Chapter Summaries

Duva confronted Doctor Manhattan, who tried to drive him out of the Prime Universe to investigate Superman and the changes Duva had caused. Their clash escalated into a multiversal battle that shook The Bleed and the Realm of the Gods, leaving the gods alarmed and demanding answers from Zeus.

• Doctor Manhattan questioned Duva about his origins and said Duva’s transformation of life had erased the diversity he had come to investigate.
• Duva rejected Manhattan’s demand to leave and said his ambition was to be remembered and stand above all things.
• Doctor Manhattan attacked with quantum energy, but Duva shattered the assault and answered with his own multiversal power.
• The two gods multiplied into groups of avatars and fought across time, space, and The Bleed, threatening the multiverse’s structure.
• The battle’s shockwaves disrupted the Realm of the Gods, where gods feared another reboot and questioned Zeus about the naked stranger fighting Duva.

As Duva and Doctor Manhattan fought with enough force to threaten the Marvel Multiverse, Adrian and the second Rorschach tried to oppose Duva’s rule in the Prime Universe. Their escape failed, and the Prime Universe heroes faced a gathering army of Xenomorphs led by DCEU Batman and Steel Lantern.

• The gods of the Realm of the Gods worried that Duva and Doctor Manhattan’s battle would destroy the Marvel Multiverse, while Zeus admitted he knew nothing about Doctor Manhattan’s origins.
• In Gotham, Adrian and the second Rorschach questioned Prime Universe Batman about the public’s calm response to the disaster, and DCEU Batman appeared to reveal he had joined forces with him.
• Adrian detonated a bomb and fled with the second Rorschach, but Steel Lantern intercepted them and blasted the second Rorschach into a pile of flesh.
• Frank objected to Steel Lantern killing the outsiders, but DCEU Batman killed Adrian and argued with Prime Universe Batman over his decision.
• Prime Universe Superman arrived as Xenomorphs gathered around the heroes, who faced an overwhelming force that believed the Justice League could not stop them.

Duva fought Doctor Manhattan across the Multiverse to stop him from interfering with Superman and damaging the DC world. Doctor Manhattan finally halted his actions, but the Spectre arrived in fury as the Multiverse teetered toward another reboot.

• Duva and Doctor Manhattan clashed across the Multiverse, and their battle destroyed universes and threatened to spread The Bleed through the remaining worlds.
• The Monitors watched the devastation and concluded that Doctor Manhattan had targeted Duva because he had discovered Superman's unique importance to the DC world.
• Duva's forces and Doctor Manhattan's independent duplicates killed one another, while Duva warned that Manhattan's meddling with history would eventually provoke Superman.
• Duva told Jonathan John Osterman that he could not kill him yet but would eventually surpass him, and warned that continuing the fight would cause further damage.
• Doctor Manhattan stopped acting to satisfy his curiosity, but the Spectre stormed into the Multiverse and denounced both combatants.

The Spectre confronted Duva and Doctor Manhattan after their battle devastated the multiverse, then followed Duva into the Realm of the Gods. There, The Spectre declared he could kill all of Duva’s concepts by destroying one conceptual avatar and unleashed his power.

• The Spectre returned to the Prime Universe, saw the devastation caused by Duva and Doctor Manhattan, and angrily confronted them.
• Phantom Stranger explained how Duva’s actions had shifted the multiverse’s center from the New 52 Universe to Universe 0 and warned that Duva carefully avoided provoking Superman.
• Duva mocked The Spectre for arriving after the crisis, while Doctor Manhattan refrained from attacking and The Spectre ordered him to leave the multiverse.
• Doctor Manhattan stayed behind as The Spectre followed one of Duva’s avatars into the Realm of the Gods.
• The Spectre confronted Duva in the Realm of the Gods, claimed he could kill all of Duva’s concepts by killing one avatar, and unleashed Judgment.

The Spectre used his Judgment Power against Duva, while the Endless Family discussed Duva’s mysterious origins and Dream’s plan to recruit him. As the Judgment ended, Death pointed the family toward the outcome, leaving them eager to see what Duva would do next.

• The Spectre locked onto Duva and struck him with Judgment Power, sealing his escape and threatening the Xenomorphs linked to him.
• The gods debated whether Duva could survive, while Dream told the Endless Family that Duva had once been an ordinary human from Earth.
• Death revealed that Duva came from outside the DC world, and the family considered the possibility of entering his native world to grow stronger.
• Dream said he would try to recruit Duva again when he needed the Endless Family’s help.
• Death announced that the Judgment was over and drew the family’s attention to Duva’s fate.

Duva survived the Spectre’s judgment because his existence extended beyond DC, forcing the Spectre to retreat and repair the shattered universes. Duva then pursued a plan to acquire Quantum Batman, while the Batman Who Laughs also began hunting a Quantum God.

