Pitching Absolute DC Characters

I've written a lot about Marvel's new Ultimate Universe, but as it nears its untimely end, I've become enamored with DC's Absolute series. Over at my blue child, Halftone Magazine, I ranked the 6 titles in the first year of the line, and I had such a good time reading that I've been itching to write about the Absolute universe once m0re. There are many YouTube videos and Reddit threads tackling what certain characters would look like with the Absolute treatment, but more than a year in, I think we better know how the Absolute books reinvent characters, and now, we might better pitch them. Below are some pitches and predictions for some new Absolute characters and books. Enjoy.

(This list contains spoilers for the most recent Absolute issues.)

Aquaman:

Truthfully, this was the inspiration for this article. The only original Justice Leaguer to be left out of the Absolute line, Aquaman deserves to be part of this modern DC renaissance. Absolute Wonder Woman's author, Kelly Thompson, discussed the possibility of Absolute Aquaman, indicating that the use of Poseidon's trident, as well as Atlantis existing in this universe, left the door open for Aquaman. Nothing we didn't already know, really, but its reassuring that DC is considering the idea. Nevertheless, we're left with the question of how one would create the Absolute Aquaman.

What makes this so hard is that Aquaman's "man of two worlds" gimmick, along with his anger at not belonging, is exactly what is being explored in Absolute Superman, leaving me lost as to what the hell to do with him. Aquaman has slaved away at the role of hero of the surface and king of the sea and has not gotten neither world to accept him, the very thing Kal is going through right now. I'd like to focus on that anger, but Absolute Batman has that covered. Absolute Wonder Woman fulfills the magic role, too, so finding a niche for Aquaman in this line is a tough ask.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of different ways to go about adapting Aquaman. To start, its important to identity the core aspects of Arthur so that, like the other books, the story brings these traits to the fore. What's core to me is Arthur's drive to fight for not one, but two worlds that hate and fear him. We also have to identify the advantage that we take away from Arthur, and I propose we remove his royal lineage. The other books change the upbringing of these characters in a major way, so like Diana, I want to have Arthur raised by an enemy of instead of his parents, that enemy being Stephen Shin.

Shin is a doctor that once helped Arthur's father with his burgeoning Atlantean abilities but would ultimately betray him by outing him to the public as an Atlantean. I think making Shin, a man obsessed with discovering Atlantis, Arthur's primary father figure is a recipe for disaster—narratively speaking. Shin is technically raising him, sometimes with love, but will have always used him as a way to discover Atlantis. Maybe Arthur has lived in Shin's private facility his whole life, (maybe one at the lighthouse in Amnesty Bay) thus being foreign to both the surface and the sea; alienated from both of his homelands. I think we can consider making Arthur more visibly monstrous here, more like a fish man. The other Absolute characters are visually distinct from their mainline counterparts, especially in their physicality. Batman is huge, Wonder Woman has a prosthetic arm, Flash looks like your non-binary cousin, etc. I'd want to take Aquaman and go further, making him the most visually monstrous character in the stable to crank up the "man of two worlds that is denied by both" angle.

I'd love for Arthur to begin his journey by escaping Shin, a father figure he knows exploited him but he cannot help but love anyway, and seeking out Atlantis, only to find that it is being exploited by Black Manta, a navel PMC connected to the Absolute "Justice League." Perhaps David Hyde, the first person to discover Atlantis in this universe, is the League's "Aquaman."

This setting is an opportunity to go full underwater fantasy with Absolute Aquaman as a book. Arthur would be a young adult, maybe 21 or older, since Absolute heroes seem to be on the younger side. He'd be protagonist age and experiencing Atlantis for the first time, just like the reader. Aquaman's supporting cast is so great and vast that this could be the Game of Thrones of the Absolute line with so many POVs and plot threads going in to convey the political landscape of both Atlantis and the surface.

That's just one pitch, however. I could see DC not using Arthur at all, instead opting for Mera or Jackson Hyde as the headliner. I'd still put my money on Arthur Curry being our protagonist, however. Even if Aquaman doesn't get a book to himself, its only a matter of time before we see him appear in the Absolute line.

Eradicator:

The future of Sol-El, the AI living inside Absolute Superman's dust-cape, is up in the air regardless of what the narrative wants us to think. Spoilers, but after being infected by Brainiac's code and then sacrificing himself, Sol is dead—or so we're told. Kal can still use the cape but the sentience is gone. There's no way I'm taking this at face value, so my theory about the AI turning evil is still on the table.

