One surprising family group could be the Justice League’s only hope of defeating an entire army of evil Amazos. Absolute Power is on the horizon and the DC Universe is about to undergo some seriously trying events.
Amanda Waller is out to seize control of the Earth and to ensure she has her way, she’s teamed up with Failsafe and the Brainiac Queen to form a Trinity of Evil. As DC Comics gives fans a look at the first wave of Absolute Power in July, the publisher is also revealing which Justice League family could be the Earth’s last line of defense.
After months of teasing, Absolute Power is finally on the horizon and fans got a look at it in DC Comics’ batch of July solicitations. Amanda Waller is hitting the Earth’s metahumans hard and thanks to her Trinity of Evil, she’s succeeded in robbing the special abilities of heroes and villains alike. To make matters worse, Waller is unleashing Task Force VII on the world, a powerful coterie of Amazos, each one imbued with the power of a Justice League hero like Superman or Wonder Woman.
Even worse, as Waller’s war against Earth’s metahumans kicks into high gear, Green Arrow is finding himself working on the worst side possible. The cover for Green Arrow #14 shows Oliver still dressed in his new Task Force costume. He’s next to a wall covered in posters featuring some of his most notable Justice League allies. But all the posters have been shot with arrows evidently from Green Arrow’s quiver. However, while Green Arrow is on the move, his family is up to something as well.
As Green Arrow continues to work for Waller, the rest of Team Arrow has a plan to stop Task Force VII. Rather than fight the androids directly, Oliver’s family decides to hunt down the man who created Amazo in the first place, Professor Anthony Ivo. Unfortunately, those involved in the search for the mad scientist are competing against the last person they expected. Green Arrow is also searching for Ivo, though it’s unknown if he’s doing it to help or assist Amanda Waller’s agenda.
Since the end of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Amanda Waller has been slowly setting up a plan to eliminate the Earth’s metahuman population. However, Waller knew that she needed assets and began a campaign from the shadows. Using brain bombs implanted in various members of Oliver Queen’s family, Waller kept Team Arrow scattered across time and space. But after Green Arrow went missing, Queen’s closest allies traveled the world looking for him, only to wind up even further apart from one another.
Initially convinced that his family needed to be separated for the good of the world, Green Arrow discovered that the idea to keep Team Arrow apart from one another was planned by his nemesis Merlyn and Waller. Oliver eventually dealt with Merlyn and left him trapped in a void in space-time. Once Green Arrow returned home, he made a beeline for the other person responsible for manipulating both him and his loved ones. After confirming he was in the right timeline on the right Earth, Green Arrow went gunning for Waller.
Now leading the Bureau of Sovereignty, Waller had taken over the Hall of Justice (now the Hall of Order), where Oliver tracked her down. He broke in and got himself caught so he could get in a room with Waller. Upon finding her, Green Arrow demanded answers and Waller put it bluntly that she needed non-superpowered soldiers to fight in her war against the metahumans. She offered Green Arrow a chance to work for her in exchange for bringing his family back together, a deal Oliver took.
With Amanda Waller using a collection of Amazo robots to bring the world under her heel, it makes sense for Team Arrow to go after Professor Ivo. He built the original one and no one knows more about what the android can do than him. By tracking him down, Black Canary, Arsenal, and Connor Hawke have the chance of procuring valuable information that could help turn the tide against Task Force VII. And if there’s one thing their pursuit of Oliver has shown, it’s that Green Arrow’s family is good at finding people.
Unfortunately, Green Arrow is just as good, if not better at tracking people down. And with his new choice of costume hinting that he’s still working for Waller, it looks like Oliver is going to run headfirst into a conflict with the people he loves more than anything. Knowing the risk Ivo poses to Task Force VII, there’s no doubt that Amanda Waller wants Ivo out of the way and is sending Green Arrow to find the mad scientist and potentially get rid of him by any means necessary.
Green Arrow, of course, isn’t a killer and isn’t going to do anything like that. He’s also told his family that he’s “working the long con”. It’s doubtful Green Arrow would seriously betray his loved ones after fighting so hard to keep them together. However, Waller is putting Green Arrow in a seriously awkward position. Finding Professor Ivo would be a serious boon for DC’s heroes and the villain may be the heroes’ only shot at securing an easy victory. But when it comes down to it, will Green Arrow let his family take what they need from Ivo?
Green Arrow wants his family to be safe and far from Waller’s reach. But to ensure that, he’s playing a dangerous game and allying with her at the worst possible moment. Team Arrow has a good shot at finding Ivo and ending Task Force VII. But to do that, Green Arrow will have to stand aside and put his long-term plan to take Waller down at risk. It’s going to be a hard call to make, but hopefully, Green Arrow will ultimately side with his family and save the Justice League.
Green Arrow #14 is available on July 24th from DC Comics.