Recaps

After a plane crash, Roland landed on Avalon, where he fought and permanently killed the demon Glasya-Labolas with the Purging Armor. In Hell, the Fallen decided to continue targeting Roland, while Demon Nero offered to help with a grand plan.

• Roland called the Church to report that he had survived the crash, then encountered an elf on an island near Ireland who brought him to Merlin in Avalon.
• Roland confronted Merlin about revealing his existence to Lucifer, and Merlin opened a Portal to expel him when he learned Roland was the second Messiah.
• Glasya-Labolas emerged through the Portal and attacked Roland, who used the Purging Armor, Kamaitachi, and his Hand of God technique to overpower him.
• Roland's gauntlet's engraved power ignited golden flames inside Glasya-Labolas and destroyed him, leaving Merlin astonished.
• In Hell, the First, Second, and Third of the Fallen discussed Glasya-Labolas's death and chose to continue their plan to have Demons kill Roland.
• Demon Nero arrived and offered the Fallen help, promising them a grand plan.

James Jesse, now the devil’s right-hand man, helped Demon Nero recruit villains by offering them deals in exchange for their souls. In Hell, the invited villains gathered, where Deadpool annoyed Joker, Riddler, Circe, and Fiddler with his autograph requests.

• James Jesse confirmed the candidate list to Demon Nero, who opened green portals to approach the targets.
• Demon Nero offered Batman his parents back, but Batman refused the deal and lost sight of Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne again.
• Demon Nero offered the Flash his mother’s return and his father’s exoneration, but the Flash refused and ran through Nero’s apparition.
• Demon Nero told Lex Luthor that he had cancer and showed him a vision of Superman dying in a battle with Doomsday; Lex agreed to the deal.
• Joker shocked Deadpool and signed his autograph book, then Riddler shot Deadpool after he answered a riddle with a joke.
• Circe shredded Deadpool with magic after he asked her to get autographs from Odysseus and Jason, and Deadpool recovered before asking Fiddler for an autograph.

Demon Nero recruited villains for a plan involving Earth as strange events unfolded around the world. King Arthur returned to life in Avalon, Green Arrow learned he was bankrupt, The Flash's enemies gained the ability to keep pace with him, and Bruce's terrible day caught God's attention.

• Demon Nero introduced himself to Fiddler and Captain Cold as the Beast of 666 and invited them to join his grand plan for Earth.
• Batman detected five explosion sites forming a pentagram and began putting his own plan into motion.
• Merlin was dragged away by Morgan le Fay as King Arthur crawled out of the soil in Avalon and asked Merlin to kill him again.
• Green Arrow learned that he had gone bankrupt, then met Hal Jordan and set off to travel across the United States.
• The Flash's Rogues chased him at his speed, while The Top's voice emerged from Captain Cold and Mirror Master and revealed that the others had no souls.
• Bruce complained about his terrible day, and God offered him an interview at an abandoned building, leaving Demon Nero worried about God's spitefulness.

Demon Nero abandoned his plan to bring Hell to Earth and instead gathered demonic power to pursue a pure soul, while his empowered villains spread chaos across Earth. Batman and Jason captured the regenerating Copperhead in Gotham and began investigating how to remove the demon’s power, but their first attempts failed.

• God let Demon Nero go, and Nero changed his plan to gathering souls rather than bringing Hell to Earth.
• Demon Nero traded Constantine’s soul to the First, Second, and Third of the Fallen for portions of their authority, then set out to obtain a soul of exceptional purity.
• Demon Nero’s influence plunged Earth into chaos as Heaven expanded its presence, Zed became a candidate for the Madonna, and empowered supervillains attacked heroes.
• Copperhead attacked Batman in Gotham, but Batman and Jason subdued and bound him despite his demonic regeneration.
• Batman and Jason took Copperhead to the Batcave and tried magic to dispel his demonic power, but both Batman’s reversed spell and Jason’s Glintblade Sorcery failed.

