History Script / TheTwilightOfTheSuperheroes

* WeddingSmashers: The wedding between Superboy and Mary Marvel, Jr. gets interrupted by a climactic showdown between the other factions.

* TookALevelInJerkass: ''Everybody''. Some because of [[PowerCorrupts the power they obtained]], others because [[IDidWhatIHadToDo they're doing what needs to be done]].

* GambitPileup: First you've got the Houses of [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Steel]] and [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Thunder]], who are trying to combine their powers via a political marriage. Then you've got the Houses of [[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice]], [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Titans]] and [[LegionOfDoom Secrets]], who have all teamed up to wipe out the Houses of Steel and Thunder and take control for themselves. Then there's the [[Franchise/GreenLantern House of Lanterns]] and their [[ComicBook/AdamStrange various]] [[ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} alien]] [[ComicBook/MartianManhunter allies]], who want to take over Earth to prevent a potential intergalactic empire. Then there's an underground cabal run by Franchise/{{Batman}} and [[Radio/TheShadow various]] [[Franchise/DocSavage other]] [[Franchise/{{Tarzan}} pulp]] heroes, who want to take down the houses and put humanity back in control of Earth. And finally there's [[ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}} John Constantine]], who's manipulating everyone else and trying to prevent this dark future from ever happening. [[spoiler: Except he's actually loyal to Batman's crew.]]

* KillEmAll: Most of the cast ends up dead by the end of the climactic brawl.

* WholeEpisodeFlashback: The FramingDevice begins with John Constantine in a bar when a girl asks him for a light, we then flashback to the main story. [[spoiler: It turns out Constantine's future self tricked him, and realize the girl is the catalyst of it. We return to the present, and Constantine said he doesn't. Then she left the bar, leaving Constantine alone and heartbroken.]]

* StuffedInTheFridge: ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} has become a grimmer and deadlier version of Batman, due to the death of his love interest ComicBook/{{Starfire}} in the backstory.

* HumansAreWarriors: This is the main reason the aliens want control of Earth. They're afraid that if the various houses stop fighting each other, then humanity could spread out into space and threaten their power.

In 1987, before his split from Creator/DCComics, Creator/AlanMoore proposed a dark comics crossover called ''Twilight of the Superheroes''.[[note]] His full written proposal seems to have been penned after he left DC, since it references ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman''--which came out in 1992.[[/note]] While the story was never published, the original proposal was leaked online and gained popularity as a "might have been" story penned by one of comicdom's biggest stars.