After 67 Years, Superman Says Goodbye to One of His Most Iconic Villains

Thanks to his 88 years in comics, Superman has one of the most diverse and populated rogues’ galleries among DC’s heroes. And now, 67 years after one of these rogues’ debuts, DC is giving them a well-deserved retirement, marking what may come as a bittersweet goodbye for some fans.

Writer Jason Aaron and artist Juan Ferreyra’s Absolute Superman #22 is finally here and sees the Man of Steel set his sights on Brainiac once more after his most recent Black Adam-centered story arc has come to a close. If you’ve been keeping up with DC, then you know the Darkseid-created Absolute Universe is, in fact, part of the mainstream narrative and canon, but takes place on an Earth infused with Darkseid’s Omega energy, resulting in darker reinterpretations of DC’s heroes and villains.

Thus far, we have notably seen Ra’s al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Peacemaker, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Black Adam, and Parasite make their debuts in the Absolute Superman title, and now, issue #22 marks the debut of another iconic Man of Steel villain: Metallo. Metallo is typically portrayed as a radioactive cyborg supervillain with a Kryptonite core, making him especially dangerous to Superman.

WARNING: Article Contains Spoilers for Absolute Superman #22

Absolute Superman #22 reintroduces the villain to readers, giving Metallo a hardcore and exceptionally deadly redesign on par with the status quo of the Absolute Universe. However, it looks like this villain wasn’t meant to last, as DC says goodbye to Metallo, giving the character an unexpected end.

Comic Page Comes from Jason Aaron’s Absolute Superman #22 (2026) – Art by Juan Ferreyra

Before we get into the retirement of Metallo as a Superman villain, it’s first important to note that the Absolute Universe has reimagined Metallo as Christopher Smith, AKA Peacemaker. Peacemaker has already debuted in Absolute Superman and played a major role in the story’s first arc, but ultimately ended with Chris dying… or so we thought.

It soon becomes clear that Brainiac managed to save Chris and used his body to create yet another monstrosity, this time Metallo. Another twist that the Absolute Universe brings to the classic villain is that it isn’t the suit, but rather Chris’s blood infused with Kryptonite. This leads to an all-out brawl between the two, one that has Superman on the defensive rather than the offensive.

Also worth noting is that Chris is brain-damaged from Brainiac’s experimentation and is thus having severe memory issues, including struggling to recognize himself as Christopher Smith rather than Metallo. At a physical disadvantage, Superman uses Chris’s identity as his weapon of choice, trying to get the man to remember his true identity beyond Metallo.

This eventually overloads Chris’s already fragile mind, sending him into cardiac arrest. Superman then begins performing life-saving measures despite the immense damage and pain it causes him, as Chris is a living piece of Kryptonite. The two begin fighting again, but Superman continues to remind Chris of his human identity by bringing up his mother, eventually leading to a breakthrough.

In that moment, Superman has a choice: pursue Brainiac or stay with Chris. He chooses the latter, embracing the man who had just tried to kill him moments ago and offering him compassion. The issue ends here, but readers are left with the distinct impression that Metallo is no more, as Superman says goodbye to the villain and hello to the man that is Christopher Smith.

Absolute Superman #22 from DC Comics is now available to read!

Created By

Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel

First Appearance

Action Comics