Absolute Power #2 (2024)

Eighty percent of superheroes are depowered and imprisoned on Gamorra, but those still at large include some of the major heroes, including the Titans and most of the former Justice League. Amanda Waller calls a "war council" at the Hall of Order to discuss how to find and capture the remaining ones. The Brainiac Queen suggests targeting their loved ones to draw them into the open, but Waller turns it down, saying that those people are civilians and it is their job to protect them. She insists that she is not a sociopath, causing Dreamer and Failsafe to shoot each other a skeptical glance. Waller instead decides to launch an assault on the Fortress of Solitude. At the Fortress, Wonder Woman says that the first thing they need to do is pick a leader, unfortunately Aquaman, Batman and Mister Terrific start arguing as they each believe it should be them. Nigtwing interrupts and takes charge. He makes a speech to the assembled heroes, saying that Waller assumes they will fold without their powers, but her obsession with dominating the world means she can't understand that they will always selflessly fight against tyranny and injustice. He splits them into teams and starts handing out assignments: Batman will retrieve Waller's Mother Box; Superman and Zatanna will try to get help from the Multiverse; Black Canary and the Birds of Prey will extract Green Arrow; and Wonder Woman and Robin will free their imprisoned friends from Gamorra. Superman provides the depowered heroes with the Fortress' arsenal of alien weapons and tells them that "tactical suits" which will replicate their powers are in production, although currently only Aquaman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Wally West's are ready. He also gives Wally a motorcycle which will replace his super-speed. While the heroes prepare, Mister Terrific begins work on a teleporter to allow them to deploy undetected. However, the cybogised Jon Kent leads the Brainiac Queen to the Fortress and they blast in. The Queen and Jon attack and Dreamer follows, opening portals which the Queen throws heroes through. The Titans attack Jon while Superman tries to get through to him. Global Guardian, one of Task Force VII, sneaks in through the portal and begins draining superpowers from the Titans. Zealot slices him in half but he quickly repairs himself. Superman is unable to reach Jon and so Wally incapacitates him with Kryptonite. Batman tries to get the Phantom Zone Projector, but Global Guardian snatches it away and hurls it at the wall, breaking it. Batman temporarily incapacitates Global Guardian with sonic weapons built into his suit and Wonder Woman and Aquaman throw the deactivated android through a portal. Meanwhile Dreamer watches the carnage, horrified. Jon seems to momentarily break his programming, but this is just to lure Superman close so he can infect him with the Queen's circuitry. Wally drags Jon off Superman using his motorcycle and flies them at full speed into Blue Beetle's Bug. Jon is knocked unconscious and Wally falls off the bike. The Brainiac Queen finds the Bottled City of Kandor and Aquaman smashes it open, freeing the miniaturised Kryptonians within. The Kandorians swarm around the Queen and start destroying her from the inside. However, she is able to generate a burst of red solar energy and render them powerless. The heroes who can flee through Mister Terrific's teleporter and Superman sets the Fortress to self-destruct. The Brainiac Queen grabs Superman to prevent him leaving, but Dreamer attacks the Queen, yelling at her to let Superman go. Dreamer declares that she is done with Waller's plan. The Fortress explodes, seemingly destroying them both, and Jon momentarily regains control of himself. However, the Queen rapidly reassembles herself and takes back control of him. Meanwhile, Green Arrow is going through the captured supervillain weapons in the Justice League basement. He finds Time Commander's hourglass and smirks, saying "Time's up".