Recaps

On Halloween, Tony Stark responded to an alarm in California and encountered a speedster too fast for even Quicksilver to catch. At Luke’s costume party, Nick Fury learned the stranger was slowing down from exhaustion, leaving the heroes poised to identify him.

• Tony Stark was left alone on night duty at S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Skynet satellite headquarters while the Avengers celebrated Halloween.
• Tony teleported to California in his Mark 50 armor after an alarm sounded.
• Luke hosted a costume party for his old friends and allies, who had gathered because he had vanished for decades.
• Nick Fury received Tony’s message about a mysterious, supersonic speedster and joined a call with Tony and Quicksilver.
• Quicksilver said he could not keep up with the golden-yellow blur, then reported that the stranger was slowing down from exhaustion.

S.H.I.E.L.D. interrogated Barry Allen after he appeared in its world, and his claim that he had come to find Luke Cahill prompted Nick Fury to halt the questioning and report the matter to Peggy Carter. Luke learned that Barry had arrived and concluded that his vacation was over, though he postponed dealing with him for one final night of celebration.

• A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent interrogated Barry Allen, who said he was from Central City and had come to find Luke Cahill.
• Nick Fury ordered the agent to stop questioning Barry, seal the paper files, and delete the electronic records.
• Fury told Garrett that searches for Barry Allen had found no records of his existence, suggesting something major was happening.
• Peggy Carter relayed the news of Barry's arrival to Luke, who said the coming war meant his vacation was over.
• Peggy suggested one last night of celebration, and Luke agreed to postpone seeing Barry until the next day.

Barry Allen met Luke at Superman’s estate and explained that the Speed Force had vanished after he crossed into the Marvel universe. Luke learned that Barry had used a photograph of him and Wonder Woman as an anchor, then sent Barry running with him to confront Dr. Manhattan.

• Nick Fury escorted Barry to Luke’s estate, where Barry accepted soda and found Luke by the pool.
• Luke identified Barry as the Flashpoint version and listened as Barry explained that his Speed Force had disappeared in this universe.
• Luke described the Marvel world and its heroes, and Barry recognized how closely it resembled his own world.
• Barry showed Luke a photograph of Luke and Wonder Woman that had helped him cross between worlds, then revealed that Dr. Manhattan was manipulating events.
• Luke told Barry to run, snapped his fingers, and transported them away in white light.
• Nick Fury watched Luke and Barry vanish, then noticed Superman’s cat and tried to pet it.

Luke met with the Living Tribunal, rejected its attempt to influence his choices, and left with Barry to begin their journey across the multiverse. They arrived on Mars after Luke broke through the Source Wall.

• Luke sent Barry to Kamar-Taj, where Ancient One welcomed him while Luke met the Living Tribunal.
• Luke told the Living Tribunal that neither it nor the Cosmic Entities could dictate his actions, and said the game’s outcome did not depend on him alone.
• Luke recalled gaining Silver Superman and Superboy Prime templates, which had raised him to multiversal power, and considered the crossover a chance to challenge established destinies.
• Luke left the Living Tribunal, collected Barry from Kamar-Taj, and said goodbye to Ancient One.
• Luke used the Tenth Metal to pierce the Source Wall and arrived on Mars with Barry.

Luke and Barry arrived on Mars, where Luke identified the culprit behind the Justice League’s search. Two days earlier, Batman had led a large group of heroes to Mars, where they confronted Dr. Manhattan.

• Luke spread his Bio-Force Field across Mars and told Barry to stay close.
• Barry explained how he had tracked Luke using an old photograph from Wonder Woman and said the Justice League was searching for the culprit.
• Batman investigated the timeline changes, ruled out several suspects, and assembled heroes and allies to investigate a strange energy reading on Mars.
• Batman and the Green Lanterns sealed Mars inside a shield, and the team entered a clock-like structure.
• The heroes found Dr. Manhattan, who spoke cryptically and told them they did not understand the problem they had come to solve.

