Absolute Batman and Wonder Woman Crossover Establishes Diana as the Best Hero in the New Universe

Most superhero crossovers follow a predictable pattern. Two heroes meet, have some sort of misunderstanding, fight, and then become friends. Doesn’t matter if Batman is meeting Superman, the Hulk, or Elmer Fudd—it’s always the same.

The first meeting between Batman and Wonder Woman in the Absolute Universe is almost the same, but there’s one big difference. Like Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, the DC Comics Absolute Universe reboots familiar characters and launches them into a new, darker reality. Here, Batman was raised in poverty by his mother after his public school teacher father was killed in a shooting. Here, Superman arrives on Earth as an adult and is met with suspicion and hostility by almost every human except the Kents. Here, Wonder Woman is raised in Hell by Circe, far from Paradise Island.

These changes have resulted in big numbers at comic book shops, with Absolute Batman by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta coming in as the top seller almost every month. That trend will surely continue with Absolute Batman #16, which released yesterday. But it’s that issue’s co-star Wonder Woman, who comes out as the best hero of the Absolute Universe.

Absolute Darkness

The story in Absolute Batman #16 actually begins in December’s Absolute Wonder Woman #15, by writer Kelly Thompson and illustrator Hayden Sherman. “The Mark of Hecate” sends Diana to Gotham City, where she has learned of murders that appear to invoke the goddess Hecate. Although she has not yet met any of the other heroes in the Absolute Universe—which include Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern, in addition to Superman—Diana knows about Batman and, instead of sneaking around his city, forms a gigantic magic bat-signal to call for his help.

As the duo investigate, we readers learn that they were actually staged tby Veronica Cale and Jack Grimm aka the Joker, two members of the powerful rulers of the Absolute Universe—this reality’s Justice League. More importantly, Batman and Wonder Woman form a bond, one cemented by the gift that Diana gives to Bruce. The Hiketeia medallion (named for a classic story by Greg Rucka and JG Jones) allows Bruce to summon Diana to wherever he is, three times.

That medallion returns in Absolute Batman #16, as Batman hopes that his new friend can help his old friend. His childhood pal Waylon Jones has been transformed into the Killer Croc by Grimm, and no science can revert him. Diana has magic that can restore Bruce’s friend, but the two heroes must first journey to the underworld and face off against a centaur.

Both issues are top-level superhero storytelling—and, yes, do feature the heroes fighting one another—and both contain compelling reimagining of the central characters. But even in the Batman book, Absolute Wonder Woman stands out as the best character of the new universe.

Absolute Empathy

During their first conversation in Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman questions Diana’s decision to show herself to the public. Some may learn about Bruce battling a king-sized Bane in the middle of a football field, but Diana was fighting kaiju on live TV, a high-profile battle that went far beyond local news.

Diana rejects Batman’s belief that super-people need to remain hidden. “Love is transformative, and I don’t know how to show that to people without living it,” she explains.

That statement captures everything great about the Absolute Wonder Woman. Like the other Absolute heroes, she looks much darker, far edgier than the standard Wonder Woman. Not only is she more physically imposing, she also has a magic arm covered in rune tattoos, carries a Final Fantasy-sized sword, and rides a skeletal pegasus. Yet, she’s devoted to empathy and respect, something absent from the Absolute Universe.

The Absolute Universe comes from Omega Energy contained in Darkseid, the big bad of the DC Universe. As explained in October’s Absolute Evil one-shot, this is a universe in which goodness is unnatural and evildoers ordinarily have power. That is why the Joker and Cale call their organization the Justice League, because those who do good disrupt the balance and order of their universe.

That evil bent infects the heroes of the Absolute Universe, who want to do good, but do so in an often unsettling way. Absolute Batman still wants to free Gotham City from crime, but must do so by dispensing extreme violence. Absolute Martian Manhunter frees people from Darkseid’s misery by putting them through psychedelic, and often unwanted, experiences. Absolute Green Lantern must undergo a strange testing process that purges her of all fear. Even Absolute Superman slowly learns to care about humanity, and is still isn’t ready to trust them.

Because this world lacks open expressions of goodness, Wonder Woman’s empathy and kindness shine like a beacon through the coldest night. She’s a witch from the depths of Hell, and that suffering only makes her love life more, makes her more determined to help anyone she can.

Absolute Wonder

Wonder Woman’s refusal to go back to the shadows catches Batman off-guard, but he doesn’t mock it. Instead, after pausing to think for a moment, he allows, “We all have our own paths,” which sounds dismissive until he adds, “Though I think my father would have preferred yours.”

“Then I will take that as the compliment it is,” she responds. The statement isn’t just Diana’s way of saying “thank you.” It’s a recognition that Bruce’s father matters, a recognition that the work he did continues, even if Bruce doesn’t think that it continues with him.

In Absolute Batman #16, Diana repays the compliment by using her magic on Bruce. As he sleeps, she sprinkles dust on him, which allows him to visit Thomas Wayne in the afterlife. In the form of a child, Bruce hugs his father, and thanks Thomas for saving him when the gunman attacked the school, but Thomas insists he misunderstands. “For me, ‘saving you’ was what I did every day before that one. Teaching, being your dad.” Thomas explains that his work has found its culmination in Bruce, who helps the city in ways he never could.

Thanks to Diana’s magic, Bruce comes to learn that Thomas likes his way as well, that Batman’s methods matter just as much as Wonder Woman’s. Diana’s act of kindness resonates even stronger with us readers. Even amidst a world dominated by evil, made dark and frightening, Wonder Woman stands for kindness. Her absolute empathy makes her the most wondrous part of the Absolute Universe.

Absolute Wonder Woman #15 and Absolute Batman #16 are now available at your local comic book shop.