DC Comics has just kicked off DC K.O., its big crossover event series for Fall 2025. Written by Scott Snyder (Dark Nights: Metal) and drawn by Javi Fernández (King Spawn), the series forces DC’s heroes and villains into a martial arts-style death tournament with the fate of existence at stake. It’s basically DC’s answer to Dragon Ball Z.
Needless to say, the first issue of DC K.O. drops some pretty big twists, revealing why our heroes are locked in mortal combat and the surprising team recruited to fight on Darkseid’s behalf. But the biggest surprise of all involves one iconic character losing their life in the very first round. Let’s break down everything that happens in DC K.O. #1.
Warning: full spoilers for DC K.O. #1 ahead!
Why the Justice League Is Fighting a Tournament
Essentially, DC K.O. is the culmination of an ongoing Darkseid-centric storyline that’s been playing out in the DC Universe over the past few years. In 2024’s DC All In #1, Darkseid caused the creation of a new splinter universe called the Absolute Universe. This universe is permeated with Darkseid’s malevolence on a fundamental level (something that universe’s Joker discovered in the recent Absolute Evil #1), causing iconic heroes like Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman to turn out very differently from their regular counterparts.
Because of that act and the fact that he’s absorbed so much Omega Energy (a primal force of chaos and destruction), Darkseid has now become truly all-powerful. DC K.O. #1 opens with Darkseid attacking every city on Earth at once and killing both Wonder Woman and Batman. Just as Superman makes his final stand, he’s whisked away to a safe haven by a group of time travelers known as the Quantum Quorum. The group has taken refuge one week in the past, undoing Wonder Woman and Batman’s deaths in the process.
The Quorum (led by a slimmer, more eloquent version of Doomsday called the Time Trapper) explain the stakes. Darkseid has already conquered the future, and he’s slowly working his way into the past to make his reign absolute. The only solution they can see is to create a bubble timeline safe from Darkseid’s wrath, similar to how Watchmen’s Doctor Manhattan created the New 52 universe at the end of 2011’s Flashpoint. Our heroes flatly refuse that option. They prefer to stand their ground and fight. So much for the Newer 52…
Darkseid’s ultimate goal is to harness the Heart of Apokolips burning at Earth’s core. Instead, the Justice League want to reach the Heart first, using it to absorb enough Omega Energy for someone to confront Darkseid directly. The catch, as the Time Trapper explains, is that the Heart of Apokolips is designed to test those who would harness its power. It’ll create a tournament scenario where 32 combatants are forced to battle one another for the right to wield the Heart. As they ascend the ranks, each combatant will build up more Omega Energy until only two powerful fighters remain to duke it out for the top prize.
With their plan in place, the Justice League sets about making the most of their last seven days until Darkseid’s arrival. That includes rounding up the world’s worst supervillains and banishing them so they can’t interfere with the tournament. Finally, there’s nothing left to do but arm themselves for battle. Batman dons his Justice Buster 2.0 armor. Wonder Woman dusts off her Godkiller armor. And Superman breaks out the ultimate pair of brass knuckles - two gauntlets with miniature suns attached.
DC K.O.: Who Wins and Who Loses?
From there, the tournament commences, and it quickly becomes clear that no one is safe in this free-for-all. The opening challenge is basically a qualifying round which requires the combatants to make their way from one end of the arena to the other and through a slowly shrinking portal. Naturally, between the giant guardians protecting the portal and the numerous booby traps, that’s far easier said than done.
Billy Batson becomes one of the first casualties of the fracas, as he’s crushed to death before he even finishes transforming into Shazam. Even Superman finds it difficult to get from Point A to B, mostly because he’s more concerned with helping his friends than winning. Making matters worse, the recently banished villains suddenly appear on the battlefield, with several like Joker and Lex Luthor making their way through the portal.
Most surprisingly, the mighty Batman becomes one of the early casualties of DC K.O. Batman is impaled through the chest, courtesy of his old friend Joker. The dying Dark Knight urges Superman to ignore his protective instincts and fight to win, which becomes the catalyst the Man of Steel needs to finally journey through the portal just before it closes.
Ultimately, there are 32 combatants left standing:
One of these characters will theoretically be crowned King Omega by the end of the series, gaining the strength to fight Darkseid for the fate of the universe. But, as the narrator (the Heart of Apokolips itself) explains, the game is effectively rigged from the start. The combatants will also have to contend with Darkseid’s champions, the Absolute versions of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman. And it turns out that even Darkseid himself is taking part in the tournament, as one of the 32 fighters has been possessed by the villain. Any guesses as to which one?
Did Batman Actually Die in DC K.O.?
As far as big character deaths go, it’s hard to top kicking off the new series by killing Batman. One would expect that this master martial artist and strategist would go the distance, if anyone. Who better to fight and win a cosmic martial arts tournament?
The obvious question here is whether Batman is truly dead. After all, DC kicked off another recent event comic, 2022’s Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, by killing off the entire Justice League, and they quickly returned to life before the story even finished. And DC did just launch a new monthly Batman series by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez.
We’re not expecting Batman’s death (nor Shazam’s, nor anyone else who gets killed off in issue #1) to be a permanent plot point in the DCU. The nature of the tournament seemingly requires that characters die in order for their Omega Energy to be passed on, and there’s no way that DC is permanently killing off so many iconic (and lucrative) characters in one story. One way or another, they’ll be back in action by the end of DC K.O.
Batman’s latest death will apparently be especially short in this case, because DC is building an entire tie-in series around the character. DC K.O.: Batman - Knightfight sees Batman pursue an alternate route towards the Heart of Apokolips, one that will force him to battle various Batman replacements from different timelines, like Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, etc. Will his life be spared a second time by the Quantum Quorum?
Which hero or villain do you think will emerge as the ultimate champion of DC K.O.? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
