WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #9 (2025)!
Fans ofSupermanand DC Comics in general are well aware that the New Gods’ Mother Boxes are among the most powerful objects in the DC Universe. However, in Darkseid’s newly created Absolute Universe, this all-powerful New Genesis technology has just been renamed and warns of a dark future ahead.
Jason Aaron, Fico Ossio, Rafa Sandoval, and Ulises Arreola’sAbsolute Superman#9 picks up where the last issue ended, with the Man of Steel critically injured after being shot byPeacemaker Chris Smith using Kryptonite bulletsprovided by Brainiac.
In this issue, Superman is in the care of the Omega Men as they attempt to remove the bullets. When his condition worsens, the Omega Men make a desperate attempt to save him by using a piece of technology they do not yet fully understand. Long-time DC fans immediately recognize this tech as a Mother Box.However, in this universe, it goes by a different name: Father Box.
FATHER BOX: Darkseid’s Absolute Universe Renames the Mother Box
Main Cover by Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola forAbsolute Superman#9 (2025)
Mother Boxes are powerful, sentient pieces of New God technology with a wide range of abilities, including teleportation through Boom Tubes, healing and sustaining life, manipulating energy and matter, and accessing and controlling technology.As seen inAbsolute Superman#9, the box successfully saves Kal-El’s life.
In addition to sharing its name and healing Superman, the Father Box also delivers an ominous warning.
In a surprising moment, Superman tellsOmega Man Jimmy Olsenthatthe box revealed its name to him as“Father Box.”This is sure to catch fans' attention, since for 54 years this iconic piece of technology, first introduced inForever People#1 (1971), has always been known as a Mother Box. This marks a major change in DC lore.
Despite the name change, the Father Box seems to function just like the Mother Boxes of DC’s main universe.It displays sentience, heals Kal-El by removing the remaining Kryptonite from his chest, and opens multiple Boom Tubes, which are a hallmark of New Gods technology.
The Father Box Teases a Dark Future for the Absolute Universe
Cover D 1:25 Dustin Nguyen Variant forAbsolute Superman#9 (2024)
In addition to sharing its name and healing Superman, the Father Box also delivers an ominous warning. Kal explains that it spoke to him not with words, but with fire, showing him a vision of the world engulfed in flames.He describes seeing fire pits as large as oceans and slums that stretched endlessly, filled with suffering masses.This clearly points to a dark vision of the future.
What makes this moment even more troubling is the warning from Sol, Superman’s suit AI, who urges Kal to never let the Omega Men use the Father Box on him again and to stay as far away as possible from New Genesis technology. Sol plainly states,“That device is extremely dangerous.”This warning feels almost prophetic, andSupermanfans will undoubtedly see more of the newly renamed Father Box in future issues.
