It has been a little over a year since the dawn of DC’s Absolute Universe, an alternate corner of canon (powered by Darkseid energy) where DC’s iconic heroes can be reinvented in new ways.
In the time since then, we’ve gotten some truly incredible comic book storytelling: a tattooed Wonder Woman from Hell fighting a giant kaiju, an emo Superman fighting for immigrants and against the rise of generative A.I., and a working-class Batman whose entire rogues gallery seems to exist of unimaginable Eldritch horrors. (Seriously, just look at Absolute Joker.) Not to mention, Absolute Martian Manhunter has been breaking my brain (and the conventions of comic storytelling) with every new issue.
This week brought the Absolute Universe’s first big crossover event: a one-shot from writer Al Ewing and artists Giuseppe Camuncoli and Stefano Nesi titled Absolute Evil. Centered around a meeting between the villains introduced in the universe so far, it promised to have major ramifications on the books going forward… but I wasn’t prepared for exactly how.
**Spoilers for Absolute Evil #1**
The central meeting concerns Veronica Cale, The Joker, Hector Hammond, Ra’s al Ghul, and Dr. Elenore Thawne, who are brought together to discuss the recent rise of vigilantes existing outside of the status quo. As Cale tells her fellow villains, there have been instances of this throughout history, but they have all been taken out in one way or another by “the system” of big business. Sandman, Wildcat, and Iron Munro are just three costumed freaks of many who died under mysterious circumstances.
Absolute Justice?!
The meeting accomplishes many things: Joker reveals his particle accelerator has discovered the “Omega Particle”, which is a key part of Darkseid’s influence on the world; and the villains eventually realize that they might be stronger together than alone. Part of what convinces them is genuinely shocking: Cale has Hawkman (suited up in a macabre version of his Hawkworld-era costume), bring in the corpse of Oliver Queen, a businessman and wannabe-vigilante who he has assassinated. As Oliver’s corpse rests on the table in front of them, the group agrees to join forces… as a “Justice League,” complete with their own Hall of Justice.
To complicate things even further, Brainiac (who was watching the entire meeting remotely) argues that the League still needs another member to counter Joker’s unpredictability. The final scene of the issue is of a bearded man sitting on a farm and getting a phone call, introducing himself as Lex Luthor.
In the span of a single issue, Absolute Evil shook up a lot of the status quo of the universe thus far, before its heroes can even properly cross paths. I’m excited to see how Absolute Lex Luthor evolves in this universe, especially with how well-adjusted he currently seems to be. And the notion of the villains joining forces under a heroic name is nothing new in superhero comics (after all, Marvel’s Thunderbolts started that way), but the reveal still packs a punch. It also raises the question of what the Absolute Universe’s group of heroes will eventually call themselves once they do decide to meet up. The Suicide Squad? The Injustice Society?
And, of course, I have to address the Oliver Queen of it all, especially because a Green Arrow video I made has accidentally gone viral in the wake of this plot twist. Oliver’s death at the hands of Hawkman undeniably shocked me (to the point where I had to flip back and forth to make sure that was him), but it’s also compelling on a thematic level. It not only takes their Bronze Age rivalry to an extreme and violent degree, but it is one of the strongest instances yet of the Absolute Universe genuinely shattering our expectations.
Back at San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Oliver would be introduced in Absolute Evil, and that a six-issue Absolute Green Arrow miniseries would follow in the spring of 2026. The opening pages of Absolute Evil seemed to tee up that book’s central premise perfectly, as Oliver talks on the phone with Roy Harper (his sidekick and surrogate son in the main universe) about his Arrow-themed gadgets and his plans take down Jubal Slade, who is apparently trafficking children to a remote island.
This premise not only reinterpreted Green Arrow’s history with remote islands (as most origin stories have him hone his archery skills while marooned on one), but it immediately gave the character a social cause to fight for that feels incredibly reminiscent of Jeffrey Epstein in our real world. And while it seems like we won’t see Oliver himself carry out that fight (unless Ra’s Lazarus Corp revives him for some reason), I am intrigued by what Absolute Green Arrow could now be about.
Will Roy (who we don’t actually see in Absolute Evil) be motivated to take up the Green Arrow mantle and fight Oliver’s crusade? That’s something that has never actually happened in the main universe, but would definitely subvert expectations amid this new status quo. Not to mention all of Oliver’s other friends and family — Black Canary, Connor Hawke, Mia Dearden, and beyond — who we could still meet in the Absolute Universe as they react to his death. I can’t wait to see what shape that all ultimately takes.
(featured image: DC)
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