Chapter Summaries

Constantine explained the multiverse’s structure and the possible routes Albera could have taken to leave it. Su Ming concluded that she had passed through one of the remaining mystical paths and hurried off with Harley and Little Superman to pursue her trail.

• Constantine told Su Ming he knew where the transit station was and agreed to explain how Albera had reached it.
• Constantine described the Orrery of Worlds, the dimensions beyond it, and the path toward the Source Wall.
• Su Ming narrowed Albera’s possible route to the Silver City, the Dreaming, the Underworld, or Nightmare.
• Su Ming left the House of Mystery with Harley and Little Superman, using Cloak to hurry toward their next stop.

Su Ming, Harley, and Superboy-Prime deduced that Lucifer and Albera had entered the Nightmare Dimension and continued toward it. Meanwhile, Diana and Roy investigated Wally West’s disappearance from Blackgate and confronted the corrupt warden.

• Su Ming, Harley, and Superboy-Prime ruled out Heaven, the Underworld, and the Dreaming as Lucifer’s destination, leaving the Nightmare Dimension.
• Su Ming warned Harley and Superboy-Prime that the Nightmare Dimension might fill them with negative energy and drive them mad.
• Diana threatened Blackgate’s warden over Wally’s disappearance, and he gave her a list of fifteen crooked guards.
• Diana left to question the guards while Roy stayed behind to make the warden shut down the prison surveillance equipment.

Wally reunited with his children in the Dark Multiverse and resolved to stop the endless spread of Dark Matter. He planned to use the Speed Force and Tempus Fuginaut’s power to draw all Dark Matter into a temporal singularity, then asked Tempus where to find the Mobius Chair.

• Wally recalled how he had saved his twins from being lost to the Timeline, only for the Speed Force and later reboots to separate his family again.
• After saving Earth -23 and Earth -7 and protecting the Dark Multiverse from Dark Matter, Wally regained his sense of purpose as a hero.
• Tempus brought Wally to an unformed world, where Wally reunited with his missing children.
• Tempus warned Wally that Dark Matter could return and admitted his own body had been damaged beyond repair.
• Wally proposed using a formula to gather all Dark Matter into the Speed Force Plane’s temporal singularity and let it cycle through infinite time.
• Wally accepted that he would have to bear the cost and asked Tempus where the Mobius Chair was.

Wally agreed to sit on the Mobius Chair to learn how to seal Dark Matter, knowing the knowledge might erase his emotions and sense of self. As Tempus held Wally’s children back, Wally sat down and said goodbye while blue lightning engulfed the Dark Multiverse.

• Wally discussed the Dark Multiverse and confirmed to Tempus that he was willing to sacrifice himself to save the Multiverse.
• Tempus explained that the Mobius Chair would overwhelm Wally with knowledge and might leave him without emotions or personal attachments.
• Wally asked Tempus to send his children back to Earth-0 and their mother, and Tempus agreed.
• Wally returned the staff and learned from Tempus that it had only been a tool to awaken Wally’s own hope and Speed Force.
• Wally’s children woke and tried to help him, but Tempus held them back as Wally sat on the Mobius Chair and said goodbye.
• Blue lightning engulfed the Dark Multiverse as the Mobius Strip on the chair blazed with light.

After Wally sacrificed himself to save the Dark Multiverse, Deathstroke, Little Superman, and Harley entered the Nightmare Dimension to track Enchantress. They found themselves trapped in a disorienting, twisted town and encountered a grotesque pedestrian.

• Wally’s sacrifice restored the Dark Multiverse, and Jay and Iris learned from the Time God that their father had saved countless realities.
• Deathstroke dismissed Little Superman’s offer to investigate a strange Speed Force ripple and led the group toward Nightmare.
• Deathstroke, Little Superman, and Harley entered the Nightmare Dimension, where they lost the ability to fly and found their vision obscured by colored lights.
• Little Superman sensed other creatures nearby, and Deathstroke led the group through the filthy alleys to find them.
• The group spotted a woman pushing a broken baby carriage, whose head was a writhing mass of human fingers.

Su Ming and his companions explored the Nightmare Dimension, where bizarre creatures ignored them and the sky held terrifying Old Gods. Unable to question the locals, Su Ming decided to track Albera by looking for the kind of bar Lucifer would visit.

