Warning: Spoilers for Superman #16

The humanity of Superman has always been at the heart of his character, but Absolute Power sees his humanity taken to another level. In the wake of the superhero attack by Amanda Waller and her Amazos, leaving the superheroes of DC powerless, Superman drops out of the sky, a bullet in his chest. What should have been no issue for the Man of Steel is made even more potent by a horrible nightmare detailing that magic is real — and it just might kill Superman.

In Superman #16, an Absolute Power tie-in by Joshua Williamson and Jamal Campbell, a heartfelt sequence takes place, curiously out of tone with current events. A young Jonathan and Martha Kent sit down in their Kansas living room to watch their adopted son, Clark Kent, perform a magic show.

In a touching sequence with young Superman unable to perform the correct tricks, the memory quickly turns into a nightmare as a blot of blood blooms on the boy’s chest. Just as he is trying to prove magic is real, the dream reddens into the real world, with Superman on an operating table, dying quickly and losing too much blood.

Magic Has Always Been Superman’s Secret Weakness

Kryptonite Isn’t the Only Thing That Can Kill Superman

Damian Wayne’s Robin said it best when he said he knew how to kill Superman if the need ever arose. He wouldn’t resort to Kryptonite like his father, Batman, but Robin would just use magic. Mister Mxyzptlk, one of Superman’s recurring villains, understands this too, and magic has always been a secret weakness of the otherwise impenetrable Superman.

But after the power of the yellow sun is drawn out of his body without his knowledge — thanks to Amanda Waller’s forces in Absolute Power #1 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora, he’s nothing but human. Absolute Power will be dealing with the question of just who Superman is once his Kryptonian powers are taken away: if Superman is more human than he is alien. But Superman #16 seems to answer this question, as what is left behind is that little boy with a belief in magic, not knowing this very magic will betray him in the years to come.

Superman Could Be Saved by a Different Kind of Magic

Superman #16 Variant Cover by Frank Cho

While the cover of Superman #16 suggests the death of the Man of Steel as he wears his signature black suit for the Death and Return of Superman saga, it also shows another famous conjurer, Zatanna, who is reported to have a guest star role in the comic. The hint seems to be that, for the first time in Superman history, magic might just be the thing that brings him back to life. His very weakness might just be his salvation. As seen in his dying memory, magic can be a good thing. It just has to be the right kind of magic.

While that yellow sun may be the source of Superman’s powers, it’s the symbol of hope he stands for that defines the real power he wields. To believe in Superman is to believe that anything is possible. Maybe Superman, wrested from his powers, will have to resort to that young alter ego once again, Clark the Conjurer, and conjure up the impossible just to stay alive and save the day.

Superman #16 is available July 17th from DC Comics.