Warning! Spoilers ahead for Dark Knights of Steel #5
The latest issue of Injustice). While Superman may be the heir to the realm following the recent death of his father King Jor-El, the true parentage of the kingdom's Dark Knight complicates the matter immensely. Now, this new issue seemingly exposes the true darkness of Kal-El, and he may become even more of a brutal ruler than the Superman of the Injustice universe.
In previous issues of Dark Knights of Steel, it's been revealed that Jor-El and his wife Lara were able to travel to Earth with their son Kal in this alternate DC Universe. While they tried to hide their Kryptonian abilities, Jor and Lara were unable to stand by when the kingdom ruled by King Thomas and Queen Martha Wayne was put in danger. After saving the kingdom, the Waynes and Els became good friends over time. However, a night of weakness resulted in Jor-El and Martha Wayne having an affair, leading to the eventual birth of Bruce Wayne. As such, Bruce's true parentage was hidden from the kingdom (and Bruce himself). Furthermore, the murder of the Waynes by the villainous Green Man (a Lex Luthor/Joker hybrid) saw the Els being entrusted with ruling the kingdom until Bruce could come of age and the kingdom could be convinced to accept him despite his status as a bastard.
However, the Green Man has struck again years later in the present, killing King Jor-El and motivating war between kingdoms throughout the realm. Additionally, the manifestation of the Dark Knight's Kryptonian abilities has resulted in Bruce learning the truth from Alfred. This brings things to the new Dark Knights of Steel #5 from Tom Taylor and Yasmine Putri which sees Bruce meeting with his half-brother to reveal the truth and a piece of kryptonite that can harm them both. However, the Prince of Steel does the unthinkable as soon as Bruce reveals his true parentage with a betrayal on par with the brutality displayed by the evil Superman of Injustice (an alternate universe story also penned by Taylor).
After stabbing Bruce with Kryptonite to ensure his rule, Prince Kal-El flys the Dark Knight up into the air before telling him that "there can be no challengers", throwing him back down to Earth with the intent to kill. Apparently, this medieval Superman is looking to rule unopposed and can't abide Bruce's claim to the throne (which could be considered greater than his own). As such, this version of Superman seemingly has a lot in common with the evil Superman and his dark regime in Injustice, becoming the world's High Councilor who believed peace could only be achieved through brutal subjugation and ruling with an iron fist.
It should also be noted there may be more going on with Prince Kal-El than meets the eye. While the Supergirl of this universe has been incredibly brutal as well in past issues such as killing Black Lightning's King Pierce and his young son, this new issue reveals she has no memory of that happening. So long as Zala Jor-El isn't lying, Dark Knights of Steel's pure Kryptonians may have been corrupted or are being impersonated. Either way, DC's new medieval Superman certainly appears to be as bad as Injustice's (if not darker). Here's hoping that the Kryptonian Batman can recover from Superman's attack and bring order to the realm in future issues.