• Duva explained that the Spectre could not judge him because his origins and concept extended into Marvel, and the Spectre ordered him to remain in the Realm of the Gods.
• The Spectre returned to Pandora and Phantom Stranger, revealed that Duva came from another vast world, and vowed to watch Duva and the Quantum God before repairing the damaged universes.
• Doctor Manhattan admitted that Duva’s future was impossible for him to read, but remained more interested in Duva than in Superman.
• Duva secretly sent an avatar into the Dark Multiverse to find Quantum Batman and gain a powerful ally.
• The Batman Who Laughs observed events in the Multiverse and decided to create and hunt a Quantum God.

The Batman Who Laughs plotted to create a Quantum Batman while Barbatos pressed him to open a passage to the Prime Universe. Duva arrived as the experiment succeeded, killed Ravager, and crushed The Batman Who Laughs, though his final remark suggested the conflict was not over.

• Barbatos ordered The Batman Who Laughs to find a way into the Prime Universe and warned him that Xenomorphs threatened the Dark Multiverse.
• The Batman Who Laughs took Ravager to an unnumbered Dark Universe, where a Batman recreated Doctor Manhattan’s experiment after sixteen previous subjects had died.
• The seventeenth Batman became Quantum Batman, but Duva arrived before Ravager could attack him.
• Duva blocked Ravager’s punch, destroyed him, and then crushed The Batman Who Laughs’s head after the two traded remarks about their plans.

Duva took control of the newly born Quantum Batman, then faced Barbatos, who attacked to reclaim him and protect his claim as the Bat God. Quantum Batman fought back and questioned Barbatos’s connection to Batman, exposing a secret Duva threatened to reveal as the battle continued.

• Duva parasitized Quantum Batman as he formed, altering his thoughts and cognition and bringing him under Duva’s control.
• Quantum Batman warned Duva that Barbatos had noticed his intrusion and was approaching.
• Barbatos arrived, accused Duva of crossing into his domain and stealing his person, then attacked Duva and Quantum Batman.
• Quantum Batman blocked Barbatos’s darkness and fought him, using his reality-altering power as Barbatos repeatedly tore his body apart.
• Quantum Batman challenged Barbatos’s claim to be the Bat God, and Duva threatened to reveal the secret to the watching gods.

Duva and Quantum Batman fought Barbatos in the Dark Multiverse, while the gods reacted to Duva’s sudden creation of a powerful multiversal subordinate. Duva withdrew rather than kill Barbatos, leaving Barbatos to plan an attack on the Prime Universe and seek a guardian for the World Forge.

• Barbatos unleashed waves of power that destroyed Dark Universes, but Duva warned him that his strength and survival were not assured.
• The gods learned that Duva and Doctor Manhattan had created Quantum Batman, and they grew wary of Duva’s growing power.
• Duva rejected the Endless Family’s invitation and told the gods he had no plans to join them.
• Quantum Batman struck Barbatos and sent him flying through several Dark Universes, but Duva ordered him to stop and withdraw.
• Duva explained that killing Barbatos too soon would bring a more troublesome threat, then left with Quantum Batman.
• Barbatos found himself alone among ruined universes and decided to find a watchdog to guard the World Forge while he attacked the Prime Universe.

World Forger and Anti-Monitor discussed Duva’s growing power and World Forger’s plan to replace the Multiverse with his Sixth-Dimensional version. Meanwhile, Quantum Batman joined Duva, Doctor Manhattan departed, and Prime Universe Batman revealed to Lex Luthor that he had enlisted Batmen in the New 52 Universe to build powerful armor against Duva.

• World Forger dismissed Barbatos as useless and explained that he planned to destroy the Multiverse and replace it with his perfected Sixth-Dimensional Multiverse.
• World Forger and Anti-Monitor worried about Duva’s rapid rise, while World Forger judged that Quantum Batman and the Godslayer Armor could give him an advantage.
• Quantum Batman appeared beside Duva and Doctor Manhattan, and Duva explained that he intended to establish a Xenomorph settlement in the Realm of the Gods rather than transform the entire Prime Universe.
• Doctor Manhattan chose to leave and observe the DC world without interfering, while Quantum Batman warned Duva that his subordinates were acting in the New 52 Universe.
• Prime Universe Batman met Lex Luthor in the Batcave and revealed that he had secretly worked with Batmen in the New 52 Universe to create armor that might help them defeat Duva.

New 52 Batman donned the Hell Armor, built with help from heroes across universes, and prepared to rescue the Justice League from Duva’s control in the Prime Universe. With The Spectre warning that the armor’s power came at a lethal cost, Batman breached the universal barrier and raced toward Earth.

