Yes, Absolute Superman Does Tweak the Hero's Backstory, But It Is For the Best

DC's Absolute Supermanis a breathtaking reinvention of the legendary superhero, who has nearly one hundred years worth of lore to his name at this point – and as much as the series represents the future of Superman stories, there are also ways in which it harkens back to the hero's earliest roots.

In an interview with AIPT Comics, Absolute Superman author Jason Aaron discussed his interpretation of the Man of Steel, as well as teasing what is in store for the next several issues of the series.

Like all long-running fictional characters, Superman has changed a lot since his original appearance and the impact of what he was meant to represent has faded over the years. But Absolute Superman manages to bring that aspect of the character to the forefront again, making it more relevant than ever before. While this change may seem simple at first, it's ultimately for the best.

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Absolute Superman #4 – Written By Jason Aaron; Art By Rafa Sandoval; Color By Ulises Arreola; Lettering By Becca Carey

When Superman was first created in the 1930s, he was more than just a superpowered man – he was meant to represent the triumph of immigration. As an alien not native to Earth, or America, his decision to become a protector of life and liberty was incredibly meaningful to its creators, something that is often lost in translation with modern versions of the character. As Absolute Superman's Jason Aaron noted:

That’s a big part of what it meant to [Jerry] Siegel and [Joe] Shuster back in the thirties when they created the character. And that kind of story has different connotations these days.

Ultimately, an important part of the set up of DC's new Absolute take Superman has been returning to this premise.

Longtime DC fans will remember a phenomenal issue of Garth Ennis' Hitman, in which that book's protagonist discusses how Superman is the perfect representation of the American dream, an immigrant who perfectly adopts the American identity and desire to help. This is a vital dimension of the character, and part of what makes him such an enduring icon, even 80+ years after his introduction – but it has not been emphasized by contemporary storytellers the way Jason Aaron is trying to do once more in Absolute Superman.

As time has gone on, this aspect of Superman's character has been less heavily focused on. With his family and his devotion to protecting the entire world, and sometimes the entire universe, Superman's allegory of being an immigrant hasn't been given its due level of importance in many years. This is something that Jason Aaron wanted to directly focus on with the Absolute Universe, as the Absolute versions of these characters were meant to be the true distilled origin of who these characters truly are.

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In DC's main canon, when Superman first arrived at Earth, he was immediately adopted by a loving family and raised as an American. Superman had to later come to terms with the fact that he was an alien. This has been a major point of conflict for the character, and Jason Aaron takes this to the next level by making one important change to Superman's origin. Instead of Superman arriving at Earth as a newborn baby, he arrives much later as a young pre-teen. This completely changes his relationship with humanity and fully fleshes out his immigrant origin.

The experience of emigrating from one's homeland as an adolescent, as opposed to an infant, is vastly different, and Absolute Superman emphasizes the immigrant story at the heart of the franchise with this perceptive alteration to his familiar mythos. When Superman lands on Earth in his Absolute reboot, he's not greeted by a loving family, he's greeted by a world without hope, and has to spend five years trying to evade the dangerous Lazarus Corporation as it tries to hunt him down and capture him.

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Absolute Superman #6 – Written By Jason Aaron; Art By Carmine Di Giandomenico; Available April 2, 2025 From DC Comics

The hostility faced by Superman upon his arrival on Earth in this new continuity is an important part of this updated immigrant story, as Jason Aaron explained:

It doesn’t unfold in the same way as the story we know. We’ll get that story in issue #6— what happens when he first comes to Earth— but for now, his experiences have given him a very particular view of life here.

Absolute Superman didn't have a family to rely on. Instead, he had to continually work dangerous jobs that were mostly staffed by other immigrants. This allowed Superman to see how poorly people who weren't born natively were treated. Even on Krypton, Superman saw how unfair society could be to those that it deemed less. Perhaps better than any other version of the hero, Absolute Superman knows just how badly society can treat people firsthand.

At his core, Superman has always been a character about standing up for social justice and people who are often left behind by society. That's been true since his creation, and more often than not, the victims of that are majority immigrants. That's why Superman was made an immigrant himself. It's a deeply important part of his character, but it's just not something DC has wanted to focus on in recent years in the main universe; thankfully, DC is giving writers like Jason Aaron the freedom to focus more heavily on this aspect of Superman in the Absolute Universe.

Source: AIPT Comics, Jason Aaron interview

Absolute Superman #1-4 are available now from DC Comics!

Superman

Created By

Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel

First Appearance

Action Comics

Alias

Kal-El, Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent

Alliance

Justice League, Superman Family

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