While Superman and the Authority may emerge from their big, final battle in one piece, the ominous arrival of a New God is heralded to the heroes.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Superman and the Authority #4, on sale now from DC Comics.
After forming his own version of the Authority, Superman has certainly kept busy defending the hybridized world of the combined WildStorm and DC Universes from reimagined iterations of familiar foes from his own world. From terrorist threats to the return of the Ultra-Humanite, the Authority has engaged in numerous battles on all fronts for the fate of their universe. And even though the team manages to emerge from its showdown against Ultra-Humanite victorious and largely intact, an even greater threat is heralded with an ominous announcement involving the New Gods.
Among the most surprising members of the superhero team that Superman assembled on this world was a new iteration of the longtime New God Lightray. However, rather than just being another version of the New God as he traditionally appears in the DCU, this Lightray is Lia Nelson, a character created by Dan Jurgens, Todd Dezago and Gary Frank as part of the Tangent Comics imprint that provided radically reimagined characters from the DCU. Both of Lia’s parents are astronauts, resulting in the fledgling superhero being born on Mars, owing to her immense cosmic powers. In the Tangent Universe, Lia had been her world’s version of the Flash but, in Superman and the Authority #4 (by Grant Morrison, Mikel Janin, Jordie Bellaire and Tom Napolitano), Lia not only becomes Lightray but has the potential to grow into something even more terrifying.
In an epilogue to the entire miniseries set sometime after Superman and the Authority presumably free Warworld from the clutches of the tyrannical Mongul, Superman and Manchester Black consult a fragment from the Source Wall obtained after an unseen, cataclysmic event known as the “Metal Wars.” With the fragment providing a window into the realm of the New Gods, Superman and Manchester see what appears to be a new iteration of the Source Wall, with the looming message “Lightray is,” complete with Lia’s penchant for social media in direct contrast to the Wall’s design.
Throughout much of Morrison’s previous work involving the DCU, the celebrated comic book creator built up Darkseid as the ultimate evil in the multiverse, often underscoring his absolute villainy with the simple statement that “Darkseid is.” From Morrison’s JLA run to the crossover event Final Crisis, this message served as a constant reminder that, of all the natural laws in the universe, Darkseid is absolute evil personified in the imposing New God and ruler of Apokolips. And with Lightray taking on a similar role as she continues her own superhero destiny, Lia may not wind up as one of the DCU’s greatest heroes at all but rather a supervillain poised to conquer the entire multiverse if this message is to have direct parallels to the Lord of Apokolips.
According to Superman, the message heralding Lightray’s ascension has been written repeatedly over the course of eleven days, and it is unknown if even Lia is aware of her destiny being foretold. Either way, the New Gods appear to be slated for another major shakeup coming for them from the reimagined Tangent Universe character.
Given the history behind such a simple, firm statement, this suggests that Lightray may be taking a dark turn, forcing the Authority to resume their proactive mission to confront their old teammate for the fate of the entire DCU.
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