Whether it's present in the storylines, character development, or even romances, Earth-Prime's influence on Dark Knights of Steel is evident.

Originally planned as a 12-issue story, Dark Knights of Steel, by Tom Taylor and Yasmine Putri, has officially expanded. DC has confirmed that the series will have a prequel one-shot, Dark Knights of Steel: Tales From the Three Kingdoms. With this new information, fantasy fans and comic readers are hyped to learn even more about this new universe.

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So far, Taylor has managed to create a new alternate reality that doesn't have a problem breaking with the main canon. However, it still reminds the fans of the stories they know and love. Whether it's present in the storylines, character development, or even romances, Earth-Prime's influence on Dark Knights of Steel is evident.

Convinced by King Jefferson that King Jor-El was a threat to humanity, Oliver Queen put an arrow in the Kryptonian monarch's eye in Dark Knights of Steel #1. This murder resulted in a bloody conflict between the King of Storms and the King of El that's still taking lives.

Full of rage, Bruce aka the Prince-Bat searched for Oliver. During their battle, the knight cut Oliver's arm and took him as a prisoner. Oliver's fate in this series reminded fans of The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller, where the expert marksman also lost his limb during a fight with Superman. This storyline was subsequently adapted in Nolan's adaptation of the comic.

Dark Knights of Steel doesn't just transplant DC's most iconic characters into a different reality. Taylor clearly made sure to create counterparts for them who would perfectly fit who they were and the reasons fans loved them. For instance, faithful to Pamela's love for plants, he turned Poison Ivy into Dark Knights of Steel's own Lady of the Forest. Meanwhile, Harley was the intelligent but quirky jester of the House of El.

Pamela and Harley are just as fierce as they are in Earth-Prime. Although they aren't a couple yet, Poison Ivy already expressed her love for Harley in Dark Knights of Steel #5. Harley seems to reciprocate, but she isn't sure how to proceed. Every DC fan knows Harlivy is one of the best couples in DC. Surely Taylor won't disrespect their story.

Just like it happened to Kal-El on Earth-Prime, the only reason he's on Earth in the first place is that his parents tried to save him from death before his planet, Krypton, was destroyed. Dark Knights of Steel followed the same storyline. Kal-El was an alien whose powers come from his extraterrestrial anatomy.

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However, Kal-El wasn't alone this time. Instead of sending him in the pod as a baby, Jor-El put his pregnant wife and himself on the ship, allowing them to live as a family together on Earth. This was far less tragic than Earth Prime's Superman story. However, it also changed his personality. While Kal-El was a hero in Earth-Prime, he's a traitor in this medieval Earth.

Since the beginning of Dark Knight of Steel, Taylor made sure to include proper queer representation in the story. First, with Princess Diana, who shared a passionate romance with Princess Zala-El. Additionally, Dark Knights of Steel #6 informed readers that John Constantine — the royal seer and king's advisor — was in love with King Jefferson.

This comes as a surprise given Constantine's status in the kingdom, but not considering his sexuality. Both Constantine and Diana Prince have been LGBTQ+ icons for a while. Constantine is a proudly bisexual man since 1992, while Diana has had plenty of sapphic love interests throughout history.

One of the things that makes Batman such a compelling character is his origin story. The fact that this main motivation to end crime comes from losing his own parents gives him a human dimension readers love, especially in such a dark character.

In Dark Knights of Steel, Bruce's counterpart suffered a similar burden. Thomas, his adoptive father, and Martha, his biological mother, were murdered when he was a kid. Additionally, Bruce's real father Jor-El died in Dark Knights of Steel #2. Like in Earth-Prime, Batman lived through his fair share of loss in Dark Knights of Steel, and this pain motivates him to find justice.

Although often a broody man, Batman is one of the superheroes with the most crime-fighting partners. He's a member of the Justice League. He has his loyal butler and aide-de-camp Alfred Pennyworth as well as the whole Bat-Family: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Stephanie Brown, among others.

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These same characters are on Batman's side in Dark Knights of Steel. However, they aren't the Bat-Family. Instead, Alfred is the Bat-Prince's squire, while the others are the Robins — a net of spies who work as the Bat-Prince's eyes and ears throughout the whole realm. So far, they've been secondary characters. But considering Batman's history, they will be key pieces to Bruce's future success.

Given that Kal-El arrived on Earth with his parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent didn't raise him as they had in Earth-Prime. This was one of the ways in which Dark Knights of Steel changed DC's main canon. However, this didn't mean the Kents weren't just as important.

In Dark Knights of Steel#6, this kind couple rescued the Bat-Prince after he had to flee the Kingdom of El. Additionally, Dark Knights of Steel #7 confirmed they raised Aquaman and protected many other powered beings, like this Earth's Teen Titans. While they didn't turn the Man of Steel into the hero everyone loves, they still did their part for the superheroes of this universe.

In addition to its daring story rooted in fantasy, one of the most enjoyable things about Dark Knights of Steel is Taylor and Putri's character development. Putri has managed to translate each original design into a medieval archetype, while Taylor carefully created new characters while still giving the readers the essence of their favorite superheroes.

Of course, the main reason why this is possible is that most characters have kept their original set of powers. For instance, Black Canary has her Canary Cry while Poison Ivy can control plants around her. Kal-El and the other Kryptonians possess super-strength, heat vision, and flight, among many other powers. Since there are still five Dark Knights of Steel issues pending, fans are still eager to see which iconic DC character will be adapted next.

NEXT: 10 Bat-People Who Should Star In A Spider-Verse-Style Batman Movie

Mayra García is a Comic Lists Writer for CBR. Her main interests include linguistics, superheroes, and food.