DC Brings Back One of Its Most Controversial Plot Points

Over the years, DC's canon has ebbed in flowed in some fascinating ways, bringing to life a wide array of superhero stories. This week, one of the most debated-about DC stories in recent memory made an unexpected return — and it just so happened to help set up this summer's Absolute Power comic event. Spoilers for Green Arrow #9 from Joshua Williamson, Sean Izaakse, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Troy Peteri below! Only look if you want to know!

The issue finally brings Oliver Queen / Green Arrow face-to-face with Amanda Waller once again, as they confront each other amid her takeover of the Hall of Justice. Oliver tries to get an answer for why Waller has spent so long tearing his family apart, and why she has brainwashed Roy Harper / Arsenal as part of her latest initiative. Waller agrees to provide answers if Oliver does a job for her — stealing the logs from Sanctuary.

What Is DC's Sanctuary?

The concept of Sanctuary was introduced in Tom King's Batman run before becoming a key fixture of 2018's Heroes in Crisis, as a mental health facility hidden away on a farm in Nebraska. There, heroes could work on (and record private testimonials about) their various traumas. This premise led to the events of Heroes in Crisis, in which a massacre inexplicably killed nearly all of its superhero patients, with Wally West being dubbed the culprit.

While the DC canon has largely moved on from the events of Heroes in Crisis, the existence of the backlogs of Sanctuary's testimonials does pose a unique threat — especially with Waller expected to target all metahumans' weaknesses in Absolute Power.

What Is Absolute Power About?

Absolute Power shows how Waller will use the strategic and military might of Failsafe and the otherworldly technology of the Brainiac Queen to steal all metahuman abilities from every super hero and super-villain around the globe, a threat so dire it will take the combined efforts of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Super Heroes of the DC Universe to defeat it.

Absolute Power has been teased across the Dawn of DC initiative for several months, teasing a "Trinity of Evil" that will make a profound impact on the DC Universe. As we now know, this "Trinity" will consist of Waller, Batman's recent foe Failsafe, the recent Action Comics adversary Brainiac Queen. Absolute Power will kick off with DC's Free Comic Book Day book, which will be available in participating comic shops on Saturday, May 4th. 2024 Absolute Power Free Comic Book Day Special Edition will be a 32-page comic featuring an original 12-page story by Waid with art by Mikel Janín, as well as a preview of Absolute Power's first issue. It will be followed by Absolute Power: Ground Zero, an official prelude that will debut in June and bridge the shocking conclusion of the Superman story "House of Brainiac" with Amanda Waller's machinations.

What do you think of DC bringing back Sanctuary from Heroes in Crisis? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!