DC Comics has released its solicitations for August, and one potentially huge plot twist jumped out at us.
Kicking off immediately after Convergence, DC's monthly title Justice League begins a major new storyline called "The Darkseid War." In it, Darkseid takes on perhaps the only other villain in the DC universe that could truly stand toe-to-toe with him: the Anti-Monitor. Darkseid's newly-revealed daughter, Grail, plays a big part in it as well. And you can be sure the Justice League will be caught in the middle.
So in August's Justice League solicit, a reference is made to something... unexpected. This is what it says:
"The Darkseid War" event rages on as Batman takes a dark journey into the depths of Godhood and unlocks the forbidden knowledge of the DC universe!
Batwhat?
Is Batman about to become a god? As in, a "New God" like Darkseid, Kalibak, Mister Miracle and all that jazz? It sure sounds that way, and given that Darkseid and his homeworld Apokolips are part of this storyline, it kinda fits. And Jason Fabok's cover art shows Batman seated in the mega-powerful Moebius Chair usually occupied by Metron.
Still, it's entirely possible that godhood is not in the cards for Batman. Maybe it's just an investigation thing; he sits down to learn more about the New Gods and then relinquishes the chair. Or maybe he gets a temporary power boost from it.
Regardless, this wouldn't be the first time a mortal was transformed into a New God. Very recently, the Jimmy Olsen of Earth-2 was elevated to New God physiology after being "chosen" by a Mother Box. Or something. (It got a little convoluted.)
You may be wondering about Scott Snyder's recent "Endgame" storyline in Batman, which saw the Dark Knight pay the ultimate price to save Gotham. While Snyder's new story arc post-"Endgame" hasn't released yet, we know from DC's promotional materials that Jim Gordon, the former Police Commissioner, is taking up the mantle of Batman in the absence of Bruce Wayne. Yet the cover art for Justice League #43 clearly depicts the Bruce Wayne Batman as the one involved in this story.
The discrepancy is thanks to a new editorial policy at DC, where all of their titles still share a common universe (or multiverse), but aren't beholden to stay synced up to the same timeline anymore. So "The Darkseid War" apparently takes place at a time some distance away from "Endgame."
Is the world ready for a Bat-god? We'll find out in August.
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