Absolute Universe

The Absolute Universe (AU) is an imprint of American comic books overseen by writer Scott Snyder and published by DC Comics. The comics take place in a shared universe designated Alpha-World as part of the DC Comics multiverse, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the DC Universe.

The imprint is part of the DC All In initiative, debuting in the aftermath of the 2024 "Absolute Power" storyline. It was launched that year with the publication of the ongoing series Absolute Batman, Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Superman.

Publication history

The Absolute Universe (AU) is an all-new continuity separate from the DC Universe (DCU) overseen by Scott Snyder as part of the DC All In initiative.^[1] The existence of the new universe was first rumored in 2023 in relation to Snyder,^[2] before leaks emerged that it would be called the Absolute Universe as part of a wider program called DC All In.^[3][4] Several additional leaks occurred^[5][6][7][8] in the run-up to San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024 when it was officially announced by DC Comics.^[9]

The AU began in October 2024 with the DC All-In Special. The first titles released in the AU are Absolute Batman by Snyder with Nick Dragotta, and Absolute Wonder Woman by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman, which both started publication in October. A third title, Absolute Superman by Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval, debuted in November of the same year.^[10][11] Originally Rafael Albuquerque was set to illustrate Absolute Superman, but had to pull out of the project due to severe floods in his home country of Brazil, with Sandoval being brought onto the project in June 2024.^[12]

Three further titles were released in 2025: Absolute Flash by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles, Absolute Martian Manhunter by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodríguez (both in March),^[13][14] and Absolute Green Lantern by Al Ewing and Jahnoy Lindsay in April.^[15] Two additional titles, Absolute Green Arrow by Pornsak Pichetshote and Rafael Albuquerque,^[16] and Absolute Catwoman by Che Grayson, Scott Snyder and Bengal are scheduled for release in 2026.^[17]

Additionally, the Absolute versions of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman appeared at the end of DC K.O. #3, a series that features Darkseid wishing to transform DC's Prime Earth following the creation of the Absolute Universe.^{[citation needed]}

Setting

The AU features previous concepts from Doomsday Clock (2017–2019), Dark Nights: Death Metal (2020–2021), and Infinite Frontier (2021–2023). It is set in Earth-Alpha, also called the Elseworld, one of the two pillars of the Metaverse, along with Earth-Omega, where Darkseid used to be imprisoned. According to Snyder, while the DCU is "influenced by Superman energy", the AU is "influenced by Darkseid energy", making society treat superheroes as underdogs.^[18][19]

It is established in DC All In Special that Earth-Alpha has been reshaped by Darkseid's essence as he is bent on creating a world driven by challenge and turmoil in which heroes are the "small chaos" rather than established parts of its system, while attempting to control its past and future during the gradual consolidation of the timeline on modern times.^[20] Vital parts of the characters are stripped (i.e., Batman's wealth, Diana's childhood, and Superman's upbringing with the Kents), while keeping the central message and key personality traits intact.^{[citation needed]}

Main changes between the Absolute Universe and the mainline DC universe come down to differences in power (the rich and wealthy largely dominate the world's politics and rule without repercussion, with the world's heroes at a severe disadvantage against them) and worldbuilding (there is no presence of the New Gods, certain aliens such as Martians lack physical bodies, and the emotional spectrum of the Lantern Corps is shortened). Important changes include:

• The Justice League is an alliance between the Joker, Ra's al Ghul, Hector Hammond, Veronica Cale, and Elenore Thawne.
• Bruce Wayne is a bluecollar Civil engineer, working with MI6 special agent Alfred Pennyworth. His mother, Martha, is still alive, and his close friends include Waylon Jones, Edward Nygma, Harvey Dent, Oswald Cobblepot, Mitchell "Matches" Malone and Selina Kyle.
• Kal-El grew up on Krypton prior to its destruction, and lives as an illegal immigrant on Earth with his AI companion Sol, which functions as his cape and Fortress of Solitude. His close friends include corporate soldier Lois Lane and terrorist Jimmy Olsen.
• Diana grew up in Hell, raised by her adoptive mother Circe and mentored by the Greek gods, having been separated from the Amazons at birth by Zeus.
• Wally West kills Barry Allen by accident and is a loose fugitive after gaining his superpowers, accompanied by a mutant monkey named Grodd.
• John Jones is a human police detective whose mind is invaded by a non-physical alien following a severe head trauma.
• The emotional spectrum consists of black (qard: chaotic action), red (rao: restraint from action), green (sur: correct action), and yellow (aur: enlightenment). Sojourner Mullein is an ex-cop who becomes an anomalous ("tomar") user of the green light. Other characters include the Abin Sur ("abin" meaning one who uses the light with understanding). "Ain" is used for inexperienced users who introduces the levels of light to Earth, and those include Hal Jordan (the Black Hand, an Ain Quard), Guy Gardner (an Ain Rao), John Stewart (an Ain Aur), officers Cameron Chase and Simon Baz, Tomar-Re (a Tomar Rao) and Kilowog and the Blackstars (Abin Quards) and are led by Mogo the Living Planet.