• New 52 Superman and the Justice League completed the Hell Armor, with New 52 Batman revealing that allies from other universes had helped build it.
• Batman activated the armor and confirmed that the heroes present had not been parasitized; The Spectre judged the armor successful and ordered Batman to rescue the Prime Universe’s Justice League, prioritizing Superman and Batman if necessary.
• Batman and The Spectre discussed how Duva’s parasitism made a massed superhero attack too dangerous, and Batman challenged The Spectre about his uncertain backup plan and fluctuating power.
• Batman launched from Earth in the Hell Armor, outpaced Superman, crossed The Bleed, and entered the Prime Universe.
• The Spectre urged Batman to head straight for Earth and warned that prolonged combat would drain the armor’s energy and consume Batman’s life force.

New 52 Batman and the Spectre entered the Prime Universe to rescue its people, but New 52 Batman found the Justice League missing and faced Quantum Batman and Thanoseid. After revealing that Prime Universe Darkseid’s godhood powered the Hell Armor, he overwhelmed Thanoseid but began spending his life to sustain the armor, while the Spectre dove into it.

• New 52 Batman and the Spectre flew toward Earth through a Prime Universe overrun by powerful Xenomorphs.
• At Justice Hall, Quantum Batman confronted New 52 Batman, rejected his attempt to free him from the Xenomorph identity, and blocked his search for the Justice League.
• New 52 Batman unleashed Prime Universe Darkseid’s godhood through the Hell Armor, bypassed Quantum Batman, and found no trace of the Justice League.
• Thanoseid attacked the Hell Armor to claim its godhood, but New 52 Batman’s calculations let him gain the upper hand while Omega Rays shook the Prime Universe.
• New 52 Batman realized Duva had hidden Prime Universe Batman and Superman, and he began using his life force to keep the Hell Armor running.
• Duva watched the battle and judged that New 52 Batman could not defeat him, while the Spectre plunged into the Hell Armor.

The Spectre possessed New 52 Batman and empowered the Hellbat, but Duva’s Xenomorphs trapped and overwhelmed them in the Prime Universe. Duva then went to Source Earth, where he confronted Darkseid, who revealed himself as an ordinary-looking editor and admitted his plan had failed.

• The Spectre possessed New 52 Batman, taking on the cost of the Hell Armor and giving him immense power so they could escape Duva.
• Quantum Batman created a quantum Source Wall around Hellbat, while Thanoseid and other Xenomorphs attacked and closed in on the trapped armor.
• Duva concluded that the battle was under control and shifted his attention to Source Earth.
• Duva entered the Editorial Department and told Jeff that he had come to confront Darkseid about giving his divine spark to Batman.
• Darkseid revealed himself as a burly editor and admitted that his gamble had failed, while claiming Thanoseid could challenge his true body if he absorbed the divine spark.

Duva defeated Hellbat and thwarted Batman and The Spectre’s attempt to use Prime Universe Darkseid’s godhead, which Thanoseid then absorbed. As Darkseid’s power went dormant, Starro entered the Prime Universe, drawing the World Forger and Anti-Monitor’s attention.

• Darkseid revealed that New 52 Earth's Batman had helped him enter Source Earth, and Superman-Prime struck him into dust after Duva ordered him to leave.
• Duva watched the battle in the Prime Universe and predicted that Darkseid would not surrender while others pursued the Hell Armor’s power.
• Duva shattered Hellbat’s defenses, leaving Batman and The Spectre unable to use Darkseid’s godhead or escape.
• Thanoseid seized and absorbed the godhead fragment, intending to grow powerful enough to challenge Darkseid’s true body.
• World Forger noticed a giant starfish entering the Prime Universe, and Anti-Monitor identified it as Starro and warned that its most feared ability was parasitism.

Starro entered the Prime Universe under orders from Barbatos and The Batman Who Laughs, but Duva quickly crushed it and exposed the deception. The Batman Who Laughs remained confident that a much larger plan would defeat Duva, though his allies questioned his judgment.

• Starro arrived in the Prime Universe and began scattering spores while Duva and Thanoseid discussed the hidden forces testing Duva’s power.
• Alexander Luther and Lex Luthor secretly discussed their plan to betray Duva, believing Starro’s spores would help bring about his defeat.
• Duva attacked Starro across the universe, killed it, and explained that The Batman Who Laughs had lied about hiding the plan from him.
• Starro revived from a spore in the Dark Multiverse, but The Batman Who Laughs killed the newborn Starro in case Duva had already parasitized it.
• Dawnbreaker and the other Batmen challenged The Batman Who Laughs, who insisted that their collective plan would soon deliver Duva’s crushing defeat.

The heroes’ last-ditch plan drew Original Doomsday into the Prime Universe, but Duva found their refuge and confronted them through Johnny Quick. As Doomsday arrived, Lex Luthor prepared to reveal a separate third plan to eliminate Duva permanently.

