ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN IS GIVING THE MAN OF STEEL A BRAND NEW ARCH-ENEMY

Superman has remained a fairly steadfast character, with his different incarnations covering much of the same ground. This includes the Superman: Earth One series, which eventually pitted him against versions of both Lex Luthor and General Zod. Now, the new Absolute line from DC Comics is reimagining many iconic heroes and switching up who they fight.

While Absolute Batman will see him facing off against Black Mask, Superman won't be fighting any of his usual foes. In particular, his main nemesis won't be in the series' first major arc. Instead, the first opponent of the Man of Steel is a villain that's not usually associated with him, though it's unknown who this will actually be.

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Absolute Superman Won't Be Fighting His Greatest Nemesis

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DC's new Absolute Universe will make things much different for the familiar DC heroes, essentially making it into a massive Elseworlds timeline. Whereas the mainstream DC Universe is described as being powered and defined by "Superman energy," the Absolute Universe will be the same way with "Darkseid energy." As a result, the heroes are missing different elements of their usual status quo. Wonder Woman is the last Amazon and is seemingly more tied to Norse mythology than Greco-Roman myths. Batman is a working-class engineer and isn't the typical billionaire incarnation. Likewise, Superman comes to Earth as an adult and lacks a connection to the Kents or his Clark Kent persona.

With all these things in place, it makes sense that the villains the heroes would face would also be altered. It hasn't been shown who Wonder Woman will be fighting, but Batman is (at least initially) going to be fighting the familiar foe, Black Mask. While it's unknown which Superman villains will be remixed in the Absolute Universe, writer Jason Aaron has confirmed that it won't be Lex Luthor, at least in the initial issues. In an interview at the 2024 Dragon Con, Aaron spoke more about the circumstances the Man of Steel will face.

However, this was all that he clarified about the villain's identity, meaning that Superman may be facing one of potentially any pre-existing DC Comics villains. These will probably be enemies he has never faced, showcasing how topsy-turvy the new continuity is. Likewise, there's also the chance that heroes and former allies are remixed to instead be villains for the Man of Steel.

Will Absolute Superman Fight Peacemaker?

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The cover for the second issue of Absolute Superman depicts the Last Son of Krypton surrounded by a group of Peacemakers, building upon DC Comics using Peacemaker much more frequently in the past three years. This incarnation suggests that, instead of just Christopher Smith, there's an entire army of Peacemaker clones or soldiers. They're shown antagonistically, suggesting the character won't be a hero or antihero in this universe. Of course, it could simply be a misunderstanding, with Peacemaker and the militaries on Earth immediately distrustful of Superman. From there, the character could remain an unwitting enemy or a stone-cold villain determined to take down the Last Son of Krypton.

Still, Jason Aaron said that the villain would be someone Superman doesn't fight in the mainstream universe. The two characters aren't equated at all, and while Peacemaker is largely an antihero instead of a villain, he might be an outright bad guy in the Absolute Universe. This could work, as Peacemaker's usual portrayal is as a disturbed vigilante who deeply loves the very idea of peace, even if it requires violence. It contrasts the typical characterization of Superman, which is far more upbeat regarding heroism and morality. With Superman not being written in such an overtly "Pollyanna" mold in the Absolute Universe, further inverting Peacemaker into an outright bad guy would match that.

Is Lex Luthor In Absolute Superman At All?

Given that Lex Luthor won't be the villain in the first arc of Jason Aaron's Absolute Superman, it's questionable as to whether he'll show up at all in the new comic book line. This wouldn't be the first time that an alternate universe version of Kal-El has had to wait in order to face Lex.

In the now abandoned Superman: Earth-One titles (which were thematic predecessors to the New 52 comic books and the Absolute line), Lex Luthor wasn't the "villain" until the series' third volume. He was preceded by original character Tyrell and a version of the classic pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths version of Parasite. In this continuity, Alexander Luthor is married to Alexandra Luthor, with the two geniuses collectively known as "Lex2." Alexander is actually the more upright and moral of the two, and following his death, his wife simply goes by "Lex" and pledges to defeat Superman.

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Conversely, the world of the Injustice video game tie-in comic books had Lex Luthor as a hero and a friend of Superman, mirroring their Silver Age origins. It's possible that Absolute Superman will do something similar by having Lex Luthor's eventual introduction be as an ally instead of an enemy. This would keep from simply repeating the same stories that fans are used to and truly embrace the nature of the new universe.

That's if Lex is there, at all, as it's possible that Jason Aaron will skip him entirely, at least for a while. This way, other villains are able to be showcased, expanding the Superman brand beyond just Luthor, Zod and Brainiac for once. At the same time, Absolute Superman might not be facing any of his classic foes.

Who Will Be Absolute Superman's Villains?

With Jason Aaron's words about Superman fighting someone much different in the new series, there are two potential avenues for this to manifest. One is that a character from the Superman mythos will be reinterpreted as a villain, changing their usual role in Kal-El's life. Candidates include Jimmy Olsen, Perry White and perhaps even Lois Lane, all of whom might be far different in this new universe. With how different things are supposed to be, even usual allies for the Man of Tomorrow might be enemies in this universe.

Another potential development is that Superman will face villains from outside his rogues gallery, with the aforementioned Peacemaker being one such option. Other rogues might include Deathstroke, Solomon Grundy, The Joker, Vandal Savage or Ra's al Ghul, some of whom Aaron even mentioned as possible antagonists. As long as traditional Superman characters (who will likely be altered themselves) appear alongside them, this should make things recognizable enough for fans.

After all, the goal is to still be a Superman comic book, albeit in a much different way than usual. This way, those who've never read a Superman title can read the book and still get a feel for the Man of Steel. That has to extend to the villains he fights, who will hopefully challenge him on both a physical and mental level. The new series is certain to switch things up from the norm, but it remains to be seen how this will affect Kal-El's sparring partners.