Warning! Preview pages ahead for Challengers of the Unknown #5!The Absolute Universe may be young, but truth behind the Absolute Universe is revealed.
In Challengers of the Unknown #5 by Christopher Cantwell, Sean Izaakse, Amancay Nahuelpan, the Justice League observes Wonder Woman and the infected Challengers. She has the team hold onto the lasso to see how deeply the Omega Energy in their bodies has corrupted them. In a flash, the Challengers' eyes all glow as they ominously state "Our omega is dying".
The Challengers begin pulling the lasso as they begin to rave more about Omega Energy and death. They say that death is everything and that "Death is absolute" while Wonder Woman recognizes their energy as Darkseid's.
DC Confirms Its Absolute Universe is a Dead World
In a Completed, Unchanging World, There is No Life
In his final battle with the Justice League, Darkseid's body was destroyed, and his energy went out into the multiverse, settling on the young Earth-Alpha. His energy shaped this world to reflect Darkseid's ideals, making a colder, harsher world. While heroes still exist, they face greater challenges than their Prime Universe counterparts, whether that be a lack of familial connections or even altered powers. Little is known about this world, but one thing that fans became painfully aware of was that the Absolute Universe's future was settled and that Darkseid ends up controlling it with his evil Legion of Super-Heroes.
While fans are still getting used to the Absolute Universe, the presence of Darkseid's Legion has hinted that no matter what victories the Absolute heroes achieve, their timeline is settled, unchanging, and absolute. But now readers are getting a different interpretation on what an 'absolute universe' really means. As the infected Challengers say, "death is absolute". Now, of course, they would say that, as they're all corrupted by Darkseid's energy, and the New God is strongly associated with death and oppression. But what they mean is that a world that doesn’t have the freedom to change is a dead one.
DC's Absolute Universe is Doomed Unless it Breaks Darkseid's Hold
Only the Prime Universe Can Help Their Absolute Counterparts
Unfortunately, there's not much the Absolute heroes can do to change their circumstances, as none of them even seem to understand the situation they're trapped in. But the Prime DC Universe has been keeping on top of things. Now that the Justice League is starting to see how badly Darkseid's energy has affected everything, it won't be long before they realize that there is a world Darkseid has complete control over that desperately needs their help. Hopefully, the DC Universe's heroes aren't far from venturing to the Absolute Universe and helping their counterparts break the unchanging cycle.
Challengers of the Unknown #5 is available on April 16th from DC Comics.
