Absolute Power (comics) — BrandWiki

Absolute Power (comics)

main char team	Amanda Waller Brainiac Queen Dreamer Failsafe Green Arrow Justice League Titans Failsafe

writers	Mark Waid

artists	Mikel Janín Dan Mora

editors	Paul Kaminski

colorists	Patricia Mulvihill Alejandro Sánchez

sortkey	Absolute Power (comics)

self-titled	y

"Absolute Power" is a 2024 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. Serving as the conclusion to the Dawn of DC initiative, the main limited series was written by Mark Waid, with art by Dan Mora. The storyline ran between July 3 and October 2, 2024. The event takes place in the aftermath of "House of Brainiac".[1] The main event received positive reviews, with critics praising Mark Waid's writing, the art, the action, and the satisfying conclusion.

Premise

To neutralize the ability of every metahuman around the world, Amanda Waller recruits Failsafe and the Brainiac Queen into the Suicide Squad, beginning a campaign of hate and fear over people. In response, the Justice League and the remaining heroes form a resistance.[2]

Publication history

"Absolute Power" is a crossover event published by DC Comics and was released on July 3, 2024. The main limited series of four issues is written by Mark Waid and drawn by Dan Mora.[1] During the Dawn of DC initiative, a "Trinity of Evil" was teased,[3] featuring Amanda Waller, leader of A.R.G.U.S., Checkmate and the Suicide Squad, alongside the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, a Silver Age character who was reintroduced in 2022 during the "Failsafe" arc from Batman (vol. 3) #125–130 by Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jiménez, and the Brainiac Queen, a female variation of Brainiac who was introduced in 2024 during the "House of Brainiac" storyline by Joshua Williamson

Plot

Background

In response to recent events involving metahumans, Amanda Waller decides that superpowers, regardless of whether they come from superheroes or supervillains, are too dangerous to be left unchecked. She gains the approval of the Council of Light, a group of clones of Brainiac, to take drastic measures. To achieve her goal, Waller takes over the Hall of Justice, founding the Bureau of Sovereignty to discredit the Justice League and Titans. She additionally coerces Dreamer and Green Arrow to work for her in taking over Gamorra and create an exclusive prison for metahumans.[5]

Meanwhile, in Gotham City, Batman develops the android Failsafe to counter him should he ever go rogue. Failsafe creates an army of Amazos before being defeated by Batman and recovered by Waller.

In Metropolis, Brainiac creates the Brainiac Queen as a means to experience the feeling of love he lost during his previous planetary invasions.

Characters

Main characters

Resistance

Aquaman (Arthur Curry)
Batman (Bruce Wayne)
Flash (Wally West)[23]
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz)
Superman (Kal-El/Clark Kent)
Wonder Woman (Diana Prince)

Trinity of Evil

Titles involved

Preludes

Countdown to Absolute Power

Limited series

One-shots

Tie-ins

Release order

• Free Comic Book Day 2024: Absolute Power Special Edition

• Absolute Power: Ground Zero

• Absolute Power #1

• Batman (vol. 3) #150

• Absolute Power: Task Force VII #1

• Green Lantern (vol. 7) #13

• Superman (vol. 6) #16

• Wonder Woman (vol. 6) #11

• Absolute Power: Task Force VII #2

• Absolute Power: Origins #1

• Green Arrow (vol. 7) #14

• Absolute Power: Task Force VII #3

• Absolute Power #2

• Batman (vol. 3) #151

• Absolute Power: Task Force VII #4

• Green Lantern (vol. 7) #14

• Superman (vol. 6) #17

• Wonder Woman (vol. 6) #12

• Absolute Power: Task Force VII #5

Critical reception

According to Comicscored.com, the Absolute Power four-issue limited series received a "Very Good" rating, with a Comicscore Index of 84 based on 82 ratings from critics.[29] The Absolute Power: Task Force VII seven-issue limited series received a "Good" rating, with a Comicscore Index of 71 based on 74 ratings from critics.[30] The Absolute Power: Origins three-issue limited series received a "Good" rating, with a Comicscore Index of 77 based on 24 ratings from critics.[31]

