Superman Absorbs DC's Strongest Object Into His Body, Becoming A New God of Krypton

WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for Absolute Superman #9 (2025)!

Superman, one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, has seemingly just fused with one of DC’s strongest objects: the New Gods’ Mother Box. This is by far one of the universe’s most coveted artifacts, with even Darkseid himself making it his mission to hunt down these all-powerful pieces of New God technology. So what does this mean for the Man of Steel?

… the beginning of a supercharged Superman transformation, one that turns him into a true New God of Krypton.

Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval, Fico Ossio, and Ulises Arreola’s Absolute Superman #9 picks up directly where the last issue left off, with the Man of Steel in critical condition and under the care of the Omega Men following his battle with the Lazarus Corps’ Peacemakers.

Specifically, Superman faced off against a cybernetically enhanced Christopher Smith, who, thanks to Brainiac, had access to Kryptonite bullets and shot Kal-El. The opening pages of Absolute Superman #9 show the Omega Men racing to save Superman’s life as they try to extract the bullets from his body.

Absolute Superman’s Last Hope Is a Mother Box

Comic Page Comes from Jason Aaron’s Absolute Superman #9 (2025) – Art by Rafa Sandoval, Fico Ossio, and Ulises Arreola

Despite being weakened and pumped full of Kryptonite, Kal-El’s alien biology makes it extremely difficult for the Omega Men to remove the bullets. Eventually, Superman is forced to take matters into his own hands, literally using their pliers to yank one of the bullets from his own body. Although he manages to remove one, and the Omega Men extract another, several Kryptonite bullets remain embedded inside him.

Faced with a ticking clock, one of the Omega Men’s leaders, Primus, makes a decisive call and demands they bring her “the box.” Her companions hesitate, warning her of the risks and reminding her that aside from triggering “Booms,” they still do not fully understand the power of this mysterious technology.

Nevertheless, Primus insists, arguing that Superman will not survive without extreme intervention. The Omega Men then activate what fans will immediately recognize as a Mother Box. In the final panel of the preview, the Man of Steel is shown as his body begins absorbing its energy, though what exactly that energy will do remains unknown.

Comic book panel: Batman fights Superman in The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller.

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Will the Mother Box Make Superman a New God of Krypton?

Main Cover by Patrick Gleason & Dean White for Superman #36 (2017)

As a quick refresher, Mother Boxes are powerful, sentient pieces of New God technology with a wide range of abilities. These include teleportation across space via Boom Tubes, healing injuries and sustaining life, manipulating energy and matter, accessing and controlling technology, and much more. In this case, the Mother Box will likely save Superman’s life successfully.

However, it may do far more than just heal him. There’s a strong possibility that Kal-El will experience effects beyond simple recovery. With its ability to manipulate matter, energy, and tech, fans could be witnessing the beginning of a supercharged Superman transformation, one that turns him into a true New God of Krypton.

ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #9 is available July 9, 2025, from DC Comics!