It is no secret that Batman carries kryptonite in his back pocket. It’s practically part of the job description when your best friend is also Earth’s most powerful being. But what happened in DC K.O. #4 was not a strategy. It was surgical.
During the chaos of Darkseid’s King Omega tournament, a twisted counterpart of the Trinity of the Absolute Universe competed against the main heroes of the DC Universe. What ensued was one of the most mind-blowing Superman takedowns in recent history. And it came from an Absolute Batman who clearly doesn’t believe in half-measures.
Batman’s Latest Kryptonite Attack Is His Coldest Yet
The setup alone feels wild. The Joker then defects to Darkseid’s side and steals kryptonite with Lex Luthor and gives it to Absolute Batman. Things get out of hand there. This Batman, darker, younger, much more ruthless, has already made it clear that the bat-ears on his cowl are also removable blades. In the middle of the sprint to Superman, he replaces his usual bat-ears with pieces of kryptonite.
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Then he strikes. No dramatic monologue. No hesitation. A mere stabbing into Superman’s back. It is the type of movement that causes one to question everything. We have already seen Bruce Wayne employ kryptonite rings, gas, and armored suits. However, making his own costume a delivery system? That’s next-level brutality. And it is just right with the tone of the Absolute Universe, where idealism is thinner, and the edges are sharper.
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What makes the moment even more unsettling is this: the attack wasn’t against his own universe’s Superman. It was against the original. That brings a chilling thought: What will become of Absolute Batman when he finally comes into a real conflict with Absolute Superman? Up to this point, their relationship has not been given a decent, unadulterated confrontation.
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If this is how Absolute Batman handles a Superman who isn’t even “his,” imagine the contingency plans he’s building for the one he knows personally. Batman has been defending kryptonite as insurance. A last resort. A necessary evil. But this version? He does not consider it as a protection.
He treats it like ammunition. Something is chilling about that change. It suggests a Batman who doesn’t just prepare for the worst, he expects it. And if this is the new standard for how the Absolute Dark Knight handles kryptonite, the inevitable clash between him and his own Man of Steel won’t just be tactical. It’ll be explosive.’
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