Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are considered DC's 'Trinity,' as they are their most iconic characters and have seen dozens of iterations over the near-century that they've been around.
However, with DC's new 'Absolute Universe,' these stories are getting a modern revamp, and politics seem to play a role. Establishing Superman as an immigrant from the get-go is a strong statement. Batman and Wonder Woman's origin stories are as powerful.
Why a new universe for DC Comics?
In the wake of DC's biggest villain, Darkseid, creating a new universe of heroes in his image who have faced even more adversity than before, the 'Absolute' universe was created, allowing the writers at DC to offer up their imaginings of these characters.
Instead of Batman being a rich billionaire who watched his parents get murdered, he's the lower-middle-class orphan who relies more on gadgets than martial arts. Wonder Woman isn't a creation of clay raised on the utopian island of Themyscira anymore. In this universe, she was cursed by the gods and raised in Hell.
This new version of Superman has a similar origin to his more mainstream counterpart with some key differences. In past comics and adaptations, Superman's iconic symbol on his chest represented the House of El or Kryptonian for hope. In this version, the 'S' represents the members of Krypton's lower class, who suffered under the upper class which led to the destruction of the planet.
Superman, the underdog
While he still is sent from Krypton and raised in Kansas by the Kents, this Superman is described as "a little bit of an outlaw and much more of an underdog..."
DC Nation's official description reads:
This is the story of Kal-El, an immigrant, coming of age in the world of today.
When Krypton explodes and Kal-El's rocket lands on Earth, in the fields of Kansas, he's found by the kindly Kents. But that doesn't lead to the sort of idyllic upbringing we're used to seeing in Superman's origin. Instead Kal-El will spend years on the run across far corners of the globe, living among the planet's most impoverished and persecuted peoples, working in mines and corporate-owned farms, fighting to protect the identity he lost when his homeworld exploded, always yearning to belong, somewhere, anywhere.
This is a Kal-El who's a little bit Mowgli, something of a wild boy, with long, unkempt hair and a sometimes fierce and snarling disposition. Given everything he's been through, he's a bit edgier and angrier than the Superman we're used to. But at the same time, he's a lot like Clark Kent: shy an awkward and a bit clumsy, as he's still learning to live with is burgeoning powers. Kal-El is very genuinely both of these personas, the meek and the wild, without either one being an affectation. He's like a professional athlete who seems quiet and docile off the field, but becomes a focused beast whenever the whistle blows. He's a walking building-leaping contradiction in some ways, the alien wild boy who's completely clueless about some of the most basic earthly customs, yet has learned a dozen languages during his travels and has seen more of Earth and its wonders than any human alive."
Fans have already been treated to the first issues of 'Absolute Batman' and 'Absolute Wonder Woman' and this new Superman gets his official debut on November 6, the day after the election. While the emphasis on Superman's immigrant status is nothing new, the first sentence of a description of this new version saying it out loud is powerful. In particular, so close to an election cycle that has made immigrants such a hot issue. There is also the fact that having arrived on Earth from outer space makes him an undocumented immigrant.
Superman is back to his social justice roots while also preserving the shy attitude many have grown to love over the years. His initial moniker was "Champion of the Oppressed" as he fought corrupt politicians and domestic abusers.
You can catch the first issue of Absolute Superman on November 6 on digital or in print!
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