Duke Thomas/Dark Multiverse

## The Final Knight

In **Future State,** Duke Thomas was a member of the Batman Family until the establishment of the Magistrate and the apparent death of the original Batman. Duke goes on to be part of the resistance, becoming the face of the movement while regularly smuggleing protestors out of the city to "the outside"; under the protection of Katana.

## Chronology

### **Origins**

Duke is the biological son of Gotham City social worker Elaine Thomas and an immortal known as Gnomon. Prior to his birth, Elaine fled to Gotham while pregnant with Duke in order to escape Gnomon, as well as the various secret wars between immortals. Elaine went on to become a social worker and marry Doug Thomas, a humble construction worker, and together they raised Duke in Tracey Towers in the Gotham Narrows. Duke grew up to live a relatively uneventful childhood, completely unaware of his mother's previous life.

### **Tales from The Dark Multiverse: Metal**

Duke Thomas was once a sidekick to Batman, training under him to become a protector of Gotham City. He would be the final pupil of Batman, however, as the hero was used by the dark dragon Barbatos as an entry point into the multiverse. As Barbatos turned Batman into his vessel and the Justice League into his dragons, Duke watched his world collapse around him. Knowing his own world was without saving, Duke decided to flee into the multiverse, hoping to save at least one world from Barbatos's "Deathwave".

For two years, Duke outran the wave, doing everything he could to stop the wave or save the other 51 worlds, failing all the same. During this time, he discovered his powers to see visions of the past, and stole armor that allowed him to more freely traverse these worlds. When the 51st world collapsed, Duke, now called the "Last Monitor", had nowhere to go but back to his home. When he arrived on "Earth-Metal", Duke encountered his former teacher and his monstrous allies. He attempted to fight them, but would have lost had his old friend Nightwing not saved him. Duke followed Nightwing back to his lair in the Justice League Watchtower, where the world's last heroes, like Hawkgirl and The Flash hid. Despite knowing the Deathwave was coming, Duke gathered the heroes into a new Justice League, hoping for one final victory for good, before the end of everything.

After freeing a dragon of their own from the Batman Who Laughs, the Justice League faced off against the Dragons of the Bat. Duke's teammates gave their lives to stop the monstrous army, leaving him alone to battle his former teacher, now a monster called the Dragon of the End. Despite the Dragon's incredible power, Duke managed to survive its attacks long enough to teleport inside it, where Batman's original body laid dormant. Duke cut the tethers between Batman and the rest of his new body, killing him, leaving Duke as the last being alive while the Deathwave collapsed around him.

In the multiverse's last moments, Duke crafted the Dragon's skin into a new armor, and took Nightwing's Parall-Axe. The Final Knight watched as existence crumbled around him, and used his teleportation belt one final time. He traveled into the Dark Multiverse, where he encountered an observer named Tempus Fuginaut. Enraged that the being watched his world die and did nothing, the Final Knight knocked him out, before leaving into the Dark Multiverse once more, as the lone hero of countless twisted worlds.

## Relationships

### Allies

* Bruce Wayne
* Dick Grayson
* **The Justice League**

### Enemies

* Barbatos
* **Dragons of the End**
* **The Batman Who Laughs**

## Powers & Abilities

**Metahuman Physiology**: Duke's appears to have the same powers as his present-day counterpart. However, since this Duke was never part of the Outsiders, his powers were never expanded beyond his photokinetic sight.

* **Photokinetic Sight**
	+ **Ghost Vision:** Duke can see Earth Metal as it once was, year before it's current state. he's constantly seeing so far into the past that he requires special goggles to temper his powers enough to see the present.
	+ **Cosmic Perception**

### Abilities

**Charisma**: Duke's ability to gain the trust and loyalty of others and win them over to his cause is still Duke's greatest asset. He was able to rally the remaining disenfranchised heroes of Earth Metal for on one last battle against Barbatos, as The Justice League.

**Indomitable Will**

**Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)**: Duke is a considerably skilled hand-to-hand combatant, having trained with Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and the original Batman.

* **Martial Arts**

## Equipment

* **Signal Armor** **(formerly):** Duke still wears his original Signal suit under his Monitor Armor.

* **Monitor Armor**: At some point, Duke stole armor that allowed him to traverse the multiverse. It was later augmented with the hide of the Dragon of the End.
	+ **Teleportation**: Duke's armor allows him to teleport both within one universe and between different ones.
	+ **Energy Projection**: The armor can project energy strong enough to stun Kryptothrax.
	+ **Superhuman Durability**
* **Power-Suppressing Goggles**: Based on technology from his multiverse's counterpart to Earth 10, the goggles allow Duke to see the world as it really is, as opposed to only visions of the past.

Weapons

* **Parall-Axe:** Taken from Nightwing, the Parall-Axe is a hybrid of an axe and guitar, forged from ingots made of the last Power Rings.

* **Dragon Bone Sword:** A sword fashioned from the dislodged fang of The Kryptothax, the tenth metal dragon that was once Superman.

## Essential Reading

* Tales from The Dark Multiverse: Dark Nights Metal