Superman Confirms He Can Dodge Darkseid’s Omega Beams

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Justice League: Last Ride #4.

The Man of Steel is one of the strongest heroes in the DC Universe, but Superman is also one of the fastest – even fast enough to dodge Darkseid’s dreaded Omega Beams. Super speed is one of Superman’s most useful skills, dating back to some of his earliest appearances. And his latest feat proves that he’s much faster than a speeding bullet.

Derived from the Omega Effect, these beams are capable of disintegrating their targets or even sending them back through time, and they’re widely considered the most dangerous weapons in Darkseid’s arsenal. They’re infamous for being incredibly fast and nearly impossible to dodge. Superman is no slowpoke, but Justice League: Last Ride #4 by Chip Zdarksy and Miguel Mendonça puts into context just how quickly the Last Son of Krypton can move.

Superman shows just how swift he is during his confrontation with Darkseid in issue #4 of Justice League: Last Ride, but it isn’t treated as that big of a deal. With the Justice League spread thin against Darkseid’s armies throughout the galaxy, Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Superman are tasked with protecting the planet Oa, home of the Green Lantern Corps, from Darkseid’s nefarious clutches. Meanwhile, Batman and Martian Manhunter work to destroy Darkseid’s weapons on Apokolips. Due to Martian Manhunter’s weakness to fire, Superman volunteers to take J’onn’s place and enter Apokolips’ molten core, casually dodging the Omega beams as if they were an afterthought.

While this may at first seem like a throwaway moment in the middle of an action scene, Clark dodging Darkseid’s beams is quite the feat. Not only are the Omega Beams incredibly fast, but they also lock onto their targets and move at whatever angle they need to reach their victim. Avoiding them has never been an easy feat, and here, Superman makes it look easy.

The story of Justice League: Last Ride isn’t in continuity, so it’s possible that the Darkseid that fans are seeing here isn’t quite as powerful as his prime continuity counterpart. But any version of the Lord of Apokolips is a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps the Superman of this continuity is simply faster than the Kal-El that readers are typically used to.

Whether this was a weaker Darkseid or a more powerful Superman, dodging the Omega Beams is a move worthy of respect. It may not have been treated with much fanfare, but that doesn’t take away from just how impressive this event truly is. While Superman is known for being faster than a speeding bullet, “faster than an Omega Beam” also has a nice ring to it.

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