Superman and Captain Marvel fight the monster, but it is revealed to be Brainiac, who coerces Superman (using the bottled Kryptonian city of Kandor as leverage) into losing the battle in order to crush the people's faith in superheroes. Batman's attitude is that the stakes are too high to worry about preserving life at all cost, whether this applies to men, women or even children. Batman, however, is convinced that it is a way to lure him and his allies out of hiding and does not respond, callously dismissing Flash's claim that they are supposed to save lives. The villain escapes, but proceeds to kill other heroes such as The Guardian, The Creeper and likely others who have come out of retirement.Īn alien monster lands in Metropolis and begins to destroy the city. The two are soon attacked by a figure who physically resembles the Joker but is seemingly invulnerable to injury, and the Martian Manhunter sacrifices his life as The Question is rescued by Green Arrow.

He attempts to convince the Martian Manhunter, now an aged, bitter, near-powerless figure with his mind filled with Luthor's nanotechnology, to stand up against Superman and the powers that be. At a concert for the pop group 'The Superchix', Batman and the other heroes make a public appearance, urging their fans to rebel against the oppressive government.ĭuring this time, rogue vigilante The Question spies on Luthor's plans, typing a journal to record the misdeeds of those in power. After being banned for years, the freed superheroes have recaptured the public imagination, becoming a fad among youth. Meanwhile, Batman's raids have not gone unnoticed by the media. He confronts Wayne at the Batcave, but is defeated by Batman and the other superheroes. Superman is even ordered by the 'President' - in fact a computer generated front for Lex Luthor and Brainiac - to stop Batman.

Other heroes such as Superman, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel have been forced to work for the government since their loved ones are being held hostage and/or are under threat. Elongated Man is recruited from his job as a commercial spokesman, and Green Arrow is already working with Batman (as seen in the end of DKR). In a series of raids on government facilities, Batman's soldiers release from captivity other superheroes, including: The Atom, trapped for years in a petri dish The Flash, forced to run on a treadmill to provide America with free power and Plastic Man, now insane and trapped in Arkham Asylum. After going underground, Batman and his young sidekick, Catgirl (Robin from Batman: The Dark Knight Returns), train an army of 'batboys' to save the world from a 'police-state' dictatorship led by Lex Luthor.

Absolute the dark knight