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Batman learns why you don't cheat at games (Because you'll get an existential crisis in response) in DC K.O.: Knightfight
Learn how the Dark Knight escaped seeming death and defeat in DC's big new event storyline (and what it means that he did so)
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Anyone who read DC K.O. #1 knows that Batman was taken out of the tournament to become King Omega surprisingly early — so how does he go from that to his own spin-off miniseries, DC K.O.: Knightfight? Newly released preview pages from the first issue reveal all… but we know more about what’s to come than what’s being shown.
First off, here’s the new preview pages from the issue, by Joshua Williamson and Dan Mora, revealing exactly what happened to DC’s Dark Knight after his loss in DC K.O. #1:
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See? It was a Boom Tube! Of course it was a Boom Tube. But… it turns out that there’s a penalty for Batman to pay for planning an escape route all along, as Williamson revealed during the DC K.O. - What’s Next? panel at NYCC 2025.
“Batman actually kind of cheated,” the writer revealed in the panel. “That’s part of why [Knightfight] even happens, is that the Heart saw that Batman was trying to cheat.” The Heart, of course, is the Heart of Apokolips — the piece of Darkseid’s home world that is not only transforming Earth in DC K.O., but is also narrating the main series itself and controlling the tournament in ways that not even the world’s greatest heroes are aware of.
For Batman, the problem he’s facing isn’t outright fighting other heroes to see who’s the best fighter — it’s something far deeper, as he gets transported into potential futures where each of his Robins have grown up to become their own versions of Batman. “This challenge is different,” Williamson teased. “It’s making Batman confront something — the idea that these children could really prove to be better than him. Does that mean it’s time for him to step aside? What does that mean for him? The Heart really is trying to mess with Batman in a completely different way.”
DC K.O.: Knightfight #1 will be released November 5. Take a look at the covers for the second and third issue below.
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