Waller would never go this route-- unless she thinks she's already won.
Absolute Power #1 is an issue of the series Absolute Power (Volume 1) with a cover date of September, 2024. It was published on July 3, 2024.
Synopsis for "Chapter One: Powerless"
A group of robbers in Metropolis attempt to make their getaway, but are stopped by Superman. He offers them a chance to surrender peacefully but one of them, named Joey, shoots Superman in a panic. To Superman's shock, the bullets pass through his chest and he falls to Earth.
Twenty-eight hours prior, Animal Man and Animal Girl return from an off-the-grid camping trip and land in a park in Keystone City. Civilians flee in terror from them and an angry mob attacks Animal Man, screaming that it's him or them. It is revealed that A.I. generated footage of superheroes rampaging through cities and slaughtering civilians have been saturating the media for three days straight, sending people into a terrified panic. At the Daily Planet, a reporter named Lucille tells Lois they have to start reporting on the superhero attacks, as they are the only outlet not covering them, but Lois refuses to do so as the reports are unverified. However, Jimmy Olsen then runs into her office and shows her a live feed from their website of Apollo seemingly destroying an apartment building. She says she didn't sign off on that and Jimmy tells her that their system has been hacked and an outside agent is using their platform to broadcast the false footage.
Amanda Waller, who is behind the fake footage, sends a report to the President of the United States admitting what she has done. She insists that superheroes are a threat to the world and she will institute a plan to stop them. The President directly orders her to stop but she simply ignores him. Waller orders Failsafe to initiate Phase Two and he deploys his team of Amazos, now termed Task Force VII.
Meanwhile, Cyborg and Oracle try to stem the tide of disinformation but find it impossible as the videos are being generated by the Brainiac Queen, who is operating behind firewalls too alien for them to penetrate. The superheroes head out to the streets to rescue people and create a counter-narrative, co-ordinated by Batman. They form into small groups for safety.
After Superman is shot, Jon Kent and Superboy fly over to catch him as he falls out of the sky. They fly towards the hospital and Superboy reports that Superman has lost his powers, but they both also lose their ability to fly and crash down to Earth. Waller cuts off the feed of deepfakes and broadcasts to the world that the Bureau of Sovereignty have dispatched the ultimate solution to stop the superhero attacks. Around the world, superheroes suddenly lose their powers. Mister Terrific and Batman are both shocked that Waller would act so openly, and simultaneously realise that the purpose of the disinformation was to lure them into the open for a full-scale attack.
Task Force VII reveal themselves and attack the now powerless heroes. The power theft is so comprehensive that people who utilise items such as a Lantern Ring can no longer operate them, and magic users can no longer remember how to cast spells. Even the Spectre is banished when one of the Amazos attack Justice League Dark. Batman broadcasts over the Justice League's private frequency for everyone to retreat, hide and await further instructions, but suddenly Green Arrow enters the call. He tells Batman that he has joined Waller and she has tapped the frequency, meaning the isolated heroes can't even communicate anymore. Green Arrow also reveals that the Bureau has cut off all possible avenues of escape or help from space, the Microverse, alternate universes or time travel. He also tells them that the power theft is permanent, even if they manage to destroy the Amazos. Around the world Task Force VII overpower the heroes and take them into custody, with only a few stragglers able to escape or hide.
Last Son, the Amazo who attacked Superman, drags Jon Kent away. Jon wakes up in a lab with the Brainiac Queen, his body now filled with circuity. He looks around himself and asks "Who am I?"
