Absolute Evil #1 Chills to the Bone

Olivia Lindquist ‘26 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

DC’s Absolute Universe was birthed with the conclusion of the major crossover Absolute Power event on October 2, 2024. This conclusion came with an in-canon universe split, and Absolute became mainstream in DC’s Elseworlds line with the publication of Absolute Batman one week later. 

This year, DC kicked off their October cycle with the release of Absolute Evil, an issue focused on the villains—both familiar ones and ones audiences have been waiting for—and how they are coming together to be a powerful force in this Darkseid-tainted world.

Prior to this event, audiences had become familiar with characters like Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Superman within the Absolute Universe. With these characters, there’s bound to be questions about the other characters involved in the stories; Ma and Pa Kent exist in Absolute Superman, albeit in a different form, similar to Steve Trevor in Absolute Wonder Woman. On a similar note, while the first few runs announced Bruce Wayne, Diana Prince, Kal-El, and John Jones in their given roles, the other two runs feature successors like Wally Wes0t (who inherited the Flash mantle) and Jo Mullein (who inherited the Green Lantern mantle. 

Fans have been speculating about what villains in this universe will be like—surely no minor league rogues.

The Universe itself is intertwined with the concept of “omega energy,” which reinforces the notion that these major villains are in control. DC has made it clear that Ra’s al Ghul (Absolute Superman) owns most of the “free” world with his role in Lazarus Corp and Brainiac. DC also introduces the Absolute version of the Joker within the first few issues of Absolute Batman— which paints him as a powerful corporate businessman who never laughs—as well as Elenore Thawne (Absolute Flash), Veronica Cale (Absolute Wonder Woman), Hector Hammond (Absolute Green Lantern), and a first look at Absolute Hawkman (which likely means we also get a version of Hawkgirl).

**Spoilers Below this Point**

The issue starts with an introduction to the Absolute version of DC’s Oliver Queen (AKA Green Arrow), as he talks with Roy Harper, his adopted son in the main continuity. Queen is relatively similar to his mainstream counterpart, which is shocking, as every other character introduced has featured at least one drastically different aspect of their lives changed as a catalyst to the way their current character behaves. Oliver Queen finishes his archery practice after proclaiming his bold new direction to Roy: he is  going to use his money for good.

Queen’s first target? Jubal Slade: a real nasty callback to Deathstroke (in the main continuity) who’s introduced as a man ferrying children to a remote island.This proclamation sets the stage for a major showdown between Queen and Slade, implying the involvement of other villain appearances. 

Writer Al Ewing abruptly cuts to Hector Hammond on the phone with Slade en route to  a meeting with those Absolute Evil head honchos. In this meeting, Ewing introduces past Justice Society of America members in this world and how they’ve been killed or bribed into leaving the hero-life—masterfully illustrating just how deep the corruption runs in this world. The introduction of the main six heroes with active Absolute runs gives a succinct overview of their origins, all while  raising the stakes for the table of villains.

It’s terrifying to see these villains in positions of true power that set them apart from their mainstream counterparts. They make sure that evil, fear, and hate remain dominant among their people and work directly with the U.S. Government to uphold the status quo.

Absolute Evil exceeds expectations from the jump. Fans were enthused to find out that there would be a Green Arrow in this universe, and reacted positively to the preview pages, which showcased the first sequence of Oliver Queen and his hero-bug. 

Yet no one could have predicted the absolute jaw-dropping spread halfway through the book—Oliver Queen was bludgeoned to death by Hawkman in a twist no one could’ve seen coming.

The even bigger reveal comes at the end, and it’s one that fans have been waiting for since the release of Absolute Superman #1 on November 6, 2024.As it turns out, the Absolute Universe has its own Lex Luthor, and he’s nothing like the tech-savvy bald billionaire DC reintroduced with Superman over the summer. No, this Lex Luthor is a farmer with a wife and kids; the absolute poster-boy for the American Dream.

The issue was as jaw-dropping and moving as expected—and then some. The inclusion of Lex Luthor, no longer a billionaire tech mogul, sets up a unique version of his  Superman hatred Furthermore, the killing of Oliver Queen gives readers the possibility for Roy Harper to succeed his predecessor’s role—similar to Wally West, and how he gained his mutation with the death of Barry Allen in an experiment.