Lex Luthor, Static, & More DC Heroes Impacted by Major Retcon

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In 2025, DC Comics established a clear, official timeline for its entire universe, deciding which past stories were still considered true. This also explained how characters from other DC imprints, like Static and the heroes of Milestone Media, fit into the main story. Now, DC is revisiting that history with The Dakota Incident, a new story focusing on the Dakotaverse. This tale will have significant consequences for many characters, including a surprising connection to Lex Luthor.

This story reimagines history through the perspective of Beacon, a superhero from the futuristic Dakota City. As the son of Rocket and protégé of Static, Beacon first appeared in the ‘Batman/Static: Beyond’ miniseries. This new take on the character places him firmly within the current DC Universe, until disruptions begin to change the timeline and he finds himself lost in time.

Beacon travels back in time to understand the origins of the Dakotaverse and its superpowered individuals. He discovers that an experimental gas, initially used to calm gang violence, unexpectedly activated the metagene in several protesters. This event, known as the “Big Bang,” resulted in the birth of numerous people with superpowers – dubbed “Bang Babies.” Beacon witnesses the emergence of Dakota City’s first heroes, like Static, Icon, Rocket, and Hardware. However, he finds that history diverges from what he knows after the original Milestone Comics storyline, culminating in an event he doesn’t recognize.

How The Dakota Incident changes DC history

The central mystery, known as the Dakota Incident, turns out to be the murder of Edwin Alva, a wealthy tech CEO and the primary antagonist of the Dakotaverse. Hardware discovered Alva’s body and was initially blamed for the events surrounding The Big Bang. However, investigating the crime scene, Hardware realized The Big Bang – which gave people in Dakota City superpowers – wasn’t an accident. Alva was actually involved in a top-secret government program called The Supermen Project, aimed at creating and controlling superpowered individuals. Essentially, Dakota City was used as a testing ground for this program.

When it became clear someone was investigating, President Lex Luthor authorized a preemptive strike. He sent the Suicide Squad to Dakota City as the first step in a larger military operation designed to control all metahumans there, suspecting one of them was responsible for Alva’s murder. The heroes of Dakota City fought back, and surprisingly received help from the Justice League.

After the battle ends, Luthor calls for a truce, but only if superheroes are banned in Dakota City. This confirms Lex Luthor is still president in this new storyline and also explains why the heroes of Dakota City suddenly disappeared.

The latest issue of New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident #1 officially establishes that Static and Black Lightning had a teacher-student relationship. It also reveals that Jefferson Pierce (Black Lightning) previously worked with all the heroes of the Dakota universe before taking a job as Lex Luthor’s Secretary of Education. This connection firmly links DC’s original Black superhero with the characters from Milestone Comics.

New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident #1 is now available at comic shops everywhere.

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2026-02-25 20:17