The unique tale of Absolute Superman has been one of the most electrifying of DC’s Absolute Universe, and one of its greatest achievements is transforming a a long-standing Batman villain into the main adversary of Superman. The Absolute Universe began unfolding in late 2024 as an all-new continuity of DC Comics, but with a multiverse-level twist. Owing to the Absolute Universe’s creation from the evil energy of DC’s mega-villain Darkseid, the Absolute Universe is a wildly different reality in which all of DC’s heroes and villains have new origin stories, personalities, motivations, and backdrops. The Absolute Universe has been a huge hit right from the start and continues to grow, with Absolute Green Arrow soon to join the Absolute line-up of titles that includes Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter.
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The Man of Steel has undergone one of the most amazing and instantly iconic re-imaginings in the Absolute Universe, Superman arriving on Earth as an adult and crusading for the oppressed with an A.I. powered tech suit. Absolute Superman has also brought a new element into the mix by centering Ra’s Al Ghul as the Last Son of Krypton’s biggest adversary. With Ra’s established as a major threat to the world and hatching a plot to weaponize Superman culminating in the Man of Steel’s capture in the newly released Absolute Superman #10, the Absolute Universe has accomplished something unforgettable in making Ra’s Al Ghul into every bit the villain for Superman that he has always been for Batman.
Ra’s Al Ghul’s Role in Absolute Superman Explained
Like his mainline DC counterpart, Ra’s Al Ghul has been around for several centuries, his immortality granted to him through his use of the Lazarus Pits. The extended lifespan this granted Ra’s allowed him to become a billionaire and build a business empire with his company that Lazarus Corporation, which heavily exploits its workers and becomes the equivalent of a rogue nation wielding power over the world. The ultimate goal of this more hedonistic version of Ra’s Al Ghul lies in wiping out humanity and creating a better world.
To accomplish his goal, Ra’s partners with the mega-intelligent alien Braniac to set his plans into motion, with Ra’s also backed by his personal army known as the Peacemakers. However, the appearance of Superman and his activities of liberating oppressed Lazarus Corp. employee causes Ra’s entire perspective on his plot to shift. Seeing in Superman both the ultimate weapon in his plot to cleanse Earth of its human population and as the “son” he was never able to have, Ra’s has been obsessed with capturing Superman and bringing him to his side, with Ra’s finally succeeding in kidnapping the Man of Steel by the ending of Absolute Superman #10.
Ra’s Al Ghul Works Shockingly Well as a Superman Villain
In his relationship with Batman, Ra’s Al Ghul has traditionally been the hero of his own story, a genocidally-inclined villain who believes he’s operating in mankind’s best interest and who sees in Batman a potential ally who has not yet been enlightened to the wisdom of the League of Assassins. Absolute Superman takes all of those attributes and puts an even darker spin on them with its portrayal of Ra’s Al Ghul, and specifically how much of a godsend he sees Superman as being to his plans. Oddly enough, one of the biggest surprises of the Absolute Universe is how seamless Ra’s Al Ghul’s transition from a Batman villain to a Superman villain has been.
Just like is his battles with Batman, Ra’s conflict with Superman is one predicated upon the villain’s grandiose vision of hitting the reset button on Earth’s human population. The big differences for the Absolute Universe’s version of Ra’s is his more ruthless practice of exploiting Earth’s workers and gradually usurping political power, along with Ra’s shifting into a business tycoon from the shadowy cult leader he normally embodies. Nonetheless, Ra’s Al Ghul as a Superman villain has been a not only clever but extremely effective villain swap that genuinely positions Ra’s as earning a place in the larger Superman rogue’s gallery.
Why the Absolute Universe’s Ra’s Al Ghul Is the Best Version of the Villain in Ages
With Ra’s Al Ghul a cold-blooded business man bent on achieving world domination through wiping out humanity, his personality in the Absolute Universe functions as a kind of Lex Luthor-General Zod combo with his newfound role as a Superman villain. Additionally, Ra’s teaming up with Brainiac brings much more of a sci-fi feel to his intro that Ra’s has traditionally not had the chance to adopt due to his more esoteric and metaphysical backstory. All of these elements add up to a version of Ra’s Al Ghul who, like the rest of the Absolute DC roster, is one that comic book readers have simply never seen before.
By steeping Ra’s motivations in greed and hedonism as opposed to his own self-perceived altruism, the Absolute version of Ra’s is terrifying in his own unique way, a villain employing the same methods as his classical version with a motivation rooted his own superiority complex. Topping that off, Absolute Ra’s Al Ghul still views Superman the same way he has traditionally seen Batman as his “son”, but in this context, a son whose value to him lies in Ra’s intentions to be weaponize and control him. Above all, Ra’s Al Ghul’s shift into a ruthless corporate oppressor amassing power behind the scenes is an all-new lens through which he is being presented, the classic version of Ra’s surely one to be disgusted by the very kind of villain that Absolute Ra’s embodies. DC’s Absolute Universe has all been about showing comic book readers versions of DC characters they have never seen before, and it’s version of Ra’s Al Ghul is arguably the greatest example of one of its re-invented villains doing exactly that.
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