Chapter Summaries

Stephen explained to Thor how Giant used time-cutting to force Darkseid to abandon the Omega Effect, while Darkseid began to sense something was wrong. Giant then overwhelmed Darkseid with energy beams, leaving his life force barely clinging on as Stephen wondered if he was dead.

• Stephen told Thor that Giant's time-cutting required careful control and might eventually be detected, and Thor questioned whether Darkseid would notice the repeated anomalies.
• Darkseid realized his Omega Effect kept failing and tried to identify what was wrong, while Giant's strength kept him at a disadvantage in close combat.
• Giant pinned Darkseid with Particle Beams and blasted through his hammer shield, melting his armor and severely damaging his body.
• Giant struck Darkseid with another energy ray, and Stephen sensed that Darkseid's life force was nearly extinguished.

Stephen restrained the weakened Darkseid and began containing the Abyss contamination spreading across Apokolips. The Omega Effect and Anti-Life Equation escaped Darkseid and searched for new Masters, leaving Stephen to deal with them as he sealed the planet.

• Betsy stopped the giant from attacking Darkseid while Stephen restrained Darkseid with five Restriction Rings.
• Stephen confirmed that the rings had sealed Darkseid's powers and identified the contested dimension as the Data Dimension.
• Stephen prepared a ritual to seal Apokolips and its star system before the Abyss contamination could awaken an Abyss Will.
• The Omega Effect and Anti-Life Equation left Darkseid and tried to escape through the barrier.
• Darkseid told Stephen that the two powers were seeking new Masters.

In the Batcave, Bruce Wayne hid his torment from Martian Manhunter Jones before confronting the other consciousness in his mind. He concluded it was another version of himself from a different universe, and greeted it as such.

• Martian Manhunter Jones tried to comfort Bruce and urged him to stop carrying every burden alone.
• Bruce pretended Jones had eased his worries, then waited until Jones left before revealing his distress had not faded.
• A Joker-like consciousness urged Bruce to merge with it and claimed Bruce had created it to help fulfill his ideals.
• Bruce rejected the idea that the consciousness was a split personality he had created.
• Bruce explained that he believed the consciousness was another version of himself from another universe, then greeted it.

Bruce learned that his alternate self wanted the power hidden in Gotham and was shown visions of how other versions of himself became the Dark Knights. The visions left Bruce asleep with the Azure Blue crystal protecting him, while the other Bruce’s plan and the looming conflict remained unresolved.

• The other Personality Consciousness told Bruce that he wanted the mysterious power in Gotham and offered information in exchange for Bruce discarding his Azure Blue crystal.
• Bruce avoided answering Diana’s concerns and later went to sleep with the crystal still protecting him.
• Bruce witnessed a version of himself use Barry Allen’s Speed Force, become the Red Death, and plunge Gotham into chaos.
• Bruce saw how Alfred’s death drove another version of himself to create the murderous artificial intelligence that turned him into the Murder Machine.
• Bruce watched other fallen counterparts become Dawnbreaker, Drowned, Devastator, and the Merciless.
• Bruce saw Joker repeatedly murder parents in front of Batman, until Batman killed Joker and became infected with the Joker Virus.

After waking from a nightmare showing him as a member of the Dark Knight Corps, Bruce discovered that The Batman Who Laughs had tried to corrupt him through those experiences. He realized his Tranquil Blue Psionic Crystal had protected him, and suspected Psionic Energy was what The Batman Who Laughs wanted from him.

• Bruce woke in terror from visions of fallen versions of himself and spoke briefly with Alfred, who offered comfort before leaving him alone.
• Bruce drank a spirit-calming mixture and noticed that his Tranquil Blue Psionic Crystal had shrunk from severe energy depletion.
• Bruce concluded that The Batman Who Laughs had created the nightmare to make him share the other Batmen’s despair and lure him into joining the Dark Knight Corps.
• Bruce realized the crystal had helped him distinguish the nightmare from his own memories and preserve his reason and convictions.
• Bruce suspected The Batman Who Laughs was targeting him for his Psionic Energy and possibly its ultimate negative form, the Abyss.

Stephen brought Darkseid back to the Batcave and told Diana he would take him into Luke’s custody, then privately confronted Bruce about dark dimensional power contaminating him. Bruce accepted Stephen’s help, and Stephen assured him that Kamar-Taj was equipped to handle the corruption.

