Chapter Summaries

Chen Tao seized the Anti-Monitor’s heart but resisted the urge to merge with it, then faced an overwhelming Anti-Monitor who defeated the Justice League and controlled its members with the Anti-Life Equation. As Batman’s allies discussed their remaining options, Owlman admitted to Grail that his plan to escape to the Light Multiverse depended on a condition they could not currently meet.

• Murder Machine told The Batman Who Laughs that Chen Tao had obtained the Anti-Monitor’s heart, and The Batman Who Laughs ordered him to wait until the Anti-Monitor Batman was born.
• Chen Tao resisted the heart’s temptation to fuse with it, but the Anti-Monitor transformed into his antimatter armor and declared the apocalypse had begun.
• The Anti-Monitor overpowered the Justice League, controlled Thunder Zan-Sha and several heroes with the Anti-Life Equation, and drove Batman’s side toward defeat.
• The Batman Who Laughs and the Dark Knights debated Chen Tao’s hidden plans and how to strengthen his side, while Owlman told Grail that Batman still had Supreme Superboy and the power to rewind time.
• Grail confronted Owlman about his escape plan, and Owlman admitted that reaching the Light Multiverse required a condition they could not yet satisfy.

Owlman explained the Dark Multiverse’s growing passages to Grail and agreed to let her use the Mobius Chair, while the Anti-Monitor tried to break Barbatos’s destiny by turning Batman into his vessel. The Anti-Monitor defeated Supreme Superboy by using the Source Wall against him, but Batman’s calm confidence left him uncertain about what came next.

• Owlman told Grail that the Dark Multiverse’s passages into the Light Multiverse were growing and laid out his plan to hide there until they could escape.
• Grail demanded a chance to sit in the Mobius Chair and verify Owlman’s claims, and he agreed.
• The Anti-Monitor brought Batman to the Source Wall and tried to force him to fuse with the Anti-Monitor’s heart, hoping to break Barbatos’s destiny.
• The Anti-Monitor used Atrocitus, the Blood Butcher Bull, and Parallax to attack Supreme Superboy, but then the Source Wall swallowed Supreme Superboy.
• The Anti-Monitor questioned Batman’s confidence and asked whether he still believed he could win.

Grail secretly supplied Starro with psychic power to aid her plans, while Darkseid prepared to move Apokolips into Owlman's universe. As Anti-Monitor battled Chen Tao, William Hand sacrificed himself to summon the Black Death Emperor, but Anti-Monitor used the Anti-Life Equation to bring William back to life and cut off the Emperor's access to their world.

• Grail persuaded Starro to lend her psychic power, promising that one of his clones would appear in Batman's world.
• The Batman Who Laughs watched the Dark Knights observe the conflict, then returned to his room, while Darkseid prepared Apokolips for a cosmic migration into Owlman's universe.
• Anti-Monitor tore off Chen Tao's arm and punched through his chest as Chen Tao tried to endure the assault and wait for an opening.
• William Hand killed himself to become the Black Death Emperor's host and summon the Emperor to fight Anti-Monitor.
• Anti-Monitor pulled William out of the bottled Earth and used the Anti-Life Equation to restore him to life, closing the rift and preventing the Black Death Emperor from entering their world.
• Chen Tao realized Anti-Monitor had turned William's sacrifice against the Black Death Emperor and decided he needed to wake The Flash.

The Batman Who Laughs and the Dark Knights helped Barbatos devour their Dark Multiverse, then planned to visit another world and assess its Batman. Meanwhile, Chen Tao and Barry Allen set the final pieces of their plan in motion, leaving Owlman watching and expecting Batman to fail.

