A high-profile villain in DC Comics’ Absolute Universe has just met their maker, and hopefully, this death will stick. If you’ve been keeping up with DC’s Absolute Universe, you know that it’s a world where the traditional status quo is reversed. Here, it’s the villains who have all the power, serving in key political roles or running major international businesses. There are heroes, of course, but they mostly lack the advantages of their Prime Universe counterparts. That said, heroes like Absolute Batman and Wonder Woman have started to make waves and threaten the order of their world.
To ensure the status quo remained protected, villains like Hector Hammond, Veronica Cale, and Jack Grimm (the Absolute Universe’s Joker) formed the Justice League. They believed that by sharing their resources and helping one another out, they stood a greater chance of quashing the uprising of heroes. However, this effort has proved to be useless as two members have more or less lost everything with no assistance from their League. And now one of these villains is losing their life in a crucial inflection point for the Absolute Universe.
Ra’s al Ghul is Ra’s All Gone
In Absolute Superman #19 by Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval, Ulises Arreola, and Becca Carey, King Shazam, the Absolute Universe’s Black Adam, has been unleashed in Metropolis’ Lazarus Corps tower after being imprisoned for 3000 years. King Shazam demands to know how long he’s been separated from the world, and Superman attempts to broker a peace with the powerful being. But Adam does not want peace. He wants revenge, so King Shazam strikes at Superman, sending him 1100 miles away. Amid the chaos, Steel attempts to take out Ra’s for what Lazarus Corps has taken from him.
But before Steel can do anything, King Shazam identifies the Father Box that Talia wields, noting that it belongs to the Brainiac Collective. Shazam demands to know what’s happened to Brainiac, but before he can extract any information from Talia, Ra’s steps in. He admits that it was his orders that kept Adam imprisoned. Ra’s also tells King Shazam that he was lied to, and that Brainiac is not someone to be trusted. Shockingly, Ra’s attempts to appeal to King Shazam’s humanity, telling him that people can change for the better.
Unfortunately, Ra’s’ words fall on deaf ears. In a flash, King Shazam kills al Ghul by dismembering him. Everyone is horrified by the display, including Superman, who finally returns to take on the recently freed king. Talia clutches her father’s head and mourns him before Superman is forced to evacuate everyone from the building. Superman leaves Talia with Lois while he goes to stop Black Adam from his horrific spree.
This is a Serious Moment for the Absolute Universe
Now I know you might be thinking, “Well, Ra’s al Ghul dies all the time, how is this any different?”. And yes, historically, death is always more of an inconvenience for al Ghul than any kind of permanent fate. But it’s important to note that this is not the same Ra’s as the one from the Prime Universe. He’s kept young thanks to his Lazarus Pits, sure, but it’s been more for renewal rather than beating the reaper. It’s also important to note that, just last issue, Ra’s explicitly destroyed the last remaining Lazarus Pit.
So why is this important? Well, unlike the Prime DC Universe, the Absolute Universe doesn’t have as long a history of bringing back heroes and villains once they’ve shuffled off the mortal coil. Aside from Alfred Pennyworth, comic book deaths haven’t really made an impact in years. Seriously, what’s the last big-name death that’s stuck? However, the Absolute Universe is a new continuity, one largely unmarred by the emotional deaths of characters being undercut by subsequent resurrections. DC has a chance to really help this world stand apart from its sister universe and keep Ra’s al Ghul dead.
I hate saying that, largely because it means Absolute Batman never got a chance to meet his world’s version of Ra’s (though Talia’s still alive, so that’s something). But I think if DC really wants the Absolute Universe to stand out on its own, it needs to take a stronger stand on how death functions in this world. DC has surprisingly committed to this so far by keeping Oliver Queen dead, and I think it needs to keep it up now that Ra’s is gone. It’s unfortunate, but it ensures that, in the Absolute Universe, death is consequential.
What do you think about Ra’s al Ghul dying in Absolute Superman? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!