As DC launches its new Absolute Superman series, a major change to the Man of Steel’s origin addressed fans’ biggest and longest-running complaints about the character. DC’s Absolute Universe is a new continuity where its iconic heroes are reimagined without any of their traditional advantages, pitting them against an entire reality built on the foundations of Darkseid’s evil. This means some major changes to the Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman lore that fans know, but even in this context, Absolute Superman is making several jaw-dropping changes.
In a preview by Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval​​​​​​​, Ulises Arreola​​​​​​​ and Becca Carey’s Absolute Superman #1readers see a very different version of Superman’s home world of Krypton. Rather than a science fiction utopia, this is a futuristic world powered by the lava flowing across its surface – a world where an arrogant elite rules and Superman’s parents are impoverished farmers whose lives were ruined by ambition.
The question presents new version of Superman’s mother, Lara-El – a genius engineer whose desire to explore the cosmos ruined his position in Kryptonian society. This is a huge shift to everything that has defined Superman’s world and family in DC lore, establishing the Absolute Superman as a radically different version of the hero.
Absolute Superman was created by Kryptonian farmers
The new Man of Steel’s parents come from a very different Krypton
Superman’s origin story has had many iterations over the years, but certain elements have become iconic mythology for the character. Superman’s parents were genius scientists on Krypton when his father realized that the planet would soon be destroyed. With little time left, they sent their son to Earth, where he was adopted by the Kents – two Kansas farmers who instilled in him an unbreakable moral code. This moral code became essential when, under Earth’s yellow sun, Superman began to manifest incredible powers, eventually dedicating himself to “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.”
This new version of Krypton turns Superman into an underdog, answering fan complaints that he is overbearing.
However, in this new continuity, Superman’s farming parents are not his adoptive family, but his biological mother and father, who suffer under Krypton’s rule because they dared to imagine a galaxy beyond their own planet. This is a world characterized by a fiery, violent aesthetic and a blatantly unfair social order under which Superman’s family has personally suffered. Superman is no longer the son of a privileged leader who knew better than his society – now he is the son of those under Krypton’s arrogance (although the preview hints that something is already wrong with the planet itself).
DC Just Removed the Kents from Superman’s Origin
Superman’s adoptive parents shaped much of his traditional character
DC’s new Absolute Universe was presented in this year’s edition DC everything specialwhere Darkseid’s death allowed him to transcend his mortal form, taking control of an entire reality. Darkseid twisted this world, turning evil into evil. status quo and robbing their former enemies of every advantage they ever hadcreating heroes who were “raised in Hell.” Batman is a poor engineer who has never left Gotham, while Wonder Woman is a brave warrior in a world where the word ‘Amazon’ is banned.
Superman’s new origin could actually return him to his roots, before supervillains were his main problem.
Everything special apparently saw Superman fall to Earth for the first time, already in costume and as an adult. This suggested that Absolute Superman would not have been created on Earth by the Kents and would have come to the planet as a stranger. Previews of his first fight against this reality’s Peacemaker army suggest that he will fall victim to Earth’s power structure, which exists in service of Darkseid’s vision of permanent, domineering evil. It’s a new way of presenting Superman that addresses the two main criticisms fans have about the character.
DC is turning Superman into an underdog
Absolute Superman is addressing the two biggest complaints about the character
One of the biggest complaints about Superman in pop culture is that he is domineering, while the other is that he is a defender of status quodedicated to fighting anyone who actually tries to change the world. His new origin in the Absolute Universe apparently solves both problems, transforming him into a strange rebel who opposes – and fails to protect – the power structures of both his birth and adopted planets. It’s a way to turn two worlds against Superman and turning even the iconic ‘overpowered’ superhero into an underdog.
Hopefully fans will see Superman grow up in this very Different krypton. The original was born on the alien planet but left it when he was still a baby, giving him a questionable bond with a society he never truly knew (something that is markedly different from his cousin Supergirl, who left as a teenager). Growing up under an oppressive government on his home planet and then evacuating only to discover the same systems on Earth could give Absolute Superman a very personal motivation to fight for freedom and justice.especially since he also fulfills his mother’s dream of traveling through space.
There are many ways Absolute Superman #1 could start from here, but it is possible to see a very blurred reflection of Clark Kent’s classic origin. As the farmer in the preview detects something wrong with Krypton’s soil, it’s easy to guess that Superman’s mother, Lara-El, will use her genie to send him to safety, unable to go with him due to Krypton’s rules. Kryptonian ruling class. This is a great setup for a version of Superman who – instead of being a placid protector of anyone and everyone – fights to dismantle an unjust system.
Is Superman’s new costume the source of his powers? One detail suggests this is the case.
That wouldn’t just be a Superman very suitable for 2024, but it would also be faithful to how the hero was originally portrayed, back when he focused on terrorizing slumlords, corrupt politicians, and irresponsible corporations rather than punching supervillains.
Absolute Superman’s costume reflects his new origin
Fire now plays an important role in Superman’s story
The depiction of Krypton as a volcanic planet could also explain the biggest change to Superman’s costume. Absolute Superman wears a version of his traditional costume, but with flame details on his arms and legs. So far, this has mostly seemed like a purely aesthetic change, but If Kryptonian technology is lava-based, it’s possible Superman’s suit uses heat to give him his powers.
Fans already know that Absolute Superman’s heat vision is incredibly explosive, as opposed to the original’s surgical precision. It is possible that in absolute continuity, Superman will not gain his powers through yellow sunlight, but through some type of wearable technology developed by his mother.. If so, that would be another huge change to Superman lore, but very fitting for Darkseid twisting the timeline. A Superman who runs on lava instead of sunlight is one associated with a dangerous, buried power rather than DC’s traditional ‘sun god’.
A.D Absolute Universe exists to tell radically different stories starring the iconic heroes fans love, and in just a few pages, Absolute Superman #1 Take this summary and move on. Of all DC’s heroes, it would have been difficult to imagine Superman as the underdog, but that unique perspective is what DC appears to be establishing with the release of Absolute Superman.
Absolute Superman #1 is available November 6 from DC Comics.