Absolute Power Reveals How Amanda Waller Stole DC Heroes’ Abilities

Amanda Waller has been incredibly effective in her takedown of DC’s super-powered heroes, and a significant part of that success comes from how quickly she’s stripped those heroes of their powers. While we know it’s the Amazos who have removed those powers, the process behind it remained unclear until now. In Absolute Power Origins #2, we delve into the past, specifically focusing on Waller’s first Task Force X team. This issue reveals exactly when and how Waller’s ultimate plan began to take shape.

Early in the issue, Waller meets Clarence, who is more commonly known by his moniker, Cyclotron. Waller empathizes with Clarence about his struggles to survive after getting out of prison. She then pitches him on being a part of a team she’s assembling. Waller delves into the origin of his powers, which stem from a self-powered cyclotronic neural network embedded within him.

The neural network grants Clarence abilities but it’s also impossible to remove without setting it off, which led him down a path of crime, including a bank robbery that resulted in his capture. Waller convinces him to join her in her war against the masked heroes. Clarence eventually agrees and becomes the de facto leader of Waller’s first Task Force X team. Their initial mission is to extract the God Engine from a dictator. Things proceed smoothly for the team initially, but soon take a turn for the worse.

At a critical point, the team’s feed goes offline, leaving Waller and her team in the dark. When the connection is restored, they discover that Cyclotron has been speaking to the rest of the team. He proposes that they take the God Engine for themselves and control their own destinies. Waller hadn’t anticipated this level of initiative from Clarence. She calls upon Lobo, another member of the team, to turn on his comrades and eliminate Cyclotron.

Lobo agrees to take action, for an increased fee, of course. He slices Clarence open, causing Cyclotron to explode and take most of the team down with him. Despite the disaster, Waller’s team manages to recover Clarence’s body and repurpose the Cyclotronic Neural Net. This crucial device absorbs and matches the bioelectric pulses of metas, effectively nullifying their abilities. When it works, it shuts down powers, marking the inception of Waller’s grand designs in Absolute Power.

The story of Absolute Power Origins is a revealing look into Amanda Waller’s early strategies and the lengths she’s willing to go to achieve her goals. Her ability to manipulate and control metahumans forms the foundation of her power, and it’s fascinating to see the origins of her methodologies.

“THE SUICIDE SQUAD RISES! Amanda Waller has suffered immeasurable loss… and the loss of her humanity along with it. Now, after having blazed her own trail into Washington politics, the Wall launches the new phase of her career: TASK FORCE X. Witness the rise of one of the deadliest teams ever to roam the DC universe and a shocking revelation that will make history in part two of Absolute Power: Origins. Brought to you by John Ridley and Alitha Martinez!”

What did you think of the issue and how do you feel about Absolute Power so far?

Source: DC Comics