• Owlman watched Batman struggle and believed that reversing time would only postpone the inevitable.
• The Batman Who Laughs joined the Dark Knights at the Dark Spire, and they channeled Barbatos's power as he devoured their universe.
• The Batman Who Laughs decided they would visit another Dark Multiverse while Barbatos's chosen Batman accepted his power, and Red Death asked to build a television there.
• Barry Allen awakened, learned Chen Tao's plan, and agreed to help despite initially thinking he had to shoot himself.
• Barry ran with Batman's device as Chen Tao synchronized with Red Death, causing time to flow backward and the Anti-Monitor's heart to tremble in sync.
• Owlman watched the plan unfold and believed Batman would ultimately betray everyone who trusted him.

Batman used the Speed Force and Barbatos's power to expel the Anti-Monitor from the universe, then drained Starro's mental energy to read and erase the Anti-Monitor's memories. Batman collapsed after exhausting himself, but later appeared beside a terrified Turtle Man, promising to make him a powerhouse.

• Chen Tao fully merged with Barry Allen through the Speed Force and promised to save him later.
• Chen Tao attached Luther and Lucius's burden-sharing device to the Anti-Monitor's heart and used the Speed Force to rewind time and expel Qward and the Anti-Monitor from the universe.
• Chen Tao pinned the Anti-Monitor and connected to Starro, repeatedly draining the starfish's mental power to access the Anti-Monitor's memories.
• Chen Tao erased the Anti-Monitor's memories of what Batman had stolen, but the effort consumed much of the time he could rewind.
• Chen Tao returned to Justice League headquarters, collapsed, and smiled before losing consciousness.
• Turtle Man found Batman beside him, heard Batman promise to turn him into a powerhouse, and became terrified.

After restarting time, Chen Tao confirmed that the Justice League was safe and began planning how to defeat the Anti-Monitor without sacrificing innocent people. He tested a method of combining Eclipso’s power, The Red, the Anti-Monitor’s heart, and telepathy to create a powerful, independently minded fighter, and the experiment produced a talking turtle head on Turtle Man’s shoulder.

• Chen Tao woke ten days before the Anti-Monitor’s invasion and used the Batcomputer to confirm that the Justice League members were unharmed.
• Chen Tao considered recruiting Supreme Superboy and strengthening his allies, but rejected Owlman’s plan to turn people into expendable weapons.
• Chen Tao reasoned that the Anti-Monitor’s ability to open a passage into the Light Multiverse might help him escape the Dark Multiverse.
• Chen Tao brought Eclipso to Turtle Man and used the Anti-Monitor’s heart to stop Eclipso from taking control while he infused Turtle Man with The Red.
• Chen Tao used his telepathy to separate the resulting personalities, and a turtle head emerged from Turtle Man’s shoulder and announced that it was strong.

Chen Tao repeatedly rewound Turtle Man’s timeline while experimenting with Eclipso’s power and Joker-Man serum, eventually creating a controllable secondary personality. He planned to use the method to turn Earth’s population insane, while Owlman doubted Batman could find a way to defeat Anti-Monitor.

• Chen Tao combined Eclipso’s power with The Red in Turtle Man, creating a monstrous second head that became powerful and fought Bane.
• Chen Tao struck Turtle Man with electricity, then used the Speed Force to rewind his body and restart the experiment.
• Chen Tao gave Turtle Man Joker-Man serum and Eclipso’s power through repeated trials until the turtle head became intelligent and devoted to Batman Overlord.
• Chen Tao removed Eclipso’s power, making the turtle head vanish, and planned to use controllable secondary personalities to spread madness across Earth.
• Owlman watched the restarted universe and told Nightwing Dick Grayson that Batman could not change Destiny, but Nightwing’s voice interrupted with confidence that Batman would find a solution.

Chen Tao restored Bane and William Hand’s memories of the previous timeline and went to Superwoman’s hidden base to secure her help against the Anti-Monitor. After learning she could curse Wonder Woman through their connection, he rewound the local timeline and attacked Superwoman before she could use the curse.