I've had Sol pegged for the Absolute Eradicator for a while now. Firstly, Eradicator is a Kryptonian construct just like Sol. Secondly, as seen on Lara-El, the complete Sol suit is pretty evil looking, and could serve as the Absolute look for the character. Finally, that death was pretty weak and predictable. Sol is simply gone and I just don't buy it. As Kal's lifelong companion, this is something that the series can't really let lie, so I figure Brainiac, who hacked Sol, likely has his source code or some other techno-babble of the sort and can create an evil proxy.

An evil Sol could also serve as the Absolute version for another villain from the same era. Like Eradicator, Doomsday is a Kryptonian weapon, and Brainiac creating a self-evolving AI that, like Doomsday, comes back stronger after every defeat, is plausible. Truthfully, after "R'as Al Ghul," we need some more Superman villains in this Superman book, and I think Sol was always a plot element I was waiting on the other shoe to drop for.

The Doom Patrol:

Absolute Batman established Ark M, the Absolute Arkham, but what about Arks A through N? The Absolute Doom Patrol would follow in the horror roots of Snyder by making the World's Strangest Heroes hail from Ark D. Niles Caulder, the team's erstwhile leader, could be a scientist there shepherding their development, assuming the role of mentor/manipulator he's always kind of had. I'd use the main three Doom Patrol members here—Robotman, Elasti-girl, and Negative Man—but this'd be a great place to establish other staples like Crazy Jane, Flex Mentallo, as well as also Beast Boy and Cyborg. I know Vic is a member only in the show, but if they'd want to solidify he and Gar's bond as besties, having them come from Ark D together would be a great way to tee up the Absolute Teen Titans. These versions could be as monstrous as the villains out of Ark M but also just as heroic as Batman as they try to free their fellow inmates. Finally, a twist of the series would be that "Ark D" isn't just a meta reference to "Doom Patrol," as it is located on Danny the Street, now Danny the Prison.

Please clap.

Robin(s):

In the pages of Absolute Batman, we've already been teased with Dick Grayson, seen as an EMT, and the Red Hood Gang, led by Harley Quinn. These crumbs allude to the first two Robins, but we've got nothing for Tim, Damian, Stephanie, etc., and my theory as to why that is lies in the theory that Snyder's Robin will be Duke Thomas. Called The Signal these days, Duke did galavant as a Robin for some time in a series called We Are Robin, where he was in a gang of other young vigilantes wearing Robin inspired uniforms. Admittedly, this was a great concept with middling execution, but in the right hands, it could be something great.

Harley and the Red Hood Gang have only just appeared in earnest, so we don't really know their deal is completely, but there have always been many gangs and factions in Gotham, so the they and the Robins could coexist. In Absolute, the Robins would be inspired by Batman, but in their youthful idealism, oppose his brand of dark vengeance by adopting brighter costumes so they can be seen doing their deeds and inspire other young people to rise up. The Robins being a network of vigilantes, one with a direct lineage from Batman, could get the ball rolling on an Absolute Bat-Family, or at least put the idea in Bruce's ear. Furthermore, the idea of a bright vigilante is a core Robin idea, and with Batman becoming a public figure in Gotham after fighting Bane, the logical next step would be Gotham's youth—his peers (remember, this Bruce is young, too)— challenging him on how to best protect their city.

Snyder being Duke's creator, and the character becoming one of the many Bat-Family members, leads me to think that he might want to pick him back up again. He promised to loop Dick in at some point, but seeing as he's an adult in this universe, him being Nightwing is far more likely, if he's a superhero at all. Same goes for Jason Todd. Duke, however, is kinda liberated by his identity as "The Signal" never really took off. It can be cast aside without too much fear, and maybe later down the line, he'll come into that role as a solo hero.

I've seen theories putting Harley in the sidekick position, especially since she helps Bats fight Bane, and since Joker and Poison Ivy are coming down the pipe, but with she and the Red Hood Gang already established, I can't see her being more than a convenient partner for Bruce when the time arises. Barbara Gordon is also a loose thread hanging right now, so she could be the first official sidekick, too. I'm a sucker for tradition, however, and would love to see Absolute Robin soon.

Doctor Fate:

Absolute Superman #16 confirmed that Doctor Fate was one of the superheroes that Hawkman, at the behest of the "Justice League," murdered. But with Doctor Fate being a mantle, its curious how we haven't heard tell of anyone picking up the helmet after the he was killed. Nabu, the Lord of Order that lives in the helmet, would have a curious allegiance considering what we know about the philosophy of the "Justice League" as seen in Absolute Evil. If the moral arc of this universe points toward doom, then what side is Nabu on?