Roland and Merlin captured two enhanced villains and discovered that Nero was directing a search for a pure soul, leading them to identify Shazam as Nero’s likely target. They watched Shazam meet Deadpool, who tried to recruit him into a superhero group.

• Killer Moth and Firefly attacked Roland, but Viviane sealed them inside oak trees after Roland and Merlin failed to stop their regeneration.
• Merlin learned that Nero had empowered supervillains, splitting them into groups to attack Roland, target Mother Zed, and seek a pure soul.
• Merlin explained that Nero’s true target was likely the pure soul and identified Galahad as an example of such a soul.
• Merlin revealed that young Shazam had been chosen as the Rock of Eternity’s champion and might be Nero’s target.
• Roland and Merlin watched Shazam talk with Deadpool, who invited him to join the Mucous Membrane and joked about his own superhero name.

Deadpool and Constantine brought Shazam to Avalon to protect him from Nero, but Merlin realized Solomon’s wisdom could let them enter. The group crashed ashore and sought Roland’s protection, while Merlin prepared to send them away.

• Reverse-Flash tried to capture Shazam, but Shazam struck him with lightning and squeezed him unconscious.
• Deadpool claimed to surrender, then revealed that he was undercover for Constantine and explained Nero’s plans to collect souls and target people with pure hearts.
• Merlin realized Shazam’s Solomon-granted wisdom could guide them into Avalon, and Roland explained why he and the others had fled there.
• Deadpool let Shazam steer a speedboat, and Shazam lifted it to avoid hitting Merlin before it toppled into a swamp.
• Deadpool and Constantine clung to Roland for protection, and Deadpool explained that Nero could collect his soul only after he died.
• Merlin opened a portal to send Deadpool and Constantine away.

Roland and his allies defended Avalon from Nero’s growing forces while searching for a way to stop his scheme. After reinforcements arrived and Jason tested his power on a wave of villains, Demon Nero appeared to face Phantom Stranger.

• Roland, Constantine, Merlin, and Shazam considered ways to oppose Nero, but Heaven refused to intervene and many heroes were unavailable.
• Lex Luthor’s Mechanical Dragon attacked Avalon; Roland exposed the demon inside it, and Shazam smashed it into the sea.
• Nero’s empowered demons and supervillains kept attacking, tiring Roland as the defenders explained Hell’s punishment for demons defeated by mortals.
• Batman arrived with Wonder Woman, Witch Circe, Zatanna, Giovanni Zatara, Million Beasts, Phantom Stranger, Medusa, and Jason, who said he could bypass Nero’s contracts by placing other souls in his minions.
• Jason used his power with Witch Circe, Zatanna, and Giovanni Zatara to put animal souls into an attacking group of villains, and Shazam easily defeated them.
• Demon Nero appeared, and Phantom Stranger confronted him as Nero called him Judas and recalled their past dealings.

Nero tried to claim Shazam’s soul in exchange for sealing Hell and sparing the others, but Lucifer intervened and defeated him. Billy’s soul returned to his body, and Lucifer revealed that Nero had been only a minor threat.

• Phantom Stranger confronted Nero, but Nero used the authority of the Three Kings of Hell to make him vanish.
• Nero transformed Shazam into Billy Batson and offered to spare the others if Billy surrendered his soul.
• Constantine and Billy signed contracts with Nero, and Billy’s soul rose from his body.
• Lucifer arrived and explained that Nero could not claim a soul freely offered in selfless sacrifice.
• Nero tried to bring Hell to Earth, but Lucifer stopped the upheaval and struck Nero into scattered flames.
• Billy’s soul returned to his body, and Lucifer said he had dealt with Nero because God disliked him.

After resolving the Metal Event, Roland and the others left Avalon to rescue the Flash, but a Speed Force storm swept Batman away. He woke in an abandoned Wayne Manor and encountered a masked man whose face was Thomas Wayne's.

