Superman’s Daughter Just Became a Death God (Seriously)

You read that right, Superman’s daughter just became an avatar of death. Now you might be asking yourself, “Wait, Superman has a daughter? Since when?!”. And to that, I have to say you have severely missed out if you didn’t read the “Warworld Saga” in Action Comics. The storyline involved Superman and a crew of heroes traveling to the villainous Mongul’s Warworld and liberating the alien species he’d enslaved. Among Mongul’s slaves was a pair of powerful twins, Otho-Ra and Osul-Ra, whom Superman adopted after Mongul’s defeat. They became known as the Super-Twins, the youngest members of the Super-Family.

Unfortunately, the family came under fire when Kryl-Ux, a fellow liberated slave, began searching for the aspects of Olgrun, powerful remnants of a mad god. When Kryl-Ux came for the Fire of Olgrun bound to Osul-Ra, the villain sent Superman into the far future. Since then, the Man of Steel has been trying to stop Kryl-Ux as well as find his children. He managed to find Otho-Ra, but only after Superman was poisoned by a Sun-Eater, putting him in grave danger. However, Superman’s allies have a plan to save him, one that involves his daughter getting a godly upgrade.

Superman’s Daughter Just Became the New Black Racer

In Adventures of Superman: Book of El #7 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Scott Godlewski, Alex Guimarães, Matt Herms, and Dave Sharpe, the Phaelosians have assembled in a star cluster known as Izaya’s Belt. Superman’s body lies in wait for the Black Racer to claim him, but the plan is to have Otho-Ra snatch the Black Racer’s belt, a vessel for another aspect, the Wrath of Olgrun. Otho-Ra is to take the belt and light it with the fires of all five stars in the cluster and place it on Superman before the Racer can catch her.

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Hours later, the Black Racer has come. He speeds through the cluster and makes a beeline for Superman’s body. But before he can reach the Man of Steel, Otho-Ra emerges from a nearby sun and manages to intercept him. She grabs the belt and immediately sets about accomplishing her task. The Black Racer pivots from his duty and begins chasing Otho-Ra around Izaya’s Belt. Thankfully, Otho-Ra isn’t alone, as the Phaelosians use chains forged from the Source to impede the Racer. Otho-Ra manages to get two parts of the belt lit before getting lost in a radioactive nebula.

Otho-Ra is disoriented, plagued by visions of Olgrun, but she manages to pull through. Though the Racer briefly catches her, a Phaelosian named Khan-El helps Otho-Ra get the final star’s light on the belt. The Black Racer tells the warriors that he cannot be beaten, only succeeded, and as he fades into nothingness, Otho-Ra assumes his role as the new Black Racer. Otho-Ra, now with the full power of an aspect of Olgrun flowing through her, manages to revive Superman, and the two share a tender hug.

DC Just Set Up a Tragic Fate for Superman’s Daughter

The Black Racer is just one aspect of death in the DCU (with Sandman’s Death being the ultimate personification of it). But as a New God, the Racer has existed for eons, and as he said, he’s not something that can be defeated, only changed or transformed. Otho-Ra didn’t just take his powers; she’s now serving in the Black Racer’s role, meaning it’s her responsibility to shepherd the souls of the dead. Again, this series largely takes place in a distant future, meaning that nothing in the modern-day DCU is affected, but that doesn’t mean Otho-Ra has an easy out.

I’ve had a dreadful feeling that, as Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s swan song at DC Comics and the conclusion to his cosmic epic, Adventures of Superman: Book of El was going to wrap up a lot of plot points. Sadly, the writing has been on the wall for the Super-Twins for a long time. They never caught on outside of PKJ’s stories, and most fans seem to have an ambivalent attitude towards them. I could honestly see this series being used to write them out, and seeing Otho-Ra become the new Black Racer only reinforces that.

I sincerely hope I’m wrong, though. Aside from being someone who likes the Super-Twins, I think Superman’s daughter being an avatar of death is so incredibly cool. As a Phaelosian, she’s already as powerful as most Kryptonians, so I can only imagine how being the new Black Racer augments her powers. But I don’t see how Otho-Ra goes back to normal after this. If the Black Racer’s role is a necessity, will Otho-Ra even be able to leave this future and go back home? I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if this upgrade sets up Otho-Ra’s ultimate separation from Superman.

What do you think about Superman’s daughter becoming the new Black Racer? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!