Summary
WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for Wonder Woman #11!
DC’s summer blockbuster event,Absolute Power, is in full swing as Amanda Waller’sBatman-inhabited Amazos unleash chaos on Earth’s metahuman population, targeting icons likeSupermanandWonder Woman. Waller’s latest power-stealing Amazo has absorbed the abilities of several of DC’s mightiest heroes. Combined with the strategic genius of a multiverse Batman, this Amazo has the potential to crush the Man of Steel without breaking a sweat.
Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, and Tomeu Morey’sWonder Woman#11 is the first tie-in to DC’sAbsolute Powercrisis event, where Amanda Waller aims to eliminate metahumans using her power-stealing Amazo robots. This issue unfolds during the events ofAbsolute Power#1, in which heroes have gone into hiding followingWaller’s smear campaign using AI-generated deepfake videos.
Wonder Woman#11 begins with Diana, John Constantine, Detective Chimp, Madame Xanadu, Jim “the Spectre” Corrigan, Mary Marvel, and Shazam in hiding. However,their efforts to remain hidden are thwarted when they are hunted down by the AMAZO-N, igniting a perilous battle with dire consequences.
AMAZO-N is not the official name for this newAbsolute Powervillain, but rather this article’s nickname for the currently unnamed villain.
The AMAZO-N: Amanda Waller’s Wonder Woman-Inspired AMAZO Makes Its Official Debut
The Wonder Woman-inspired Amazo-N is part ofAmanda Waller’s newly formed Task Force VII, consisting of six power-absorbing Amazo robots. Each of these Amazos is modeled after one of the core seven Justice League members, with the exception of Batman, whose form is represented by the Zur-En-Arrh-inhabited Failsafe. Waller acquired these robots through an alliance with Failsafe, who had gathered the Amazos from an unknown source. In addition to these power-stealing machines,Failsafe also collected various Zur-En-Arrh Batmen from across the multiverse and integrated their personalities into the Amazos. Consequently, each member of Task Force VII contains a version of Batman.
Each member of Task Force VII has acquired their abilities by siphoning powers from various heroes.The Amazo-N, for example, derives its powers from Wonder Woman, Mary Marvel, Shazam, John Constantine, Madame Xanadu, Detective Chimp, and The Spectre,whose abilities it absorbed during the confrontation inWonder Woman#11. Apart from the Amazo-N, another Task Force VII member seen so far is the Last Son. In Leah Williams’Absolute Power: Task Force VII#1, theLast Son made his debut by killing the iconic Justice League villainParasite before draining the powers of Black Adam. He also drained the powers of the Superman Family, although this occurred off-page inAbsolute Power#1.
ReadAbsolute Power#1,Wonder Woman#11,Absolute Power: Task Force VII#1, andSuperman#16 to catch up on the core events ofAbsolute Powerthus far.
Who Is the‘Gotham by Gaslight’Batman? And How Do We Know He’s Inhabiting the AMAZO-N?
As previously mentioned, the personalities of various Batmen across the multiverse were uploaded into the Amazos, meaning each power-stealing robot is essentially piloted by a version of Batman.In the case of the Amazo-N, it is specifically inhabited bytheGotham by GaslightBatman.This version of the Dark Knight originates from the 19th-century-inspiredElseworldstale,Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, by Brian Augustyn, Mike Mignola, P. Craig Russell, and Eduardo Barreto, published as a 52-page one-shot in 1989. The story reimagined what Batman would look like if his tale took place in the Victorian era.
Check out the ongoingBatman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Ageseries, the sequel toBatman: Gotham by Gaslight.
However, the question remains: how do we know that the Amazo-N is inhabited by theGotham by GaslightBatman? This has been confirmed through two separate sources. Mark Waid himself confirmed in an interview with Screen Rant that theAmazo fighting Wonder Woman is indeed theGotham by GaslightBatman. Additionally, this is subtly affirmed in the narrative ofWonder Woman#11 during the battle with Amazo-N. Detective Chimp notes the familiarity of Amazo-N’s speech patterns, remarking, “The voice itself is eerily reminiscent of Batman’s, but the syntax is pure 19th-century.”