• Stephen told Diana he would take Darkseid and Steppenwolf to Luke, while the group delayed their departure to handle loose ends and await the Alliance.
• Stephen asked Diana and the others to leave him alone with Bruce, then explained that he suspected Bruce had severe mental problems tied to hidden power.
• Stephen warned that dark dimensional power was parasitizing Bruce and could gradually corrupt his soul by strengthening an obsession and distorting his judgment.
• Bruce learned that Stephen had noticed the problem earlier and had deliberately pressured the hidden power into revealing itself sooner.
• Stephen explained Kamar-Taj’s experience with dark dimensional corruption, and Bruce asked how Stephen intended to solve his problem.

Stephen entered Bruce’s Mental World to investigate the Dark Dimension’s corruption and followed Bruce to the Wayne Family manor. After a childhood memory nearly let a fallen version of Bruce kill him, Stephen rescued him, and they approached a shadowy figure inside the manor.

• Bruce agreed to let Stephen enter his mind after Stephen explained the risks and why the corruption threatened the universe.
• Stephen and Bruce entered Bruce’s bleak Mental World, where Bruce sensed a presence and led Stephen to the Wayne Family manor.
• Bruce heard a child crying and jumped into a well to rescue a child who resembled him.
• The child’s sobbing overwhelmed Bruce with fear, then revealed a terrifying smile and attacked him with a dagger.
• Stephen pulled Bruce away from the attack and called him back to awareness near the manor entrance.
• Stephen warned Bruce that his Dark Side might have merged with the fallen Bruce, and Bruce opened the manor door to find a shadowy figure waiting inside.

The Batman Who Laughs tried to recruit Bruce and used his Mental World to summon the Dark Knight Corps, while Stephen warned Bruce that the conflict was a struggle for control of his mind. Bruce summoned allies and confronted the enemy, then discovered that his Dark Side was wielding power from an Abyss.

• The Batman Who Laughs urged Bruce to join him, but Bruce rejected his offer and refused to trust the fusion of Batman and Joker.
• The Batman Who Laughs summoned the Dark Knight Corps as projections, and his black scythe severed Bruce's Mind Link with Stephen.
• Bruce summoned Wonder Woman, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Barry Allen, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Aquaman Arthur, and Thanos to face the projections.
• Thanos charged The Batman Who Laughs and smashed him through walls, while Bruce confronted the scythe that had become his Dark Side.
• Young Wayne claimed he had borrowed power from an external force, and Stephen recognized that force as the Abyss.

Stephen intervened when Young Wayne manipulated Bruce into nearly killing him, then changed their plan as the Mental World collapsed. Bruce affirmed his trust in Stephen, who drove a Multicolored Scalpel into Bruce's heart.

• Thanos killed The Batman Who Laughs, who reappeared and became intent on turning Thanos into someone like himself.
• Devastator impaled Superman with a bone spike, while Dawnbreaker weakened Hal Jordan's ring power but could not extinguish his light completely.
• Red Death overwhelmed Barry in a Speed Force battle, and the other Dark Legion fighters challenged Wonder Woman, Aquaman Arthur, and Martian Manhunter Jones.
• Young Wayne provoked Bruce into losing control and nearly choking him to death, but Stephen stopped Bruce and warned that killing Young Wayne would cost him his moral anchor.
• Stephen asked Bruce whether he trusted him; Bruce said he did, and Stephen drove a Multicolored Scalpel into Bruce's heart.

Stephen performed Soul Surgery on Bruce, stabilizing his Mental World and separating him from Young Wayne, his Dark Side. Bruce learned that the separation was permanent, leaving Young Wayne contaminated and his chance to take over Bruce greatly diminished.

• Stephen's Scalpel cut through Bruce and Young Wayne, destabilizing their Mental World as Red Death, The Merciless, Dawnbreaker, and the others rushed to attack Stephen.
• Stephen's cuts created cracks that kept the Dark Knight Corps members away while Young Wayne coughed up black blood and felt his connection to Bruce fading.
• Bruce's pain and burdens vanished as his Mental World stabilized, and Stephen explained that he had performed Personality Stripping Surgery.
• Stephen told Bruce that he had permanently stripped away his Dark Side, Young Wayne, and warned that recovery would take a long time and could change Bruce's thoughts.

Stephen separated Bruce’s Abyss-infected Dark Side and his bright side from his Mental World, leaving Bruce’s emotions greatly subdued. He reassured Bruce that his Emotional System could recover over time, though Bruce would remain changed, and they prepared to leave for the final procedures.

