Batman/Superman: World’s Finest Brings Back DC’s Kingdom Come Universe

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest is about to collide with the Kingdom Come universe.

Announced in DC Comics’ solicitations for October 2023, per ComicBook, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20 will see the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight collide with characters from the world of Kingdom Come. The issue is written by Mark Waid and features art by Dan Mora.

“The return of Boy Thunder!” the solicitation reads. “To find and save Superman’s former protégé, the World’s Finest duo bridges the dimensional gulf between their world and an Earth with a jaded Superman, a broken Batman, and a war-hungry Wonder Woman—the world of Kingdom Come!”

Released in 1996, Kingdom Come is a four-issue miniseries written by Waid and illustrated by Alex Ross. Widely considered to be one of DC Comics’ most influential stories, Kingdom Come is set on an Earth where Superman and the Justice League have retired following the death of Lois Lane and the emergence of a powerful villain named Magog. When a new generation of warriors arises only to blur the line between hero and villain, the Justice League must re-form for one final attempt to save the planet.

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest already has a Kingdom Come connection

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest previously introduced a new sidekick for Superman, David Sikela/Boy Thunder. When David — who wants to be a superhero — was kidnapped and tortured by the Joker, he vowed to kill the Clown Prince of Crime someday. This led to the revelation that Boy Thunder is actually a younger version of Magog.

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Despite this, Superman still wanted to train Boy Thunder to save him from becoming a full-on villain. These plans were thwarted, however, when an enemy named the Key activated the ship David arrived on Earth-0 in and sent him to a different corner of the multiverse. There, David encountered a seemingly older version of himself named Gog, while Superman vowed to someday find and rescue his sidekick.

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20 features cover art by Mora and variant cover art by Bjorn Barends, David Nakayama, and Daniel Sampere. The issue releases on Oct. 17, 2023, from DC Comics.