Chapter Summaries

Kara interrogated Su Ming over the Fisher family murders, laying out evidence that appeared to prove he had committed the killings and stolen valuables, though he repeatedly denied it. As Kara prepared to leave, explosives detonated behind Su Ming, blasting her across the interrogation room.

• Kara described the evidence linking Su Ming to the murders, robbery, and attempted destruction of evidence, while Su Ming insisted he was innocent.
• Kara presented a blood-written note signed “I am Bat-person” and a dagger found in Su Ming’s camera bag, both tied to him by forensic evidence.
• Kara tried to make Su Ming confess by invoking his girlfriend Diana, then accused him of being a coward and a serial killer.
• Directional explosives detonated in the wall behind Su Ming, sending debris through the room and hurling Kara into a wall.

Deathstroke rescued Su Ming from the police station after killing the officers who tried to stop her, then took him aboard the Waverider. Captain Sara Lance revealed that the ship could travel between parallel universes, while Su Ming remained confused about his identity and the crimes he supposedly committed.

• Kara fired at the armored intruder, but he killed the officers in the hallway and knocked her unconscious.
• Deathstroke freed Su Ming, carried him through the sewers, and said Su Ming had summoned her despite not remembering it.
• Deathstroke took Su Ming to an abandoned construction site, where a cloaked spacecraft appeared and brought them aboard.
• Cindy explained that Su Ming had lost his skills, weapons, superpowers, and intelligence, and argued with the woman in white about their mission.
• Captain Sara Lance introduced herself and identified the ship as the Waverider, a Time Bureau vessel that traveled between parallel universes.

Bliss, Cindy, and the Legends revived Su Ming after discovering that he had hidden his consciousness while an outside force altered his body and memories. Su Ming explained how he had arranged for Cindy to find him, then began describing the events that led to his predicament.

• Bliss examined Su Ming and, with Ray's help, concluded that he had hidden his consciousness to evade an external threat.
• Bliss used the Final Machine, Promethium, Tenth Metal, and Lazarus Pit energy to awaken Su Ming, who emerged weakened and missing most of his equipment.
• Su Ming joined the Legends for a meal and recounted how he had found himself an ordinary reporter in a world without Heroes.
• Su Ming explained that he had hypnotized himself to resist the force changing his body and thoughts, then contacted Cindy by striking Tenth Metal together.
• Su Ming revealed that he had planned a major disturbance so Cindy would locate him quickly.

Su Ming explained how he exposed the demons inhabiting the Daily Planet editor-in-chief and his family, then arranged his own arrest to bring Cindy and Bliss to Earth-0. After discovering that a high-dimensional reality had overwritten Earth-0, he made a pact with the Upside-Down Man to help investigate and restore the world, leaving with Cindy to begin gathering intelligence.

• Su Ming revealed that the Daily Planet editor-in-chief and his family were demons, freed them from their human hosts, and kept one demon as an informant.
• Su Ming framed himself for murder, hypnotized himself, and waited for Cindy to rescue him and bring him to the Batcave.
• Su Ming told Cindy that Earth-0 had been altered and said he needed to regain his strength before investigating further.
• Su Ming summoned the Upside-Down Man, learned that high-dimensional reality had overwritten Earth-0 and blocked witchcraft, and agreed to share the cost of reclaiming the world in exchange for magical support.
• Su Ming left the Batcave with Cindy to investigate, while Bliss and the Legends stayed behind.

Su Ming and Cindy visited the Land of Death, where they learned that Earth-0’s dead had recently stopped dying in battle or by murder and that Destiny had been unusually busy. They teleported to the Oblivion Bar, where Bobo and Tracy were trapped and cut off from the outside world, and Bobo recognized Su Ming and Cindy as they arrived.

• Su Ming opened a portal to the Land of Death, and he and Cindy entered the realm together.
• Su Ming told Cindy that the Land of Death received the dead from across the Multiverse and that he had come to question Death about Earth-0.
• Death said Earth-0’s recent souls had died from illness or accidents rather than in battle or through murder, and she mentioned that Destiny had been very busy.
• Su Ming thanked Death and teleported with Cindy to the Oblivion Bar on Earth-0.
• Bobo told Tracy that they were trapped in the bar’s Pocket Dimension and that he had been unable to contact anyone outside.
• Bobo mistook Su Ming and Cindy’s arrival for an illusion until Su Ming spoke to him.