According to Comicbook Roundup, Absolute Power received an average rating of 7.8 out of 10 based on 222 reviews.[32]

Future

Absolute Power concluded the Dawn of DC initiative, giving birth to the DC All In initiative, which was overseen by Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder, and began in October 2024. Snyder said that All In will not consist of any reboots or relaunches to current titles.[33]

References

Justin Epps. DC's "Trinity of Evil" Unites in ABSOLUTE POWER, 2024's Massive Summer Blockbuster ScreenRant, April 22, 2024, retrieved March 2, 2024^
Will Salmon. Suicide Squad supremo Amanda Waller is close to achieving Absolute Power in DC's next big event gamesradar, February 22, 2024, retrieved March 2, 2024^
David Brooke. DC's signals a Trinity of Evil with 2024 Dawn of DC teases

Main story

Issue #1: "Powerless"

In Metropolis, a group of robbers attempt to escape using a helicopter. Superman tries to de-escalate the situation, but one of the robbers fires his pistol at Superman, which manages to injure him and causes him to fall from the sky.[7]

In Keystone City 28 hours earlier, Animal Man and Animal Girl land in the park and are met by a mob that nearly beats Animal Man to death. Batman and Robin watch news reports on Animal Man's attack and videos depicting superheroes committing acts of violence and destruction across the globe. Batman deduces the videos are fake, created by artificial intelligence to discredit superheroes. In the Hall of Order, Waller reveals to Sergeant Steel that the Brainiac Queen created the videos as part of her plan to take down every superhero on the planet. Failsafe arrives and activates Task Force VII.

Back in the present, Superboy and Jon Kent arrive and see Superman injured and falling to the ground. They manage to grab him, but are depowered and captured by Amazo robots. Amanda Waller starts a world-wide broadcast, stating her intention to solve the super-powered being problem permanently. At the same time, the Amazos of Task Force VII consisting of Depth Charge, Global Guardian, Jadestone, Last Son, Paradise Lost, and Velocity attack. They depower and capture the majority of superheroes around the world. As Batman deduces that Waller would not start such an attack if she had not already won, he is attacked by Failsafe. Batman tries to warn the heroes on their secret communication channel, but is intercepted by Green Arrow, who is working for Waller. He tells Batman that Waller made sure no help would arrive: she brokered a deal with the United Planets to make sure no one arrives on Earth or leaves Earth, along with locking down the Multiverse, the Timestream, and the Microverse. Meanwhile in an undisclosed location, the Brainiac Queen gives Jon Kent cybernetic enhancements and renders him amnesiac.[8]

Issue #2: "Resistance"

The remaining heroes regroup in the Fortress of Solitude. Waller, Brainiac Queen and Failsafe have taken over the Hall of Justice while trying to find the rest of the resistance. While Superman heals from his wound, the rest of the heroes argue who should be the leader of the resistance. Nightwing calms everyone down, and the heroes decide Nightwing should be the leader of the resistance. Nightwing asks Batman to find if Amanda Waller has a Mother Box, Superman to gather allies in the multiverse, Black Canary to find out why Green Arrow is working for Waller, and Wonder Woman and Robin to find Waller's prison. A possessed Jon Kent and Brainiac Queen attack the heroes. Brainiac Queen captures Yara Flor, Wonder Girl, and Red Tornado while the rest of Task Force VII arrive. Dreamer arrives, but is disturbed by how callous Amanda Waller is to the heroes. Blue Beetle and Mister Terrific use the Phantom Zone projector to escape and Superman asks the Fortress of Solitude to self-destruct. Wonder Woman and Aquaman destroy the glass dome containing Kandor, which allows the miniature Kryptonians to distract Brainiac Queen long enough for Dreamer to send the rest of the heroes to the Phantom Zone before the Fortress explodes. Brainiac Queen repossesses Jon Kent while Green Arrow grabs Time Commander's hourglass.[9]

Issue #3: "Last Stand"

