Warning: contains spoilers forAction Comics#1072!
After 38 years, DC is consolidating a key piece ofSupermanlore, giving a former D-list villain a horrifying upgrade in the process. In the pages ofAction Comics, Superman ismarooned in the Phantom Zone–and the plaything of an entity named Aethyr.Superman has met Aethyr in the past, but now, inAction Comics#1072, the Man of Steel learns the villain’s horrifying secret.
Action Comics#1072, part three of the “Phantoms” storyline, is written by Mark Waid and drawn by Clayton Henry and Michael Shelfer. Superman is traveling through the Phantom Zone with his trusted ally Mon-El in tow. Mon-El recounts Aethyr’s arrival. Aethyr initially took pity upon the Phantom Zone’s prisoners, but his heart hardened when he learned they were actually criminals. Aethyr begins punishing the Phantom Zone criminals in sadistic fashions.Mon-El also tells Superman that a being he fought in the past named Aethyr was “facets of a darker whole.”
Aethyr’s DC Universe Origins, Explained
Aethyr Was Created by Two Comic Book Legends
The Phantom Zone is full of brutal criminals and terrifying creatures, but none more so than Aethyr. Created by the legendary team of Steve Gerber and Gene Colan, and debuting in 1982’sThe Phantom Zoneminiseries, Aethyr is indigenous to the Zone. InThe Phantom Zoneseries, Aethyr nearly defeated the Man of Steel. His appearance was equally terrifying. Gerber and Colan, who had just a few years priorcreated magic withHoward the Duck,used Aethyr to infuse cosmic horror and mad gods into the Superman mythos.
Aethyr appeared, in a very different form, appeared on Smallville, played by actress Alana de la Garza.
Aethyr was one of the most powerful villains Superman ever faced, as well as one of the scariest. Superman is, for all intents and purposes, a god among mortals–yet Aethyr is a horrifying reminder that there is always someone bigger and more powerful waiting in the wings. Despite his power and coolness factor, Aethyr has hardly been used, or even mentioned, by mostSupermancreators until recently. Aethyr was too good a villain to remain unused. In their first meeting, it took everything Superman had to beat Aethyr, and perAction#1072, history is about to repeat itself.
Aethyr Got a Horrifying Upgrade–And There Were Hints It Was Coming
Aethyr Knows Exactly Where to Strike to Get at Superman
In the post-CrisisDC Universe, Aethyr has been nothing more than a legend, with passing mentions in storylines such as Tom King and Bilquis Evely’sSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.These allusions painted Aethyr in a terrifying light, on par with his depictions inThe Phantom Zoneminiseries. Mon-El then confirms the horrifying truth: that whatever fans, and Superman, thought they knew about Aethyr was not only true, but was in fact outward reflections of something much darker. Aethyr may have begun with benevolent intentions, but the Phantom Zone drew out the worst in him.
Superman Officially Introduces DC’s “Most Alien” Species of All Time
Superman knows a thing or two about aliens, but his recent foray into the Phantom Zone put him face to face with a species even he didn’t anticipate.
Action Comics#1072 ends with Aethyr threatening Earth, as a way of striking back at Superman–an act that could finally propel the villain onto the A-list. Aethyr is casually torturing prisoners, who beg for release. He has shown himself to be a cruel and wicked god, who embodies the Phantom Zone’s dark nature. When the real Aethyr reveals himself in the issue’s finale, his appearance is pure nightmare fuel. This former D-list villain will soon strike fear into the hearts of not only the hapless souls in the Phantom Zone, butSupermanas well.