List of publications

Prelude

Ongoing series

Limited series

One-shots

Collected editions

Reception

Sales

The first issue of Absolute Batman had a print run of around 250,000 copies and by the end of 2024, Absolute Batman became the best selling comic of 2024, with combined sales of first, second, third and black-and-white printings, selling just under 400,000 copies.^[25] Initial orders of Absolute Wonder Woman #1 received orders of around 150,000, and Absolute Superman having a print run of about 180,000 copies.^[26]

By February 2025, the line had sold over 2.5 million units.^[27]

With the second wave of the Absolute Line, Absolute Flash #1 was the best selling Flash comic since Flash #1 from 1987, getting over 180,000 pre-orders, along with Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 having sold over 120,000 copies.^[28][29]

As of December 2025, the Absolute Universe line has sold over 8.5 million units, with Absolute Batman being the top-selling title at nearly 3 million.^[30]

In February 2026, DC Comics announced that 50 Absolute Universe issues (Absolute Batman #1–14, Absolute Wonder Woman #1–11, Absolute Superman #1–10, Absolute Flash #1–5, Absolute Green Lantern #1–4, and Absolute Martian Manhunter #1–6) would be reprinted and releasing in March 2026, with all receiving at least their third reprinting. The March 2026 releases saw Absolute Batman #1 receive its 11th reprinting.^[31]

Accolades

In other media

Film

The Absolute Universe version of Brainiac served as an inspiration for the DC Universe (DCU) version of the character in Man of Tomorrow.^[35]

Comic books

The one-shot comic Mad About DC, released on April 1, 2026, features two short parody stories of the Absolute Universe. The first story, titled "The Punt", was written by Scott Snyder (the writer of Absolute Batman) and illustrated by James Herron,^[36] while the second story, titled "Absolute Cash-In", was written by Tom Taylor and illustrated by Bruno Redondo.^[37] The two stories respectively introduce the Absolute Universe versions of the characters Maxie Zeus and Condiment King.

See also

• Earth One: The first modern reimagining of DC Comics titular characters.
• Ultimate Marvel: An imprint by Marvel Comics similar to Absolute Universe and Earth One.
• Ultimate Universe: Another Marvel Comics imprint with a modern reimagining of its characters released around the same time as the Absolute Universe.
• Energon Universe: An Image Comics shared universe of Hasbro action brands like Transformers and G.I. Joe.

