The Absolute DC Universe has given comic book readers amazing and completely new interpretations of many DC superheroes, but there are quite a few other DC characters with great potential under the Absolute lens. DC’s Absolute Universe acts as a new parallel reality in DC’s multiverse, shaped by the essence of Darkseid himself, and presenting new versions of DC’s heroes with entirely new backstories. The Absolute Universe first got rolling in late 2024, with Absolute DC’s version of the Trinity setting the table for just how different each hero would be in the Absolute line, and with the tremendous popularity Absolute DC has struck in the comic book world, it goes without saying that an Absolute DC Justice League crossover is surely on the way.
Thus far, DC’s Absolute Universe has shown new versions of Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter. While each has helped propel Absolute DC into the comic book phenomenon that it has become, the six heroes seen thus far have only scratched the surface of the potential of Absolute DC as a brand-wide re-imagining. With other Absolute DC titles in the works for some as-yet-unannounced characters, here are 5 possibilities for the next set of DC superheroes to be given the Absolute DC spin.
1) Aquaman
When it comes to the Absolute DC roster seen thus far, the entirety of the classic Justice League line-up have been the first characters featured in the DC re-imagining, with the lone exception being Aquaman. On that basis alone, the King of Atlantis being one of the next DC characters up for an Absolute makeover is all but a forgone conclusion (especially with DC’s mainline Aquaman book setting up his Absolute DC debut). Arthur Curry himself has already been one of DC’s more frequently re-worked heroes over the years, taking on a much more grizzled personality and look in the mid-90s, with Jason Momoa’s big-screen Aquaman even re-imagining Arthur’s culture background to Pacific Islander heritage. Absolute DC might be the perfect place to officially canonize a Momoa-inspired Aquaman in the comics while added the kind of other big changes and re-workings to Arthur’s backstory that his fellow heroes on the Justice League have gotten.
2) Shazam
Billy Batson a.k.a. Shazam is one of the most light-hearted superheroes in DC canon, and how could he not be as a kid who can morph into a superpowered adult by crying out the name “Shazam!” As a DC character, Shazam has always been a bit on the fringes of the mainline Justice League, and with Absolute DC having devoted its first year’s run entirely to Justice League members, Shazam could be the perfect candidate for Absolute DC’s first re-imagined hero who isn’t a set in stone member of the League. With Billy’s transformation triggered by calling out his superhero name, that alone sets the stage for countless ways in which Shazam can be re-imagined into a completely new version of himself in DC’s Absolute Universe.
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3) Cyborg
Victor Stone a.k.a. Cyborg is something of an anomaly among DC’s pantheon of superheroes, being established in his introduction as a member of the Teen Titans, and eventually re-imagined as an establishing member of the Justice League in DC’s New 52 reboot. Victor’s varied kind of character backstory and team affiliation gives Absolute DC a lot of room to re-interpret how he gains his powers and transformed metallic body, and whether he starts out as a member of the Teen Titans, the Justice League, both, or like every other Absolute DC character thus far, neither. Additionally, Cyborg’s technological powers could really be given a wild new spin through the Absolute DC lens, and show Cyborg in a light that he’s never been seen in before just like every preceding superhero in Absolute DC
4) Green Arrow
Few archers are as iconic as Oliver Queen a.k.a. Green Arrow, and he would be another splendid DC superhero to undergo an Absolute DC re-interpretation. Like Shazam, Green Arrow has frequently been portrayed as a hero tangentially connected to the Justice League without being a founding member, and Absolute DC could do something really fresh in having Oliver as one of the original members of its version of the Justice League. Moreover, Green Arrow’s backstory (especially in his very early comic book history) often portrayed him as a bow-and-arrow-wielding version of Batman. Absolute DC could have a lot of meta fun with this history, perhaps showing the Absolute Universe’s version of Bruce Wayne as modeling his crime-fighting persona on Green Arrow’s, in addition to whatever other re-workings it makes to Green Arrow’s backstory.
5) The Flash (Barry Allen)
Technically, Absolute DC has already brought the Scarlet Speedster into its roster with Wally West’s Flash, but this is where both classic Flash lore and the DC multiverse come into play for Absolute DC. Flash fans all know the numerous heroes to have carried the mantle of the Fastest Man Alive, and bringing Barry Allen into the Absolute Universe could incorporate The Flash’s vast history while also opening another key doorway. As DC fans well know, the multiverse is simply inseparable from DC’s DNA, and Absolute DC itself is a prime example of that as an Elseworlds reality created by the energy of Darkseid. Introducing Barry Allen’s Flash into Absolute DC might be the perfect way to pull back the curtain on the Absolute Universe’s entire origin, along with Barry bringing the Speed Force itself into the equation and really helping to explain the entire essence of DC’s Absolute Universe.