In Gateway City, Hawkgirl asks for backup as she and Mammoth are attacked by Amazo robots. The remaining heroes land on Themyscira where Donna Troy and Wonder Woman convince Nubia to provide refuge. Barry Allen manages to get Kryptonite from the Fortress of Solitude, Black Canary and Green Arrow's team have gone out to uncover Green Arrow's motivations, Hal Jordan retrieves Waller's weapons, and Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, and Damian have gone out on their separate missions. Nightwing instructs Aquaman, Blue Beetle, Red Tornado and Yara Flor to go take out John Starr in Amanda Waller's headquarters, Donna Troy and the Amazons defend Themiscyra, and the rest will have to save the remaining heroes. Failsafe attacks the Minster of Shanghai, and Brainiac Queen starts absorbing data from all Internet servers. Amanda Waller is enraged that the Amazo robots are gaining morality and sentience and tells Failsafe to initiate a partial reboot. Aquaman's team is attacked by Bizarro, but they quickly dispatch him and find Starr. They are then attacked by Black Alice and Deadeye. During the chaos, one of Aquaman's team members is killed. Brainiac Queen and Jon Kent attack Themiscyra, but with the help of Nightwing, Mister Terrific and Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, Jon is freed from Waller's control. Jon Kent defeats Brainiac Queen by showing her that Waller is the true enemy. Batman and Superman arrive and they teleport Brainiac Queen to Pluto by using the Mother Box, with Zatanna

Issue #4: "Showdown"

The rest of the heroes launch an attack on Waller's base on Gamorra while her multiversal allies attack Barry. Hal Jordan intervenes, giving Barry time to shut down the gateway. Task Force VII overwhelm the heroes while Nightwing is forced to deal with Failsafe and Waller weakens Jon Kent with kryptonite. Batman and Ted Kord meet with John Starr (Time Commander) where they realize the reason why Task Force VII can regenerate is they used Starr's technology to reverse their wounds before they were attacked. Starr plans to use his hourglass to override one of the Task Force VII robots, which will cause a chain reaction that will destroy Task Force VII and return the heroes' stolen powers. Starr and Batman are knocked out before they can use the device, but Green Arrow picks it up and shoots it at one of the robots, shutting down Task Force VII and restoring the heroes' powers. This also causes Failsafe to be deactivated, while Wally West and Jay Garrick combine their willpower with Hal's to hold off the multiversal army. Green Arrow explains that he knew Waller would not trust him because she had telepaths around her, which is why he had Martian Manhunter put in a telepathic input that made him believe in Waller's cause until it timed out. Dreamer returns and knocks out Waller before she can attack Nightwing, and explains how Jon dreamed of her constantly while under Brainiac Queen's control, which pulled her into the Dreamscape and allowed her to heal from her wounds. Barry is forced to sever their Earth's connection to the rest of the Multiverse to stop Waller's army from coming through, while Waller goes on a rant about how she won by manipulating the world to hate metahumans. Unknown to her, Nightwing has Air Wave record her and broadcast her speech to the world.

Issue #4: "Showdown"

Two days later, the world is recovering from Waller's attack. Wally and Jay Garrick confirm they cannot access the Multiverse. It is revealed that whatever Barry did to separate their world from the multiverse also severed his connection with the Speed Force. Dreamer erases Waller's memory of the heroes' identities and leaves her alone in her cell in Belle Reve. Green Arrow calls a meeting with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman at the Secret Sanctuary to explain his actions. They begrudgingly accept his apology, with Batman revealing that while most of the heroes' abilities returned, other have their powers mixed up with other heroes. Green Arrow admits that his undercover plan was not the smartest, but insists that the whole event would never have happened if they had been more communicative and never disbanded the Justice League. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman show him the schematics for the new Watchtower.[11][12]