• Chen Tao returned Turtle Man to his beast-controlled state, then restored Bane’s memories and ordered him to recruit Anton Arcane and train William Hand to summon the Black Death Emperor sooner.
• Chen Tao restored William Hand’s memories, then flew to Superwoman’s hidden base to take a treasure she possessed and offer her a deal.
• Wonder Woman told Chen Tao that Barry had vanished while on a date with Patty, leaving him afraid that his plan might cost Barry his life.
• Superwoman revealed that her Amazonian curse could transfer her injuries to Wonder Woman, and Chen Tao confirmed that the curse was active.
• Chen Tao reversed the local timeline, destroyed the mountain base with Dark Father’s Omega Beams, and struck Superwoman before she could activate the curse.

After capturing Superwoman, Chen Tao heard Lex Luthor’s plan to trap the Anti-Monitor in Owlman’s universe and sacrifice that universe to save their own. Though Luthor argued that Batman had to choose his world, Chen Tao refused and vowed to save both worlds.

• Chen Tao brought the unconscious Superwoman to the Justice League headquarters and secretly arranged for Poison Ivy to be released from The Red.
• Lex Luthor deduced that Batman had restarted the timeline and explained his plan to trap the Anti-Monitor in Owlman’s universe with a Speed Force storm.
• Luthor revealed that he had researched Gorilla City’s Speed Force technology, controlled the Green Lantern Corps, and learned how Owlman used the Planet Heart to move his universe.
• Luthor urged Chen Tao to kill Owlman and sacrifice his universe, arguing that Batman could not let his own world’s people down.
• Chen Tao rejected Luthor’s plan, arguing that sacrificing Owlman’s world would make them no different from Owlman, and declared that he would save both worlds.

Chen Tao tried to recruit Supreme Superboy to help stop the Anti-Monitor, while Darkseid maneuvered to make Batman and Owlman destroy each other. Supreme Superboy agreed to fight the Anti-Monitor only if Chen Tao released him, but Chen Tao realized he could not trust him.

• Chen Tao let Luther pursue his own plan and promised to watch for Darkseid’s betrayal as they parted.
• Chen Tao reviewed the timeline reset and ordered Atrocitus to locate Zamaron before turning his attention to recruiting Supreme Superboy.
• Darkseid told DeSaad to cooperate with Owlman, intending to use Batman and Owlman against the Anti-Monitor and seize the advantage afterward.
• Darkseid received Chen Tao’s request to meet at the Source Wall and release Supreme Superboy, but refused to free him without a way to control him.
• Chen Tao appealed to Supreme Superboy’s memories of the Anti-Monitor crisis and asked him to help save the universe.
• Supreme Superboy agreed to fight the Anti-Monitor in exchange for release, then made clear he still intended to create his own world; Chen Tao suspected he would kill him if freed.

After Darkseid failed to answer his summons, Chen Tao abandoned his plan to force Supreme Superboy under control and prepared a risky attempt to persuade him instead. He brought Bane to the Source Wall and revealed to Supreme Superboy that he was a transmigrator and former comic reader, just like him.

• Chen Tao realized Darkseid had deliberately stood him up and considered how their alliance might shift in favor of Darkseid and Owlman.
• Chen Tao abandoned his plan to confront Darkseid, then summoned Bane through the Eternal Cellar with Atrocitus.
• Supreme Superboy challenged Chen Tao and accused him of being a counterfeit Batman, while Chen Tao let him speak.
• Bane agreed to repeat the method he had used against Darkseid after Chen Tao promised not to abandon him.
• Chen Tao told Supreme Superboy that he was a transmigrator and had once been a comic reader, just like him.

Batman revealed to Supreme Superboy that their world belonged to the Dark Multiverse and begged him to save it despite its flaws. Supreme Superboy refused to abandon his plan to remake the world, but told Batman to take him down from the Source Wall; elsewhere, Darkseid spoke with Owlman about Batman submitting to them.