• Stephen explained that the Abyss had infected Young Wayne, so he split the Mental World to cut him away from Bruce.
• Young Wayne’s black threads failed to cross the widening fissure, and the Abyss swallowed him and the Dark Knight Corps he had manifested.
• A golden figure appeared in the fog before Stephen cut it away too, explaining that he had removed Bruce’s bright side to prevent another extreme.
• Bruce noticed that his emotions and attachments felt faint, and Stephen assured him that his Emotional System would slowly recover around familiar people.
• Bruce accepted Stephen’s explanation, and they prepared to leave for the final procedures.

Bruce returned to the Batcave after Stephen resolved the trouble in his Mental World, and Stephen gave him his separated Light Personality while keeping his Abyss-infected Dark Personality. Stephen planned to take the dangerous fragment to Luke, and he explained the catastrophic history of Abyss objects to justify keeping it contained.

• Bruce returned to the Batcave and found that only ten seconds had passed in reality, though the experience had felt much longer.
• Stephen gave Bruce the tangible fragment of his Light Personality and warned him that keeping it nearby could help him recover his former mental state.
• Stephen showed Bruce his Abyss-infected Dark Personality and said he would take it to Luke to see whether it could be saved or else seal it away.
• Stephen recounted how Abyss objects had corrupted civilizations, including Hela's conquest of Asgard and the universe, before the Time Variance Authority intervened.
• Stephen explained that the Time Variance Authority, Kamar-Taj, and Hebron had contained the disaster and established rules for handling Abyss objects.

Stephen advised Bruce to use his Soul Fragment to create a version of himself that could take over his former duties, then explained the limits and risks of soul surgery. Bruce learned that Stephen had cut away much of his own technical experience to help create the Soul Surgery Room.

• Stephen told Bruce that his Soul Fragment could be used to forge a self that upheld Bruce’s former principles and responsibilities.
• Bruce asked whether Stephen had ever cut apart his own soul, and Stephen described how his surgery could amplify a chosen personality while remaining subject to limits.
• Stephen explained that trust helped make soul surgery safer and that Kamar-Taj restricted the technique after some mages used it recklessly.
• Bruce agreed with Wang that spreading the technique could cause serious harm, and Stephen said only a few mages had mastered it.
• Stephen revealed that he had cut away more than half of his technical experience, which Luke used to create the Soul Surgery Room, where Stephen held dividend-paying shares.

Stephen explained that Luke had split his soul into many versions to resist Psionic Erosion, possibly using a method connected to his status as a Dimensional Demon God. Luke suddenly appeared in Bruce’s room, where he revealed that he had come for something useful to one of his projects.

• Stephen told Bruce that Luke had created psionic energy and might have split his soul into nearly a hundred versions.
• Stephen speculated that Luke used versions from past Timelines and backups to avoid the effects of Psionic Erosion.
• Stephen explained that Luke had become a Dimensional Demon God, whose nature could not be judged by human standards.
• Luke appeared unnoticed in Bruce’s room, startling Bruce and Stephen and bypassing Bruce’s alarms.
• Luke told Stephen that any version of him could be the Main Body and said he had come for something that could help one of his projects.

Luke extracted The Batman Who Laughs' memories and used his soul as material to create a pointer, then restored him to a normal state in a new body. Bruce and Stephen questioned how Luke had reversed the corruption as they were left with the newly awakened Bruce.

• Stephen rejected the idea that Luke had come for the Anti-Life Equation, and Luke asked him to hand over Bruce's Dark Side.
• Luke separated Young Wayne from The Batman Who Laughs, resealed Young Wayne, and turned The Batman Who Laughs' soul into a book of memories.
• After reading the memories, Luke claimed The Batman Who Laughs' soul and used it to create a black pointer that could lead to his destination.
• Luke made a body and placed a faint soul shadow inside it, then left through a Spatial Gate to check on Betsy.
• Hospital Gown Bruce awoke, apologized for the trouble he had caused, and said he had returned to who he was before the Joker Virus infected him.
• Stephen concluded that Luke had countered the corruption by changing Bruce's power attributes, while Bruce questioned the danger of Luke's ability to alter minds and souls.

Hospital Gown Bruce explained that Barbatos sought to invade the Prime Universes through a gateway opened with five special metals and Bruce as a vessel. Luke returned with a Black Box containing the metals and opened a one-way portal to the Dark Multiverse, inviting Bruce, Stephen, and Hospital Gown Bruce to enter.

