With the release of DC K.O. #5, DC’s latest crossover event has come to a close. The winner of the high-stakes superhero martial arts tournament has been crowned, leaving only one final battle between the new King Omega and the almighty Darkseid. And when the dust settles, it quickly becomes clear that DC has an even bigger Darkseid story in the works.
What happens in the finale of DC K.O.? We’re going to break down this last, epic battle and the immediate fallout, but beware of spoilers for DC K.O. #5 ahead!
King Omega vs. Darkseid
DC K.O. #4 not only featured the first encounter between the Justice League and their counterparts in the Absolute Universe, it also ended on a big twist, with Lex Luthor betraying Superman to win the fighting tournament. As the final issue opens, Luthor is crowned King Omega, and he’s clearly enjoying all the power that comes with the title.
However, Luthor’s triumph is short-lived. Time Trapper (the evolved, intelligent version of Doomsday) intervenes and gives Superman a second chance to be the hero his universe needs. In his more enlightened state, Time Trapper realizes that his primary purpose isn’t to destroy Superman, but to save him. And so he empowers the Man of Steel with both destructive Omega Energy and its polar opposite, the creation-rich Alpha Energy. Superman immediately returns to the battlefield as the true King Omega.
In his new, powered-up state, Superman is now fundamentally linked to the lifeforce of the entire universe. But even that isn’t enough to make him a true contender against Darkseid. With the future and present already under his control, Darkseid battles Superman into the past, gaining ground with every mighty blow.
Their fight takes Superman all the way back to the Big Bang. But it’s here that Superman reveals this was his plan all along. Absorbing this primordial force of creation, Superman finally gains the power he needs to overcome Darkseid. The villain is beaten back as Superman simultaneously batters him and remakes the entire universe in his image.
One of the constant themes of DC K.O. has been Superman’s struggle to accept that sometimes a hero needs to fight to win. And even in his moment of triumph, Superman stops short of killing Darkseid and solidifying this reborn DC Universe. Superman notes that he doesn’t want one person to win. No one should wield the power he currently possesses. Superman wants everybody to win. Instead, he gives up that power and summons the other tournament combatants to knock Darkseid out of the DC Universe. The villain is defeated, but hardly destroyed.
How DC K.O. Sets Up DC’s Next Big Crossover
In the aftermath of the Superman vs. Darkseid battle, reality returns to some semblance of normality again. But the epilogue in this issue lays a number of seeeds for the future that are worth highlighting:
DC All In Act 2
One of the main goals with DC K.O. is to set the stage for DC All In Act 2, a new publishing initiative designed to build on the success of the original DC All In initiative from 2024. DC will be launching several new ongoing series in the months to come, books that emphasize the same sort of creative freedom and bold storytelling that have made DC’s Absolute Universe line such a big hit.
The page above teases some of the many heroes who will be important in the months ahead, including Lobo, Deathstroke, Batwoman, Zatanna, Etrigan, Firestorm, Red Hood, and Jonah Hex.
This issue also reveals that Darkseid’s defeat led to an explosion of Alpha Energy. Several heroes – Batgirl, Guy Gardner, Harley Quinn, Wally West – were caught in the explosion and have gained new superhuman powers as a result.
Superman Is Missing
Much like how 2021’s Dark Nights: Death Metal ended with Wonder Woman taking a bit of a break, DC K.O. looks to be setting up a prolonged absence for the Man of Steel. Superman is MIA in the aftermath of Darkseid’s defeat, dealing with some unfinished business while Batman and Wonder Woman are left to console a concerned Lois Lane. In Superman’s absence, his multiversal doppleganger Superboy-Prime has returned.
A New Book in the History of the DC Universe
DC recently published a limited series called The New History of the DC Universe, which is presented as a comprehensive summary of DC’s sprawling continuity written by expert time traveler/universe hopper Barry Allen. Barry returns to his home office, only for his computer to be consumed by a burst of Omega Energy. When the energy fades, his manuscript suddenly contains a new entry – Book Zero. This implies something has been fundamentally altered about the history of the DCU.
The Fate of the Legion of Super Heroes
The futuristic Legion of Super Heroes was decimated by Darkseid’s takeover of the future, with Darkseid deploying the Legion of the Absolute Universe to kill their counterparts. But having been freed from Darkseid’s control, the Absolute Legion is now hiding in the 31st Century of the regular DCU. The last thing they want is to be discovered by their old master, or someone even worse.
This appears to be setting up writer Joshua Williamson’s upcoming Legion of Super heroes relaunch, suggesting the series will be about the Absolute Legion making a new home in the ruined future timeline they created.
Beware the Absolute Crisis
Again, Superman and his allies may have banished Darkseid from their universe, but this looks to be only a temporary setback for the villain. He still reigns supreme over the Absolute Universe, a place where the very fabric of existence is permeated with Omega Energy.
Worse, the same martial arts tournament has been playing out in countless other universes, each ending with a newly crowned King Omega being subjugated by Darkseid. He’s quickly amassing an army capable of conquering the entire multiverse. Darkseid closes out this seres by teasing, “There will be a Crisis of absolute proportions!”
This looks to be directly setting the stage for DC’s next big crossover event. We assume that book will be called Absolute Crisis, making it the latest chapter in a long line of Crisis events dating back to 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths. DC also recently teased the first major Absolute Universe crossover event for Q4 2026, but that may or may not be connected to this storyline.
What do you think of the finale to DC K.O.? Are you looking forward to Absolute Crisis? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
In other comic book news, find out which series was selected as IGN’s best comic book of 2025, and see which comics we’re most excited for in 2026.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
