The Absolute Universe has introduced some of the greatest incarnations of DC Comics’ greatest heroes. And just like with any superhero universe, the one thing that fans can’t get enough of is crossover. Absolute Evil #1 had the villains of the world joining forces, and Batman and Wonder Woman had two adventures together in 2025. Writer Scott Snyder has also confirmed that Absolute Batman and Superman will meet in November. However, DC Comics has also been subtly setting up another perfect crossover event for Absolute Superman. Indeed, the Absolute Flash series is laying the groundwork for an alliance between the Scarlet Speedster and the Man of Steel.
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The Absolute Flash comic run follows Wally West, who, after getting caught in a lab accident, finds himself with super speed and on the run from the government, which wants to harness his abilities for nefarious purposes. Now, Wally fights all manner of government-sanctioned Rogues and telepathic apes in search of his missing father, Rudy West. And with the release of Absolute Flash #17, Wally’s meeting with Superman seems all but inevitable.
Absolute Flash Is Heading Towards a Crossover with Superman
Nothing brings two superheroes together faster than their enemies joining forces. Throughout the Absolute Flash series, Wally’s main adversary has been Elenore Thawne, the head of the military research Project Olympus. When Wally got his powers, she had him hunted down and captured so that she could use him to open a portal to the Still Point to rescue her grandfather, Eobard Thawne, aka the Reverse Flash. Although Wally managed to banish the Reverse Flash, his father, Rudy, was also sent to the Still Point. Now, Wally is trying to find Elenore because she may be the key to finding Rudy. However, this search may inadvertently lead Wally to run into one of Superman’s most twisted enemies.
Absolute Flash #17 concludes the “Gorilla City” arc. During his search for Elenore, Wally finds himself facing off against Grodd’s evil father, who sought to punish all of humanity for the inhumane experiments he’s suffered. Luckily, after an extended fight, Grodd manages to convince his father to end his crusade. Unfortunately, the telepathic ape is unceremoniously killed by Rogues’ member Trickster to complete their mission. Despite Wally’s anger at her needless cruelty, Trickster still informs him that Elenore is hiding out in Kansas. Trickster further reveals that Elenore went there to meet up with the iconic Superman villain Brainiac. Both characters are the main adversaries of their respective heroes, so their joining forces can’t be good.
This wasn’t the only reference to Superman and Kansas. In Absolute Flash #14, Wally and his friend Linda find themselves trapped in Mirror Master’s mirror dimension. Through the many gateways the mirror dimension offers, Wally sees Superman’s home, the Kent farm in Kansas. The presence of two Absolute Superman references can’t be a coincidence. Meanwhile, in Absolute Superman, Brainiac is busy torturing Lex Luthor and slaughtering the man’s family to mold him into the perfect adversary of the Man of Steel. Elenore will likely ask for Brainiac’s aid in destroying Wally as well. With Wally heading to Kansas to face off against Elenore and Brainiac, it seems practically inevitable that he’ll meet and team up with Superman to stop the evil duo’s nefarious plans.
The Absolute Universe’s Wandering Heroes
Since the Absolute Universe first began, people have been waiting for these versions of DC’s heroes to join forces against the corrupt villains that rule their world. The meeting of Absolute Batman and Wonder Woman was a huge hit, and it was only a matter of time until other heroes teamed up. And while the Flash and Superman may at first seem like a strange choice for a crossover storyline, given their Absolute Universe incarnations, it makes perfect sense.
A significant aspect of both Absolute Flash’s and Superman’s identities is their sense of isolation and lack of a home. After Wally got his powers, he’s been on the run and hiding out from Elenore, the government, and the Rogues. As of now, Wally is living at the Dibny Mission for homeless youths, and his only human friend is a girl named Linda Park. Meanwhile, the entire hook for Absolute Superman is that the Kents didn’t raise him, and, instead, he was homeless and had no ties to humanity. Superman has only recently begun to settle down at the Kent Farm after Jon and Martha had already passed. This commonality of being a destitute hero gives Absolute Flash and Superman an instant connection.
Not only do Flash and Superman share similar backgrounds as heroes without a home, but their villains have also shown in the past to have similar goals. As stated earlier, Elenore Thawne hunted down Wally with the full force of Project Olympus and their numerous super soldiers. As with the Rogues, Elenore wanted to use Wally’s power for her own ends, namely, opening a portal to the Still Point to rescue her grandfather. In contrast, Brainiac worked for Vandal Savage, and together they were determined to either control Superman or destroy him. Brainiac attempted to corrupt and brainwash the Man of Steel and turn him into the evil heir to Ra’s Lazarus Corp empire. This overwhelming need to control others makes Elenore and Brainiac’s potential alliance a frightening prospect.
While they are in better places now, Wally and Superman both know what it’s like to be alone, to have no place to call home, and to have villains trying to control them. Flash doesn’t realize it yet, but his quest to find Elenore and save his dad is leading him to meet the Absolute Universe’s most powerful hero.
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