• Lucifer left Avalon, and Roland, Batman, and the others prepared to depart after Witch Circe turned Deadpool into a pig and the women beat him.
• Batman said the Flash was still captive, so Roland joined him on the trip to the Rogues' hideout in Central City.
• Roland and the others defeated the Rogues, but Weather Wizard struck the Cosmic Treadmill and unleashed a Speed Force storm.
• The storm carried Batman to an abandoned Wayne Manor, where a masked man attacked him.
• Batman unmasked the man and recognized Thomas Wayne.

Bruce discovered that the Batman of this world was his father, Thomas Wayne, while Roland rescued a traumatized Superman from a Metropolis laboratory. The two reunited in Gotham and planned how to help the Flashpoint world and find a way home.

• Bruce and Thomas recognized each other as father and son, then Thomas questioned Harley Quinn about Joker and the kidnapped twins before Cyborg stopped him from killing her.
• Roland escaped a Metropolis laboratory after defeating its guards and found a frail, imprisoned Clark, whom he brought toward Gotham.
• Bruce questioned Harley Quinn and learned that this world's Joker was a woman and that Lois Lane had disappeared while reporting from New Themyscira.
• Roland and Bruce identified the world as Flashpoint and discussed Barry Allen, the war between the Amazons and Atlanteans, and their uncertain route home.
• Bruce and Roland agreed to split up, with Roland going to find this world's Barry while Bruce stayed with Superman and showed Roland his Kryptonite weapons.

Bruce and Thomas reunited in Wayne Manor while Roland searched for Barry Allen in Central City. After Roland brought Barry to Gotham, he and Bruce found that Barry had no memory of being the Flash, so Roland proposed contacting Merlin for help.

• Bruce watched news footage of Roland attacking the Metropolis Laboratory, then comforted Thomas as they discussed their different lives and agreed to return home together.
• Roland stopped a robber in Central City, defeated Citizen Cold, and took his Freeze Gun.
• Roland found Barry Allen at home, but Barry did not recognize the Flash, so Roland kidnapped him and drove him to Gotham.
• Bruce questioned Barry and confirmed that his memories matched the world, while Barry knew Batman but not the Flash.
• Roland told Bruce he would use his Command Spell to send Jeanne d'Arc to ask Merlin for help getting them back to their world.

Roland, Bruce, Thomas, and Barry prepared to intervene in the war between the Amazons and Atlanteans, while Superman recovered his strength under the sun. Bruce planned to confront Wonder Woman with a tool from Circe, and the group reached New Themyscira, where Roland drew the Amazons’ attention.

• Roland identified Artemis and Orm Marius as instigators behind the conflict, and Bruce concluded that Orm was the key to his plan.
• Superman returned from the sun with healed injuries and increased strength, while Bruce assigned him to fight Arthur and planned to face Wonder Woman himself.
• Roland, Bruce, Thomas, and Barry stole a fighter jet from a Metropolis Air Force Base and flew toward New Themyscira.
• Bruce and Thomas parachuted down with Barry while Roland jumped directly from the jet and used a tornado to scatter the Amazons below.
• Roland challenged Wonder Woman, but the Amazons charged him instead, eager to capture him, and he crushed a warrior’s Meteor Hammer with his bare strength.

Roland and Bruce captured Reverse-Flash and escaped the Amazons with Barry, Wonder Woman, and Thomas aboard the Shapeshifting Disc. As they headed for the United States, Aquaman attacked Deathstroke’s pirates near the flooded ruins of Paris.

• Roland and Bruce fought the Amazons while Bruce used Circe’s earrings to trap Wonder Woman in an illusion of endless battle.
• Roland stopped time, froze Reverse-Flash, and revealed that he had used Barry as bait to capture him and planned to make him repair the altered timeline.
• Bruce transformed the Shapeshifting Disc into a stealth plane, and the group escaped the Amazons with the frozen Reverse-Flash and unconscious Wonder Woman.
• Roland and Bruce discussed their uncertain contact with Superman and worried about Aquaman’s strength as they flew toward the United States.
• Aquaman rammed Deathstroke’s pirate ship near flooded Paris and confronted the pirates while they searched for something underwater.