Su Ming, Cindy, and Bobo investigated the sudden rewriting of Earth and used its effects on heroes and villains to narrow down who might have caused it. They concluded that the culprit likely knew the heroes’ secret identities and had idealistic motives, but the suspect remained unidentified.

• Su Ming proved his identity to Bobo, introduced Cindy Wilson, and told Bobo that Earth had become ordinary and the Hall of Justice had disappeared.
• Su Ming ruled out magic and the Speed Force as the cause, describing how Constantine, Zatanna, Barry, and other heroes had been changed.
• Bobo and Su Ming considered possible reality-warping suspects, while Cindy ruled out Jester and argued that the culprit believed they were protecting ordinary people.
• The three reasoned that the culprit must know the heroes’ secret identities and had likely admired them, then narrowed the suspect pool through elimination.

Su Ming discussed who might have altered the world with Bobo and Cindy, ruling out several suspects and deciding Harley remained a possibility. He left to investigate on Earth while warning Bobo and Tracy to stay hidden.

• Bobo wondered whether Donna was behind the world’s changes, but Su Ming ruled her out and explained that Diana and Donna might be bait from Olympus.
• Su Ming and Cindy discussed Diana’s relationship with him and the danger it could pose if he and the Justice League became enemies.
• Bobo proposed Selina as a suspect, but Su Ming dismissed the idea and then identified Harley as a possible culprit.
• Tracy defended Harley, prompting Su Ming to recall that Harley had planned to help save the world after the Source Wall ruptured.
• Su Ming gave Bobo food, warned him that the world-altering power could be used against him, and left through a Teleportation Portal to investigate on Earth.

Su Ming and Cindy left Earth-11 aboard the Waverider and entered a different Gotham to investigate a hostage and resolve the danger before the world was restored. They began their search in the Old Port District after stealing a car, while Bliss stayed behind to manage the Waverider and oversee the hostage.

• Su Ming decided to take Cindy to the other Earth, while Bliss remained behind to monitor the Waverider and ensure it was ready to retrieve them.
• Alfred caught Ray secretly discussing the hostage with Sara, and the Legends abandoned their plan to rescue her by force.
• Bliss ordered Alfred to transfer the hostage to Outpost 7 and begin psychological suggestion while tracking the Legends' preferences.
• Su Ming and Cindy arrived in Gotham's Old Port District and remarked that the unusually orderly city felt unlike Gotham.
• Cindy fired at an approaching car's mirrors, and she and Su Ming took the vehicle from its shaken owner.

Su Ming and Cindy traveled to Gotham, where Cindy staged bombings to draw police away while Su Ming infiltrated the police department. After finding a familiar name on a bulletin board, Su Ming disguised himself as an officer and disappeared into the station.

• Cindy drove Su Ming toward Gotham and discussed the threats facing Earth-0 and the motives of Luthor and The Batman Who Laughs.
• Cindy gave Su Ming a handgun, ammunition, and cash, then planted timed bombs around the city to divert police resources.
• Su Ming entered the chaotic Gotham Police Department and spotted a familiar name on its bulletin board.
• Su Ming ambushed an officer in a restroom, knocked him unconscious, and took his uniform.
• Su Ming left the restroom disguised as the officer and blended into the police department crowd.

Su Ming took Commissioner Gordon hostage at the Gotham City precinct and demanded a live television interview. He led Gordon toward the lobby, threatening the hostages and warning that a Claymore mine was waiting ahead.

• Gordon argued with the mayor about Gotham’s bombings and the shortage of officers and bomb-disposal teams.
• Su Ming entered Gordon’s office at gunpoint and claimed he had knocked out the precinct’s officers and rigged a bomb to the hostages.
• Su Ming demanded that Gordon contact a television station so he could appear on TV, and Gordon arranged for GCTV News to send a broadcast van.
• Gordon mistook Su Ming for a desperate former tabloid reporter, but Su Ming said he had killed and eaten a family of seven in Metropolis.
• Su Ming escorted Gordon downstairs and warned him that a Claymore mine was set in the lobby, then demanded that Gordon smile during the interview or he would kill the hostages.

