A New Costume & Possible New Powers, Explained

As we speak, James Gunn and Peter Safran are working to shepherd the DC Comics universe on film. We’ll have a better sense of how this new franchise might play out (and whether it’s here for the long haul) after “Superman” — personally directed by Gunn and starring David Corenswet as Superman — soars into theaters on July 11, 2025.

While DC Films is preparing to introduce a new silver screen Superman, DC Comics is doing the same. This fall, DC is launching a new “Absolute” publishing line. This is, in a nutshell, a reboot for the shared setting of DC Comics (though it will run alongside the original instead of replacing it). Familiar characters will start from the beginning and might turn out very differently than they have before.

Comic writers Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson are the architects of “Absolute DC.” On July 18, 2024, Snyder shared background on the project in his “Our Best Jackett” newsletter. He described the relaunch as “a universe where we can do the kinds of things that we tried to do with the New 52 [a previous DC reboot] where we can reinvent the characters in really daring ways that are personal to us.”

“Absolute Superman” is being written by Jason Aaron (“Thor: The God Butcher,” “Scalped,” “Avengers,”) and drawn by Rafa Sandoval (“Action Comics,” “The Flash”). Details are vague so far, but Aaron has promised a reinvention of Superman. Can we believe him?

The Absolute Universe launches on October 2, 2024 with the one-shot “DC All-In Special” #1. It’s been confirmed that Darkseid will be behind the creation of the new reality. Snyder explained on his newsletter: 

“Darkseid, our greatest villain, becomes that figure that says ‘it’s time for superheroes to end.’ I’m going to become the new thing, the thing that they have not seen coming but has been prophesied as their end. And I will transform myself or I will make myself into this thing that can finally put these stories to rest. I am Omega. I am the end of all things.”

“Absolute Batman” launches first (Batman getting top billing, what else is new?), followed by “Absolute Wonder Woman,” and then “Absolute Superman.” The full list of confirmed “Absolute DC” titles is as follows:

• “Absolute Batman” by Snyder and Nick Dragotta, beginning October 2, 2024.

• “Absolute Wonder Woman” by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman, beginning October 23, 2024.

• “Absolute Superman” by Aaron and Sandoval, beginning November 6, 2024.

• “Absolute Flash” by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles, release TBA.

• “Absolute Green Lantern” by Al Ewing and Jahnoy Lindsay, release TBA.

BleedingCool also reported in July 2024 that Deniz Camp is writing an “Absolute Martian Manhunter” series, though that series was not confirmed to be happening at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 with the others.

You can’t understand “Absolute DC” without understanding “Ultimate Marvel.” That refers to a publishing initiative launched in 2000, where Marvel Comics updated their core characters for the 21st century and restarted them from the beginning. The “Ultimate Universe” was first conceptualized by Marvel VP Bill Jemas and spearheaded with Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada as a way to win new readers without losing old ones. The early titles, like “Ultimate Spider-Man” (by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley), “Ultimate X-Men” (by Mark Millar and Adam Kubert) and a reimagined Avengers called “The Ultimates” (by Millar and Bryan Hitch), were successes and Ultimate Marvel was a powerhouse during the 2000s.

The setting eventually had its “jumping the shark” moments once the decade closed. Marvel retired the Ultimate universe after 2015’s “Secret Wars” (by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic). Two of its main characters were brought over from Earth-1610 (Ultimate Marvel) to Earth-616 (“mainstream” Marvel); Miles Morales/Spider-Man and the Maker, the Ultimate Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic who’d turned evil.

The Maker’s survival turned out to be key when Marvel revived the “Ultimate” branding in 2023. In the kick-off mini-series “Ultimate Invasion” (by Hickman and Hitch), the Maker escapes Earth-616 and decides to build his own “perfect” world, Earth-6160. The result is a world where most superheroes never existed and the Maker’s acolytes rule.

In “Ultimate Invasion,” 6160 Tony Stark and Reed Richards (who the Maker sealed inside Doctor Doom’s mask) overthrow the Maker and set about cleaning up his messes, making the world how it “should” have been. As Tony and Reed’s new Ultimates have been learning, some changes can’t be undone. While the new “Ultimate Marvel” shares the branding of the 2000s one, it is not a recreation. Rather, it honors the original initiative’s intention of resetting the table and offering a fresh start.

