Warning: contains spoilers Action comics #1072!
After 38 years, DC is consolidating a key piece of Superman tradition, giving a former D-list villain a gruesome upgrade in the process. On the pages of Action comicsSuperman is abandoned in the Phantom Zone – and is the plaything of an entity called Aethyr. Superman met Aethyr in the past, but now, in Action comics #1072, the Man of Steel discovers the villain’s terrible secret.
Action comics #1072, part three of the “Phantoms” storyline, was written by Mark Waid and drawn by Clayton Henry and Michael Shelfer. Superman is traveling through the Phantom Zone with his trusted ally Mon-El in tow. Mon-El reports Aethyr’s arrival. Aethyr initially pitied the Phantom Zone prisoners, but her heart hardened when she discovered that they were actually criminals. Aethyr begins to punish the criminals of the Phantom Zone in a sadistic manner. Mon-El also tells Superman that a being he fought in the past called Aethyr was “facets of a darker whole.”
Aethyr’s DC Universe Origins, Explained
Aethyr was created by two comic book legends
The Phantom Zone is full of brutal criminals and terrifying creatures, but none more so than Aethyr. Created by the legendary team of Steve Gerber and Gene Colan, and debuting in 1982 The Phantom Zone miniseries, Aethyr is indigenous to the Zone. In The Phantom Zone series, Aethyr almost defeated the Man of Steel. His appearance was equally terrifying. Gerber and Colan, who just a few years earlier created magic with Howard the Duck, used Aethyr to infuse cosmic horror and mad gods into the Superman mythos.
Aethyr was one of the most powerful villains Superman has ever faced, as well as one of the scariest. Superman is, for all intents and purposes, a god among mortals – but Aethyr is a horrifying reminder that there is always someone greater and more powerful waiting in the wings. Despite its power factor and coolness, Aethyr was hardly used, or even mentioned, by most Superman creators until recently. Aethyr was too good a villain to go unused. In their first encounter, Superman needed everything he had to defeat Aethyr, and so Action #1072, history is about to repeat itself.
Aethyr received a horrible update – and there were hints that it would happen
Aethyr knows exactly where to attack to get to Superman
In the post-Crisis DC Universe, Aethyr was nothing more than a legend, with passing mentions in stories like Tom King and Bilquis Evely. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. These allusions painted Aethyr in a terrifying light, on par with its depictions in The Phantom Zone miniseries. Mon-El then confirms the horrible truth: everything fans, and Superman, thought they knew about Aethyr was not only true, but were actually external reflections of something much darker. Aethyr may have started out with benevolent intentions, but the Phantom Zone brought out the worst in him.
Action comics #1072 ends with Aethyr threatening Earth as a way to strike back at Superman – an act that could finally propel the villain to the A-list. Aethyr is casually torturing prisoners, who beg for release. He has shown himself to be a cruel and wicked god, who personifies the dark nature of the Phantom Zone. When the real Aethyr reveals himself at the end of the issue, his appearance is pure nightmare fuel. This former D-list villain will soon strike fear into the hearts of not only the unfortunate souls of the Phantom Zone, but also Superman also.
Action comics #1072 is on sale now from DC Comics!