Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
-Lord Acton (1887)
Power is something that can corrupt even the most innocent if they don’t know what they wield. DCU is always in the safe hands of superheroes. But now things are about to change, in the cataclysmic event of the year, Absolute Power, all thanks to one of the most-vilest humans on Earth, Amanda Waller.
Not to be confused with Superman/Batman: Absolute Power (Jan 2005). In that we got a glimpse of what can happen if powers were exploited, it was like a reimagining of your heroes in a different scenario, but this Absolute Power is something eviler and this time it is a co-ordinated attack on every super including the world’s finest—Superman and Batman.
Well, here’re a few things you must know before you are consumed by Absolute Power, the biggest crossover event of 2024, which has been under wraps for some time.
Waller is one crazy woman who doesn’t like supes. She wants them to work for her, or not work at all. Her hatred for supes detonates as she prepares for world domination.
Order, Order, Order!
During the 2023-24 crossover, Beast World, the planet was under threat of humans turning into feral beasts. This threat was the handiwork of Amanda Waller where Beast Boy was held responsible for the existential crisis. As if that wasn’t enough, Cyborg hacking military systems to protect the mutated humans, made matters worse as it gave ways to build mistrust and in no time as Waller orchestrated the Bureau of Sovereignty was put up to keep superheroes under check, with Waller as the head.
And as the start of power play, the Justice League HQ, Hall of Justice, has been taken over and renamed as the Hall of Order in Beast World #6.
Blackmailing the Dream!
With the threats to reveal the existence of Parthas, Waller blackmailed Dreamer to join her Suicide Squad. Later in Suicide Squad: Dream Team #4 in Suicide Squad: Dream Team, under Waller’s order Nia and Task Force X go to Gamorra Island to seize control of the destabilized government. This thing and that thing finally leads to the death of the island’s president, Sara Nakamura, mother of Dreamer’s friend Jay Nakamura, Jon Kent’s boyfriend.
A Green Partnership
It looks greener on the other side of the bank, or so goes an age-old misconception. Ollie reluctantly agreed to take Waller’s help in finding missing Roy, if he stole an important piece of tech. And in the pages of Absolute Power FBCD, it appears Waller has something planned for Ollie, and he’s wearing a new semi-armored uniform with stars, a skull, and the text Task Force’. In Green Arrow #13 in Green Arrow: Team Arrow Strikes Back arc, Peacemaker shows him something that makes him root for Waller to bring in a change.
Long Live the Queen!
Brainiac is known for collecting worlds and knowledge from his first appearance in Action Comics #242 (1958). But recently there has been a change, the villain has decided to collect powers. He also built an android and named it Brainiac Queen, to transfer his knowledge and power to fill the emptiness in his life. Her full power is still kept in shrouds as she slaughtered a room full of Czarians easy-peasy in Superman #14 in Superman: House of Brainiac arc.
And what makes her work alongside Waller!? Is it Brainiac’s new hunger, POWER!
Batsafe!
As if renaming Hall of Justice to Hall of Order to superheroes in line, blackmailing Dreamer into joining her Suicide Squad, again blackmailing Ollie to root for her and for some unknown reason (mostly power, after all that’s what makes the villains hungry) having Brainiac Queen side with her, now, she has a Dark Knight version for her team created by the Dark Knight’s alternate personality, Batman of Zurr-En-Arrh, himself, if he ever went rogue!
Yeah, you read that right! In Batman: Failsafe, Batman’s contingency plan, Failsafe, blows up in his face when Failsafe itself goes rogue. It has Bruce’s mind and knows how to beat anyone even if it is the Batman it faces, and has Bruce imprisoned in Batman: Dark Prisons arc. And now to make matters worse or more impactful, Failsafe is working with Waller, giving her a Batman in her team. It’s the last nail in the coffin to ensure her victory.
This time Waller is going for a world without supes or with supes under her. The main event starts unfolding with Absolute Power: Ground Zero, as her hatred is revealed in Absolute Power: Secret Origin; both are available now.
The battle is on!
Pic Credits: Courtesy of DC Comics