References

1. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (July 31, 2024). "Why the Absolute Universe Is DC's Most Exciting Launch in Years". IGN. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
2. ^ Johnston, Rich (October 13, 2023). "NYCC Bar Gossip: DC to Announce a New "Ultimate Universe" From Snyder?". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
3. ^ Johnston, Rich (April 15, 2024). "Scott Snyder's Ultimate Line For DC Is To Be Called Absolute Comics". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
4. ^ Johnston, Rich (April 16, 2024). "Scott Snyder, Absolute Comics And DC All-In, The Morning After". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
5. ^ Johnston, Rich (June 22, 2024). "Scott Snyder, Jason Aaron and Kelly Thompson on Absolute DC Comics". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
6. ^ Johnston, Rich (July 7, 2024). "SCOOP: DC Comics Launch Absolute Batman At San Diego Comic-Con". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
7. ^ Johnston, Rich (July 17, 2024). "DC All-In & Absolute Universe Details, Creators & Comics Confirmed". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
8. ^ Johnston, Rich (July 9, 2024). "First Look At Absolute Batman And What It Means For Absolute Universe". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
9. ^ Johnston, Rich (18 July 2024). "No Fortune, Fortress, Family – Absolute Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
10. ^ Cronin, Brian (July 18, 2024). "DC Reveals First Three Absolute Universe Titles". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
11. ^ Polo, Susana (July 17, 2024). "Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are about to get alternate origin stories via DC's All In". Polygon. Archived July 19, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
12. ^ "The Design of Absolute DC: Rafa Sandoval on Coming to the Rescue on Absolute Superman". SKTCHD. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
13. ^ Johnston, Rich (July 25, 2024). "DC Comics Announces Absolute Flash by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles". Bleeding Cool. Archived August 5, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
14. ^ Johnston, Rich (October 18, 2024). "Confirmed: Absolute Martian Manhunter by Deniz Camp & Javier Rodriguez". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
15. ^ Salmon, Will (July 27, 2024). "Absolute Green Lantern is writer Al Ewing's first series for DC and will be a "complete reimagining" of the concept, starring multiple Lanterns". GamesRadar+. Archived July 27, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
16. ^ Epps, Justin (24 July 2025). "Green Arrow is Officially Getting A Reboot, Joining DC's Absolute Universe". Screen Rant. Archived July 24, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
17. ^ McMillan, Graeme (11 October 2025). "DC launches Absolute Catwoman book". Popverse. Archived October 11, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
18. ^ Salmon, Will (July 18, 2024). "Absolute Batman heads up the first wave of a new Ultimates-style universe as part of DC's All In comic book line refresh". GamesRadar+. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
19. ^ O'Donoghue, Kate (July 18, 2024). "DC's ABSOLUTE Universe Is Finally Official: Get the Full Story & New Creator Details Here". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
20. ^ DC All-In Special #1. DC Comics.
21. ^ Salmon, Will (July 26, 2024). "Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and more DC heroes join forces to restore the Justice League in a new ongoing series from Kingdom Come writer Mark Waid". GamesRadar+. Archived July 27, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
22. ^ Aguilar, Matthew (October 19, 2024). "Absolute Martian Manhunter and Absolute Green Lantern Details Announced by DC". ComicBook.com. Archived June 18, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
23. ^ MacDonald, Heidi (2024-07-09). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Archived January 8, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
24. ^ Brooke, David (July 16, 2025). "DC expands the Absolute Universe in October 2025 with milestone issues and two one-shots". Adventures in Poor Taste. Archived July 16, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
25. ^ Johnston, Rich (2024-11-19). "DC Claims Absolute Batman #1 is 2024's Best-Selling Comic, But Is It?". Bleeding Cool. Archived July 24, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
26. ^ Johnston, Rich (2024-10-09). "Absolute Wonder Woman #1 Gets 150,000 Orders, Superman Looking At 180K". Bleeding Cool. Archived March 19, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
27. ^ Johnston, Rich (2025-02-21). "ComicsPRO: Absolute Batman #1 Gets A Sixth Printing". Bleeding Cool. Archived February 26, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
28. ^ Epps, Justin (2025-03-20). "DC's New Flash Just Broke a Sales Record Nearly 40 Years In the Making". Screen Rant. Archived May 5, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
29. ^ Johnston, Rich (2025-03-08). "Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 Gets Over 120,000 Orders". Bleeding Cool. Archived April 3, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
30. ^ Kit, Borys (23 December 2025). "'Batman', Absolute Universe Comics Power DC to Super Year". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived December 23, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
31. ^ "DC announces major reprinting of Absolute universe single issues". Comics Beat. February 6, 2026. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
32. ^ Ross, Patrick (2025-05-15). "2025 Eisner Award nominees announced". AIPT. Archived May 20, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
33. ^ Johnston, Rich (2025-07-25). "The Results Of The 2025 Eisner Awards As They Were Announced (Updated)". Bleeding Cool. Archived July 26, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
34. ^ Johnston, Rich (2026-05-14). "Eisner Awards 2026 Nominees Announced, DC Comics & Deniz Camp Lead". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
35. ^ Agar, Chris (December 21, 2025). "James Gunn Teases Which Version of Brainiac We'll See in the DCU". ComicBook.com. Archived December 23, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
36. ^ Johnston, Rich (April 1, 2026). "Scott Snyder Parodies His Own Absolute Batman In MAD Magazine". Bleeding Cool. Archived April 2, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
37. ^ Epps, Justin (April 4, 2026). "DC Comics Finally Delivers on the One Absolute Character You've Been Hoping For". Bleeding Cool. Archived April 5, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 6, 2026.