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'Dark Nights: Death Metal' #1: What is the Batman Who Laughs really planning with the final Bruce Wayne?

Bruce had set up a machine to clone himself so that every future generation would have its own Batman. It looks like the Batman Who Laughs may have turned it into his own contingency plan

Spoilers for 'Dark Nights: Death Metal' #1

DC has now launched what is possibly their greatest crossover of all time with Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's 'Dark Nights: Death Metal' #1. And with the story just starting out, we already got one huge surprise with Wonder Woman, the new Queen of Hell, killing the Batman Who Laughs with an invisible chainsaw. 

However, even though that seems like a huge win, there's a lot more going on than meets the eye. In the latter pages of the issue, we find out that the Batman Who Laughs has set up a contingency plan, one that involves using the final Bruce Wayne. During his 'Batman' run, Snyder had introduced the idea that Bruce had set up a machine to clone himself so that every future generation would have its own Batman. It looks like the Batman Who Laughs may have hijacked this and turned it into his own contingency plan.

We only see a silhouette of the final Bruce Wayne but his skin is clearly blue and he's got Dr Manhattan's symbol on his head. We also know that at some point, the Batman Who Laughs captured Wally West and removed him from the Mobius Chair. It is possible that the Batman Who Laughs may have figured out how to take Manhattan's powers for himself. If that is the case, then the DC Universe is almost certainly done for. 

The Batman Who Laughs is quite possibly the most dangerous individual in all of DC continuity, current or previous. If he has the power of Dr Manhattan, a man who's basically a god, he would be unstoppable. To be fair, the heroes are attempting to find ways to beat him. Batman has taken a Black Lantern Ring and is using it to become the King of the Dead. Wonder Woman and Wally have an insane plan to revisit all the worst Crisis moments in DC history in an attempt to harness their energy against the Batman Who Laughs and his mistress Perpetua.

However, all of those plans would mean nothing if the Batman Who Laughs were to become the Bat-Manhattan Who Laughs (or whatever it is Scott Snyder wants to call him). 

'Dark Nights: Death Metal' #1 was released in stores on June 16.