Tie-ins

Batman and Catwoman

Batman is trying to gather resistance in Bludhaven and believes the plan to stop Amanda Waller is in the Titans Tower. He sneaks in the tower, where he meets a captured Cyborg, who tells Batman that Waller is in the south of Gamorra, and she has a Mother Box. An Amazo robot tries attacking Batman, but he quickly escapes. Batman meets with Flash and Wonder Woman to tell them what happened, and plans to recruit Catwoman to steal the Mother Box.[14][15] Bruce Wayne convinces Catwoman to help him with his heist, while encountering Black Alice, Bizarro infused with Brainiac's technology, and Deadeye (Amanda Waller's nephew). They escape from them, and realize that Cyborg was sensing a Boom Tube that is constantly opened and realize the Boom Tube is somewhere else. They find out the Mother Box is in a building that has been shrunk in a bottle on the desolate planet of Czarina. Just then, Bizarro, Deadeye, Gunsmith, and Black Alice wake up and confront Batman and Catwoman.[16]

Green Arrow

Despite Batman instructing Team Arrow to remain on Starfish Island, as they were the only heroes who were not targeted by the Bureau, they instead decide to capture Professor Ivo, believing he may know of a secret weakness in Task Force VII. Meanwhile, Green Arrow recovers a box that contains the key to defeating the Justice League. He and his allies then battle Waller's enforcer Bright and the Tomorrow Woman. Bright kidnaps Cheshire and her daughter Lian before Green Arrow arrives and tells him to let them go.[17]

Green Lantern and the Flash

Hal Jordan is arrested in the initial attack and taken to the Hall of Order, but later escapes and recovers his ring. After being attacked by guards, he uses Abra Kadabra's wand to teleport himself and a vast quantity of weapons to Themyscira, the Resistance's new headquarters.[18]

Superman (Clark Kent) and Zatanna

After escaping the Fortress, Superman and Zatanna search for the Map of Mordru which would allow them to access the Dark Roads. They were able to make their way to the Oblivion Bar where most of the world's magic users and supernatural creatures are hiding. Neron reveals that he has the map and offers to make a deal for it.[19]

Superman (Jon Kent) and Dreamer

After being depowered, Jon Kent is captured by Task Force VII member Last Son, who delivers him to the Brainiac Queen. The Queen wipes his memories and converts him into a cyborg under her control.

Wonder Woman and Robin

Wonder Woman, Billy Batson, and Detective Chimp are on the run, while Spectre, Mary Marvel, and Madame Xanadu are captured and depowered.[20] Wonder Woman and Robin interrogate Captain Boomerang to learn the location of Waller's metahuman prison, eventually learning that it is on Gamorra.[21][22]

titles
title	Absolute Power
publisher	DC Comics
startmo	July 3
startyr	2024
endmo	October 2,
endyr	2024

Premise

Publication history

Plot

Background

Characters

Main characters

Resistance

Trinity of Evil

Titles involved

Preludes

Countdown to Absolute Power

Countdown to Absolute Power

Limited series

One-shots

Tie-ins

Release order

Critical reception

Future

References

Main story

Issue #1: "Powerless"

Issue #2: "Resistance"

Issue #3: "Last Stand"

Issue #4: "Showdown"

Issue #1: "Powerless"

Issue #2: "Resistance"

Issue #3: "Last Stand"

Issue #4: "Showdown"

Subplots

Amanda Waller's rising

Task Force VII's rampage

Amanda Waller's rising

Task Force VII's rampage

Tie-ins

Batman and Catwoman

Green Arrow

Green Lantern and the Flash

Superman (Clark Kent) and Zatanna

Superman (Jon Kent) and Dreamer

Wonder Woman and Robin

Batman and Catwoman

Green Arrow

Green Lantern and the Flash

Superman (Clark Kent) and Zatanna

Superman (Jon Kent) and Dreamer

Wonder Woman and Robin

Resistance

Trinity of Evil

Other characters

Bat-Family

Bureau of Sovereignty

Crime Syndicate

Daily Planet

Doom Patrol

Flash Family

Justice League Dark

Shazam Family

Suicide Squad

Super-Family

Task Force VII

Team Arrow

Titans

Bat-Family

Bureau of Sovereignty

Crime Syndicate

Daily Planet

Doom Patrol

Flash Family

Justice League Dark

Shazam Family

Suicide Squad

Super-Family

Task Force VII

Team Arrow

Titans