DC KO started with a bang. The heroes of Earth-Prime learn that there’s nothing they can do to stop Darkseid from destroying the Earth unless they enter a tournament. They immediately get to evacuating the planet and prepping for the fight. One of the necessary things was making sure all the villains were taken off the board. The last thing anyone needed was someone like Joker becoming the person defending the multiverse against Darkseid, winning, and his influence molding things. Sadly, that happened.
As the battle got underway, Superman took his eyes off the prize. Batman reminds Kal-El to stay focused, but ends up being killed by Joker in the process. A surprise that no one saw coming. Not only was Joker in the tournament (he wasn’t initially listed), but The Dark Knight was taken out before things could really kick into gear. However, no one should be shocked that Batman had a plan for this. We learn what he arranged in the upcoming comic book, DC K.O.: Knightfight
WARNING! The following is a spoiler for DC KO.
Before the battle began, the heroes grabbed everything they needed to win. Bruce chose his Justice League battlesuit. What readers didn’t know was that he had something else underneath. He outfitted the suit underneath with special Apokoliptian armor fitted with a Boom Tube. The plan was for him to be teleported to Gotham if he was gone too long. Unfortunately, it only partly worked. Bruce wasn’t transported to his Gotham. According to DC Comics, this was a Gotham City specifically designed by Darkseid to defeat Batmen. That’s plural.
Writer Joshua Williamson said, “In the past, Bruce has often questioned his role as Batman, and whether the sidekicks he’s trained might one day surpass him. Now, he gets to see that play out firsthand.” That much is evident when Bruce tries to contact Mr. Terrific from his wristwatch, and an R-shaped projectile hits it.
"When you talk about an event like DC K.O., the assumption is always: “Batman’s goingJoshua Williamson
to win.” So we wanted to subvert that expectation right away, by forcing him down a
completely different path, into a tournament built just for him."
When asked about the Batmen of the future, Joshua Williamson said, “Batman faces off against Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian in newly created versions of Gotham, each one shaped by the Heart of Apokolips. These worlds reflect the essence of each character and are designed specifically to defeat Bruce.” If that wasn’t enough, he also says, “It’s not just the Robins…”
Does that mean we're going to see what Bat Family members like Cassandra Cain, Barbara Gordon, and Duke Thomas would be like as Batman (or Batwoman)? Or worse, what if we see Batmen based on Bruce's greatest villains like Poison Ivy, Joker, or Riddler? Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to find out.
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