The battle to be crowned King Omega is underway! In “Come Out Writing,” we help you stay on top of all things DC K.O., offering our predictions on upcoming matchups and expert commentary on all the important fights.

SPOILER ALERT: The following feature contains spoilers for DC K.O. #1 and DC K.O.: Knightfight #1.
 

If you want to give yourself a fun challenge, tell Batman to stop fighting.

It can’t be done. Yes, there have been occasions where Bruce has considered retiring (Knightquest), and alternate realities where he has (The Dark Knight Rises and Batman Beyond). However, these are special circumstances. When it comes to the DC Universe’s Batman, he seems committed to wearing the cowl until the day he’s physically unable to.

I think Bruce knows that and it scares him. And I think DC K.O.: Knightfight #1 supports that theory.

If you haven’t been reading DC K.O., then you’re missing out on an explosive event that feels like a marriage of Squid Game and an MMA tournament set within the DCU. Basically, Darkseid has taken control of all reality, and the only way for the Justice League to defeat him is to win a tournament that will grant them great power.

Conventional wisdom says that whatever tournament Batman is in, he’ll probably go far. That’s why it was shocking to see the Caped Crusader eliminated by the Joker during the tournament’s opening free-for-all. That has got to drive Bruce crazy, because a tournament is happening which determines the fate of the world and there’s nothing he can do. Batman has to give up control and trust others, something which has always been a challenge to him.

This brings us to Knightfight, a limited series which shows us where Bruce went after he was eliminated from the tournament. Thanks to the miniature Boom Tube Bruce hid in his armor, he was able to teleport back to Gotham. However, the city he returns to is not the one he’s familiar with.

Bruce appears to have landed in the future, where Dick is Batman and he’s taken the Robin concept global. Robin Inc. allows anyone to become Robin, care of some specialized training from Dick and the Titans. These Robins are based all around the world, and their numbers increase every day.

To be clear, only the first issue of the series has been released so far, so we don’t know the true nature of this world. Bruce is meant to believe that he’s jumped forward in time, but this could also be an alternate Earth, or even a nightmare created by Darkseid. It’s also worth noting that Darkseid has broken time itself, which could explain this version of Gotham’s future.

Whatever this world is, it seems to represent some of Bruce’s worst fears. It’s a Gotham where he’s off the board (for reasons I won’t spoil) and Dick is in control. Whether the city is saved or not is no longer up to Bruce, and that’s hard to fathom.

We see Batman grapple with this at the beginning of the issue. In a flashback before the tournament, Nightwing, Red Hood and both Robins (Tim and Damian) stop Professor Pyg without Bruce’s help. This causes Bruce to wonder if Gotham has gotten to the point where it no longer needs him.

“Some nights I watch and wonder, if they’re here, does Gotham still need me?” Bruce questions. There’s a sense of pride as he says this, but also a bit of existential dread. Unlike Superman with Clark Kent, Batman hasn’t built a life outside of the cowl for Bruce Wayne. He’s devoted so much of his life, of his core identity, to being Batman that once he stops, there’s nothing left of him.

I’m not surprised that this is on Bruce’s mind, considering recent events. In Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Battle Lines #1, Bruce awakens after sleeping for eight weeks due to his recent fight with the villain Insomnia. That’s eight weeks where he wasn’t protecting Gotham and he’s worried about how bad the city has gotten without him. However, it turns out violent crimes had dropped 75% (but that wouldn’t last).

During 2024’s Batman #149, Bruce watched a clone of himself rapidly age until he passes away. Throughout the story, Bruce tries everything he can to slow down the clone’s aging, hoping to save his life. It’s a reminder that no matter what Bruce does, he can’t stop the passage of time and eventually it will come for his body as well. In addition, watching a genetic copy of yourself age and die is bound to get you thinking about your own legacy and mortality.

This speaks to Bruce’s state of mind in Knightfight #1, and perhaps that’s why one of his greatest fears is Dick taking on the mantle. He’s proud of Dick for his independence and the life he’s built. Knowing how consuming the Batman persona can be, Bruce doesn’t want it for his surrogate son.

 “I didn’t want you to continue the burden,” Bruce tells the future version of Dick. “I wanted you to have your own life. You created your own identity and I wanted you to keep that.”

This is consistent with another near death experience Batman had. Shortly before facing the Black Glove in Batman R.I.P., Bruce made videos for his family in case he never came back. After a confrontation with Darkseid in Final Crisis, Bruce was presumed dead, and in Battle for the Cowl #3, we learn what his message to Dick said: “In his final message to me, Bruce ordered me to stay away from the cape and cowl,” the former Robin reveals. “And I listened. He said he had enough faith in Nightwing and Robin to carry the torch.”

Dick would later change his position after realizing Gotham needed Batman, but it’s important to remember that Bruce thought these were his dying words to Dick Grayson, and he chose to say he didn’t want him to be Batman. That’s how important it is to him, and that’s why the future he sees in Knightfight #1 is utterly terrifying.

DC K.O.: Knightfight #1 by Joshua Williamson, Dan Mora and Tríona Farrell is know available in print and as a digital comic book.

Who will win? Enter the DC K.O. Bracket Challenge for a chance to win some great prizes!

Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Bluesky at @joshualapinbertone and on X at @TBUJosh.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.