• Batman tried to persuade Supreme Superboy to resist rage and hatred, then admitted that their world was part of the Dark Multiverse.
• Batman shared memories of Dark Multiverse stories, including one in which Supreme Superboy's counterpart was dissolved by Blue Beetle.
• Batman removed his cowl, pleaded with Supreme Superboy to uphold his heroic principles, and called him Clark Kent.
• Supreme Superboy insisted he would kill everyone and remake the broken world, but challenged Batman to take him down from the Source Wall anyway.
• Batman agreed to take Supreme Superboy down despite his threat, and Supreme Superboy told him to do it.
• On Apokolips, Darkseid spoke with Owlman about Batman having to submit to them.

The Dark Knights watched events unfold as Supreme Superboy killed Batman and tried to justify rebooting the Multiverse, but Batman revealed he had planted Source Universe kryptonite in him. On Apokolips, Darkseid expected Batman to seek his help, but Supreme Superboy instead appeared to threaten him.

• The Devastator, Red Death, and Murder Machine destroyed a Nazi-themed world, while the Batman Who Laughs urged Murder Machine to wait for the story to reach its climax.
• Supreme Superboy impaled Batman, killed Bane, and explained that he planned to defeat the Anti-Monitor and reboot the universe.
• Batman used kryptonite made from Supreme Superboy's own memories to weaken him and revealed that he had planned ahead for their inevitable fight.
• Darkseid and Owlman argued over an alliance, and Darkseid insisted that Batman would come to him for help controlling Supreme Superboy.
• Supreme Superboy appeared on the screen and threatened to beat Darkseid to death.

Grail arrived in Gotham and demanded directions to Owlman's headquarters, while Batman used kryptonite and prepared powers from The Red to take control of Supreme Superboy. Supreme Superboy was compelled to attack Darkseid on Apokolips, leaving both of them bewildered.

• Grail crashed into Gotham, resisted a passerby's weapons, and forced him to guide her to Wayne Tower.
• Batman explained that he had read Supreme Superboy's memories and used Prime Earth kryptonite to weaken and bind him.
• Supreme Superboy proposed a deal, but Batman injected him with Joker-Man serum and Man-Bat serum while Red Sunlight kept him helpless.
• A monkey head grew from Supreme Superboy's shoulder and repeated that Darkseid had betrayed them, prompting Batman to send him through Boom Tubes.
• Supreme Superboy arrived on Apokolips and punched Darkseid in the face.

Chen Tao’s attempt to control Supreme Superboy without Darkseid’s help left him a rampaging, two-headed beast that wrecked Apokolips. After the monkey head knocked out Supreme Superboy’s original personality and took full control, Darkseid summoned Black Racer to restrain it, while Owlman watched the chaos from space.

• Supreme Superboy attacked Darkseid and demolished part of Apokolips, while Batman stayed safely behind the Boom Tube and demanded that Darkseid talk.
• Darkseid tried to restrain Supreme Superboy and persuade Batman to intervene, but Supreme Superboy abruptly stood silent before the two heads began arguing.
• The monkey head, imprinted with loyalty to Batman, beat Supreme Superboy’s original head unconscious and seized full control of the body.
• Darkseid summoned Black Racer to demonstrate his power, but the monkey head eagerly charged at the embodiment of death as Chen Tao feared its idealism had made it even stronger.
• Owlman watched the events unfold on a screen and wondered what Batman was doing.

Chen Tao tried to stop Supreme Superboy Monkey from killing Darkseid and contacted Owlman for help, but Owlman refused and urged him to abandon the universe. Chen Tao then used emotional entities to prepare the monkey for a purple ring, which made him kiss Batman’s foot.

• Supreme Superboy Monkey battered Darkseid while the Black Racer killed a Parademon, then escaped through a portal after the monkey destroyed most of his body.
• Chen Tao contacted Owlman and asked him to help defeat the Anti-Monitor, but Owlman said he planned to abandon the universe after Darkseid’s defeat ruined his attempt to reclaim its power.
• Owlman urged Chen Tao to flee the doomed universe, but Chen Tao refused and decided to try another plan.
• Chen Tao forced the Parallax creature and Ion Shark into Supreme Superboy Monkey, then added the Blood Butcher Bull, but none of them controlled him.
• Chen Tao slipped a purple ring onto Supreme Superboy Monkey’s finger, and the monkey puckered his lips and kissed Batman’s foot.

