DC Has Its Own Infinity Gauntlet Replacement (& Its Already More Powerful)

Everyone knows about the might of the Infinity Gauntlet, but DC Comics has its own cosmic artifact that’s just as powerful and dangerous. For the last few years, an epic cosmic story has slowly unfolded across several connected titles. It was a tale of power, loss, and destruction that resulted in the creation of some of the most powerful MacGuffins the DC Universe has ever seen. And at the root of it all is Superman, who is the universe’s only hope if someone does the unthinkable and brings in a new age of darkness and destruction?

Weaving this tale is writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson, who has been telling his celestial epic ever since he first planted the seeds back in the “Warworld Saga” during his Action Comics run. His story of the Old God Olgrun and his seven ‘aspects’ have since popped up in the miniseries Green Lantern: War Journal and now, Adventures of Superman: Book of El. But who is Olgrun, what are his aspects, and what happens when someone reunites all seven of them, much like Thanos and the Infinity Stones?

A Mad, Old God Created DC’s Version of the Infinity Stones

When Superman was imprisoned on Warworld in Action Comics, he heard the legend of Olgrun, the most powerful of the Old Gods. As mighty as he was, Olgrun went mad after the death of his daughter (whom Olgrun accidentally caused). To stop him, the other gods fought him and while they weren’t able to kill Olgrun outright, they were able to fracture him into seven distinct aspects, each one representing a particular power of the Old God’s. Superman discovered such an aspect on Warworld, the Fire of Olgrun, and used it to resurrect his adopted son, Osul-Ra.

The Olgrun plot would be revisited in Green Lantern: War Journal, which revealed that Olgrun was not as dead as people thought. Remnants of the god existed in another dimension, and he used his power to try and convert John Stewart into his vessel. Thankfully, the Green Lantern found another of these aspects, the Will of Olgrun (manifested as a ring, naturally), and used it to seal Olgrun and his forces away. However, the true threat was the remaining aspects, who were coveted by someone from Superman’s past.

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Johnson’s current series, Adventures of Superman: Book of El, brings back Kryl-Ux, a warrior Superman was imprisoned with on Warworld. The book started with a bang as Kryl-Ux managed to secure the Spark of Olgrun, gaining power over time and space. Kryl-Ux believes that he can be the one to harness Olgrun’s full power and use its power to remake the DC Universe for the better. But the power is already starting to corrupt him, much like the Old God that these aspects once belonged to.

Only Superman’s Family Can Stop Olgrun’s Power from Destroying Everything

It can’t be said how dangerous bringing Olgrun’s aspects together are. Hell, it was Kryl-Ux who warned Superman on Warworld by telling him of the prophecy. If the aspects are reunited by a noble person, he will be reborn as a true hero. But if an unworthy person brings them together, Olgrun will return to unmake the DC Universe and plunge everything into darkness. Tragically, Kryl-Ux sees himself as the hero of the prophecy, not as the shepherd for Olgrun’s ultimate return to power.

As dangerous as the Infinity Gauntlet and its various Stones are, the aspects of Olgrun are undoubtedly more dangerous. Just one contains a fraction of a mad god and bringing them altogether risks a cosmic apocalypse. And things are only getting worse in Adventures of Superman: Book of El, where Kryl-Ux is slowly coming into possession of additional aspects. The Man of Steel is facing one of the biggest threats he’s ever seen, but if he doesn’t act fast, everything is doomed.

Johnson’s Olgrun saga has been brewing for years at this point, but it’s finally starting to pay off. Now that we’ve seen what the aspects are and know about the consequences of their reunion, it makes Book of El, supposedly the end of this major storyline, that much more exciting. Will Superman be able to stop Kryl-Ux before he goes too far? Or will Olgrun return, pitting the Man of Steel against the most powerful god the DC Universe has ever seen? Only time will tell.

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