Mark Waid: […] but Failsafe has also been through the multiverse. One of the things that Chip Zdarsky did with one of his Failsafe stories was establish that, in his travels to the multiverse, Failsafe picked up the consciousnesses of Failsafes from other universes. And so he has to some degree imprinted each of the Amazos with a slightly different aspect or voice to Bruce Wayne.The one that fights Wonder Woman is the “Gotham by Gaslight” Batman, if you will. One of them is more of a Bruce Timm, very taciturn man a few words. So that’s that’s what they bring to the table.
How Did the AMAZO-N Become One of the Most Powerful Beings in the DC Universe?
The Amazo-N combines advanced Amazo technology with Batman’s strategic and nearly unbeatable intellect. Thus, it proves to be a formidable opponent when itambushes Diana and the heroes inWonder Woman#11. The Amazo-N catches them off guard by bursting through a window beforeimmediately latching onto John Constantine, draining the magic user of his powers and leaving him completely drained.With John’s abilities absorbed, the Amazo-N becomes an even more formidable adversary, systematically overpowering the other heroes and growing stronger with each confrontation.
After absorbing John’s powers, the Amazo-N targets the Spectre, the embodiment of the Wrath of God. The Spectre makes a fatal error by allowing the Amazo-N to get too close, enabling it to steal his powers and ascend to godlike status. With the Spectre’s powers, the Amazo-N swiftly defeats Madame Xanadu before turning its attention to Wonder Woman, Shazam, and Mary Marvel, which results in all three heroes being at least partially drained of their powers. Lastly, the Amazo steals Detective Chimp’s powers.Considering the seven heroes the Amazo-N drained, it is now one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe.
Forget Cheetah: Wonder Woman Is Finally Getting a ‘Fight to the Death’ with a New Villain Who Deserves the Honor
Unlike Superman, Wonder Woman has never died at the hands of one of her villains. However, she has also never had a genuinely worthy foe… until now.
TheGotham by GaslightBatman Could EASILY Defeat Superman (& Here’s Why)
Boasting the combined powers of Wonder Woman, Mary Marvel, Shazam, John Constantine, Madame Xanadu, Detective Chimp, and The Spectre, the Amazo-N stands as one of the DC Universe’s most formidable entities. Adding to its prowess is the strategic acumen of Batman’s mind embedded within it. As such,the Amazo-N poses a significant threat to Superman, particularly due to its mastery of powerful magic—a notable weakness for the Man of Steel alongside Kryptonite. However, it’s important to note that at this moment, Kal-El is without his usual powers, making him exceptionally vulnerable to the Amazo-N’s potentially deadly capabilities.
Given Superman’s current lack of powers, a battle between him and the Amazo-N would clearly favor the robot, making it more intriguing to speculate how the Last Son, an Amazo inspired by Superman, would fare against the Amazo-N. Following the events ofAbsolute Power: Task Force VII#1, the Last Son appeared unmatched, having absorbed powers from the entire Superman Family, Black Adam, and remnants of Billy and Mary’s abilities. However, the Amazo-N now appears to surpass the Last Son in power. Thus, it raises curiosity about the outcome of a showdown between theBatman-controlledWonder WomanandSupermanAmazos.
10 Things DC Fans Need to Know About DC’s ABSOLUTE POWER Event
DC Comics summer event Absolute Power is here! Before diving into this event, check out the 10 most critical pieces of info every fan should know.
WONDER WOMAN #11 (2024)
Superman
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is the superhero identity of Diana, Princess of the Amazons. Created on the island of Themyscira, Wonder Woman is a super-powered demi-goddess with extreme physical strength who utilizes magical gifts (like her famous Lasso of Truth) to defeat her foes. As mighty as her fellow heroes Superman and the Justice League, Wonder Woman is unmatched in her compassion and virtue.
