Fortnite’s list of crossovers never seems to end, and their Chapter 2, Season 7 crossover with DC truly changed the game forever. In a series of six Batman Zero Point comics, DC featured the Dark Knight venturing into the Fortnite universe, finding himself trapped by its mysterious forces, and discovering secrets about the true nature of the island on his way out.
In fact, this crossover gave us some of the biggest revelations in Fortnite’s history, far beyond what the game’s actual in-game events and seasonal updates have explained. The story will be continuing in the upcoming Foundation series, which will come with its own set of cosmetic items for the game.
In fact, this crossover gave us some of the biggest revelations in Fortnite’s history, far beyond what the game’s actual in-game events and seasonal updates have explained.
The comics have revealed a lot about the IO, an interdimensional organization that has been influencing the island for years, and the Zero Point, a magical blue orb that can control space and time. If you aren’t caught up with the plethora of lore surrounding the Zero Point in Fortnite, be sure to check out our summary of the same.
Here’s everything the DC crossover has revealed to us about the world of Fortnite.
The nature of Fortnite’s lore
This article is about the true nature of the Fortnite universe as revealed through the DC comics, and before I start explaining that, I need to explain the nature of Fortnite’s lore in order to avoid looking like a crazy Redditor on the loose. I got out of that phase once the lockdown was lifted. Really, I did.
When Fortnite’s lore kicked in, Epic Games had decided that everything had to make sense and not just be brushed off as “it’s just a game”. So the Battle Royale island is not just an island in a world that has boundaries because it’s in a video game and the storm doesn’t just close in in specific patterns because someone designed it that way.
Similarly, the endless loop of Battle Royale matches isn’t just because that’s how games are, but because characters in the Fortnite world are actually stuck in what we call The Loop.
In the Zero Point comics, a rift opened in Gotham City and Batman was pushed into it, bringing him to the world of Fortnite. He was now stuck in the Loop with Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and 97 “players” looking to get that Victory Royale.
Is Fortnite a simulation?
We’ve already had hints of Fortnite’s deadly purple storm being controlled by an external force, given its symmetry, behavior, and how it only affects people. Let’s also not forget that when you die to it, your character spawns out and is teleported back to the lobby instead of being physically hurt.
We got our first confirmation of the Fortnite-is-a-simulation theory in Chapter 2, Season 2 when Midas tried to control the storm and break out of the Loop. In a flash of light, we woke up in Agent Jones’ office somewhere in another world, but we were back on the island in no time and never really got to understand how we got there.
In the comics, when Batman found himself running from the storm, he analyzed its behavior and realized the same thing. He actually did some A/B testing on it and managed to escape the Loop, only to find himself on a version of the island where no one was fighting. Others who had escaped were on this island, also trying to find a way out so that they could return to their respective worlds. So, is Fortnite a simulation?
How to escape the Fortnite island
Nope. Fortnite is a world in itself. It is contained within its own boundaries and there is no way to get out by simply trying to swim away from the island.
Going back to the Zero Point, the orb is what connects the island to various other dimensions. Now here’s the missing link that we were unaware of: the organization called IO, headed by Doctor Slone, has full control of the Zero Point. The IO has built devices to calibrate the Zero Point and get to specific realities and points in time, and their base is located below our island.
When Batman begins exhausting his options to escape the island, he comes across the three “hatches”. These are what we have been referring to as the underground bunkers, right from the beginning of Chapter 1. When Batman finds no way to open the hatches, he tried to use energy signals to unlock them by picking up energy from various parts of the island and replicating it near the hatches. This works, and the group discovers a huge underground base.
How to control the Zero Point
This is the same room that we saw in Chapter 2, Season 5 story trailer, where Jonesy traveled to our island through the Zero Point.
In the comics, Batman discovered the same place and we actually got to see how he could change the parameters on the devices linked to the Zero Point to change the reality it can take you to. He also noticed that the orb switches between hundreds of realities every second, and getting a specific one is difficult. You also need someone helping you regulate the realities while you use it, to avoid landing in the wrong one. To come back from that reality, the only way we know of so far is through Rifts.
The IO and its ties with DC villains
The IO being underground and having control over the Zero Point changed a lot of things. It explains why Agent Jones was experiencing an earthquake during the Galactus event. It also explains how the orb got under the island in the first place, back when we didn’t know where it had disappeared after Season X. And every time we’ve heard characters in Fortnite events use the word “they” (what we’ve been assuming was the Fortnite “government”) was actually the IO all along.
In the Zero Point comics, Batman also discovered that the IO had been around for a long time and had some ancient Fortnite artifacts preserved underground. His biggest shock was when he realized they could mess with people’s minds, and he found himself having no recollection of his identity or how he got on the island. One comic also revealed that the IO has various departments, some of which can control a person’s mental state.
And when Batman finally managed to use the power of the Zero Point to get back to Gotham City with Catwoman, we got the revelation that the IO had been working with Lex Luthor and The Batman Who Laughs the entire time, and not just Deathstroke.
This series will be continued in the future as the comics concluded with another huge Rift opening above Gotham, and Dr. Slone saying “We’ve already begun.” And this might be another coincidence, but the Superman skin was released shortly after the last of the Zero Point comics, meaning there’s a good chance he would play a part in future Fortnite crossover comics as well.
Endnote
We’re still not clear as to how The Seven factor into the story and why the IO hates them so much, but we hope to get some clarity on that from the Batman/Fortnite: Foundation series, in which Batman will be going up against The Foundation, the leader of The Seven.
And here’s a reminder that while we know how the hatches/bunkers work, there’s a huge locked gate near Catty Corner that will surely factor into the grand finale of Fortnite Chapter 2. This also coincides with leaks of upcoming “modding” features that will let players create their own versions of the game and let everyone else experience them as well; basically, the Creative mode on steroids.
