Tales from the Dark Multiverse

You ruled by partial codes. Half measures. 

 I didn't rule at all.

Snyder is building something. The writer of Dark Nights: Metal introduced a cataclysm from the dark multiverse, a realm of worlds doomed to die. These planets are where the heroes failed or were corrupted beyond recognition, and now a being known only as Tempus Fuginaut warns of another coming crisis, a multiverse-altering event, and at the center is the dark multiverse. What this offers DC, out of world, is a chance to create alternate takes on famous comic book runs in a slew of one-shots, kind of their version of Marvel's WhatIf? comics. The first issue of Tales from the Dark Multiverse addresses what would have happened if Batman had failed to reclaim the mantel of his namesake from Azrael following the events of Batman: Knightfall.

Azrael rules Gotham with an iron fist. It is hinted the rest of the world fell to an event of some sort, whereas Gotham "thrived," or at least remained standing, largely as a practitioner of rigid theologist extremities a la Roman Catholic nations from the Middle Ages. Azrael sees himself as "Saint Batman," a savior and protector of Gotham's holy name. Others see him for who he truly is: a venom addict who is utilizing his power to acquire his next fix. In his thirst for control, he turned to a drug that could help him seize it, and eventually, it instead led to his grasp to slip.

As the name suggests, there is no happy ending here. Writers Snyder and Kyle Higgins, and artist Javier Fernandez create a bleak tale of desperation and misguidance. Azrael's sense of self-righteousness leads him to fail to see what he has become, and Bruce Wayne's decades of torture at the hands of Azrael twist him into someone unrecognizable. This is what the dark multiverse aims to show. Though it is a one-shot, it sets an intriguing premise for the types of stories, and the eventual crisis, that are to follow.