The WildStorm Universe was laid to rest in 2010 and now Superman vs Lobo has explained what really happened to it after its final issue.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman vs. Lobo #3, on sale now from DC Comics.
Superman and Lobo’s latest battle took an unexpected turn recently. After witnessing the deaths of their own homeworlds again, they were flung into an all but dead reality. The powerful interdimensional being known as Numen restored their new reality but his powers came at a great cost – the destruction of almost an entire universe. That’s why the “Numen Revenge Squad” wants him dead, and as it turned out, they’re some of the biggest names from the WildStorm Universe.
The troublemaker of Superman and Lobo’s latest adventure turned out to be responsible for the end of the WildStorm Universe, as detailed in Superman vs. Lobo #3 (by Tim Seeley, Sarah Beattie, Mirka Andolfo, Arif Prianto, and Fabio Amelia). Like the series titular characters, Numen is also the last of his kind. That’s because it takes a universe’s worth of energy for one of his species to be birthed. The universe that was sacrificed to create him was the WildStorm Universe and, in this final issue, some of its biggest names wanted the interdimensional being dead.
The WildStorm Universe was created by Jim Lee and encompassed the characters and stories of the original WildStorm comics imprint. These included the likes of WildC.A.T.S., Stormwatch, The Authority, and many others, which debuted with Image Comics back in 1992. DC acquired WildStorm in 1998 and, for a time, it remained separate from the DC Universe, although there were occasionally crossovers. The imprint ended in 2010 with Wildcats #30 (by Adam Beechen and Mike S. Miller). The WildStorm Universe was put to rest and promptly integrated into the DC Universe with the New 52 relaunch.
Now Superman vs Lobo has explained what really happened to it and it met quite a destructive end. It seems that the only survivors were Mr. Majestic, Zealot, Union, Maul, and Hellspont, who have formed a revenge squad to destroy the being that was inadvertently responsible for the destruction of their universe. This led to them going toe-to-toe with the Man of Steel and the Main Man, which is perfect for any crossover.
This Black Label series didn’t just destroy the WildStorm Universe and promptly pit some of its characters against DC’s. It actually provided a reason for the imprint’s character’s suddenly showing up in the DC Universe over a decade ago. Lobo obtained Numen’s power to alter reality and created his own twisted world but, when he saw the error of his ways and undid that, he actually helped out the residents of the WildStorm Universe. He integrated their universe with the DCU to give it and its characters a second chance. This explains why characters like Grifter have shown up in Gotham, why Jon Kent is battling against Henry Bendix, and why Clark Kent has formed a new version of the Authority.
It may be uncharacteristic for Lobo to do literally anything for anyone but himself, however, this series gives a good explanation as to why. As a no-nonsense ’90s character himself, he loves the attitude of WildStorm’s characters, whose origins are much like his own. It makes total sense that he would want them in his own world. He’s fed up with Superman and the other heroes. Teaming up with (or fighting against) these ’90s icons is everything he could ever want. Plus, it could also make for a great series in itself.
The DC Universe may not be the world the WildStorm characters knew but it’s a new life. These characters have come back from the brink of death, both in fiction and in print, and achieved new life through the mainstream DCU. Although it canonically annihilates the WildStorm Universe, it gives an in-universe explanation for their sudden integration into the world of DC’s heroes. It may be wild and a little ridiculous but that’s why comics are so great and it stays true to the essence of these iconic books.
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