DC’s Absolute Universe Has Its Own Superwoman Now And No, It’s Not Who You Expected

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Warning: Spoilers for Absolute Superman #3

A new Superwoman has made her debut in DC’s Absolute Universe alongside Superman, but she isn’t who readers might expect her to be. Superwoman has been making waves in DC’s main continuity ever since Lois Lane unlocked her own Kryptonian powers, so it’s about time she joined this alternate universe as well. However, the Superwoman who graces the pages of this story is definitely not Lois Lane.

Absolute Superman #3 by Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval, Ulises Arreola, and Becca Carey takes place during Superman’s childhood, as a young Kal-El is faced with the realization that Krypton’s time is nearing an end. When Jor-El tries to warn the Science League about the planet’s deterioration in order to save lives, he gets placed under arrest.

Kal tells his mother about the situation, and she takes it upon herself to save Jor. To carry out her rescue mission, Lara Lor-Van wears the costume that Superman later utilizes in the present-day, becoming the Absolute Universe’s take on Superwoman.

Lara Lor-Van Becomes the Absolute Universe’s Superwoman in a Surprising Lore Change

Superman’s Mother Wears His Costume First, Long Before He Inherits It

Superman’s father, Jor-El, is held captive by the Science League when he attempts to share his findings about Krypton’s imminent destruction with them. The elites of Krypton accuse him of rebelling through his pleas to flee the decaying planet, a result of the class divide in the Absolute Universe‘s version of Kryptonian culture. Luckily, the armor that Lara has been constructing is ready for a test run, so she puts it on and charges into the facility to free her husband. Thanks to her high-tech suit, Lara successfully takes out the guards and saves the day just as Superman – or, in her case, Superwoman – would.

There have been multiple characters throughout DC lore who have used the name “Superwoman”, from Lois Lane to Lana Lang, but Lara isn’t commonly depicted as a hero in that sense. Here, not only is she in a newfound heroic role, but she also originates Superman’s costume as the first to wear it. Lara’s stint as Superwoman precedes Kal’s Superman debut, making her act of bravery the blueprint that her son will later follow. She is even joined by Krypto, who fights by her side the same way he does with the Super-Family in DC’s main universe, thus cementing Lara as a hero on Superman’s level.

Absolute Superwoman’s High-Tech Costume Has Its Own Unique Features

Superwoman’s Costume Receives Killer Upgrades That Superman Lacks

If Lara’s Superwoman costume looks familiar, that’s because it boasts an identical design to the costume later worn by Absolute Superman. However, this earlier version has a few touches that make it unique to Lara. For starters, Lara’s suit features a helmet that obscures her face and gives it a more armored look. Superwoman resembles Last Son, an Amazo with Superman’s powers, when she wears the helmet. Her costume also includes a sunstone dust cape, much like the one Superman showcases in Absolute Superman #2, which she can manipulate at will to aid her in combat.

The sunstone that Lara’s cape consists of also powers the entire suit, as well as the weapon she wields when she faces off against the Science League’s guards. Superman doesn’t use weapons in the traditional sense, relying on his sun-based powers first and foremost, but Lara lacks powers on Krypton and therefore uses a lava blaster. Her approach to battle differs from Superman, and these changes are reflected in her looks. Lara’s Superwoman costume is tailored to her needs as a fighter because she herself designed it in preparation for her family’s escape from Krypton.

Superman’s Mother Wearing His Future Costume Expands Upon Classic DC Lore

Like Martha Kent, Lara Creates Superman’s Suit – But Now She Uses It, Too

In the Absolute Universe, Lara’s backstory gets a massive overhaul that redefines her role in Superman lore. An aspiring astronaut whose dreams were squandered by the Science League’s disapproval of her research, Lara works covertly as an engineer and spends her days tinkering in a garage. Upon Jor’s discovery of the environmental perils striking Krypton, Lara revisits an old suit she’d designed as a child to modify it for interstellar travel, complete with a built-in AI assistant called Sol. Jor gathers the sunstone to fuel its high-tech properties, while Lara designs the costume, mirroring the usual take on how Superman’s costume is created.

Most renditions of Superman’s origin make it so that Martha Kent, his adoptive mother on Earth, is the one who designs his trademark suit. She typically uses Kryptonian materials pulled from the wreckage of the ship he’d landed in, hence the costume and cape’s enhanced durability that far exceeds standard fabrics. Now, his biological mother has replaced Martha as the one to give him his suit. In fact, Lara has taken Martha’s role in Superman history to a new level as both the creator and original wearer of his costume. Lara Lor-Van is subverting DC lore in more ways than one with her brief tenure as Superwoman.

Lara Lor-Van Finally Gets the Spotlight She Deserves in Superman’s History

The Absolute Universe Doesn’t Make the Mistake of Sidelining Superman’s Mother

Lara’s pronounced role in the Absolute Universe serves as a stark contrast to her usual place in Superman stories. Typically, when Superman’s narrative centers on his parents, Jor-El tends to be the focus while Lara falls to the wayside. In Mark Waid and Clayton Henry’s recent Action Comics story, for instance, Superman travels back in time and visits Krypton prior to its destruction. He spends time with his parents and uncovers new truths about Jor-El’s past, but Lara doesn’t get much to do beyond tending to baby Kal. Despite being the mother of DC’s greatest superhero, Lara never gets anything substantial to do.

Absolute Superman, on the other hand, has elevated Lara’s presence by allowing her to be a superhero for a change. Even before she actively puts on the super-suit and joins the fight, Lara plays an active role throughout the story in a way she isn’t often permitted to by working with Jor and cultivating their technology. Now, Jor-El’s capture grants Lara the opportunity to show what she’s made of as she dons her own Superwoman costume and charges into action.Lara Lor-Van becoming Superwoman lets this overlooked character shine at long last, as she inspires who Superman will ultimately become once he wears the costume himself.

Absolute Superman #3 is available now from DC Comics.

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