The battle to be crowned King Omega is underway! In “Come Out Writing,” we help you stay on top of all things DC K.O., offering our predictions on upcoming matchups and expert commentary on all the important fights.
Who’s ready to rumble? DC K.O. is now in full swing, giving us all manner of twists, turns and shocking defeats as we find out who has what it takes to go head-to-head with King Omega. Last week, my buddy Alex Jaffe gave us his predictions for four of DC K.O.’s highly anticipated first-round matches. Now it’s my turn, and the four matches I’ll be looking at should certainly prove interesting. The avatar of the Green is pitted against the avatar of the Red, the Princess of Themyscira will be taking on an intergalactic conqueror, two of DC’s greatest tacticians will be duking it out, and one of the DCU’s biggest psychopaths is somehow squared up against its biggest goofball. (Yikes!)
Keep in mind, I don’t know if these matchups will be battles or other types of challenges. But assuming they’re head-to-head fights, here’s how I see things playing out…
Wonder Woman vs. Starro
This is a tough one, because Wonder Woman is one of the greatest fighters in the DC Universe, but Starro’s powerset is nothing to sneeze at. Don’t forget, Starro can attach its spores to a host and have complete control of their body. In Dark Nights: Metal #4, Starro’s mental control is so strong that it was able to stop Hal Jordan’s willpower, rendering his Green Lantern ring useless. I should mention it was able to do this without attaching any part of itself to Jordan’s face.
There’s also the fact that Starro can reproduce at a near infinite rate. Wonder Woman has been possessed by Starro before, but she’s always been able to fight it off. Of course, she’s had the help of her Justice League teammates most of the time. But Diana is a master tactician, and she’s much stronger than she was during her first battle with Starro back in 1960’s The Brave and the Bold #28. It will be a tough battle, it will be a long battle, and it will be a close battle, but I have a feeling Diana will be the victor.
ODDS:
WONDER WOMAN: 70%
STARRO: 30%
Lobo vs. Plastic Man
This battle won’t be fun for Plastic Man, but Lobo is going to have a great time. Plastic Man’s unique physiology makes him very durable, and in the past, he’s been shown to be invulnerable to firearms and most impact weapons. That will come in handy because Lobo has a big armory.
However, as seen in JLA: Tower of Babel, heating and cooling weapons can disrupt Eel’s body chemistry, putting him out of commission. In other words, all Lobo needs is a flamethrower. Plus, Lobo has a killer instinct that Plastic Man just doesn’t have. Oh, and the ability to regenerate his entire body from a drop of blood. Lobo once wiped out his entire species (at least until House of Brainiac) as a science experiment. HIS ENTIRE RACE! Sorry, Plastic Man, but your durability will only get you so far.
ODDS:
LOBO: 90%
PLASTIC MAN: 10%
Swamp Thing vs. Vixen
This is a fascinating battle, because we’re seeing an avatar of the Green take on an avatar of the Red. Plant life versus animal life. Unfortunately, that doesn’t bode well for the Red’s representative, Vixen. To be fair, Mari McCabe can channel the abilities of any animal, drawing on their strength. When you consider the sheer diversity to be found within the animal kingdom, that’s a major asset. Or rather, it would be if she weren’t going up against Swamp Thing, one of the most overpowered beings in the DCU.
Among his capabilities, Swamp Thing can manipulate the microscopic flora in human bodies, causing his opponents great discomfort or death. On rare occasions, he can use it to possess someone else’s body entirely (just ask John Constantine). He once used the Green to take over Gotham City, forcing Batman to do something he never does—surrender. However, this was the Alec Holland version of Swamp Thing. The current Swamp Thing is Levi Kamei, and he’s still getting the hang of his abilities. Levi’s inexperience gives Mari an opening, but it’s a small one. Sorry, Vixen, but in the battle of the Red versus the Green, I think the Green will prevail.
ODDS:
SWAMP THING: 80%
VIXEN: 20%
Cyborg vs. Batwoman
Of all the matches I was tasked to break down, this one is the hardest to predict. Cyborg has fought alongside the Justice League against some of their toughest enemies and spent years as an elder statesman of the Teen Titans, including a stint as leader. He’s faced world-ending threats like Darkseid and Trigon and walked away victorious. However, Batwoman is a jack of all trades, and on top of that, she has military training.
It's worth noting that Batwoman has also beaten Batman in combat, attacking him both physically and psychologically. If this comes down to a traditional hand-to-hand fight, Batwoman easily gets the win. But we don’t know what the nature of the skirmish will be. If there’s any technological aspect to it at all—if Cyborg can so much as connect to the web to quickly download info on what attacks Kate may use—the advantage quickly shifts to Vic. Hell, even just the capabilities provided by his own cybernetic body are probably more than enough to overpower Batwoman. He can Boom Tube her out of there and call it a day. If Kate can somehow disable his tech, I like her chances, but I just don’t see that happening. It’s a very close call, but I’m going with Victor Stone.
ODDS:
CYBORG: 55%
BATWOMAN: 45%
Of course, DC K.O. has been anything but predictable, so there’s no telling how these matchups will go. Either way, keep your eyes peeled to DC.com as we continue all of our matchup coverage and find out who will be DC’s ultimate champion.
Drop by DC.com in two weeks for more first round predictions and be sure to pick up DC K.O. #1, in stores now.
Who will win? Enter the DC K.O. Bracket Challenge for a chance to win some great prizes!
Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Bluesky at @joshualapinbertone and on X at @TBUJosh.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
