Spoilers for Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Crisis on Infinite Earths ahead!
One of DC Comics’ most powerful heroes, The Spectre, got his head bitten off-literally, by a demon. Readers were treated to this gruesome sight in Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Crisis on Infinite Earths, by writer Steve Orlando, artist Mike Perkins and colorist Andy Troy. The issue, a tie-in to the Dark Nights: Death Metal event, is in stores now.
The Spectre, the living embodiment of God’s wrath, is one of DC’s oldest characters and was even co-created by Jerry Siegel, one of Superman’s creators. Being part of the divine essence, the Spectre is extremely powerful. Just how powerful, however, vary from creative team to creative team, but in every incarnation, he is capable of going toe to toe with larger than life beings such as Parallax and the Anti-Monitor; indeed in some crossovers, such as Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Spectre is key to saving the day. Many classic Spectre stories involve him growing to a large size and hurling planets and comets at his enemies, which makes his defeat here even more jarring.
After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Justice Society went to Limbo to stop Surtur from unleashing Ragnarok on Earth; however, in the Dark Multiverse, Surtur made it to Earth and quickly took out the Justice League. It falls on the All-Star Squadron to stop him, and he easily begins slaughtering Squadron members as quickly as he did the Justice League. The Spectre comes at Surtur, and after throwing shade at The Spectre’s fashion sense, bites his head off, causing the Ghostly Guardian to topple to the ground; a shocked All-Star Squadron can only look on.
The fact that Surtur was able to do this so quickly to so powerful a character demonstrates to readers just how grave a threat the All-Star Squadron is up against. This promise is fulfilled when he continues to walk through the Squadron, killing Doctor Fate and Nuklon – and even survives a direct attack from Wonder Woman and her invisible jet. It creates a true menace and makes the climax, which sees Alan Scott offer himself as a herald to Surtur (think Galactus and the Silver Surfer) even more tragic – a tale truly fitting for the Dark Multiverse.
The stories and characters of the Dark Multiverse are twisted and broken reflections of the DC Multiverse. Bad things happen to good people, and that is one full display for readers in this issue. The Spectre, a divine creature, being so easily dispatched by a demon is a shocking sight and shows just how dark the Dark Multiverse is.
