A major Superman villain was recently transformed into a human trafficker as part of a continuing trend in the Absolute Universe. The new DC setting has been defined by how it puts dark new twists on classic characters and concepts. In this case, however, the new revamp serves as the strongest example yet of that fascinating theme.
The revamped villain was reintroduced in Absolute Superman #23 by Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval. The action of the issue found the Man of Steel continuing his hunt for the alien artificial-intelligence called Brainiac. The trail led him to a warehouse owned by billionaire toy magnate Winslow Schott, known to the world as Toyman.
Superman had previously confronted Schott over his use of child slave labor. More, he had ruined the Toyman’s business by destroying his factories. However, far from being scared into becoming an honest businessman, Schott parlayed his connections into a new, more horrifying market.
(Image Credit: DC / Juan Ferreyra)To his shock and disgust, Superman realized the warehouse was not full of oversized dolls as he had thought. It was full of children, packed into crates resembling toy packaging. It immediately became clear that Schott was now trafficking children as sex slaves rather than workers. With the help of Jimmy Olsen, Superman was able to find Schott’s customers and set about exposing them and reappropriating their wealth, before tracking down Toyman himself.
This Absolute Universe revamp of Toyman is clearly a nod to the recent scandal involving Jeffrey Epstein and his wealthy and powerful clients. Such parallels were not uncommon in the original Superman comics, where he fought Klansmen and crooked bankers. However, this story also exemplifies a trend unique to the Absolute Universe regarding DC villains traditionally seen as silly.
Absolute Universe makes “funny” villains the most evil
(Image Credit: DC / Juan Ferreyra)Born of the will of the New God of Tyranny, Darkseid, the Absolute Universe has corruption baked into its core. The setting was created by Darkseid as an experiment, to see if the heroes that opposed him might retain their virtue in a world bereft of light and hope. This resulted in darker takes on classic heroes, like a Wonder Woman trained as a witch instead of a warrior. It also resulted in more serious villains, with the “joke” villains often remade to be the evilest of all.
The new Winslow Schott is perhaps the strongest example of this trend yet. The classic Toyman was a thief who used toys as part of his crimes. He was reworked into a darker character in the 1980s, who murdered children in an effort to be taken seriously as a villain. Given that, the new revamp is both a perfect escalation of the character concept and a timely reference. However, he is not the first comical DC villain to be given a sinister makeover in the Absolute Universe.
(Image Credit: DC / Haining)The new Trickster of Absolute Flash is another example. In the classic comics, James Jesse was a circus performer who turned to crime to make The Flash look silly. The new Trickster, Jesse James, is a career soldier and psychopath. It was she who killed the father of the psychic ape, Grodd, even after it was talked out of rampaging.
Even The Joker continues this trend in the Absolute Universe. While always a criminal and killer, The Joker only committed crimes based on comedy. (Even if it only appealed to his sick sense of humor.) By contrast, Absolute Joker transformed himself into a literal dragon-like monster, who feeds on the suffering of others.
Originally written by Matt Morrison at SuperHeroHype
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