Barbara watched the Joker hold Commissioner Gordon and dozens of officers hostage, then decided to act as Batgirl despite her fear and the absence of Batwoman. She retrieved her Deep Blue Armor, preparing to rescue her father and the hostages.

• A television anchor interviewed Doctor Hugo and Doctor Harleen Quinzel about the Joker’s hostage crisis and his demand for the moon.
• Harleen warned that the Joker might carry out his threats, while Doctor Hugo argued for a forced assault and lobotomies.
• Barbara recognized the hostage crisis as the Joker’s attempt to lure Batwoman into a game and remembered how often he had captured her.
• Barbara resolved to rescue Commissioner Gordon and the hostages as the only hero who understood the Joker.
• Barbara opened a secret door in her closet and raised a display case containing her Deep Blue Armor.

Su Ming used Gordon as bait at the police station to draw out a member of the Bat-Family, hoping to discover who had overwritten the world. Barbara Gordon arrived and attacked him, but he avoided her trap and began fighting her.

• Su Ming reviewed the Bat-Family members and narrowed his suspicions to Barbara Gordon and Helena Bertinelli.
• Su Ming told Gordon that a Masked Man would soon appear, while claiming he had prepared traps for the approaching military.
• Barbara Gordon attacked the police station with a Tear Gas Batarang and rescued Gordon from Su Ming.
• Barbara confronted Su Ming, who identified her and blocked her flying kick.
• Barbara threw three connected Batarangs, but Su Ming dropped to the ground and evaded the net they formed.

Su Ming revealed himself to Barbara as the Otherworld Deathstroke and forced her to confront the consequences of changing the world. Barbara agreed to restore it after learning the multiverse was in danger, and Su Ming told her that her father was alive at the Wayne Manor Safehouse.

• Su Ming defeated Barbara in a fight and revealed that he was the Otherworld Deathstroke.
• Su Ming demanded that Barbara reverse her changes and explained that the Source Wall had cracked, leaving Earth at most half a year to live.
• Barbara learned that her attempt to create a world without heroes had put Earth at risk, and she broke down in tears before agreeing to restore the world.
• Barbara said she had believed Commissioner Gordon died after a fishman attack, and Su Ming revealed that he had sent Gordon to the Wayne Manor Safehouse.
• Su Ming led Barbara into the communications room and told her to contact Alfred after restoring the world so she could see her father.

Su Ming and Cindy led Barbara through Gotham’s sewers toward the Waverider after assuring her that her father was alive. Barbara admitted she had used Mister Mxyzptlk’s Drawing Board to alter the world, while Su Ming explained the danger of higher-dimensional beings as they continued their escape.

• A black-and-yellow-armored Cindy told Su Ming and Barbara she had opened a route through the underground passages to the sewers and the Waverider.
• Su Ming reassured Barbara that there were two Deathstrokes and that neither had lied to her, while Cindy identified Barbara and mocked her appearance.
• Su Ming, Cindy, and Barbara traveled through Gotham’s sewers, with Cindy laying booby traps behind them and Barbara realizing they had recorded her confession.
• Barbara explained that she had taken Mister Mxyzptlk’s Drawing Board while helping rebuild the Hall of Justice and used its one percent of Fifth-Dimensional Power to change the world.
• Su Ming described Fifth-Dimensional Beings and warned Barbara that Tenth-Dimensional Beings preyed on them, while Cindy patted Barbara’s head.

Su Ming and Barbara returned to his apartment under police surveillance, and Su Ming used the journey to argue that Barbara’s dependence on Batwoman came partly from her lack of money and independence. They found his home ransacked, and Su Ming planned to recover his belongings before Barbara restored the world.

• Su Ming and Barbara arrived on the rooftop near his apartment, where Su Ming knocked out the watching officers and explained that the police would need time to organize their response.
• Su Ming told Barbara that Batwoman’s control over the Bat-Family had kept most of them from gaining independence, while Kate had developed her own resources and intelligence network.
• Su Ming compared Barbara’s poor, disapproving family circumstances with Kate’s wealth and support, leaving Barbara feeling defeated.
• Su Ming urged Barbara to use money to build her own technology and infrastructure instead of relying on Batwoman.
• Su Ming and Barbara reached his apartment and found that the police had ransacked it; Su Ming said he would make Bruce pay for what he needed.