I'm proposing this idea because I think Fate is a DC character who would most benefit from an Absolute revamp. The helmet of Fate has been used to many times a power-up for other characters, and half the time, I have no idea who is even under there when Fate shows up in earnest. Creating a new, concrete version of this character for new people to latch onto would do wonders for this character as well as the magical side of DC, which has always kinda struggled. I know its always been a blindspot for me, and maybe if it had a more secure figurehead, like Dr. Strange for Marvel, it'd be easier for new fans, especially all the ones flooding in from the Absolute books, to get on board.

If I had to double the amount of books the Absolute line had, slotting in 1 more book beside the ones we have now, a Doctor Fate series that explores more than just the Greek mythology side of the DCU would be a great companion piece to Absolute Wonder Woman. After more than a year, the only new magician we've met is Zatanna, so there's room for more. Swamp Thing, Constantine, the Spectre, Enchantress, Blue Devil, and Deadman are all magical players that could be easily introduced in a Doctor Fate book. Perhaps it takes on an anthological structure where Nabu is like the Crypt Keeper. In all honestly, "Absolute House of Mystery" sounds like a great one-shot, but when it comes to Fate himself, what would he look like?

Getting back to the original question, I could see Nabu siding with the Justice League like how Hawkman did. With Ra's Al Ghul being defeated in the pages of Absolute Superman, the League needs to fill a space, and why not have another magical player replace him? As for those who would be under the helm of an evil Doctor Fate, the bad guy sorcerers of the DCU like Wotan, Mordru, or even Abra Kadabra could serve, but making it Hector Hall, a descendent of Hawkman himself, would be poetic.

As for a more heroic Fate, they could be powered by the Lords of Chaos. That'd fit thematically, considering the values of the line as a whole, and would result in a more off-the-wall reimagining of Doctor Fate as an agent of chaos.

Vandal Savage:

Now for a quick one. My pet theory while reading Absolute Superman has been that its version of "Ra's Al Ghul" is truly Vandal Savage. I won't pretend to be a scholar on either character, but Ra's just doesn't really feel like Ra's in this book, and its definitely the story's worst quality. Vandal Savage, to me, is an all-purpose villain. He can grief any DC hero and I'd buy it. Now that the character is rotting away now that he's seperated from his Lazarus Pit, some holes are poked in my theory, but I don't think we've seen the last of him. The book already established his age, and with his overall look being big and hairy, I think we're due for this reveal any day now. Yep. Any day now...

Lex Luthor:

To continue the discussion of Absolute Superman (can you tell its a favorite of mine?) its "Ra's Al Ghul" is distractingly not Lex, either. Absolute Evil's last page reveal was a very JD Vance looking Lex, complete with a farmer's flannel and hair and beard, and with Brainiac after him as well, plans are in place for this small town fella. In discussing this idea with a friend, we rolled around the question of who is the President of the Absolute Universe right now? Making Lex the President would play on the iconography of his previous stint in the Oval Office in the main universe while making some timely commentary. The challenge lies in connecting the dots between small-town farmer to political player, but doubling down on Lex's xenophobia by making him the Absolute right-wing grifter feels like a very plausible direction. We see him say he "doesn't like the news," so if Brainiac shows Superman and radicalizes Lex, the sky's the limit.

Nightwing:

I've tricked you: this Nightwing pitch is actually a Supergirl pitch. Nightwing, the name of the superhero identity that Dick Grayson, the first Robin, takes on after going solo, is actually the name of a Kryptonian vigilante. In first arc of Absolute Superman that the Els mentions their "cousins" when they're talking about evacuating the planet, which would confirm the existence of the Zor-Els—but where are they? Obviously, Kal is the only survivor, but that first arc also confirms the existence of the Phantom Zone, where Kryptonian criminals are imprisoned. Knowing what we know, let's introduce Supergirl as a Kryptonian criminal imprisoned on charges of vigilantism as Nightwing.

Eventually, we're going to have to contend with the Phantom Zone in the Absolute Universe, and instead of predictably wheeling out Zod, let's introduce Kara as Kal's older, hardened vigilante cousin. I don't want to lean to far into her "angry one" characterization, but some of that intensity wuld further challenge Kal after he solidifies his identity as Superman. One of his own flesh and blood, the source from which he draws his heroism, arguing over how he should protect Earth would bring Kal into the bigger picture of the Absolute universe.

