Dark Knights: Metal is the story of the "Dark Matter Universe", a twisted multiverse full of corrupt and evil versions of the DC Universe, and how special metals react to it. (It's also "Metal" as in the music genre.)

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In Dark Nights Metal they mention 5 Metals that come together to access the Dark Multiverse: Dionesium, Electrum, Promethium, Batmanium, and Nth Metal.

And issues that contribute to the event, but are not critical to the main story (and can most likely be skipped) are in italics.

1. Dark Days: The Forge #1.
2. Dark Days: The Casting #1.
3. Dark Nights: Metal #1.
4. Dark Nights: Metal #2.
5. Teen Titans #12 | Gotham Resistance Part 1.
6. Nightwing #29 | Gotham Resistance Part 2.

Since its release in 2008, it has left a batcave-sized impact on the landscape of superhero movies, forever changing the expectations and possibilities within the genre. Set in the gritty and dark underbelly of Gotham City, it was a masterclass in storytelling orchestrated by Christopher Nolan at his very best.

It's Inspired By Some Of The Greatest Batman Stories Naturally, that would mean looking to the Batman comics and the lore they established. The Dark Knight was inspired by two of the most important storylines for the character: The Long Halloween and The Killing Joke.

Building from the musical structure of thrash metal and early black metal, death metal emerged during the mid-1980s. Bands such as Venom, Celtic Frost, Slayer, and Kreator were important influences on the genre's creation.

5 Comics To Read Before Starting Dark Nights: Death Metal (& 5 You Can Skip)

1. 1 Skip: Multiversity.
2. 2 Read: Heroes in Crisis.
3. 3 Skip: Flash Forward.
4. 4 Read: The Batman Who Laughs.
5. 5 Skip: Justice League: No Justice.
6. 6 Read: Scott Snyder's Justice League.
7. 7 Skip: Scott Snyder's Batman.
8. 8 Read: Doomsday Clock.

It can be manipulated by thought alone to achieve nearly anything, and is present in small quantities in every single thing, sentient being or otherwise, in the Multiverse. Element X also known as the Tenth Metal, is the purest form of creation itself, capable of overcoming anything from the Dark Multiverse.

Unsurprisingly, the series ends with the Justice League rallying its numbers, defeating Barbatos and his Dark Knights and lifting Earth back out of the Dark Multiverse. But the big surprise is Batman's choice of ally for his final showdown with the Batman Who Laughs.

Dark Nights: Metal Reading Order: Issue by Issue

1. Dark Days: The Forge.
2. Dark Days: The Casting.
3. Dark Nights: Metal #1.
4. Dark Nights: Metal #2.
5. Teen Titans #12 (Gotham Resistance tie-in)
6. Nightwing #29 (Gotham Resistance tie-in)
7. Suicide Squad #26 (Gotham Resistance tie-in)
8. Green Arrow #32 (Gotham Resistance tie-in)

What to read before Dark Nights: Death Metal? Dark Nights: Metal – Obviously, the previous event is a must-read. Here is the full reading order. Justice League: No Justice – A miniseries dealing with the consequences of the Dark Nights: Metal Event.

The Dark Knight Returns He possesses a suit of power armor that allowed him to fight and defeat Superman, accomplishing a feat few characters in the DC Universe ever have.

While constructing his hero persona as Batman during this quest, he transforms his need for personal vengeance on the person responsible for killing his family to something bigger, something larger, something that transcends individual wrongdoings and challenges the lawlessness, the corruption and the crime-ridden ...

The plot follows the vigilante Batman, police lieutenant James Gordon, and district attorney Harvey Dent, who form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City. Their efforts are derailed by the Joker, an anarchistic mastermind who seeks to test how far the Batman will go to save the city from chaos.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight” interrogates what it really means to be a hero, how people become villains and how to determine the right choice in complicated circumstances - even when it means going against personal interests. It's the second movie in Nolan's Batman trilogy.