DC Comics has dropped a major bombshell about Justice League hero Hawkman, revealing that in the Absolute Universe continuity, he cooperated with the House Un-American Activities Committee during the infamous “Red Scare” anti-communist panic of the 1950s. Hawkman’s betrayal of other heroes’ secret identities is a shocking change for the stalwart hero.
Absolute Evil #1 is written by Al Ewing, with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli. The preview for the issue starts with a flashback to Hawkman at a “closed door” HUAC meeting.
One year into its existence, the Absolute DC initiative has once again proven it is willing to take wild swings with its classic characters.
Absolute DC Reveals Hawkman’s Historic Betrayal Of His Fellow Superheroes
Absolute Evil #1 Written By Al Ewing; Art By Giuseppe Camuncoli; Available October 1, 2025 From DC Comics
The Absolute DC Universe has made a concentrated effort to develop a cohesive backstory across multiple titles, revealing how the contemporary era, and it’s fledgling generation of superheroes, took shape. There have been tantalizing glimpses of the previous era’s superpowered figures, and how they’ve impacted world history. Absolute Evil’s Hawkman scene is the latest example.
Hawkman’s cooperation with HUAC puts him at a flashpoint in American political history. It also evokes the merger of real-world events and superhero lore from Alan Moore’s Watchmen, which expressed similar themes about the political nature of superhero secret identities. Of course, this was also instrumental in Marvel’s Civil War crossover.
So, it makes sense in the context of what Absolute DC is building, but readers are still surprised at this new, less scrupulous take on Hawkman. The Justice League regular’s role in DC lore is significantly upended with just this single scene, leaving readers eager for more details about his Absolute history.
DC’s “Absolute” Continuity Is Raising The Bar For Supervillainy Over Its Main Canon
Hawkman’s Betrayal Highlights The Quiet Darkness Of Absolute DC
Absolute Evil adds to the overall darker tone of the Absolute brand. Hawkman’s HUAC scene also shows that the darkness of this take on DC continuity isn’t as “in-your-face” as it might be in mainstream canon. Instead, it is a bit more subtle, a bit more obscure, but all the more sinister as a result.
The historical teaser that kicks off Absolute Evil #1 will have fans eager to learn more about Hawkman’s tenure as a mid-20th-century Absolute Universe hero, and in general, for DC’s slate of Absolute titles to spend more time immersing readers in its reinvention of the Justice League, past, present, and future.
Absolute Evil #1 will be available October 1, 2025 from DC Comics.