Absolute Superman's First Ever Fight Debuts His Explosive Heat Vision

DC's Absolute Superman is here, as the publisher redefines the lore (and powers) of its greatest hero for a brand new era. DC's new Absolute Universe is a dark new continuity where unfamiliar versions of Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman battle for truth and justice against an entire reality forged in Darkseid's image. These are versions of DC's iconic heroes stripped of every advantage they've ever had, meeting a tide of evil with no room for hesitation.

Fans get to see exactly what that means in a new preview of Absolute Superman #1, shared by AIPT. The unlettered preview pages show DC's hardcore new Man of Steel going up against an army of Peacemakers. Absolute Superman shrugs off bullets, throws Earth-shaking punches, and cuts loose with an apocalyptic version of heat vision that is nothing like the original Superman's pinpoint-precise attack.

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DC's new Absolute Universe is offering fans raw new takes on their favorite heroes, with each rising up alone without their usual allies and tools. In Superman's case, that seemingly includes far less refined powers, with his heat vision pouring out of him in a torrent of fire. Enjoy the issue's variant covers by Clayton Crain, Jim Lee, Matteo Scalera and Wes Craig below. Absolute Superman #1 is coming from Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval, November 6, 2024.

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This Superman never had the love and guidance of the Kents...

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Superman Faces the Peacemakers in His First Fight

The New Hero's Blazing Powers Turn the Dial to 11

The new Absolute Superman recently debuted in DC All In Special, with a single page showcasing the Man of Steel. The image officially introduced the hero's new costume, with fiery detailing on the sleeves and boots, and seemingly showed him falling to Earth as a full-grown adult, meaning this Superman never had the love and guidance of the Kents. Fans recently got to read Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta's Absolute Batman #1, which showed that DC is going all-out in differentiating the new Absolute heroes from its originals, with major origin, design and lore changes.

If Superman is new to Earth, it makes sense that he doesn't yet have mastery over his powers. That will likely lead to a Superman who holds back far less - the mainstream Clark Kent has been using and honing his powers since he was a child, allowing him to carefully apply abilities like his strength and heat vision. In contrast, Absolute Superman appears to have less experience moderating his abilities, and he's all the more dangerous because of it.

While he launched in 1966 as a genuine superhero, DC's Peacemaker has taken on a satirical, antihero role in the last few years, essentially acting as the macho enforcer for the powers that be. Indeed, the recent Absolute Power event has seen Peacemaker become one of Amanda Waller's main stooges as she attempts to seize control of first the world and then the multiverse. It makes sense that in this bleak new world, the role of Peacemaker is one that dozens of people hold, leading to an army of Peacemakers descending on the new Superman.

DC is already setting the stage to make Absolute Superman more powerful than the original.

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Darkseid's Absolute Universe Puts Superman at a Huge Disadvantage

DC's New Reality Will Test Its Heroes Like Never Before

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DC's Absolute Universe was created in Joshua Williamson, Scott Snyder, Dan Mora, Daniel Sampere and Wes Craig's DC All In Special #1. In that title, Darkseid was finally killed by a magic-enhanced Superman, freeing him from his cosmic role as the dark force that stops life itself from growing out of control. With his newfound freedom, Darkseid seized a volatile reality known as the Elseworld as his own, reshaping it into the Absolute Universe. This is a world where evil is the norm and acts of kindness, goodness and hope are - in Darkseid's words - "the small chaos, rather than the system itself."

Darkseid's plan is to crush the last remnants of hope and heroism in this new reality, then use it as a staging ground to wipe out DC's main reality, commanding an army of corrupted superhumans. So far, all that stands between Darkseid and his horrific goal are the Absolute Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. However, these heroes begin their lives at a major disadvantage, with Darkseid declaring his Absolute Universe is one where "heroes are born facing greater odds. Instead of being raised in paradise, they are raised in Hell." Sadly for Superman, the first casualty of this process appears to be his loving adopted parents.

However, Darkseid's plan could still backfire. DC's Absolute heroes will be tested more harshly than the originals and pushed to more devastating extremes, with the warning that any last vestige of hope will have to "burn brighter than ever before to survive at all." With this statement presented over an image of the new Superman landing on Earth, many fans have taken the quote as a tacit promise that this new Superman will become even more powerful than the original.

Even more than Injustice's evil Superman, Absolute Superman is unique in DC's multiverse, breaking a rule every other Man of Steel obeys.

Related Absolute Wonder Woman Makes Her Official Debut, With This Dark New Diana "Raised in Hell" Fans can now get their FIRST in-narrative look at DC's ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN as she debuts as the Princess of the Underworld in the DC ALL IN SPECIAL.

This May Be DC's Most Unique Superman

Darkseid Has Inverted the Man of Steel's Cosmic Purpose

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The new Absolute Superman may be powerful, but his introduction raises huge questions for hardcore DC fans. The comics have long established that superheroes act as the DC Multiverse's immune system, confronting and beating any threat to the wellbeing of the cosmos. What's more - as readers saw in Final Crisis - Superman is the original multiversal blueprint from which all heroes derive (a piece of lore which honors his real-life status as the first true 'superhero.')

DC All In Special went even further, with Darkseid realizing that Superman embodies the cosmic force of life and hope that keeps the multiverse growing. Darkseid discovered that he is meant to be Superman's opposite - a vital part of the cosmos that constrains the multiverse's infinite potential. However, Darkseid's death liberated him from this dynamic, allowing him to create a world where his cosmic connection to Superman is sundered.

In short, Absolute Superman is unlike any other Superman in the entire multiverse. Rather than being part of the multiverse's immune system, this Superman is the infection in Darkseid's reality - an outsider who is fundamentally opposed to the natural order. While fans have seen evil Supermen, they've never seen one who exists outside the hero's larger cosmic purpose - a rebel whose purpose is to change the fundamental nature of his reality, rather than acting as a guardian of the status quo.

The new Absolute Superman is a powerhouse hero whose incredible abilities still may not be enough to fight against an entire universe built on Darkseid's evil, but as this preview confirms, that doesn't mean he won't try.

Absolute Superman #1 is coming from DC Comics November 6, 2024.

Source: David Brooke, AIPT