Superman defeated Aquaman, and Bruce revealed that Orm Marius and Penthesilea had manipulated the war. After Wonder Woman and Aquaman went to confront the traitors, Roland, Bruce, and Thomas returned to the restored timeline, where Thomas’s memories began to be overwritten.

• Superman knocked Aquaman unconscious and brought him to Roland in Gotham City rather than leave him vulnerable to Orm Marius.
• Bruce used the Lasso of Truth to expose Orm Marius and Penthesilea’s role in escalating the conflict, and Wonder Woman and Aquaman left to confront them.
• Roland told Bruce that Merlin might be able to bring back his father, and Bruce spent two days with Thomas before preparing to leave.
• Reverse-Flash reunited Barry with The Flash in the Speed Force, restoring the timeline and allowing Roland, Bruce, and Thomas to return through a Magic Circle.
• Thomas’s memories began merging with those of this world’s Thomas, and he cried as memories of Martha faded.

Thomas Wayne told Martha that Bruce had returned, and she died after asking him to set things right and protect their son. After returning to his own world, Roland reunited with Jason and went to Gotham, where Richard Dragon was training Cassandra.

• Thomas found Martha at a Joker Gang bar, showed her Bruce's photograph, and told her he planned to set their world right.
• Martha asked Thomas to take care of Bruce, then stabbed herself with a dagger; Thomas later rescued Harvey's children and returned to Wayne Manor.
• Merlin explained that Thomas had come back to life, and Roland learned from Jason that a week had passed and the class was away at Winter Camp.
• Jason told Roland that Richard Dragon was training Cassandra, while Kara had gone to see Clark about an internship at the Daily Planet.
• Roland and Jason flew to Gotham, where Richard praised Cassandra's martial arts talent and greeted Roland, who addressed him as Master Richard Dragon.

Roland’s disciples discussed Cassandra’s growing strength while Green Arrow encountered Roland Cathedral’s students during their dangerous Arctic Winter Camp. Deadshot stopped Lear’s attack and faced the scientist, who invited him to see his “New Testament” world.

• Bronze Tiger, Richard Dragon, and Lady Shiva teased one another after Lady Shiva brought an unconscious Cassandra back from training, and Lady Shiva judged Cassandra nearly as strong as her senior brothers.
• Alena and Manuel encountered Green Arrow as he fled bioengineered Arctic wolves, then explained the Winter Camp battle royale and its shrinking Hades mist.
• Deadshot told Roland about Lear, the scientist hunting Green Arrow, and Roland ordered him to stop Lear if he threatened the students.
• Deadshot met Green Arrow and defeated the Three Sisters with Tranquilizer Darts while Hades arranged for Artemis to capture them.
• Lear returned Green Arrow’s bow and arrows, identified himself, and invited Deadshot to visit his “New Testament” world.

Deadshot and Green Arrow defeated Lear’s mutated animal forces, but Lear escaped by spatial magic. Green Arrow gained Lark’s help and discovered disturbing experiments in Lear’s lair, prompting Deadshot to call Roland and arrange an evacuation as Roland recognized clues to a dangerous plot.

• Deadshot led the students and Green Arrow against Lear and his mutated animals, while Lear escaped after his supposedly dead Polar Bear revived.
• Green Arrow questioned Lark, who refused to openly oppose Lear but revealed where his lair was.
• Deadshot, Green Arrow, and Lark explored Lear’s lair and found animals driven to self-destruction and test tubes containing famous people’s DNA.
• Deadshot called Roland, described Lear’s spatial magic and experiments, and said he had arranged a plane to evacuate everyone.
• Roland connected Lear’s abilities and the evidence to the plot of Dragon Five and wondered how Lear had acquired spatial magic.