Dr. Manhattan explained that he had altered events across the multiverse to test how changing Superman would affect reality. After Superman repeatedly returned, Manhattan sought to learn whether he would destroy the world or be killed by Superman.

• Hal Jordan questioned whether Dr. Manhattan was insane, while Batman demanded his identity and purpose.
• Dr. Manhattan recounted how he had changed Alan Scott's fate, preventing the first Green Lantern and the Justice Society from forming as they originally had.
• Dr. Manhattan described entering the DC Universe, studying Cahill Coleman, and discovering Superman's importance to the multiverse.
• Dr. Manhattan traced shifting versions of Superman's history and saw that Superman's story persisted across the multiverse despite repeated changes.
• Dr. Manhattan admitted that he had altered Alan Scott's fate, the Kents' lives, and Superman's death to observe the consequences.
• Dr. Manhattan told the gathered heroes that he wanted to know his own ending, and asked whether he would destroy the world or Superman would kill him.

The Justice League attacked Dr. Manhattan on Mars, but his control over matter and energy overwhelmed them. Luke arrived and struck Dr. Manhattan with a punch that tore through space-time, leaving both men vanished from Mars.

• Shazam and Aquaman urged Batman to stop wasting time and subdue the naked blue man, while Batman’s assembled heroes surrounded Dr. Manhattan.
• Green Lanterns attacked Dr. Manhattan, but he evaded their weapons, removed Hal Jordan’s ring, and examined its emotional energy.
• Zatanna, Swamp Thing, and Shazam attacked with magic, plants, and lightning, but Dr. Manhattan disassembled their powers and destroyed the palace with an explosion.
• Dr. Manhattan created kryptonite to weaken Supergirl, while the rest of the Justice League fell; Luke watched with the Flash and then stepped forward.
• Luke told Dr. Manhattan that Adrian sent his regards and threw a punch that shattered space and distorted time, after which Luke and Dr. Manhattan disappeared.

Luke pursued Dr. Manhattan through timelines, defeated the Anti-Monitor during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, and recruited Dr. Manhattan to help confront Perpetua and The Batman Who Laughs. He ended the chapter by striking The Batman Who Laughs through the sixth dimension and into the shattered Source Wall.

• The Justice League found Dr. Manhattan and Luke gone, and Barry told Batman about Luke Cahill, a Kryptonian from another universe who had helped him avert a universal catastrophe.
• Luke trapped Dr. Manhattan in the Crisis on Infinite Earths, defeated the Anti-Monitor, and absorbed the Anti-Life energy.
• Dr. Manhattan escaped into a future where The Batman Who Laughs battled Perpetua, and he realized that multiverse reboots reflected the revision and deletion of stories.
• Luke explained the multiverse's fate to Dr. Manhattan and offered him a role as a forger, observer, or guardian if they defeated Perpetua and The Batman Who Laughs.
• Dr. Manhattan agreed to confront Perpetua while Luke attacked The Batman Who Laughs, shattering the sixth dimension's barriers and hurling him into the Source Wall.

Luke killed The Batman Who Laughs and the Dark Multiverse collapsed before the Multiverse rebooted and merged with another timeline. Months later, Luke's family and the Justice League adjusted to the new reality as he prepared to begin another story.

• Luke used his Superboy-Prime template to defeat The Batman Who Laughs and burned him to ash in the dying sun, causing the Dark Multiverse to collapse.
• After the Multiverse rebooted, Luke appeared as Golden Superman and vanished; months later, he told Flash he had met two fellow townsmen planning for the future of two Multiverses.
• The timelines involving Doomsday Clock and Crisis on Infinite Earths merged, and Batman and Lex Luthor discussed the exposed Multiverse and Luke's authority over it.
• Luke reunited with Diana on Paradise Island, and her sealed memories returned as she embraced him.
• Luke finished reading his story to his young daughter, then opened a new book and wrote that a new story was about to begin.