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.
SPOILER ALERT: The following feature contains mild spoilers for DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1.
As a kid I dreamed of comics like DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1. I loved the idea of having my favorite DC heroes and villains battle against characters from other franchises. As I said when I wrote about the Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong crossover, when you’re a kid, licensing deals and corporate ownership don’t matter. You just want to see your favorite characters collide. DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 takes that concept and turns it up to eleven, and the results are amazing.
If you’re a bit behind, the heroes and villains of the DC Universe are currently in a tournament that feels like a marriage between professional wrestling and Squid Game (read this primer for more). DC K.O. Boss Battle #1 is a one-shot that picks up after the excellent DC K.O. #3, with Superman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor and the Joker as the final four contestants in the tournament.
Realizing that the contestants need more Omega energy to face Darkseid’s champions, World Forger sends the four champions to worlds “beyond the multiverse.” The thinking here is that by battling champions of those worlds, they’ll collect more Omega energy. For good measure, World Forger also summons Black Lightning, Batwoman, Plastic Man and Star Sapphire, who had previously been eliminated from the tournament.
Look, the reasons why are less important than the results, and the results here are a fanboy dream come true.
Plastic Man and Black Lightning face Scorpion and Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat, Wonder Woman faces the iconic Red Sonja, Joker goes up against the cinematic killer doll Annabelle, Batwoman battles horror comic sensation Vampirella (whom as my colleague Alex Jaffe pointed out earlier, is easily the most powerful combatant here), Star Sapphire has an interesting encounter with Archie Comics star Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Lex Luthor faces IDW’s bear butcher Samantha Strong, while Superman faces Homelander, a corrupt superhero from The Boys.
If this isn’t worth the price of admission, then I don’t know what is. Seriously, if you haven’t read DC K.O. Boss Battle #1, check it out. I have no idea how many legal loopholes DC had to jump through to make this happen, but I’m glad they did.
I’m not going to give a blow by blow of all the battles, because this is something you need to experience for yourself, but I think we need to touch on Superman’s meeting with Homelander. If you’ve been reading DC K.O., then you know that Superman has been battling with morality. As I wrote in a previous Come Out Writing, Superman is grappling with the fact that he may have to play dirty and compromise his morality in order to win. And winning here is important. If Superman loses, then the world is doomed and he won’t let that happen. But does that mean embracing a darker attitude?
This is why Superman’s battle with Homelander is so important. Yes, it’s an awesome matchup, but it also lays clear what might be at stake here. Homelander is a reminder of what it looks like when someone like Superman loses their moral compass and decides to stop playing by the rules, and that terrifies Clark. It’s no accident that when Superman arrives in Homelander’s universe, the first thing he notices is how similar it looks to Metropolis.
And of course, there’s the fact that Homelander has a similar costume and color scheme to Superman. However, Superman immediately clocks that Homelander is a much different sort of “hero” than he is (the severed arm he was holding was a big clue). Seeing someone have such disregard for human life bothers Clark, but I think he’s even more bothered because he’s seeing how close he is to becoming Homelander himself. Throughout the tournament, we’ve seen Clark make some questionable choices in the name of winning, and that means being less like Superman and more like Homelander.
As Homelander gains the upper hand, Superman responds by headbutting him. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure if I’m reaching here, but it feels like a dirty move and another sign that Kal-El is being forced to compromise his goodness in order to win the tournament.
By the end of the battle, Superman’s face looks almost as menacing as Homelander’s, as the two costumed powerhouses unleash their heat vision on one another. Was this a deliberate art choice to show Superman’s descent, or just a cool image? I can’t say for sure, but I think Superman’s battle with Homelander has given us plenty to think about.
This is a good time to remind you that I don’t know how DC K.O. is going to end, or what it will mean for Superman. Each twist and turn has been a surprise for me, and this entire event has kept me guessing. Who knows, I could be completely off base about what’s happening with Superman. But I think the evidence is overwhelming. Superman’s fight with Homelander wasn’t a promotional gimmick, it was a story-driven matchup that serves as a warning (and possible foreshadowing) for Clark’s future.
Superman needs to save the world from King Omega…but will it be at the cost of his soul?
DC K.O.: Boss Battle #1 by Jeremy Adams, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ronan Cliquet, Kieran McKeown, Pablo M. Collar and Hi-Fi is now available in print and as a digital comic book.
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.