“Absolute” clearly intends to do the same for DC. Even the chosen adjectives are similar, suggesting that this retelling will have only the essentials and be even better than before. “Absolute” also has the same feeling of early aughts x-treme branding that “Ultimate” does. I’m not going to accuse plagiarism, but Darkseid’s keystone role in “Absolute DC” and the premise of twisting the characters (rather than setting them back to basics) does feel reminiscent of the new “Ultimate Marvel.”

This is not DC’s first attempt at their own Ultimate universe either. They’ve tried this before — first in 2005, with the “All-Star DC Comics” initiative. The premise there was to take all-star writers and artists to deliver accessible takes on DC’s major character. It only produced two titles: “All-Star Superman” by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely is a modern classic. “All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder” by Frank Miller and Jim Lee? Not so much.

DC tried again with the “Earth One” graphic novel series, an even more direct analogue to Ultimate Marvel; reintroducing younger, less ostentatious versions of classic characters in a new world. “Earth One” produced more comics than “All-Star” but quietly fizzled out and none besides Morrison and Yanick Paquette’s “Wonder Woman: Earth One” trilogy are especially beloved.

Even the aforementioned “New 52” (launched in 2011) felt crafted in Ultimate Marvel’s image, with a more interconnected setting and militarized superheroes. There were some highlights (Snyder’s run on “Batman” with Greg Capullo and DC’s savior Grant Morrison’s “Action Comics), but the consensus nowadays is that the New 52 failed because it wasn’t a clean break with the old continuity. Some old stories were still canon, some weren’t, and this satisfied no-one. DC pivoted to a new relaunch, “DC Rebirth,” in 2016 to stave off criticism.

Will the “Absolute” universe finally give DC what they’ve been trying to do for 20 years. We’ll know soon.

In an interview with Screen Rant, Aaron shared some details about his “Absolute” reimagining of Superman. Absolute Superman is still from Krypton, though Aaron teases that the planet itself is being changed too. “His place in Krypton, his parents’ place and Krypton and his relationship with them. That’s all different,” Aaron explained.

“How he came to Earth is different,” Aaron added; this Superman was not raised in Kansas by the Kents.”The story doesn’t start in Metropolis, it just starts in Brazil in a diamond mine.” Due to his different upbringing, this Superman will be less of the big blue boy scout, though Aaron said Absolute Superman won’t be quite “dark” or “edgy” either.

“No Fortress. No Family. No Home,” was the “Absolute Superman” tagline that Aaron shared on his Substack.

Superman isn’t the only DC hero getting a new origin. Absolute Batman is not a silver spoon-fed CEO; this Bruce Wayne is a working class city engineer with no mansion, no endless money, and no butler sidekick. Absolute Wonder Woman is not on a mission of peace; she was raised in Hell, not Paradise, and is apparently both a warrior and a witch.

Absolute Superman still looks like Superman: blue suit, red-and-yellow chest insignia with an “S” symbol, black hair, and flowing red cape. There are subtle differences though; he wears red wrist gauntlets that, along with his boots, seem to glow. Aaron has said there’s a (unrevealed) reason why this Superman has longer, messier hair than usual (no spit curl in sight), and teased a new detail to his cape. “Look at the cape. It’s got a gradient texture. He’s literally wearing the dust of Krypton,” Aaron said.

Superman seems reflective of the “Absolute DC” design ethos; classical enough to be recognizable, but with some new details to stand out. Take Batman, who is way more buff than usual. Snyder said on Twitter that since this Bruce Wayne is not a public figure, he has less reason to conceal his secret identity. Ergo, he’s as jacked as a vigilante would need to be. 

Many jokes have been made about Absolute Batman’s chest insignia, which looks more like a solid black brick than a bat’s wingspan. The reason for such a thick look? The insignia is a detachable ax head. Wonder Woman also has a huge sword resembling Guts’ Dragon Slayer from “Berserk,” not to mention a darker red, black and silver color scheme and tattoos running down her left arm.

Superman has a wide range of superpowers, accumulated from different writers adding to him in his early years. These days, his most accepted powers are: super strength, super durability, flight, heat vision, x-ray vision, ice breath, super hearing, etc. He gets his powers from Earth’s yellow sun juicing up his Kryptonian cells, and the only thing that can harm him is Kryptonite (green glowing radioactive meteorites that land on Earth as debris after Krypton’s destruction).

Will the Absolute Superman have these same old powers? That’s been kept mum for the moment, and that very fact has led to speculation that his Man of Steel might have different powers. However, the glowing gold energy running through his costume does suggest the solar motif of Superman’s powers will be maintained — perhaps it will be emphasized even more so than usual.

“Absolute Superman” #1 releases in comic stores on Wednesday, November 6, 2024.