• Su Ming, Little Superman, and Harley encountered the grotesque streets of the Nightmare Dimension, while Su Ming noticed unnameable beings writhing in the sky.
• Su Ming sent Little Superman to question an injured angel, but it only screamed and vomited rats.
• Su Ming had Little Superman approach a headless woman pushing a baby carriage, but she could not communicate either.
• Su Ming explained that the Nightmare Dimension followed its own rules and asked Harley to use her knowledge of Lucifer to find Albera's trail.
• Harley concluded that they should search for a nightclub or bar because Lucifer loved drinking and having fun.

Su Ming, Harley, and Little Superman visited a grotesque bar in the Nightmare realm to learn where a woman had gone. After paying the headless bartender with two unsolvable riddles, Su Ming learned that following a blind person and a dog with his eyes closed would bring him to the person he sought.

• Clark led Su Ming and Harley to a basement bar after following its music.
• Su Ming questioned the headless bartender, who said that truth came at a price and demanded payment for information.
• The bartender revealed that Lucifer had previously visited and paid with a riddle about his hair.
• Su Ming paid for his own information by posing two riddles that had no answers.
• The bartender told Su Ming to follow a blind person and a dog with his eyes closed so that Dream would bring them together.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wally West, now merged with the Mobius Chair, realizes that The Batman Who Laughs' invasion was a distraction, and he's now creating a "Laughing Multiverse."
• Wally tries to warn the Justice League but is intercepted by The Batman Who Laughs, who kicks him off the chair and takes his place.
• Wally appears before Barry Allen and Wonder Woman, warning them about The Batman Who Laughs' targeting of speedsters and asking for help.
• Wally and Barry disappear, leaving Wonder Woman to rally the other heroes.

Character Developments

• Wally West: Realizes the true extent of his power and responsibility, accepts that he can't change the past, and understands that the Speed Force isn't meant to reverse tragedies.
• The Batman Who Laughs: Gains immense power by merging with the Mobius Chair, further solidifying his threat to the Multiverse.
• Barry Allen: Struggles with grief over Wally's presumed death but remains hopeful about his friend's survival.
• Wonder Woman: Shows concern for her teammates and takes initiative to rally the heroes for an impending battle.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility and sacrifice: Wally accepts his role in maintaining the Multiverse's existence, while The Batman Who Laughs pursues his sinister goals.
• Power and knowledge: The Mobius Chair grants immense power and knowledge, but also presents challenges in controlling and understanding it.
• The consequences of change: Wally grapples with the idea that changing the past leads to worse outcomes.

Character Interactions

• Wally and Barry: Their bond as friends and speedsters is emphasized as Wally seeks Barry's help.
• Wally and The Batman Who Laughs: Their conflict escalates as The Batman Who Laughs takes control of the Mobius Chair and pursues Wally.
• Wonder Woman and the Justice League: Wonder Woman takes charge in rallying the heroes, showing her leadership and concern for her teammates.

Batwoman monitored Gotham from the Batcave while Jack delivered Deathstroke’s cryptic candy clue, and Su Ming, Little Superman, and Harley arrived in Lucifer’s universe. The chapter ended with Lucifer welcoming them to his nightclub, which he called humanity’s final Ideal Realm.

• Diana gathered heroes in Gotham to protect the speedsters, but Batwoman remained missing from their view.
• Batwoman watched the heroes through Brother Eye while Dr. Quinzel, Jack, and Alfred kept her company in the Batcave.
• Batwoman said her medicine had suppressed the Joker’s presence and demanded to know Deathstroke’s plan, but Jack and Dr. Quinzel said they did not know it.
• Jack gave Batwoman a piece of candy as Deathstroke’s clue, and she recognized its meaning before disappearing into the darkness.
• Su Ming, Little Superman, and Harley followed the headless bartender’s answer and arrived in Lucifer’s universe.
• Su Ming greeted Lucifer, who welcomed the group to his nightclub and called it humanity’s final Ideal Realm.

Su Ming and Deathstroke found Lucifer in his New Multiverse and asked him to return for the final battle. Lucifer refused, defending his manufactured world, but Deathstroke recognized a way to bargain with him.

• Su Ming woke Albera from her drunken stupor and learned that half a year had passed because time flowed differently between Lucifer’s multiverse and the Main Multiverse.
• Lucifer revealed that Daniel was in the club, and Deathstroke urged him to return and help save the multiverse.
• Lucifer questioned what he would gain by helping and argued that his New Multiverse was better than the worlds created by Perpetua or God.
• Su Ming challenged Lucifer’s plan to house refugees in a world where everyone existed only to indulge and worship him.
• Lucifer insisted people would accept his world’s comforts, and Deathstroke realized Lucifer’s hatred of Heaven and God gave him leverage.