I chose Nightwing because even though Flamebird is often draw as a blonde woman, Nightwing is the headline-making pitch. Its name people care about; it'd lend power to what Kara was doing as a superpower-less vigilante on Krypton. I don't want to turn her into a villain, because that'd be too easy. Kara-as-Zod is a likely path for her, but I think keeping her a hero but one with a more elastic sense of morals compared to Superman is how we get the most blood from this stone. Its only a matter of time before we see Supergirl in the Absolute books, what with her movie coming out this year, and this would be a unique way to do it.

The Outsiders:

As a team, I've always been enamored by the Outsiders, despite not reading much of them. A group of B-listers assembled and led by Batman to go where the Justice League can't is such a compelling concept, and with Absolute Batman's emphasis on international, industrial military exploitation, there's a place for the Outsiders here. We know that Ark M "makes monsters," but we also know they made Bane and Deathstroke, who have thrown in with Joker for one reason or another. Ark M's experiments aren't merely just nightmare fuel, but made with a purpose. The Outsiders would be a team of meta-powered Ark prisoners assembled to create international incidents in response to Batman's war on Joker. But after Bats meets them, he rehabilitates them and they become allies.

As shown by Waylon, its clear that not every prisoner asked for the experimentation, and that's where the Outsiders would come in. The core three members of the team are Black Lightning, Katana, and Metamorpho. A strange Trinity in their own right, they're the highest profile members of the team historically. I like to think they've been working together for a while now, maybe as long as Batman's been waging his war, so they have some camaraderie. Instead of being so monstrous, they'd be more like the IMF from Mission Impossible. Sure, we saw Bane doing some deals on Joker's behalf, but these guys would be carrying out extractions, assassinations, and thefts. They're the first dominoes in chain that leads to the kind of war zones that Joker exploits.

And maybe instead of Bruce rehabilitating these guys, its Dick Grayson. The Ark M experiments can't be great for one's health, and even if Bane and Deathstroke still retain their minds, they're bodies are changed past the point of no return. Nightwing has led the outsiders before, and perhaps in the Absolute line, he tries to help them become regular citizens instead of weaponized by either Joker or Batman.

Captain Atom:

Another great candidate for the President of the Absolute Universe. Really, I'd really just like to see a version of this character that gets to be cool and interesting. I know practically nothing about the guy, but anytime I see him, he's hyped up as a powerhouse but is usually Worf'ed so that a bad guy can, as the kids say, aurafarm. His position in the government gives him a villainous angle that can be pursued, perhaps in a series like Absolute Flash, where these science based characters fit the best. Absolute Green Lantern could also be a likely place for him if the government ever gets involved with what happened in Evergreen.

Being a government official with an alter ego as a superpowered person is a neat idea to me. Exposing the President, or maybe the Secretary of Defense or something, as a superpowered individual in a world where they've been something of a secret is a tantalizing prospect. On the flipside, Captain Atom could be the leader of an anti-superpower faction in the government aligned with the "Justice League" as a Senator Armstrong from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance type guy.

New Gods:

Real nerds in the audience tonight will say, "erm, actually, the New Gods and Fourth World exist outside the multiverse, so there wouldn't be an Absolute New Gods, Adam." Yes—you pedantic nerd I've imagined in my head to humorously counterpoint me—I know. That's why I'm suggesting that the first true contact between the main DC continuity and Absolute should be a crossover with the New Gods.

I know that the Absolute Trinity is supposed to appear in DC K.O. in some capacity, but I doubt they'll be fighting on Darkseid's behalf. (And DC K.O is very ignorable anyway.) Of course, the appeal of these side universes is that they are separate from main continuity, so to avoid the trainwreck that was Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion, this won't a world tour of the Absolute Universe. Sure, I'd like to Mister Miracle and Big Barda meet with the Absolute counterparts of the Leaguers they've fought beside, but this opportunity would be a great way to open up the universe and introduce new characters like Deniz Camp did in The Ultimates.

But let's consider standard crossovers, shall we? I could see this happening in the pages of Absolute Martian Manhunter or Superman, given that big blue has connections to the Fourth World and Absolute MM is the only(?) book so far to have a Darkseid cameo. The Absolute Universe being a "child" of Darkseid gives Mister Miracle and his family a thematic tether to this world. Perhaps seeing them making a permanent home here is the way to keep a New Gods book on the shelf (no offense Ram V and Evan Cagle, I loved the latest series.) I'm still hesitant about this since I firmly believe in keeping the Absolute and DCU continuities separate for as long as possible, but considering we'll never see Absolute versions of the New Gods, this is likely as good as we're ever going to get.

