DC Unveils New Design And Name For The One Villain More Sadistic Than Joker

Conflicts authored by General Amanda Waller are brewing in every corner of Dark Knights of Steel II. This sequel series may lack the original’s mystery as to who the main villain secretly was, but it’s phenomenal that Dark Knights of Steel II’s worldbuilding is developing at a breakneck pace to fulfill the first series’ wild cliffhanger, anyway.

Besides, Waller is far from the only Dark Knights of Steel villain being teased, with Emperor Black Manta and a medieval Darkseid both having the potential to be terrifying foes of the League. Likewise, an iconic Batman villain has been adapted in Dark Knights of Steel II and given him a new name, foreshadowing precisely the kind of brutal and sadistic antagonist he’ll be in this series.

Meet Prince Victor Falcone, The Medieval DC Universe’s Zsasz

In Dark Knights of Steel, Victor Zsasz is reinterpreted as Prince Victor Falcone, son of King Carmine Falcone of the Blüdhaven Isles, Dark Knights of Steel II #1 introduces readers to Victor as a child, supposedly around the same age as the kingdom of Metropolis’ Princess Zala-El, Prince Kal-El, and Bruce Wayne, and immediately depicts him as a sinister, irredeemable character when he kills Ace, the puppy that Carmine had gifted to Bruce.

In Dark Knights of Steel II #2, present-day Prince Victor is a young adult who continues to challenge the king’s decision-making and has made a hobby out of torturing prisoners by carving their flesh with a curved knife. Victor’s taste for cruelty and violence obviously wasn’t something he’d outgrow, and it’s quite odd how little Carmine seems to care that his son is caked in blood when Victor rushes to tell him that the Els are compromised and vulnerable.

‘Zsasz’ Is Dark Knights Of Steel’s Newest Villain

Alarmingly, the solicitation for Dark Knights of Steel II #5 reveals that Waller may or may not be defeated a lot earlier than readers may have anticipated in this limited sequel series. Meanwhile, it will likely come as a surprise to no one that Prince Victor Falcone will usurp her as a main antagonist in Dark Knights of Steel II:

The kingdom of El is in mourning. And while the evil machinations of General Amanda Waller appear to have been thwarted, there is another who conspires in the shadows. Victor Falcone has been plotting… and he’s ready at long last to step into the light.

Carmine himself is hardly villainous and completely unrecognizable as a good person and an honorable king in Dark Knights of Steel’s unique depiction of the character, expressing the utmost respect for the Els and the Waynes. Of course, it’s almost guaranteed that Carmine will be killed or enslaved by Victor before long, as Victor’s “plotting” possibly involving his ascension to the throne of the Blüdhaven Isles’ would enable him to make the choices that his father refuses to.

With no apparent superpowers of his own, though, it’ll be interesting to see how Victor will contend with the might of Dark Knights of Steel’s League, especially if they have King Arthur of Atlantis at their side. This 12-issue sequel series is only on issue #2, and thus, it’s anyone’s guess how many more twists and turns will slither their way into the rich lore of Dark Knights of Steel II.

Dark Knights of Steel II #3 is scheduled to be released on September 16, 2026.