Deathstroke secured Lucifer’s help against The Batman Who Laughs by offering him Jesus’s corpse, and Lucifer sealed their deal with blood. Lucifer moved the group into the card pack to find Dream, who agreed to show them the story but refused to join the fight.

• Deathstroke showed Lucifer a photo of Jesus’s corpse and offered it in exchange for help fighting The Batman Who Laughs.
• Lucifer accepted the bargain, and he and Deathstroke sealed it by drinking wine mixed with their blood.
• Lucifer summoned his Angel’s Sword and agreed to find The Batman Who Laughs before asking Dream for information.
• Lucifer moved the group into the card pack, where Dream recognized Deathstroke and agreed to show them the story without taking part in their conflict.
• Lucifer promised Dream that he would defeat The Batman Who Laughs and patted him hard enough to scatter his mist.

As heroes gathered on the Gotham Police Department rooftop to prepare for The Batman Who Laughs’s assault, the Bat-Family shared stories revealing that Batman had anticipated their attempts to sneak up on him. The Justice League then coordinated its defenses, but Batman and Deathstroke remained untraceable.

• Nightwing recalled trying to surprise Batman, and Bobo, Donna, Raven, and Natasha Irons revealed that several Bat-Family members had followed the same supposed secret route to meet the Justice League.
• Barbara, Kate Kane, Cassandra Cain, and Stephanie Brown joined the conversation, and the heroes laughed over Batman having known about all their attempts to sneak up on him.
• Damian’s Teen Titans and Young Justice protected Black Wally and Bart Allen as J'onn briefed the assembled heroes on the coming multiverse assault and sent them out to their assignments.
• J'onn admitted he could not locate Batman or Deathstroke, and Diana said Deathstroke had vanished after defeating The Spectre and The Upside-Down Man.
• Superman, Oliver, and Diana agreed to prioritize defending their worlds, while Oliver explained that Red Tornado would guard the Hall of Justice.

Luthor broke the Legion of Doom members out of the Hall of Justice prison and explained that The Batman Who Laughs had taken over Perpetua’s plan. He left with his former teammates to help the Justice League counter the growing crisis, while Black Manta remained behind.

• Luthor disabled Red Tornado and led Joker and Punchline through the Hall of Justice security system to the prison.
• Luthor apologized to Cheetah, Sinestro, and Brainiac, then freed them by overloading the prison’s power system.
• Luthor explained that The Batman Who Laughs planned to spread darkness and chaos, and Brainiac confirmed that Dark Matter was increasing across the universe.
• Luthor gave Sinestro his Yellow Lantern Ring, and Sinestro put it on and said he wanted to find Hal.
• Luthor used a Boom Tube to leave with the Legion members, after blasting Black Manta unconscious and leaving him in prison.

The Justice League struggled to hold back an invasion by deranged counterparts from the Laughing Multiverse while the Legion of Doom prepared to destroy the invading Earths. Lex Luthor blew apart one Earth and sent Doctor Ivo’s Amazo army to support the heroes, as the battle continued.

• The Justice League was overwhelmed by armies of deranged counterparts and regrouped near the sea while waiting for Zatanna to arrive.
• Lex Luthor decided the Legion of Doom would help by destroying the invading Earths, and Brainiac endorsed his plan.
• Luthor used the Door Handle of Destruction to channel energy into an invading Earth and make it explode.
• Luthor ordered Doctor Ivo to deploy his Amazo army to support the Justice League, threatening him with his daughter’s safety.

Doctor Ivo used Lex Luthor’s resources to send dozens of Amazos into the Gotham battlefield, where the robots copied their opponents’ powers and overwhelmed the enemy fighters. The heroes welcomed Luthor’s intervention but questioned his motives as the battle continued.

• Doctor Ivo built dozens of Amazos with funding and supplies from Luthor, while Miss Mercy helped organize production and watched The Old Man.
• A doorway opened in the desert near the United States–Mexico border, and Amazos poured through toward Gotham’s battlefield.
• The Amazos copied the powers of the fighters and attacked at full strength, leaving Diana and the other heroes with little to do.
• J'onn told Superman that he sensed Luthor had come to help them.
• Superman welcomed Luthor’s help, while Green Arrow warned that Luthor remained dangerous and Hawkgirl wondered whether his intervention was a conspiracy.

Batwoman, Bliss, and Cindy raided The Batman Who Laughs's castle in the Dark Multiverse, rescued Blue Beetle and Hawkman, and carried out a lethal mission before escaping. Meanwhile, Damian and the young heroes faced a giant attacker in New York as he stomped toward them.