Firestorm, the Nuclear Man:

One of the confirmed subjects of Project Olympus in the pages of Absolute Flash, we've still yet to meet the Absolute Nuclear Man. While not a favorite of mine, I've always enjoyed Firestorm when he shows up, and conceptually, the duo of a smart old guy and a dumb teen sharing a body to fight crime is compelling. My pitch for Absolute Firestorm would be to have the older smart guy half of the Firestorm matrix be filled by none other than Barry Allen.

Going forward, the Absolute Flash book will need to do something with Barry. Mentor figures don't have a long shelf life, and I think a way to keep him around would be to have Barry mentor someone else. Of course, we don't know anything about Absolute Firestorm, or what what Barry's plans for the Still Point are, but to keep him in the plot, having him be the brains behind Firestorm isn't a bad solution.

Jeff Lemire, the author of Absolute Flash as well as the upcoming Firestorm series in the main continuity, said that he was planning on introducing a character similar in age to Wally sometime soon, and I think its pretty easily Firestorm. I'm assuming it'll be Ronnie Raymond, Jason Rusch, or some combination of the two, that will serve as the physical body while Barry will be the immaterial floating head of the operation. It'd be a convenient way to get his ghostly form out of the Still Point and back into the corporeal world. After we're done with the current plot, and if Barry is still around, we can generate some drama between the two boys as Wally loses his mentor after just rescuing him. The book has been good about drawing much of the emotional juice of the story out of this bond, so I'd like to keep it that way.

Mister Terrific:

And for our last pitch, I end on a crowd-pleaser: here's goddamn Mister Terrific.

Like Aquaman, this is a tough one, and like Aquaman, I think Mister T can support his own title. For the record, Supergirl could, and maybe Doctor Fate...if we all banded together and bought the damn thing. I'll be applying the same treatment to Michael Holt as I did Arthur Curry by inquiring about his core traits. His intelligence, of course, is key, along with the tragedy of his wife and unborn child being killed. These are what shape the character most greatly, but how do we take this character to eleven? Giving Michael increasingly complex challenges in order to make the world a more fair place would make him the Absolute Mister Terrific.

Instead of taking away his advantages, let's give him everything. (Really, I'm doing this to avoid being redundant with Batman, who is balling on a budget.) Since Mister T has a strong connection to the JSA, whose history in the Absolute Universe we still know little of, it would be smart to use this book as a way to get close to that, as well as the Absolute "Justice League." Since the team is newly formed as of Absolute Evil #1, they have a very short history, but the history of superpowered people mysteriously being killed or covered up is long. Michael is too smart to have gone unnoticed by the powers-that-be, so let's say he was recruited at some point and has been forced to nip these threats in the bud by the League after their formation. The book should begin after his attempted escape, for which his punishment is the death of his wife and unborn child. Afterwards, Michael is tasked with solving the League's superhero problem.

This is dark stuff, but I believe that the death of Paula is as core to Michael as the destruction of Krypton is to Kal. At first, I felt that having Paula's death being orchestrated, as opposed to being a freak accdient, went against the core of the character, but of the Justice League represent the order of the universe, and they made it happen, isn't that the same thing? Furthermore, Michael resolving to fight them aligns with his whole "fairplay" angle. He must be even more Terrific than he ever has been to make the Absolute Universe a more fair place. Being so close to the "League" would offer Michael a chance to learn about what they've done to the JSA, and perhaps he'll be inspired by the original Mister Terrific, as well as the heroes he's told to defeat, and take up the mantle. A man on the inside, he has the means to catalogue and reach out to the heroes we already know as well as the ones we've yet to meet.

I'm surprised we don't already have an Absolute Mister Terrific, honestly. It feels like a no-brainer, since Michael was the breakout character of last year's Superman movie and clearly has protagonist potential. I'd much rather he be the "fourth pillar' of the DCU than Harley Quinn. He's got everything you want in a hero: a tragic origin, a kickass costume, and an engaging personality. Giving him an Absolute book would no doubt result in an all-time classic Mister Terrific tale and define the character for years to come, just as the current stable is doing right now.

So that's it. I've been working on this for a few weeks, fine-tuning and adjusting what characters and ideas made it into this post. I've gone all in on Absolute now that the Ultimate universe's future is uncertain. It was a treat to watch these two universes exist side by side, producing some of the most compelling superhero comics we've seen this century. One of the advantages of the Absolute line's approach is that we can accurately predict the ways in which characters can be change. There's a thesis to this universe, a load-bearing theme that will make talking about these books and how they change our favorite characters exciting for years to come.