Dark Nights: Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1

In "I Am Here," the Batman Who Laughs confronts the twisted origins of his existence—from the murder of his parents to his descent into vengeance, the Joker’s final act, and the transformation that made him a monster. Now reborn in the body of Batmanhattan, guided by the three Alfreddes of the Dark Multiverse, he begins to master his cosmic power, evolving into the Darkest Knight.

In the fractured shadows of the Dark Multiverse, Gotham burns under a tide of chaos that even Damian cannot contain. As violence spreads unchecked, Bruce Wayne faces a harrowing choice—pushing himself beyond the limits of what it means to be a hero to save the city he's sworn to protect.

In the twisted echoes of the Dark Multiverse, Batman’s grip on a conquered world crumbles—his machines, his body, all undone. Now, with only his mind intact, he flees into the shell of a Batmobile, becoming something neither man nor machine, but a relentless force on the road to revenge.

In "I Shall Become..." from Dark Nights: Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1, a desperate Batman attempts to transcend death by transferring his consciousness into a new vessel—only to awaken in the body of a newborn, disoriented and powerless. The story explores the chilling irony of a mind forged in darkness now trapped in innocence, with no control over the fragile form it now inhabits.