Appearing in "Chapter One: Powerless"
Featured Characters:
- Batman (Bruce Wayne)
- Superman (Clark Kent)
- Wonder Woman (Diana of Themyscira) (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Animal Girl (Maxine Baker) (Flashback only)
- Animal Man (Buddy Baker) (Flashback only)
- Aquaman Family
- Bat-Family
- Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) (Cameo)
- Booster Gold (Cameo)
- Skeets (Cameo)
- Daily Planet staff
- Jimmy Olsen
- Lois Lane
- Lucille
- Doom Patrol
- Beast Girl (Cameo)
- Elasti-Woman (Cameo)
- Negative Man (Cameo)
- Robotman (Cliff Steele)
- Elongated Man (Cameo)
- Fire (Cameo)
- Flash Family
- The Boom (Judy Garrick) (Cameo)
- Impulse (Bart Allen) (Cameo)
- The Flash (Avery Ho) (Cameo)
- The Flash (Jay Garrick) (Cameo)
- The Flash (Wally West)
- Thunderheart (Irey West) (Cameo)
- Ice (Cameo)
- Justice League Dark
- Detective Chimp (Cameo)
- Doctor Fate (Khalid Nassour) (Cameo)
- John Constantine (Cameo)
- Madame Xanadu (Cameo)
- The Spectre (Jim Corrigan)
- Zatanna (Cameo)
- Justice Society of America
- Green Lantern (Alan Ladd-Scott) (Cameo)
- Hawkman (Carter Hall)
- Jade (Cameo)
- Jessie Quick (Cameo)
- Mister Terrific (Michael Holt)
- Obsidian (Cameo)
- Stargirl (Cameo)
- Martian Manhunter (Cameo)
- Red Tornado (Cameo)
- Shazam Family
- The Captain (Billy Batson) (Also in A.I. generated video)
- Mary Marvel
- Super-Family
- Steel (Natasha Irons) (Cameo)
- Superboy (Conner Kent)
- Superman (Jon Kent)
- Super-Man (Kong Kenan) (Cameo)
- Supergirl (Also in A.I. generated video) (Cameo)
- Titans
- Cyborg (Cameo)
- Nightwing (Dick Grayson)
Antagonists:
- Amanda Waller (Flashback and main story)
- Brainiac Queen
- Bureau of Sovereignty
- Failsafe (Zur-En-Arrh)
- Suicide Squad
- Dreamer (Nia Nal) (Cameo)
- Task Force VII(First full appearance)
- Depth Charge (Unnamed) (First full appearance)
- Global Guardian (Unnamed) (First full appearance)
- Jadestone (Unnamed) (First full appearance)
- Last Son (Unnamed) (First full appearance)
- Paradise Lost (Unnamed) (First full appearance)
- Velocity (Unnamed) (First full appearance)
- United Planets
- Lord-Premiere Thaaros (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Unnamed Metropolis robbers
- Joey (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Apollo (Andrew Pulaski) (In A.I. generated video only) (Cameo)
- Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) (In A.I. generated video only) (Cameo)
- Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond) (In A.I. generated video only) (Cameo)
- Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) (In A.I. generated video only) (Cameo)
- Star Conquerors
- Starro (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Control Stars (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Starro (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Amazo (Mentioned only)
- Brainiac Prime (Mentioned only)
- Doc Magnus (Mentioned only)
- Freddie Martin (Mentioned only)
- Giganta (Mentioned only)
- Global Guardians (Mentioned only)
- God (Mentioned only)
- Gods (Mentioned only)
- Green Lantern Corps (Mentioned only)
- The Joker (Mentioned only)
- Justice League (Disbanded) (Mentioned only)
- Keystone City Police Department (Mentioned only)
- Knight (Beryl Hutchinson) (Mentioned only)
- Lex Luthor (Mentioned only)
- Pierce Family (Mentioned only)
- Black Lightning (Mentioned only)
- The President of the United States (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
- Squire (Amina Eluko) (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Multiverse (Mentioned only)
- Earth 0
- Earth
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Kansas
- Keystone City (Flashback only)
- Maine (Cameo)
- Missouri
- Montana (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- New Jersey
- Bludhaven
- Titans Tower (Cameo)
- Gotham City
- Bruce Wayne's Brownstone (Behind the scenes)
- Oracle Clock Tower
- Bludhaven
- New York
- Metropolis
- New York City
- The Battery
- Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia (On a TV or computer screen)
- South Carolina (Cameo)
- Washington, D.C.
- Georgetown
- Watergate Hotel (Unnamed)
- Hall of Order
- White House (Mentioned only)
- Georgetown
- Kansas
- Earth
- Speed Force (Behind the scenes)
- Microverse (Mentioned only)
- Sphere of the Gods
- Hell (Mentioned only)
- Earth 0
- Hypertime
- Timestream (Mentioned only)
Items:
- Batcomputer
- Batsuit
- Blue Beetle Scarab (In A.I. generated video only)
- Bracelets of Submission (Flashback and main story)
- Cosmic Staff (Cameo)
- Green Arrow's Bow
- Green Lantern Ring (In A.I. generated video only)
- Helmet of Fate (Cameo)
- Lasso of Truth (Flashback and main story)
- Mother Box (Behind the scenes)
- Natasha Irons' Armor (Cameo)
- Nth Metal
- Scarecrow's Fear Toxin (Mentioned only)
- Starheart (Cameo)
- Wonder Woman's Tiara (Flashback and main story)
Vehicles:
- Batmobile (Cameo)
- Blue Beetle's Bug (Cameo)
Events:
- The Amazon Wars (Flashback only)
- Beast World (Flashback only)
- Death of Superman (In picture only) (Cameo)
Concepts:
- Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum
- Magic
- Metahumans
- The Red (Behind the scenes)
- Zur-En-Arrh
Notes
- The Absolute Power event continues from Absolute Power: Ground Zero #1.
- Batman's story chronologically continues in Batman (Volume 3) #150.
- Oliver's statement that Earth 0 has been sealed away from the rest of the Multiverse will be revealed to be partially false.[1]
See Also