A classic DC Comics hero becomes a horrific supervillain in a twist nobody saw coming. The DC Universe is home to entities that transcend simple criminality and tap into primal, existential fears that haunt even the bravest heroes. Characters like Professor Pyg or the Joker represent the terrifying unpredictability of human psychosis, but the true scale of horror lies with cosmic predators like The Batman Who Laughs, whose very existence is a perversion of the world’s greatest tactical mind. Even more unsettling are the conceptual threats: Antithesis, who feeds on the negation of life, or Eclipso, the primordial embodiment of divine wrath.
The Absolute Universe is a laboratory for character reinvention, as it strips away the familiar aesthetics of DC’s rogues to reveal more imposing versions of these icons. Classic Batman rogues such as the Joker and Mister Freeze are ripped straight out of a horror movie. Beyond Gotham, the classic villain Parasite has been reborn as a gargantuan, blob-like mass of maws and writhing tentacles capable of devouring entire city blocks, and Absolute Brainiac’s biological tissue makes him even more terrifying than his traditional, fully-artificial self.
Batman and Superman aren’t the only heroes facing unthinkable horrors in the Absolute Universe, however, as the depths of space are inhabited by similarly nightmare-inducing beings.
Absolute Shade The Changing Man Is A Nightmarish Shapeshifter
Absolute Green Lantern #13; Written by Al Ewing; Art by Eleonora Carlini & Ivan Plascencia
Absolute Green Lantern takes a major step further in its exploration of Green Lantern lore in DC’s Absolute Universe with the introduction of its Absolute Sinestro, who happens to be the boss of another cosmic villain, Rac Shade a.k.a. Overseer Shade, loyal protector of the Meta-Zone. In this universe, the man who would be the anti-hero Changing Man, was subjected to a lobotomy that stripped him of his free will. Instead of shaping his body into powerful forms and tools, his M-Vest “creates psycho-physical distortions from the natural paranoia of any criminals it encounters.”
Superman’s New Appearance Officially Reboots A-List Hero’s Origin Story
DC’s new Superman installment introduces a reimagined version of a hero and villain with a fresh origin and potential to reclaim his iconic status.
Shade transforms into horrific giant monsters with multiple heads, misshapen limbs, gross tentacles, sharp fangs, and bulging eyes. This ability to spawn nightmares in the minds of his opponents makes Absolute Shade the Changing Man a cosmic version of Gotham’s Scarecrow. However, the no-nonsense Emily Hawke defies the odds by ignoring Shade’s illusions and breaking his neck in one simple motion.
DC Has Many Forgotten Characters In Dire Need Of An Overhaul
Shade The Changing Man And Other Obscure Characters Could Join Prime Continuity With A Twist
The vast history of DC Comics is a graveyard of brilliant concepts that have languished in obscurity, particularly icons from the Golden and Silver Ages who once starred in their own titles but now exist only as footnotes. Characters like Doctor Solar (in his original iteration), the Red Bee, or the high-concept Captain Comet possess unique visual identities and power sets that are ripe for a modern reimagining, much like how Sandman or Animal Man were plucked from the fringes of the DC library in the late ’80s to start a new era of mature storytelling.
The Inferior Five could be reworked from a parody group into a tragic commentary on the failures of the superhero industrial complex, or the Sea Devils could lead a gritty, underwater horror-survival series. The strangeness of these characters is precisely what makes them stand out decades later. Like Shade the Changing Man, they don’t need to return exactly as they were, but they need a narrative catalyst that justifies their existence in the 2026 comic book landscape.
Which forgotten DC Comics character would you like to see rebooted?
Absolute Green Lantern #13 is now available from DC Comics.
- First Appearance
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All-American Comics
- Created By
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Martin Nodell, Bill Finger, John Broome, Gil Kane, Dennis O’Neil, Neal Adams
- Alias
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Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, Sojourner Mullein
- Alliance
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Justice League, Justice Society of America, Green Lantern Corps
- Franchise
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D.C.
- Movies
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Green Lantern