of Steel changes. Rather than settling for a simple change of time period and genre, Dark Knights of Steel offers its own massive revisions on the origins of its biggest characters. Perhaps the biggest one allows the alternate universe to explore an interesting question: What if Batman was actually Superman?
The series made its willingness to reinvent its heroes’ origins clear from the start. Whereas the young Kal-El who would become Superman was originally the sole survivor of his planet, sent from Krypton by his parents as the planet was destroyed, Dark Knights of Steel opens on his parents instead accompanying him on the fated trip to Earth just as his mother is about to give birth. The young Superman then grew up in the court of King and Queen Wayne, as well as their child Bruce who later avenges his parents’ death by hunting down those infused with magical powers similar to those of the man who slayed the Waynes.
Yet, as the series progresses it makes changes to the characters far more dramatic than simply transplanting them into a different world. In the latest issue, Bruce’s true parentage is revealed as half-Kryptonian. The series first built towards this revelation by showcasing Bruce’s emerging powers as he withstands a Canary Cry that shatters the stone around him, and later weakens when in the vicinity of Kryptonite. The reveal comes as a testament to the inventiveness of the creators, proving issue after issue a willingness to strip down the pantheon of DC to its fundamental elements and reinvent them.
The result is a story so much more unique and interesting than a “Batman with Superman powers” setup could be on its own, or indeed a “Batman in a medieval era” story would be. The reveal of his parentage speaks to his relationship with Superman, now known to be his half-brother, and adds a whole new dynamic to his relationship with Alfred, who guarded him from the secret all the while. It feels like a completely singular character rather than a mere riff on a familiar archetype, and the change proves to be one that infuses the entire story.
Hand in hand with the Kryptonian reveal comes an origin story for his arch-nemesis that puts no less than four completely different characters to blend them together into something wholly original. In his classic origin, the mugger Joe Chill kills Bruce’s parents before he goes on to become Batman. As Batman, it is the Joker who becomes his arch-nemesis, a parallel of Superman’s own nemesis Lex Luthor. Dark Knights of Steel blends all three together, and throws in the Green Lantern’s extraterrestrial powers for good measures to make a hodgepodge of different characters into the fascinating and singular Green Man.
Such reinventions are pervasive throughout the story, helping it to feel new and fresh when it would have been so easy for it to coax through on simply retreading old character beats. Not only does it create a coherent story new fans can follow without previous familiarity with the mythos of DC Comics, but it remixes that mythos in such a way that old fans have no reason to be bored.
The series remains only a third of the way through, meaning that it retains the ability to go anywhere and continually reinvent itself. And it doubtless will. There is so much creative energy and originality throughout the storytelling to hook readers in, and Dark Knights of Steel should stand as a testament to exactly what alternate universe tales should do.
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