Absolute Reimagining of DC Comics

Imaginary Worlds

Eric Molinsky

Fiction, Arts, Society & Culture, Science Fiction

4.8 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2026

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Imagine if Bruce Wayne had no money, if Superman grew up on Krypton and came to Earth with emotional scars, or if Wonder Woman had been raised in Hell. Welcome to the Absolute Universe – a dark parallel universe created by DC Comics in 2024. The idea of a parallel universe is not new to comic books, but what is surprising has been the success of the Absolute Universe. Some of the Absolute versions of superheroes have been outselling the comics that take place in DC’s mainline universe. I talk with Executive Editor Chris Conroy and Group Editor Katie Kubert about how they’ve overseen the team of artists and writers at DC crafting this dark universe with thematic parallels to our own world. And I talk with writer Kelly Thompson about how she came up with Absolute Wonder Woman and why the comic is resonating with so many fans. This episode is sponsored by Surfshark. Go to https://surfshark.com/worlds or use the code WORLDS at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! To support the show, you can donate on Patreon where you get access to the ad-free version and our companion show Between Imaginary Worlds. You can also buy Imaginary Worlds merchandise at our online store. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This show is supported by Odu. When you buy business software from lots of vendors, the costs
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0:12.8	sells a suite of enterprise apps that handles everything from accounting to inventory to sales.
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0:24.0	You can save money without missing out on features you need. Check out Odu at ODO.com. That's ODO.
0:37.0	You're listening to Imaginary Worlds, show about how we create them and why we suspend our disbelief.
0:42.6	I'm Eric Malinsky.
0:44.6	Sometimes when I'm interviewed about this podcast, I'm asked whether I have a favorite fantasy world.
0:50.1	Long-time listeners will not be surprised to hear that my answer is Batman, although it's more than just Batman.
0:56.1	It's the whole DC universe around him.
0:58.9	I mean, of course, I'm a fan of other fantasy worlds, but DC Comics is my happy place.
1:05.4	And for the past year and a half, my happy place has been miserable for some of the characters.
1:13.1	But it's been great for fans.
1:21.8	In October of 2024, D.C. launched a line of comics that take place in a dark parallel universe called the Absolute Universe. This parallel universe was created by one of the biggest villains in DC, a character called Darkside.
1:30.3	The superheroes that were familiar with do exist in this universe, but they turned out very differently.
1:37.3	In the absolute universe, Superman did not arrive on Earth as a baby.
1:42.3	He arrived on Earth as a teenager, and now he's a mysterious
1:46.1	loner, being hunted by a paramilitary corporation. Bruce Wayne is not rich, so
1:52.9	absolute Batman has to MacGyver his gadgets. And his parents were not killed in an alleyway.
1:59.3	His father was a schoolteacher who was killed by a mass shooter on a field trip.
2:05.6	Absolute Wonder Woman was not raised on Paradise Island.
2:09.6	She was raised in the underworld, the land of the dead.
	...

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