• Lex Luthor and Alexander Luther discussed their plan to lure an unconventional threat capable of challenging Duva, while Lex hinted at a third plan of his own.
• Flash brought the heroes to the Oblivion Bar, where Batman and Superman prepared to counterattack against Duva.
• Johnny Quick ran into the Speed Force refuge, and Zatanna discovered that Duva had used him to locate the heroes.
• Duva spoke through Johnny Quick, revealed that he had anticipated their preparations, and said he was waiting for their planned arrival.
• Hellbat’s damaged armor resonated with Apokolips’s Father Box, opening a Boom Tube that brought Original Doomsday into the Prime Universe.
• Alexander Luther welcomed Original Doomsday as their weapon, while DCEU Lex Luthor prepared to unveil his own third plan.

Doomsday entered the Prime Universe and rapidly evolved immunity to the attacks used against it, while Duva revealed why he could not safely parasitize it. As Doomsday approached, Duva began devising a way to defeat its infinite evolution, and Lex Luthor prepared his third plan to permanently eliminate Duva's threat.

• Hellbat detected Doomsday's arrival, and The Spectre comforted Batman as he realized his actions had helped bring the monster to the Prime Universe.
• Doomsday shattered the universe's barriers, and Alexander Luther celebrated it as a weapon capable of opposing Duva while Lex Luthor warned that he had another plan.
• Doomsday entered the battle, and Thanoseid blasted New 52 Batman apart while Quantum Batman kept him and The Spectre trapped behind a quantum wall.
• Doomsday suffered quantum attacks, instantly healed, gained immunity to them, and broke through Quantum Batman's wall.
• Duva explained that Doomsday had evolved from a Kryptonian infant subjected to repeated deaths and that parasitizing it would only work once before it became immune.
• Duva began considering how to counter Doomsday's evolving immunities, while Lex Luthor brought out his third plan to eliminate Duva's threat.

Duva and Lex Luthor used a specially engineered Xenomorph to exploit Doomsday’s rapid adaptation, while Alexander Luther’s plan unraveled. The Original Doomsday became trapped in an escalating cycle of counter-evolution and crashed.

• Quantum Batman realized Doomsday had created spores and deduced how Starro’s spores and the tampered Hell Armor had brought it to the Prime Universe.
• Alexander Luther challenged Duva and dismissed New 52 Batman, while Duva said Doomsday had a weakness and avoided fighting it directly.
• DCEU Lex Luthor revealed his plan to create a maximally efficient parasite by repeatedly having Xenomorphs parasitize one another, and admitted he intended to join Duva.
• Duva placed Lex Luthor’s engineered Xenomorph on Doomsday, triggering a cycle in which each evolved immunity was immediately countered by another adaptation.
• Doomsday became confused as the competing adaptations escalated, then crashed.

Duva subdued Doomsday and prepared to seal it as a trump card while Thanoseid fought The Spectre, whose Judgment Power failed against him. After erasing Alexander Luther and warning Lex Luthor, Duva turned his attention to mounting problems in the Marvel Multiverse.

• Duva left The Spectre to fight Thanoseid, and Thanoseid resisted the Spectre's Judgment Power before blasting it and New 52 Batman away with an Omega Ray.
• Duva inspected the immobilized Doomsday and decided to seal it until he needed a powerful weapon against a difficult enemy.
• Lex Luthor claimed credit for helping suppress Doomsday, and Duva acknowledged his achievement.
• Alexander Luther lamented giving Lex Luthor the Mobius Chair, but Duva erased him from the world.
• Lex Luthor speculated that Duva was preparing to leave the Multiverse, and Duva warned him against causing trouble.
• Duva considered problems involving Multiverse-level gods in the Marvel Multiverse and wondered how the Living Tribunal and Marvel Editorial Department would respond.

Duva captured Doomsday by using parasitism to counter its evolution, alarming gods and refugees across the multiverse. At Oblivion Bar, Duva confronted Superman but left without parasitizing the heroes, while Lex suspected there was a reason for his restraint; afterward, Duva grew unusually quiet.

• Athena and Ares discussed Duva’s growing power and the danger of confronting him as the gods watched him immobilize Doomsday.
• The gods realized Duva had captured Doomsday through parasitism, and Ares left to find a way to grow stronger and protect himself.
• Zatanna reported Doomsday’s defeat at Oblivion Bar, where Johnny Quick displayed his loyalty to Duva.
• Duva took control of Johnny Quick, drank at the bar, and argued with Superman about free will and becoming Xenomorphs.
• Constantine returned from Hell as Duva left, and Lex Luthor urged the heroes to discover why Duva had spared them.
• Duva captured Doomsday, dealt with Alexander Luther and the others, and then became unusually quiet.