• Batwoman entered the Dark Multiverse with Bliss and Cindy, following Deathstroke's clue to The Batman Who Laughs's castle.
• The group infiltrated the castle and knocked out its remaining defenders, and Bliss offered an antidote for Blue Beetle and Hawkman.
• Bliss took Blue Beetle while Batwoman carried Hawkman away, and Cindy stayed behind to kill the captured enemies.
• Cindy returned to the ship with the mission complete and the Planet Bomb installed, and the group escaped through an Oblivion singularity.
• In New York, a crowned child in a Robin uniform sent a giant statue to stomp on Damian and the young heroes.
• Damian fired his Bird Grappling Hook and ordered the Teen Titans to scatter.

King Robin directed a Colossus against Damian and the Young Justice team until Su Ming and Deathstroke’s group arrived to rescue them. Lucifer destroyed the Colossus, and Su Ming flew toward the defeated King Robin, preparing to kill him.

• Damian ordered Amethyst Princess to protect the team and Djinn to make a giant robot, but Djinn said she could not match the Colossus’s strength.
• King Robin monitored the team’s communications, mocked Damian, and sent the Colossus after the scattered Young Justice members with purple blasts.
• Deathstroke’s group arrived, and Su Ming shot King Robin in the back with Nth Metal bullets empowered by Vulcan’s divine power.
• Lucifer blew up the Colossus’s head and declared it a child’s toy.
• Su Ming set the rescued Damian beside Harley, drew the Nightfall Greatsword, and flew toward King Robin.

Deathstroke killed King Robin after countering his tricks and explained that Tenth Metal opposed the Crisis powers in King Robin’s altered body. He gave Damian the confiscated Robin Belt and prepared to confront The Batman Who Laughs.

• King Robin tried to escape, but Deathstroke struck him with a Tenth Metal sword and exposed his healing weakness.
• King Robin sent three transformed versions of Deathstroke’s children at him, but Deathstroke cut them down without hesitation.
• King Robin released laughing gas, but a tentacle used the smoke for cover to impale him, and Deathstroke killed him with the Owl Dagger.
• Strangle consumed King Robin, and Deathstroke explained that Tenth Metal countered the Anti-Life Equation and the Batman Who Laughs’ virus.
• Deathstroke gave King Robin’s belt to Damian and said his remaining target was The Batman Who Laughs.

Su Ming learned that the smiling-face pin could lead him to the break in Story Continuity, while Barry and Wally raced through the Speed Force with The Batman Who Laughs pursuing them. As hundreds of zombie speedsters joined the chase to drain the Speed Force, Deathstroke appeared ahead of Barry and Wally, ready to confront their pursuer.

• Lucifer teased Deathstroke about Damian being his son, and Su Ming asked Daniel how to find The Batman Who Laughs.
• Daniel pointed to Su Ming’s smiling-face pin and said the clue lay in the recent break in Story Continuity.
• The Batman Who Laughs chased Barry and Wally through the Speed Force and threatened to interfere with Wally’s past.
• The Batman Who Laughs sent hundreds of zombie speedsters into the race to consume the Speed Force and exhaust Barry.
• Barry refused Wally’s suggestion to turn and fight, trusting their teammates to help them.
• Barry and Wally accelerated toward a hole in the Speed Force, where Deathstroke waited and declared The Batman Who Laughs had misjudged him.

Deathstroke rescued Barry and Wally from the Speed Force, then confronted The Batman Who Laughs in the void beyond the Speed Force Wall. After explaining that he had anticipated the villain’s plan and identifying his weakness, Deathstroke enlisted Lucifer Morningstar, whose arrival sent everyone plunging into Hell.

• Deathstroke pulled Barry and Wally out of the Speed Force and explained that he had become Barry’s Lightning Rod.
• Deathstroke sent Dream away with Barry and Wally, while The Batman Who Laughs waited by the Mobius Chair.
• Deathstroke revealed that he had suspected The Batman Who Laughs’s plan for months and believed the villain intended to replace the multiverse with his Laughing Multiverse.
• Deathstroke explained that The Batman Who Laughs expected him to rely on Diana and identified Doctor Manhattan’s enduring humanity as the villain’s weakness.
• Deathstroke introduced Lucifer Morningstar and tossed him the Comedian’s Badge.
• Lucifer spread his black wings, turning the void crimson and sending friend and foe alike falling into Hell.