Superman is the ultimate bastion of hope. No matter how dark the situation gets, or how vile his villains become, Superman always believes in saving everyone and everything. He never stops doing the right thing, no matter what trials and tribulations he faces. Against all odds, that’s just as true in the Absolute Universe. The Absolute Universe is a new world infused with Darkseid’s energy, pointing it towards evil and selfishness instead of heroism and hope. The entire world is much, much darker than the mainline DC Universe, and Darkseid has it in for Absolute Superman in particular. He’s been the subject of incomparable pain, but he’s refused to break.
All of that might be coming to a head. Absolute Superman has reimagined everything in the Man of Steel’s life in a much grimmer fashion, from him watching Krypton explode as a teenager to being tortured by a monstrous Brainiac. Not even Superman’s less serious threats are safe from this shift, as Absolute Superman #23 just showed. This issue introduced a much deadlier, more frightening version of the Toyman as a full villain, and he pushed Superman to the very edge of breaking.
This issue was the second part of the “Get Brainiac” arc, detailing Superman’s pursuit of Brainiac across the globe. The maniacal villain stayed one step ahead of him, but just as Superman was closing in, he unleashed the Toyman. In a prior issue, Superman intimidated Winslow Schott, warning him that using children and inhumane working conditions would put him on the Man of Tomorrow’s hit list. Now empowered by Brainiac’s technology, Schott was taunting Superman with specially-made toys. Superman tracked the trail to Schott’s vault, where he found Toyman’s horrific secret.
Toyman kidnapped children and turned them into living dolls. This made Superman crack, flying around the world destroying and distributing Toyman’s clients’ wealth. In the end, he found Toyman and beat him, but hesitated when he knew he needed medical attention. Toyman’s actions almost pushed Superman to break every rule he has and kill. This was Brainiac’s plan all along, showing Kal that staying on Earth would break him, but this is exactly what Superman’s fought for his entire time here. He will never break, even when Darkseid is conspiring to ruin his life.
For the entirety of Absolute Superman, Darkseid has specifically had it out for Kal. It makes sense. After all, the universe traditionally points towards Superman’s hopeful energy, and he’s consistently been the dark god’s number one opponent. While he wants to destroy all of the heroes, he’s taken a direct interest in Superman. All of Superman’s foes thus far have been created or enhanced by the Father Box, which is a living computer connected directly to Darkseid. In the brief moment it was next to the Man of Steel, it tortured him with visions of the burning Earth. Darkseid has to break Superman to solidify his position as ruler of the Absolute Universe, but Superman won’t let that happen.
Superman doesn’t know any of this. He doesn’t know that an alternate version of him earned Darkseid’s ire, or that he’s supposed to be the symbol of hope for the entire universe. All he knows is that he can help people, so he does. This is Superman at his purest, most diluted form. He’s being a hero in spite of every adversity, pushing through literal divine ordinance to save lives, all without betraying what he stands for. He comes close to the line; he struggles, but he never loses himself. Darkseid is fighting tooth and nail to break Superman, but Superman isn’t fighting.
Superman is only focused on doing the right thing, which entirely sets him apart from everything Darkseid is doing. Toyman, Brainiac, Darkseid, it doesn’t matter. Superman will never stop striving to help people, which is what separates him from them. The villains are fighting Superman, while Superman doesn’t see them as anything but obstacles to his real mission. They always look to him, while he is always looking past them, thinking about the people they have behind them and under their boots. He’s always looking up and towards the better tomorrow that he will build.
What do you think of this much darker Toyman, and Darkseid’s attempt to break Superman? Let us know in the comments below!
Absolute Superman #23 is on sale now!