Roland, Jason, and Bruce traveled to the Arctic after Deadshot reported strange behavior among animals, where the forces of nature trapped them and granted Roland and Bruce new powers. While tracking Lear, Bruce tried to summon Poison Ivy but brought forth a green Deadpool instead.

• Roland and Jason borrowed Batman's Batwing, and Bruce joined them on the flight to the Arctic.
• Roland discovered that the Arctic caused animals to act suicidal and awakened several animal powers, while the group realized the Black was likely behind the disturbance.
• Bruce used a Swamp Thing root to gain power from the Green and restore a mutated white wolf, but the force prevented him from leaving the Arctic.
• Bruce and Roland followed Lear's trail while Jason, Green Arrow, and Deadshot stayed behind to protect the students.
• Bruce touched the tundra and summoned a giant flower, but Deadpool emerged from it, green and sobbing.

Roland, Bruce, and Dead Servant investigated Lear’s gold mine and discovered Bruce could command its dead animals with plant life. Back at camp, they found Green Arrow and Lark paralyzed, then encountered Superman after Dead Servant found an extraterrestrial fortress.

• Dead Servant told Roland and Bruce that Constantine had stranded him in a swamp without his suit and turned his hair and skin green.
• Bruce learned from an old hunter that Lear’s gold mine had polluted the land with cyanide and drove the group to investigate it.
• Bruce revived the dead animals with moss, then unleashed a surge of vines and roots when they attacked him.
• The group returned to camp and learned that another Lark had paralyzed Lark and Green Arrow before Hades caught her fleeing.
• Dead Servant rode off to buy paint for Green Arrow, while Bruce and Roland spotted a giant black cocoon and prepared to investigate.
• Dead Servant returned with Superman, whom he had found at an extraterrestrial fortress.

Superman, Bruce, Roland, and Wade attacked a magically protected cocoon of The Black in the Arctic, but Roland was possessed by its power and began transforming. Bruce sought magical help while Superman fought Roland in space, and the chapter ended with Witch Circe arriving at the Tower of Fate to bargain.

• Bruce led Superman, Roland, and Wade to the cocoon, where a beast covered in magically infused tar burst from the ground and Superman destroyed it.
• Superman shattered the cocoon and released a flood of tar and animal corpses, but a beam of black light struck Roland and Wade, allowing The Black to control them.
• Bruce subdued Wade and identified Roland as controlled by The Black, so Superman carried Roland into space while Bruce purged the remaining black power from the Arctic.
• Roland resisted Superman in space as his power grew, and Bruce contacted Doctor Fate for help; Kent Nelson said Rot would not descend and that he had notified other allies.
• Witch Circe arrived at the Tower of Fate and asked Bruce what he could offer in exchange for her help.

Bruce gathered allies at the Tower of Fate to rescue Father Roland from the Black, and the group fought him on the island. Roland briefly regained consciousness after visions of powerful figures attacked his shadow within the Kingdom of Decay, but the Black's magic still controlled his body as he fought Aquaman beneath the sea.

• Bruce traded Witch Circe a video of himself defeating Diana in exchange for her help, then gathered Poison Ivy, Plant Master, Swamp Thing, Blue Devil, Constantine, Zatanna, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and other allies.
• Bruce led the team through Merlin's portal to the island, where they found calcified trees and confronted Roland, who had immobilized Superman.
• Swamp Thing, Giovanni, and Aquaman combined plant, anti-flight, and tidal attacks to trap and slow Roland, but the Black continued corrupting his body.
• Merlin revealed that Roland's soul was still resisting the Black, while Constantine collapsed after coughing up blood.
• Inside the Kingdom of Decay, Roland's shadow was struck down by Odin, Melchizedek, and the Emperor, and Roland woke up during his fight with Aquaman.
• Roland regained consciousness but could not control his body, so he apologized while continuing to attack Aquaman beneath the sea.