Su Ming and Barbara used the drawing board to restore the world to the night the flood receded, then Su Ming prepared to resume his plans. He offered Barbara a chance to help manage his investments and flew off to make arrangements before returning to New York.

• Su Ming recovered his Cloak of Levitation, Silk Pouch, and Bag of Holding while Barbara recognized Diana's drawing of the Hall of Justice.
• Barbara used the drawing board to erase and restore the world, bringing Su Ming and herself to the Hall of Justice on the night the flood had receded.
• Strangle and the Cloak of Levitation refitted Su Ming, and Barbara explained that the drawing board had restored the world to the state it recorded.
• Su Ming offered Barbara money to manage and said he would help her become a top-tier Superhero after they dealt with the Source Wall problem.
• Barbara explained that she had paired Diana with Su Ming to keep Diana from pursuing Batwoman, and Su Ming then left to arrange matters with Cindy, search for the Legion of Doom, and consult The Upside-Down Man.
• Su Ming returned to New York, where the Justice Society of America had established its base beneath Battery Park.

Su Ming returned to Harley’s apartment and avoided meeting the JSA, while Batwoman used Jar-ro and the Final Machine to probe Starman’s mind for secrets. The knowledge she uncovered overwhelmed her, and she was left bleeding as she confronted a terrifying vision of the Future.

• Su Ming dismissed the JSA as a group he would deal with later and returned to Harley’s building after checking his surveillance devices.
• Su Ming found Harley and Poison Ivy playing Old Maid, took alcohol from the flooded refrigerator, and went to his room.
• Harley joked that Su Ming might be a ghost, then beat Ivy at cards and teased her with a strip of paper.
• Batwoman placed Jar-ro on Starman and used the Final Machine to examine his mind, suspecting his arrival and escape were not accidental.
• Batwoman was overwhelmed by the secrets in Starman’s mind, began bleeding from her seven orifices, and saw a terrifying Future.

Superman and Diana stopped Batman from probing deeper into Starman’s mind, but Batman left to pursue another plan involving the Totality. Diana then caught Barbara sneaking through the Hall of Justice and recognized the scent of Otherworld Deathstroke’s tobacco on her.

• Superman rushed into the treatment room and pulled Jar-ro off Starman while confronting Batman about using the starfish to extract memories.
• Batman described glimpsing Kendra’s wings, creatures on the Source Wall, and a consciousness within the Totality before Diana helped him sit down.
• Batman argued that he needed to learn what was inside the Totality, but Superman and Diana urged him to observe Starman’s condition and wait for him to wake.
• Batman left the room, and Superman flew after him while Diana decided to seek someone who had anticipated Batman’s plan.
• Diana spotted Barbara sneaking around the corridor and questioned her, then recognized Otherworld Deathstroke’s tobacco scent on her.

The Justice League team on Thanagar learned that the Keeper was dead and found no answers about the Totality or Kendra’s wings. As they prepared to attend Thanagar’s festival before returning to Earth, Kendra warned that something dark was sustaining the planet and questioned whether Hy'siarra could be trusted.

• Hy'siarra Hall told J'onn, Kendra, and John that the Keeper had died and offered to have Thanagar’s records searched while they stayed for the festival.
• John admired Thanagar’s metal buildings while Kendra said the planet felt wrong and J'onn apologized for the fruitless trip.
• Kendra explained that her unusual wings remained a mystery and that she feared letting Batwoman study them.
• Kendra questioned how Hy'siarra could be her past life and suspected that something dark was sustaining Thanagar.
• J'onn urged Kendra to consider what her search for secrets had taught her, and Kendra left to prepare for the carnival.

Diana visited Su Ming in the middle of the night, and their indirect conversation ended when she clarified that she wanted to ask about The Totality. Diana led him outside to talk privately, leaving their discussion of the secret unresolved.

• Diana entered the room where Su Ming was sleeping and waited for him to speak first, sharpening Vulcan's Sword to keep him awake.
• Su Ming and Diana exchanged cryptic questions while each misunderstood what the other wanted.
• Diana explained that she had come to ask Su Ming about The Totality, and Su Ming asked whether she had instead come to invite him to dinner.
• Diana gestured for Su Ming to leave the room with her so they could talk away from Harley.