Warning: Spoilers for Superman #16
Summary
The humanity ofSupermanhas always been at the heart of his character, butAbsolute Powersees his humanity taken to another level. In the wake of the superhero attack by Amanda Waller and her Amazos, leaving the superheroes of DC powerless,Superman drops out of the sky, a bullet in his chest. What should have been no issue for the Man of Steel is made even more potent by a horrible nightmare detailing that magic is real — and it just might kill Superman.
InSuperman#16, anAbsolute Powertie-in by Joshua Williamson and Jamal Campbell, a heartfelt sequence takes place, curiously out of tone with current events. A young Jonathan and Martha Kent sit down in their Kansas living room to watch their adopted son, Clark Kent, perform a magic show.
In a touching sequence with young Superman unable to perform the correct tricks, the memory quickly turns into a nightmare as a blot of blood blooms on the boy’s chest. Just as he is trying to prove magic is real, the dream reddens into the real world,with Superman on an operating table, dying quickly and losing too much blood.
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Magic Has Always Been Superman’s Secret Weakness
Kryptonite Isn’t the Only Thing That Can Kill Superman
Damian Wayne’s Robin said it best when he saidhe knew how to kill Supermanif the need ever arose. He wouldn’t resort to Kryptonite like his father, Batman, but Robin would just use magic. Mister Mxyzptlk, one of Superman’s recurring villains, understands this too, andmagic has always been a secret weakness of the otherwise impenetrable Superman.
This isn’t the only time Superman has lost his powers - inInfinite Crisis#7 by Geoff Johns, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, Joe Bennett, Phil Jimenez, Art Thibert, Andy Lanning, Sean Parsons, Jerry Ordway, and more, he flew through a red sun, which nullified his Kryptonian DNA!
But after the power of the yellow sun is drawn out of his body without his knowledge — thanks to Amanda Waller’s forces inAbsolute Power#1 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora, he’s nothing but human.Absolute Powerwill be dealing with the question of justwho Superman is once his Kryptonian powers are taken away: ifSuperman is more human than he is alien.ButSuperman#16 seems to answer this question, as what is left behind is that little boy with a belief in magic, not knowing this very magic will betray him in the years to come.
Superman#16 Variant Cover by Frank Cho
While the cover ofSuperman#16 suggests the death of the Man of Steel as he wears his signature black suit for theDeath and Return of Supermansaga, it also shows another famous conjurer, Zatanna, who is reported to have a guest star role in the comic. The hint seems to be that,for the first time in Superman history, magic might just be the thing that brings him back to life.His very weakness might just be his salvation. As seen in his dying memory, magic can be a good thing. It just has to be the right kind of magic.
To believe in Superman is to believe that anything is possible.
While that yellow sun may bethe source of Superman’s powers, it’s the symbol of hope he stands for that defines the real power he wields. To believe in Superman is to believe that anything is possible. MaybeSuperman, wrested from his powers, will have to resort to that young alter ego once again, Clark the Conjurer, and conjure up the impossible just to stay alive and save the day.
SUPERMAN #16 (2024)
Superman
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
