Summary
WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for Wonder Woman #11!
DC’s blockbuster summer event,Absolute Power, sees the epic clash ofJohn ConstantineandShazam’spowers, finally answering the question of who reigns supreme between the twoJustice Leagueheroes. Yet, this showdown takes an unexpected turn, unleashing profound consequences that reverberate across not only Billy Batson and John Constantine’s lives but also throughout the entire superhero community.
Their defeat not only resulted in the loss of their powers but also birthed one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe.
Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, and Tomeu Morey’sWonder Woman#11 marks their first tie-in to DC’sAbsolute Powercrisis event, where Amanda Waller employs power-stealing Amazo robots to drain metahuman abilities worldwide. This issue unfolds concurrently withAbsolute Power#1, where heroes retreat into hiding followingWaller’s smear campaign using AI-generated deepfake videos.
Among the heroes in hiding are Wonder Woman, John Constantine, Shazam, Detective Chimp, Madame Xanadu, Jim “the Spectre” Corrigan, and Mary Marvel. However,tensions escalate when the heroes' powers are forcibly turned against each other, starting with a brutal clash between the powers of Shazam and John Constantine.
Waller’s Wonder Woman-Inspired Amazo Steals John Constantine’s Powers and Fights Shazam
Wonder Woman#11 introducesone of Amanda Waller’s power-stealing Amazo robots, The Amazo-N, which ambushes the seven heroes and immediately drains Constantine of his magical abilities. Upon Wonder Woman’s command,Shazam rushes to attack the Amazo but is unexpectedly struck by John’s stolen powers.The impact sends Shazam hurtling from Washington, D.C. to Paris, France, where he collides with the Eiffel Tower. Faced with the imminent collapse of the iconic monument, Billy is compelled to stay in Paris and rebuild it before rejoining the fight. Thus, the Amazo vividly illustrates the potential outcome of a clash between Constantine and Shazam.
The AMAZO-N is not the official name of Amanda Waller’s Wonder Woman-inspired Amazo but is rather the nickname Screen Rant has given to the currently unnamedAbsolute Powervillain.
By the time Shazam rejoins the battle, the Amazo has methodically drained the powers of several other heroes, including the Spectre and Madame Xanadu. It then swiftly overwhelms Shazam and Mary Marvel, nearly depleting both of their powers until they revert to their human forms. Even with the added powers of the other heroes, the Amazo’s initial blow to Billy suggests that it could have still defeated Shazam using only Constantine’s powers.This underscores not only Constantine’s ability to contend with Shazam in combat but also suggests that John’s magic is stronger than Billy’s.
The AMAZO-N: Who Is Amanda Waller’s Wonder Woman-Inspired Amazo?
The Amazo-N is one of six power-absorbing robots inAmanda Waller’s newly formed Task Force VII. Each Amazo is designed to mirror one of the core seven Justice League members, with the exception of Batman, whose role is filled by the Zur-En-Arrh-inhabited Failsafe. Waller acquired these robots through an alliance with Failsafe, who had amassed them from an undisclosed source. In addition to these power-stealing machines, Failsafe also recruited various Zur-En-Arrh Batmen from different universes, integrating their distinct personas into the Amazos. Consequently,every member of Task Force VII is piloted by a version of Batman.
Each member of Task Force VII derives their powers by absorbing abilities from various heroes. By the conclusion ofWonder Woman#11, the Amazo-N has assimilated the powers of Wonder Woman, Mary Marvel, Shazam, John Constantine, Madame Xanadu, Detective Chimp, and The Spectre. As previously mentioned, the Amazos also integrate the personas of various Batmen from across different realities. Specifically, the Amazo-N is inhabited by the Gotham by Gaslight Batman—an Elseworlds version of the Dark Knight inspired by the 19th century.Mark Waid confirmed this in an interviewwith Screen Rant, affirming that “The one that fights Wonder Woman is the ‘Gotham by Gaslight’ Batman.”
Shazam’s Defeat Just Led to the Creation of One of the DCU’s Most Powerful Beings
The initial clash between Shazam and the Amazo, utilizing Constantine’s powers, set a critical tone for their encounter. Had Billy and John’s powers been more evenly matched, the outcome against the Amazo-N might have differed, allowing Billy to remain in the fight longer. With the Amazo-N only tapping into Constantine’s powers, the collective strength of the other six heroes could have potentially triumphed. However,their defeat not only resulted in the loss of their powers but also birthed one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, possessing the combined abilities of Wonder Woman, John Constantine, Detective Chimp, Madame Xanadu, The Spectre, Shazam, and Mary Marvel.
With unprecedented power levels, the Amazo-N stands as one of the greatest threats to Earth-Prime. This becomes even more evident upon examining its acquired abilities. Thanks to the Spectre alone,the Amazo-N has ascended to a god-like status, endowed with omnipotent magical and physical capabilities that grant mastery over space, time, reality, and matter.Additionally, it possesses the combined powers absorbed from other heroes, and benefits from the strategic brilliance of the Dark Knight since it is piloted by theGotham by GaslightBatman. With such a powerset, imagining how the Amazo-N could be defeated is hard.
The AMAZO-N’s Greatest Strength is Also Its Greatest Weakness
Absolute Power: Task Force VII#1, by Leah Williams, Caitlin Yarsky, and Alex Guimarães, introduced the Last Son, another formidable Amazo robot under Waller’s Task Force VII. While showcasing the Last Son’s immense power, this issue also unveilsa significant weakness inherent to the Amazos' power-absorption ability: they inherit not just the powers, but also the moral compass of the heroes they absorb.This revelation comes to light when Black Adam observes the Last Son glitching after killing Parasite, remarking, “When you thieve powers, you also glean other attributes.” Thus,Black Adam implies that the Last Sonis also burdened with the conscience of the heroes from whom it has taken powers.
This revelation and flaw in the Amazos' programming could potentially alter the course ofAbsolute Power. Given that the primary function of the Amazos is to strip heroes of their powers, this flaw will become increasingly apparent over time as the powers they absorb influence their developing conscience. While Constantine’s morally ambiguous nature may not impact the Amazo-N significantly, the ethical integrity of heroes like Wonder Woman, Shazam, and Mary Marvel certainly will. Therefore, it’s only a matter of time before the Amazo-N’s burgeoning conscience, acquired from heroes likeWonder Woman,John Constantine, andShazam, backfires.
WONDER WOMAN #11 (2024)
Shazam
Originally known as Captain Marvel, the magical champion Shazam is a DC Comics superhero who gains his powers from various mythological figures: Solomon’s wisdom, Hercules' strength, Atlas' stamina, Zeus' power, Achilles' courage, and Mercury’s speed. When child Billy Batson utters the phrase “Shazam,” he transforms into an adult superhero with these combined abilities. Shazam fights villains alongside the Marvel Family, embodying the ideals of heroism, justice, and magic in the DC Universe.
John Constantine
John Constantine is a dark, morally complex, supernatural detective from DC Comics. As a chain-smoking, trenchcoat-wearing master of the occult, he battles demons, angels, and magical forces while navigating his own haunted past. He has appeared in comics, live-action films, animated features, TV shows, and the Arrowverse. Known for his cynicism and reluctant heroism, Constantine often sacrifices personal happiness for the greater good.
