Over his 88 years in comic book history, Superman has worn numerous and varied costumes. However, DC Comics has officially unveiled the Man of Steel’s most extreme redesign yet, delivering an unprecedented upgrade that also sees Superman wielding two god-killer weapons.
Writer Jason Aaron and artist Rafa Sandoval’s Absolute Superman #20 has finally arrived, bringing with it the Man of Steel’s most extreme redesign to date as the hero debuts a brand-new costume and devastating weaponry.
The issue picks up directly from the previous installment with the rise of a more powerful-than-ever Black Adam, as Superman, Hawkman, and John Henry Irons, AKA Steel, are forced to join forces to stop him before he can cause catastrophic loss of life. The story largely centers on this god-level clash with the heroes struggling not only against Black Adam’s overwhelming power but also against each other as they clash over how to handle him, with Superman insisting they keep him alive while Hawkman argues that killing him may be the only way to end the threat.
That internal conflict ultimately tips the battle in Black Adam’s favor, culminating in a devastating strike that leaves Superman severely injured while Hawkman and Steel are brought to the brink of death. With Hawkman and Irons unable to continue fighting, they pass their weapons to Superman. When Kal-El confronts Black Adam again, he does so wielding Hawkman’s mace and Steel’s hammer, but it’s his transformed suit, now a full-body alien redesign.
Absolute Superman Gives the Man of Steel His Most Alien (and Powerful) Costume Yet
Comic Page Comes From Jason Aaron’s Absolute Superman #20 (2026) – Art by Rafa Sandoval
Bloodied and broken, Hawkman lies in the snow and tells Superman to take his mace, explaining just how powerful the weapon will be in the hands of the Man of Steel: “It’s Thanagarian Nth Metal. In your hands, it’ll be strong enough to smash a planet. Or just maybe his skull.” Understanding that Hawkman is essentially telling him to use the weapon to kill Black Adam, Superman refuses.
It is then that an equally injured Steel chimes in and offers his own weapon, saying, “Don’t know about no Nth Metal, but I made Viola here out of pure Promethium. Powered by a miniaturized neutron star in its head. The way I see it… you wanna survive in this world… sometimes you got to swing the hammer.” In doing so, Superman is presented with two exceptionally powerful weapons that, in his hands, aren’t just god-killers but potential planet-enders.
However, it isn’t until the final page of the issue that it is revealed that Superman does indeed take up both men’s offers. Alongside the full-page spread showing the Man of Steel double-fisting both weapons, he is also seen in a heavily transformed version of his suit.
Readers of the series will recall that Superman’s suit reacts to his will and can take on different forms. In this case, Kal-El dons a heavily armored design featuring jagged blue spikes covering his entire body, including his head, leaving no visible eye or mouth slits. His solar energy is also visibly amplified, coursing across the suit like veins of molten lava. Paired with Hawkman’s mace and Steel’s hammer, this costume stands as Superman’s most powerful redesign to date.
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Absolute Superman #20 from DC Comics is now available to read!
- Created By
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Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel
- First Appearance
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Action Comics