Ever the one for a climactic showdown in DC’s collective chronology, Superman’s streak continues as one of his most widely-circulated comics is about to enter a new era. But while the flagship Superman and Action Comics stories are each facing the end of a big crossover arc of their own, another critically-acclaimed saga approaches its climax in just two months with Absolute Superman #25. The oversized issue’s planned November 4, 2026 release date will be one to watch out for, as fans will hopefully finally see this universe’s Brainiac get his just deserts, ideally before the villain reveals another inhuman act or murder or torture following the Lex Luthor incident.

But the climactic confrontation with Brainiac is certainly set to be far more than a simple fight and cathartic defeat returning Kal-El to business as usual. Lives have been upended by Brainiac’s actions, some broken beyond repair, others likely set down a dark path, and in the case of Christopher Smith aka the new Metallo, unforgivable crimes against humanity have been wrought. Defeating the ultimate menace is teased to set up a shocking conclusion in this issue, with the narrative trajectory of Absolute Superman to change dramatically from this point forward.

2 Years Of Superman’s Thrilling New Run Have Led To The End Of A Brilliant, Haunting Era

The Kal-El introduced in Absolute Superman has been positively raked over the coals, being old enough this time to experience the loss of both his birth parents while being sent away from a dying Krypton in real-time, and even his new adoptive family in Smallville. It’s introduced a threat willing to tear through rural Kansas to break the spirit of a novice Superman, and even produced a mighty and brutal physical rival in Black Adam. But one villain who’s been behind nearly all of this run’s twisted deeds, including massacring the family of this universe’s humble, unassuming Lex Luthor, sought to gather allies to defeat Superman, or irreparably break his mind trying.

Brainiac’s not the only one in need of kindred spirits, though, and if Absolute Superman #24’s any indication, John Henry Irons, aka Steel, is increasingly ready to step up to the plate as he makes a new armor upgrade. In fact, many of the people won over by Superman in this universe appear in the gatefold triptych variant cover, hyping up a potential team-up of the reformed Metallo and Hawkman joining Steel, as well as possibly other figures from the run so far. But one element from the preview is especially compelling, the notion of a new narrative era beginning for Absolute Superman, with its final pages teasing a shocking conclusion to the first macro-arc of the series.

Absolute Superman’s New Era Will Likely Face Fallout Of Brainiac’s Actions

Much of the actual details for Absolute Superman’s future in issue #25’s ending and beyond are still ostensibly under wraps, yet several loose ends remain tantalizingly unresolved. Black Adam’s defeat resulted in him being banished on a faraway planet inhabited seemingly entirely by Doomsdays, vowing to return as Superman’s doom. Talia al Ghul is certainly not ready to live down the fate of her father who met a terrible end in the same arc. But all eyes can reasonably be pointed to Luthor, who was bound and forced to watch Brainiac butcher his family, making it completely impossible to return to his blue-collar life in Missouri, left with some chilling parting words from Brainiac.

What happens next will be up to you. I do hope you won’t squander the work we’ve done here today. Seize this opportunity, Lex Luthor, I beg of you. Make yourself interesting.

Until we meet again, then.

Luthor was left to helplessly stare at his murdered family’s scattered remains, the scene awash with a hellish crimson hue with the ominous pledge of another meeting with his family’s killer in the future. All Brainiac wanted, after all, was an ally to join him on his ominous “Superman” project. Given Luthor’s otherwise canonical xenophobia in plenty of other stories, and his origins in Absolute Superman featuring a sadistic alien wiping out his family, it’d be unsurprising that he develops his signature distrust in other aliens, namely Superman, in the process. But rather than a measured, charismatic titan of business “who raised himself up to throttle gods,” Luthor’s story so far suggests a broken man who’d have every motive to endorse more of a scorched earth policy.

Whether Brainiac will actually return to Luthor is neither here nor there, though, as he’s done more than enough damage to have left his mark on the series, and for Luthor’s story to surely be far from over. For now, the clear end goal of Absolute Superman’s two-year first saga is to take down Kal-El’s greatest remaining adversary. But Brainiac has never gone down fighting in this run, and in fact only emerged from the brink more dangerous before, so don’t be surprised if he gets in one last laugh by the final pages to ring in the new era. Jason Aaron’s run, accompanied by Juan Ferreyra for issue #24 as well as Carmine Di Giandomenico and Rafa Sandoval for issue #25, has rarely, if ever, had a dull moment leading up to this point, so hopefully this new era is one that won’t be without them.

Absolute Superman #24 is set to release on October 7, while the oversized issue #25 will release on November 4, 2026.

Comic

Superman (2023)

Cast

Christopher Reeve, David Corenswet, Brandon Routh, Henry Cavill, Tom Welling, Tyler Hoechlin, Margot Kidder, Rachel Brosnahan, Kate Bosworth, Amy Adams, Gene Hackman, Nicholas Hoult, Kevin Spacey, Jesse Eisenberg