• Hospital Gown Bruce revealed that the Batman Who Laughs sought a route to Barbatos, the master of the Dark Multiverse, and described how five special metals could open a gateway with Bruce as the vessel.
• Hospital Gown Bruce identified the metals as Amber Gold, Promethium, Bat Gold, Nth Metal, and Dionysium, and pointed out that Bruce himself might also be needed.
• Stephen explained that Luke's Bifrost could reach places with existing coordinates, while precise coordinates would make the journey easier.
• Luke returned with a Black Box, saying he had used the Data Dimension and information from his target's mind to gather the five metals.
• Bruce agreed to go with Luke, who used the Black Box in the Monitoring Room to open a one-way door into the Dark Multiverse and assured them nothing could pass back into their universe.

Bruce, Luke, Stephen, and Bruce in a Hospital Gown entered the Dark Batman’s world and discovered that its peaceful Gotham was only a facade before a viral catastrophe. As the Dark Legion appeared to confront them, Luke revealed Bruce in a Hospital Gown as the Bat of Dawn, but The Merciless rejected his claim that the Batman Who Laughs had returned to order.

• Bruce in a Hospital Gown explained that the city was Gotham, trapped in a cycle of darkness created by the Batman Who Laughs.
• Dionysium rain spread the laughter virus through the city, and Stephen and Bruce used magic and a golden sphere to resist it.
• Bruce in a Hospital Gown said the Dark Legion was likely preparing beneath Wayne Manor, while Luke warned that the Legion was already coming.
• A giant bat-shaped shadow covered the city as the Dark Legion appeared and surrounded Luke and the others.
• Luke introduced Bruce in a Hospital Gown as the Bat of Dawn, but The Merciless denied that he was the Batman Who Laughs, and a metallic voice called for his death.

Luke used Psionic Light to counter the darkness overwhelming the city and incapacitate the Dark Bat Legion. He opened a Spatial Gate for his allies, who saw six Dark Waynes’ souls begin to emerge from their bodies as they entered.

• The Murder Machine froze in confusion when Luke made him question his urge to kill.
• Luke rebuffed the Devastator and released Psionic Light, calming the infected crowd and the Dark Legion members.
• Stephen explained to Bruce that Psionic Light influenced consciousness and opposed the city's Dark Force.
• Luke opened Spatial Gates and used mechanical arms to cut at the six Dark Waynes while their bodies were paralyzed.
• Stephen brought the two Bruces through the gate after Luke, and they saw the Dark Waynes’ souls struggle out of their twisted bodies.

Luke and the others reached the World Forge, where Elder Superman explained Barbatos’s origin and the war that led to his imprisonment. Luke exposed Elder Superman as Barbatos in disguise and used the Power of Opposition to make Barbatos argue with itself, leaving the creature divided over whether to let Luke see the World Forge.

• Bruce recognized the frail old man as possibly Clark, and Elder Superman introduced himself as Superman from another universe and described the World Forge.
• Elder Superman explained that Barbatos had secretly preserved unstable universes, killed the World Forger Alpheus, and was later sealed beneath the World Forge by his Justice League.
• Luke noticed the Spatial Gate had shifted and accused Elder Superman of being Barbatos in disguise because of the darkness in his soul.
• Barbatos revealed its true form and refused Luke’s request to see the World Forge, but Luke used the Power of Opposition to make Barbatos argue with itself.
• Stephen explained Luke’s power as Barbatos struggled for control, and the opposing consciousness stopped Barbatos from attacking and insisted Luke deserved to see the World Forge.

Luke’s energy struck Barbatos after his dark lightning failed to reach the intruders, leaving Barbatos wounded and newly capable of feeling emotions such as fear and indecision. Luke again demanded to be taken to the World Forge, and Barbatos hesitated over whether to comply.

• Barbatos’s dark lightning battered the intruders, but iridescent hexagonal shields protected Bruce and the others.
• Luke’s energy erupted from below and struck Barbatos, inflicting wounds and causing him immense pain.
• Barbatos realized that a new personality was changing him and making him experience thoughts and emotions he had never known.
• Luke told Barbatos he had given him more thoughts and choices, then demanded that Barbatos take him to the World Forge.
• Barbatos weighed protecting the World Forge against his growing sense that refusing Luke could bring an even worse fate.