Atrocitus captured the Violet Lantern Corps’ power battery, while Owlman trapped Grail and took control of the Planet Heart. Chen Tao realized Owlman had interfered with Supreme Superboy’s mind and threatened his control over the monkey personalities.

• Atrocitus’s forces defeated the Violet Lantern Corps, and he sent a Purple Lantern Ring through a Boom Tube to Batman before turning to the Violet Central Power Battery.
• Grail reached the Planet Heart, where Owlman explained that he needed her to drive their universe away from the Anti-Monitor.
• Owlman’s hidden restraints trapped Grail, took her weapons, and knocked her unconscious after he revealed that he knew she and Batman had conspired.
• Chen Tao used the Purple Lantern Ring to intensify Supreme Little Monkey’s devotion to him and began calming the large monkey personality.
• Supreme Superboy’s original personality awakened, and Chen Tao realized Owlman had used a powerful psychic to disrupt his control.

Dick Grayson escaped his confinement aboard the Owl Ship to stop Owlman from killing Grail, while Owlman confronted Batman over his plan to sacrifice one universe to save the other. Batman agreed to cooperate, then immediately assigned Owlman a long list of tasks.

• Dick Grayson realized Owlman had trapped him in a looping corridor and demanded to know what would happen to Grail.
• Owlman revealed that he had monitored Dick and Grail from the start, then agreed to provisionally believe Dick wanted to save her and asked whether he could persuade Batman.
• Owlman demonstrated that he could interfere with Supreme Superboy and asked Batman to help sacrifice one universe to hold off the Anti-Monitor.
• Owlman offered to evacuate Batman's people to his universe, while planning to use Nightwing to persuade or threaten Batman if necessary.
• Batman agreed to Owlman's plan, then demanded help with beastifying the world, using Starro and Owlman's technology, capturing General Zod and others, and suppressing Anton Arcane.

Chen Tao and Owlman agreed on an escape plan that required Batman to trap the Anti-Monitor in a universe consumed by a Speed Force storm. After returning to the Batcave, Chen Tao realized his next destination was Fiji.

• Owlman explained that the group could trap the Anti-Monitor in one universe, then drive another through the Planet Heart and flee across the Dark Multiverse.
• Chen Tao questioned the plan’s risks, and Owlman said a Speed Force repulsion network would keep the Anti-Monitor from entering the escaping universe.
• Owlman revealed that Batman would need to hold the Anti-Monitor back and die with him, and Batman agreed on the condition that Owlman take his Earth and leave it undisturbed.
• Chen Tao returned to Justice League headquarters and realized Owlman had taken care of most of their shared plans, leaving him unexpectedly idle.
• Chen Tao flew to his original Batcave beneath Wayne Manor, where Alfred greeted him and he decided he needed to go to Fiji.

In Fiji, Chen Tao weighed Owlman’s evacuation plan as a backup against the Anti-Monitor and tried to rest before attending a local party. His brief vacation ended when Mount Tomanivi suddenly erupted, forcing him to rush to save the people of Fiji.

• Chen Tao asked Luther to investigate whether Owlman could truly evacuate everyone on Earth, while Luther warned that Owlman would enslave them and urged Batman not to risk his life.
• Luther agreed to assess the intelligence he could gather, and Chen Tao explained that he would decide whether Owlman’s plan was viable based on Luther’s judgment.
• Chen Tao considered using Starro’s avatars to turn people into controlled beast-human forms and later restore them, then accepted Alfred’s invitation to a party but decided to sleep first.
• Chen Tao reflected that he might accept a plan risking his own safety because the Anti-Monitor was an unprecedented enemy.
• Mount Tomanivi erupted without warning, and Chen Tao called the Justice League for help before deciding to save the people of Fiji.