An underrated Superman villain is back with a makeover that’s turning them into a truly sinister threat. If there’s one thing you can count on in the Absolute Universe, it’s that the villains are bigger, badder, and way more terrifying than their Prime Universe counterparts. Seriously, just look at all the troubles Batman has faced when it comes to villains like Bane or Mister Freeze. But the Dark Knight’s not alone when it comes to villains getting horrifying overhauls. The Absolute Universe’s Man of Steel is similarly facing down opponents that have been putting him through the wringer.
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For the first year of Absolute Superman, Kal-El was hounded by a monstrous Ra’s al Ghul, who worked in tandem with the Absolute Brainiac. But while they did their best to break Superman, the hero was ultimately victorious. However, taking out al Ghul has had a ripple effect on the Absolute Universe, causing Superman to be confronted by the incredibly intimidating Hawkman. But as Superman gets a crash course in heroism, a familiar villain is emerging and is about to become the deadliest threat that this world’s Man of Tomorrow has faced yet.
DC Introduces the Absolute Parasite to Take on Superman
In Absolute Superman #16 by Jason Aaron, Juan Ferreyra, and Becca Carey, Hawkman introduces himself to Superman, telling him that Carter is a good guy. However, he takes issue with Clark periodically leaving their conversation to go save someone in need. Hawkman tells Superman that they need to have a talk, but while they do, strange things are afoot in Metropolis. At a Lazarus Corporation building, G.A.T.E.S. operatives are seizing materials from the building’s vaults. Several Peacemaker agents acting on Talia al Ghul’s orders interrupt the seizure by shooting a crate, which unleashes something horrible on an unsuspecting G.A.T.E.S. employee.
The poor G.A.T.E.S. employee is enveloped in purple mist and attacked by mysterious tendrils. But we don’t see the immediate result of the attack. Instead, we are shown Lois Lane as she prepares to head to the Daily Planet offices, meeting former metro editor Perry White along the way. However, before Lois can make her way in the building, she notices screaming in the distance, seeing people being lifted into the air and taken by large tentacles. Thankfully, Superman is on the way to Metropolis, having sensed the action, and is dragging Hawkman to investigate with him.
Hawkman doesn’t take kindly to being dragged by Superman and attacks him, sending Kal-El flying. Superman tells his rival that people are in need of help, but Hawkman is more concerned with putting Superman in his place. The two fight for a considerable time as the destruction continues. But their fight eventually ends up in the direct path of the source of Metropolis’ troubles. The G.A.T.E.S. operative has transformed into a giant, purple kaiju with fleshy masses and extra mouths. The container shot by the Peacemaker earlier warns of an infection substance and is labeled ‘Project: Parasite’.
Superman is About to Face His Toughest Battle Yet
Parasite and his power-absorbing abilities have always been incredibly cool, but rarely is he presented as an A-tier threat. I do think making him a kaiju is a cool move, and it reminds me of when the animated film Superman: Man of Tomorrow did the same thing. As Rudy Jones’ moniker implies, he can steal the powers or even the life force of anyone unfortunate enough to come into contact with him. And the more Parasite consumes, the stronger he becomes. So, of course, in the Absolute Universe, they’d lean into him becoming bigger and scarier the more he takes.
Admittedly, Superman has come pretty far despite being relatively new to the superhero gig. But he’s yet to face someone who could rival him in strength. This Parasite is already the size of a damn building, and he hasn’t even touched Kal-El yet. The moment he gets one of his appendages on Superman, Parasite’s powers or even his size could increase even more. While I do not doubt that Superman is going to find a way to contain his enemy, this is almost certainly going to be his most difficult battle yet.
The Absolute Universe is a dangerous place where the villains have far more advantages than the heroes. That’s not to say that Superman can’t overcome Parasite; it’s just going to be incredibly difficult here. There’s no telling what Lazarus did to bring the initial Parasite into being, nor what this Parasite has going for him beyond his size and destructive power. All that we know is that Superman has one hell of a battle ahead of him, and he’s going to need to pull out all the stops to take Parasite down.
What do you think about the debut of Absolute Parasite? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!
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