A DC Hero Suffers a Terrible Fate

The Batman Who Laughs is one of the darker figures in DC history, but honestly, he doesn’t hold a candle to the Robin King, who seems to specialize in cruelty. That cruelty is on display in a big way in Dark Nights: Death Metal #4, as Robin King makes an example of a DC hero in front of his friends, but it’s not just that he makes them watch it happen that makes it so terrible. The fate itself is especially tragic, and Robin King goes into vivid detail before he sentences this character to a punishment worse than death. Spoilers incoming for Dark Nights: Death Metal #4 so if you haven’t read the issue yet you’ve been warned.

Swamp Thing and Harley Quinn are attempting to stay ahead of the Robin King while waiting on a signal from Wonder Woman, but at one point Robin King manages to catch up, and he’s got Jonah Hex. Well, to be more specific, he’s got the still alive head of Jonah Hex, and after Harley sees him she tells Robin King to just let him go, as there’s nothing left to hurt.

“I feel that’s kind of a negative way of looking at things Harleen,’ Robin King says. “Maybe I’m just young and naive, but I like to think there’s always something left to hurt.”

He then pulls out a knife, but it’s no ordinary knife, and he can’t stop talking about how evil it really is.

“This knife was forged by Neron, Lord of hell. If you get stabbed with it and you’re a sinner, you go straight to Masak Mavdil, the lowest, hottest pit down there…where demons take the forms of those you sinned against and peel your flesh off every morning. The neat thing is it grows back every night.”

Swamp Thing and Harley are horrified, but Hex tells them it’s okay and to run,. “It’s okay kid…I got it coming,” Hex says. “But you…you don’t. Please…run, before.”

That’s when Robin King cuts him off and stabs him in the head, disintegrating what’s left of Hex and sending him to his gruesome fate. It’s a cruel way to go for a hero, and the heroes will relish the chance to get revenge for their friend if the opportunity arises.

Dark Nights: Death Metal #4 is written by Scott Snyder and drawn by Greg Capullo with colors by FCO Plascencia and inks by Jonathan Glapion. You can find the official description below.

“Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman are trapped in nightmare worlds within the Dark Multiverse! They’ll need to face down their fiercest foes once again if they hope to accomplish their mission and bring back a power capable of stopping the Darkest Knight. But what horrors has he unleashed on Earth while they’ve been locked away?!”

Dark Nights: Death Metal #4 is in comic stores now.

What did you think of the issue? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things comics with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!