Fans of DC Comics received an unexpected surprise a few weeks back when there was a small banner on the lower third of the screen during AEW Dynamite, which was advertising DC’s All In Special #1. That’s obviously a big deal, but tonight DC and AEW took that up several notches, with DC superheroes from the main universe and the recently launched Absolute Universe being featured across all of the barricades around the ring (which you can see right here). Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman from both universes were included, and things got even better when a commercial for DC’s All In initiative and Absolute Universe played during the show as well.
The classic DC blue made the barricades around the ring pop, as did the main universe and absolute character designs for Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. Then during the Mercedes Mone vs Queen Aminata match for the TBS Championship, AEW played a commercial for DC’s All In, though the video really leaned into the Absolute Universe as well.
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The commercial featured more detailed looks and full motion graphics for Absolute Batman, and then previewed the upcoming Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Superman. A commercial just showing the DC logo and maybe some covers would have been noteworthy, but the fact that AEW shined a light on All In and several of the highly anticipated Absolute titles really gives this showcase some impact.
Witch Wonder Woman
Part of the fun of the Absolute Universe is that creators can take some big risks with DC’s iconic heroes, and that especially goes for Wonder Woman. Absolute Wonder Woman features writer Kelly Thompson and artist Hayden Sherman at the helm, and they are going for it in a huge way, as this new iteration of Wonder Woman has survived the pits of hell, rides a skeletal Pegasus, and can wield magic. Suffice it to say, this isn’t the Wonder Woman you know. In an interview with Thompson and Sherman, Thompson explained how Wonder Woman’s magic works and how they approached bringing this element into the fold.
”I think I always try to approach magic as magic has a price. I think this Wonder Woman is a little bit more Batman because of the magic. Like, a lot of magic that she’s doing is stuff she’s got in that pouch that’s pre-prepared. Like, I can use this to do that or the other, so it’s a little bit more she’s got some Batman tricks because of her different bag of tricks she’s playing with, quite literally. We gave her a magical pouch that has infinite space or connects to a portal or, you know, like a pocket dimension that she can reach into or whatever we want to call it,” Thompson said.
Thompson also eased any fears that Wonder Woman’s ability to wield magic will make her overpowered. “I will say that while the magic of Wonder Woman, I haven’t really seen people saying this, so I probably shouldn’t bring it up and raise this issue, but I was worried people would think she was just going to be so dramatically overpowered, but I would say there are limitations to the magic,” Thompson said. “She pays prices for that sometimes. It’s nothing unlimited. She’s also not a master magician. Like, she’s a witch, and she can do a lot of this stuff. She was raised in it, but she’s not, that’s not her primary skill set. Her primary skill set is still more Wonder Woman-based.”
DC did just give AEW stars like Swerve Strickland, Darby Allin, and Britt Baker their own mini-comics, so perhaps we’ll get some Absolute versions at some point down the line. We’ll just have to wait and see, but you can talk all things wrestling and comics with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!
