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DC to reveal the secret history of the Absolute Universe. and how it changes Superman's place in it all
Absolute Hawkman is coming back, and he's got a few things to say to the latest version of DC icon Superman when he gets here
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It’s not even been two months since DC introduced the latest version of its Golden Age hero Hawkman — but the secret sauce that makes Absolute Hawkman different from every previous incarnation is surprisingly simple: he’s a bad guy. In fact, he’s not just a bad guy, but one of the premiere bad guys of the Absolute Universe, responsible for killing Green Arrow in his very first appearance. With that kind of debut, it’s worth wondering: what could he possibly do for an encore?
Fans will have their chance to find out the answer in February 2026, with Absolute Hawkman returns for the first time since October’s Absolute Evil #1 in that month’s issue of Absolute Superman — and there might be more at stake than simple fisticuffs, as spectacular as they will inevitably be.
Here’s DC’s description of the issue: “Superman finds himself at the forefront of a bold new age of heroes in the Absolute Universe, but he quickly learns that he wasn’t the world’s first super-powered protector. Enter Hawkman, who has a few tips for the new kid, whether he wants to hear them or not!”
In Absolute DC canon, Hawkman was one of the first wave of masked heroes on Earth, debuting around World War II as he did in mainstream DC lore — except that the Absolute version of the character immediately sold out to the powers-that-be when authorities asked him to hunt out Communist sympathizers, eventually becoming a seemingly merciless enforcer for the high and mighty behind the scenes. That means he almost certainly has something to say to the Absolute Superman, whose anti-authoritarian stance has attracted a lot of attention in the few months he’s been active.
Written by Jason Aaron with art by Juan Ferreyra, Absolute Superman #16 will be released February 4, 2026. Take a look at the cover from Rafa Sandoval below.
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