Roland returned to Gotham and tried to help Blue Devil regain his human appearance, but Batman warned that the available treatment was dangerous. Robin, distracted by a mysterious amnesiac girl he named Annie, went to meet her again and was attacked by a burly man who turned out to be Clayface.

• Roland and the others returned to Gotham after Lear became a black cocoon and Bruce’s Batwing exploded with Constantine and Deadpool aboard.
• Blue Devil asked Roland to undo his monstrous transformation, but Roland found no solution; Jason suggested using Batman’s Clayface cream, and Roland went to ask Batman about it.
• Batman warned Roland that the cream could dangerously alter Blue Devil’s body and mind, then revealed Clayface had escaped and was still likely in Gotham.
• Robin met the amnesiac girl again, named her Annie, and tried to protect her from a burly pursuer, but the man overpowered him.
• Alena attacked the burly man while Astra watched, and Astra burst his arm from a distance; Alena recognized the mudlike remains as Clayface.

Astra and Alena rescued Annie after Robin fought Clayface, and Robin later learned that Annie had been created from Clayface but possessed a soul of her own. Merlin confirmed that Annie was a real person, though her body remained connected to Clayface, leaving Roland and Robin without a solution.

• Astra and Alena drove Clayface away after he attacked Robin, then took the unconscious Robin to a hospital.
• Roland learned Robin had been injured while protecting Annie, contacted Batman, and helped Robin reunite with her.
• Annie’s returning memories led her and Robin to a chemical plant, where Clayface attacked them and Annie remembered that she had been made from his body.
• Roland brought Annie to Roland Cathedral, where Merlin examined her and confirmed that she had a complete, independent soul.
• Merlin warned that Annie’s body could still merge with Clayface and share his problems, but he had no remedy to offer.

Roland agreed to lead a Gotham City team to Ra's al Ghul's Martial Arts Tournament, recruiting students and allies while leaving others to guard the church. As the team set out for the Tibetan Plateau, Roland began explaining Gotham City's history and its ties to Barbatos and the Court of Owls.

• Batman asked Roland to let Annie stay at the church, and Roland agreed to help while Robin blushed at the request.
• Lady Shiva invited Roland and Batman to Ra's al Ghul's tournament, where the winner could revive someone and Ra's al Ghul hoped to find a successor.
• Roland decided to attend with a Gotham City team, and Bane, Penguin, Bronze Tiger, Nightwing, Kara, Cassandra, Robin, and others joined while Killer Croc stayed behind to protect the younger children.
• After half a month of preparations, Roland's team departed for the tournament, leaving Jeanne d'Arc, Priest Miriel, Floyd, Victor, and others to protect the church.
• On the bus, Roland told the team how Barbatos, the Bat Tribe, the Wayne Family, and the Court of Owls were connected, prompting questions about Gotham City's history.

Roland and the Gotham City team reached Tibet for the Martial Arts Tournament as other factions recruited contestants, including Rachel Roth and Billy Batson. The tournament began with Kara Zor-El matched against Donna Troy, but Kara vanished and was found on Mercury with H'el, who claimed he could save Krypton.

• Penguin flew Roland, Bane, Jason, Nightwing, Robin, and their companions to Tibet, while Rachel Roth was taken by David after he revived her with Lazarus Pit water.
• Deathstroke brought Billy Batson to Deadpool, who recruited him for the tournament and explained that powerful contestants would be needed.
• Hippolyta sent Donna Troy and young Amazons to the tournament, while Hal Jordan headed for Tibet after Green Arrow was forced back to Queen Consolidated.
• Roland's group arrived at the Tibetan Plateau, met Deadpool and Constantine, and encountered a mysterious spear-wielding girl directing arrivals.
• Ra's al Ghul opened the tournament in a separate space, and the first match was announced as Kara Zor-El against Donna Troy.
• Roland discovered Kara was missing and learned from Clark that she was on Mercury with H'el, who claimed Krypton could still be saved.