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.

I just finished reading DC K.O #5 and all I can say is…wow. Just…wow.

When DC K.O. #4 ended, it looked like Lex Luthor had won the tournament and would be crowned the universe’s champion. I fully expected DC K.O. #5 to be a Lex vs. Darkseid brawl, but that’s not what happened.

I won’t give a play-by-play here, because you really need to read DC K.O. #5 for yourself. But the pertinent thing is that the Time Trapper—aka Doomsday—uses Alpha and Omega energy to bring Superman back and he quickly dispatches Luthor, becoming the new King Omega. Superman brings back his fallen allies, defeats Darkseid and gives up his crown as King Omega before disappearing to complete an unknown task. If you want more details, read the issue, because it’s an explosive one.

This was one of those comics that’s packed with moments that made my fanboy heart cheer. Doomsday being the one to bring back Superman while sacrificing himself in the process was a beautiful coda to the complicated relationship the two have had since The Death of Superman in 1992. Speaking of Doomsday, I loved what he said about the universe possibly being drawn to Superman and building itself around him, referencing Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Doomsday Clock. It’s a welcome reminder of the DC Universe’s rich history, and I love how it was used here to reinforce the themes of the story.

And then there were moments like Superman effortlessly eliminating Lex Luthor, the way he tapped the fallen tournament participants, and of course, his epic battle with Darkseid, which spanned all of reality and lasted 100 million years. DC really let Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson, Javi Fernandez, Xermanico and Wes Craig cook, and what a meal they delivered.

In previous columns, I’ve been exploring how the tournament was forcing Superman to abandon his principles in order to win. You can’t become King Omega without playing dirty, and once you win, you have absolute power. But that’s never been what Superman is about. At his core, Superman is an altruistic person, but fighting to become King Omega forces you to abandon that.

So, Superman changed the game. He told Darkseid he wasn’t playing anymore, brought back his friends and gave up his newfound godhood.

“I like games where everyone wins,” Superman tells Darkseid. “I am not a King Omega. Because we don’t need one. No one should hold that much power because when only one person wins, none of us do.”

It’s a simple speech, but it gets to the heart of who Superman is. DC K.O.’s ending surprised me, but if you think about it, this was a foregone conclusion. Superman always finds a way to save people, and he won’t let himself get corrupted to do it. Last summer, we had an entire Superman movie where the underlying message was about choosing kindness over cynicism. In many ways, the ending to DC K.O. reinforces this message, as Superman faces one of his biggest challenges yet.

Remember that scene from the end of Superman where David Corenswet gave the speech about how he was as human as everyone else? That idea is explored here as Superman abandons the unbelievable powers he’s gained as King Omega, because he’s not a god, he’s a human. He could have remade the universe in his image, but if he did that, he wouldn’t be Superman.

Still, I can’t help but appreciate the fact that the Man of Steel got a chance to remake the universe from scratch. This kind of reinforces Doomsday Clock’s thesis that the DC Universe is built around Superman. At the same time, we’re also getting a world without Superman. DC K.O. ends with the Man of Steel temporarily departing to parts unknown. So, it’s a world given a fresh start by Superman, but also one in which he won’t be a part. (At least for now.) It’s an interesting dichotomy, and it makes me look at Superman and the DC Universe from another perspective.

Of course, the battle isn’t over yet. It turns out that this was just one of many tournaments happening across the multiverse. Each one is conjuring more Omega energy, powering Darkseid further. And don’t forget, the Absolute Universe is still going strong. Every time a hero or villain in the Absolute Universe does something hardcore, it releases more Omega energy for Darkseid. Put another way, all these extra printings of Absolute Batman have been making Darkseid stronger. (Not that you shouldn’t continue buying it! Our heroes can handle whatever it is the New God has in store for them.)

It all seems to be leading to a new Crisis, this time involving the Absolute Universe, so Darkseid is clearly very much still at the center of everything. He may be down, but he’s not out and I can’t help but wonder who will return first—Darkseid or Superman? Big Blue almost never lets us down, so I have faith he’ll be there when we need him. Still, as I watched Bruce, Diana and Lois sit down for their game night, this time without Clark, it occurred to me that’s one big roll of the dice.

Let’s hope luck continues to be with them.
 

DC K.O. #5 by Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson, Javi Fernández, Xermánico, Wes Craig and Alejandro Sánchez is now available in print and as a digital comic book. It can also be read in full on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.

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.