DC Comics boasts a huge roster of amazing and memorable villains. From famous names like the Joker and Lex Luthor to lesser-known but equally compelling characters like Despero and David Cain, DC is packed with supervillains who deserve recognition alongside its heroes. Now, with the launch of the Absolue Universe, many of these villains are getting a chance to shine. This new universe flips the script by keeping the heroes’ essential traits but placing villains firmly in control.
DC Comics has been reimagining many of its iconic characters, and that trend continued in Absolute Wonder Woman. Issue #16 introduced a new version of the Suicide Squad, assembled by Veronica Cale to defeat Wonder Woman. The team, led by Zatanna, included familiar Wonder Woman foes like Cheetah, Doctor Poison, and Giganta. However, the most surprising reveal was a subtle one: Starro the Conqueror has secretly been part of the Absolute Universe for a while now.
The Parasite Within
I’ve been following Veronica Cale for a while now, and one thing’s for sure: she doesn’t trust anyone, especially anyone with powers. She’s a total control freak, and honestly, it seems like she wants to make enemies of every super-powered person out there. It’s ironic, because she’s holding a lot of incredibly dangerous people captive, and they’d definitely betray her if they could. But she needs to control them, especially to get to Wonder Woman. That’s why she’s using these creepy, starfish-shaped parasites – they’ve been surgically implanted in every member of the Suicide Squad. Forget neck bombs, these guys have tiny Starro drones living inside them!
Okay, so these Starro-controlled drones were different – they didn’t erase the villains’ minds, which was a really interesting twist. The Squad basically saw them as ticking time bombs, and that tension was palpable. Zatanna couldn’t just magically poof them away, which raised the stakes, but she cleverly hijacked Wonder Woman’s powers to become a magical relay and teleport herself out of danger, spitting out the drone in the process. That left Wonder Woman holding the bag, battling the rest of the team, but honestly, the bigger story here is what this all reveals about Starro itself. That’s where the real intrigue lies.
The Conqueror Conquered
The appearance of Starro’s drones without Starro himself suggests he’s been to Earth before, but was either repelled or captured. One possibility is that the US government recovered some of his drones after his initial visit and learned to turn them into weapons. Cale mentioned in issue #16 that the drones quickly fall apart without help, hinting they can be activated remotely, possibly by connecting to Starro. If he’s too far away to control them, the drones could malfunction and harm their hosts due to a lack of direction.
I believe the most likely scenario is that Starro came to Earth, possibly already weakened, and was captured by Veronica Cale’s group. They then likely experimented on his drones – and possibly Starro himself – to try and create their own mind control technology. However, their attempts haven’t been very successful, as the devices aren’t as effective as Starro’s original drones. Regardless, it’s clear Starro was here at some point, and Cale has taken control of his drones to manipulate the super-powered individuals she intends to use.
Starro is undoubtedly one of DC’s biggest threats. He famously triggered the very first Justice League adventure, and his recent appearance might be hinting at a full-scale invasion of Earth. Given his history of conquering galaxies, and the potential for a darker twist in this new universe, a Starro-led invasion would be incredibly frightening. I’m really excited to see what they do with the character.
Absolute Wonder Woman #17 is on sale now!
What are your thoughts on Absolute Starro? Share your opinions in the comments and discuss it with other fans on the ComicBook Forum!
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2026-03-03 03:41