All of the hidden horns in Dark Nights: Metal
When at a rock or metal concert, the easiest way to express satisfaction with the music being played is to throw up the “sign of the horns”. This universal symbol screams “rock on” and has an instant connection to these forms of music. These factors are what made it an obvious choice to represent the Dark Nights: Metal series.
What wasn’t so obvious, however, was how deep this connection went. The very first issue, featured a cover where members of the Justice League were positioned so their outline formed the sign of the horns. This was just a preview though, as series artist Greg Capullo went on to hide at least thirty-one additional examples of this sign. Some of the examples are easy to find, others are more hidden, but all of them are awesome. This list attempts to detail every instance of characters using the sign, though we did leave off a few that were too small or too out of focus to make a definitive call on. As we break down each example, I highly recommend picking up your own copies of Metal to follow along.
Major Spoilers for Dark Nights: Metal ahead
- Cyborg throws up the sign of the horns while falling down in the issue’s initial fight.
- Mongul also displays the sign while running away from the Justice League.
- In the first appearance of the Dark Batmen, the outline of the Drowned can be seen making the sign.
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- The only example, in this issue, can be seen when Baby Darkseid first appears. Both of his hands are rocking in this debut.
- Both Damian and Lois can be seen expressing their love of music at the Super Son’s rock concert.
- Barbatos can be seen holding Superman in one hand and telling the crowd to rock on with the other.
- When Superman is punched out of the sky, his fist forms the sign of the horns.
- In one of their appearances, a corrupted Robin is holding up his horns.
- While at the bar, Kendra Saunders holds her drink in a suspicious manner.
- When he shows up, Dr. Fate rocks horns with both hands.
- Nightmaster can be seen holding his sword in a peculiar way.
- When Green Lantern and Mr. Terrific are captured on Thanagar, Mr. Terrific throws up horns.
- Dr. Fate’s fist form horns while Kendra tries to throw the Monitor’s brain away.
- It looks like one of Kendra’s hands forms horns in one of her first appearances as Lady Blackhawk.
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- Barbatos does it right before he starts to wail.
- Black Adam throws up horns when he gets hit by Wonder Woman.
- A random Thanagarian soldier can be seen rocking after being hit with a blast from Green Lantern.
- The Merciless has his horns up when attacking Green Lantern and Co.
- Wonder Woman forms the sign of the horns when confronted by the Man Who Laughs.
- A dark version of the Flash has one hand displaying horns in his initial appearance.
- Barbatos has wings that end in horns.
- A dark version of the Scarecrow can be seen with his horns up.
- Deathstroke’s hand forms an obvious example when he is attacking the Merciless.
- A version of Detective Chimp does it upon his arrival.
- The vampire Batman has his horns up when he is attacked by Barbatos.
- Both of Dr. Fate’s hands form horns when he saves the Teen Titans.
- The Man Who Laughs does it twice in his final confrontation with Batman.
- The Drowned has her fist in the shape of horns when she is killed by Aquaman.
- Barbatos has horns on both hands before being attacked by Lady Blackhawk.
Small details like this show how dedicated the creators are to their work and really give you a sense of appreciation for how much effort was put into this comic. They also just provide a fun little Easter egg hunt for people like me and, thus, add another reason to reread an already entertaining series.
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