Warning: Spoilers for Power Girl #14!The latest issue ofPower Girlwants fans to think the story killed off a member of theSupermanFamily, but I think otherwise. The Superman Family is a lot like Batman’s Bat-Family in that it features as many affiliates as it does direct members. There are mainstays like Superman, Supergirl, and Power Girl, and then there are those who are family by association, like Power Girl’s best friend,Omen.
Power Girl#14 by Leah Williams, Adriana Melo, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Becca Carey featuresthe apparent death of the former Teen Titan Omen. I say “apparent” because I’m conflicted about whether Omen is truly dead. Then again, let’s be honest,no one ever truly stays dead in comics. A character might die, but eventually, they always get better. However, that’s the thing about Omen’s death - it doesn’t even feel like a true death. Something feels… off, to say the least.
I’m not so much speculating that Omen will come back from this death as much as I’m suggesting thatOmen didn’t actually die in the first place,despite how the scene depicts her fight against the new “hero” Ejecta, who seems to have a grudge against Omen. Steel may say that Omen is “not breathing,” but things just can’t be that simple. This is comics, after all.
A Superman Family Member’s Apparent Death Comes at the Hands of a Suspicious New “Hero”
Omen Dies… Or Does She?
For readers who haven’t been keeping up with the latestPower Girlongoing series, let me explain who her best friend is for a second.Omen is Lilith Clay, part of Power Girl’s supporting cast.Created by Dan Jurgensfor 1996’sTeen Titans#1, she has since revealed herself as an all-powerful telepath. Now, Lilith has settled in as Paige Stetler’s roommate, frequent superhero partner, anda fellowNew Girlfan. She provesa formidable ally to the Superman Family, even saving Superman’s life inPower Girl#4 by Williams and Eduardo Pansica.
Power Girl#14 takes place in the aftermath ofAbsolute Powerby Mark Waid and Dan Mora, which also serves as a launching point for DC’s All In storytelling initiative, serving new starting points for new readers in all of DC’s ongoing titles - as well as some brand-new launches. Check out DC’s current slate of titles for a range of new stories to dive into!
Lilith has effectively served as a background sidekick, letting Power Girl lead the show in her comic. But Lillith suddenly takes center stage upon the introduction of Ejecta, who debuts inPower Girl#13 withdark powers even Superman wouldn’t like. Omen andNatasha “Steel” Ironsattend a civic meet and greet event together. There,a mysterious man frames Omen as if she’s attacking the gala, prompting a run-in from the mystery hero, Ejecta.
Ejecta proceeds to beat Omen within an inch of her life using super strength from cybernetic enhancements. While fighting her,Ejecta claims to be a precog, seeing a future where Omen kills numerous people, and Omen reads her mind to confirm. The traumatic beating and the implication that she’s a danger to everyone sets Omen into an agoraphobic depression, which bleeds into the next issue. Natasha and Paige investigate the celebrity influencer-like “hero,” prompting a fight that Ejecta uses as a mental trap against Omen. Lilith falls to her apparent death, no longer breathing, as Ejecta retreats toher master, the returning Symbio.
What Has Actually Happened to Omen If She’s Not Actually Dead?
I Really Don’t Believe Such a KeyPower GirlHero Is Gone for Good
It’s the nature of Omen’s quote-on-quote “death” that has me skeptical. Now, Steel checking her breath as she hits the ground, confirming that she’s not breathing, should be all the confirmation we need, but it doesn’t help that it’s not entirely clear what happens between her and Ejecta. And I don’t mean that as a flaw in the story itself; I love this Power Girl series. I’d argue that lack of clarity is a combination of intentionality on behalf of the creative team, adding mystery heading into the next issue, and because Ejecta’s powers themselves are still unclear.
What exactly didEjecta do to Omen?
Ejecta said she had precognitive abilities, but Mariposa - employee ofDaily Planet’s editor-in-chief Lois Laneand ally to Power Girl - seeks to disprove that in this issue,theorizing that Ejecta could be using some sort of A.I. to predict the future instead.That theory seems to check out with the re-introduction of Symbio, the rogue Kryptonian A.I. who used to be a part of Power Girl’s original rocket ship. So, if Ejecta has no actual powers beyond super strength and super speed afforded to her via cybernetic enhancements, then what exactly didshe do to Omen?
Is It Possible that Power Girl’s Best Friend Omen Is Actually Comatose?
It Makes Sense for a Telepath to Suffer from a Mental Coma
I also feel likehad Omen actually died, her death likely would have ended the issue, as is usually the case when a major character’s death happens in a comic. Imagine every major hero’s death you can think of in comics. The shocking death is usually big enough to justify being that comic’s final panel, right? Then why would Omen, Power Girl’s main supporting player, be the exception? Why, instead, end on the reveal of a supervillain we haven’t seen in ten issues, as if that’s bigger than the death of Power Girl’s sidekick?
Power Girl’s New Costume Gives Her Famous ‘Chest Window’ A Whole New Meaning
Power Girl is getting a brand-new start in DC’s All In era and she’s bringing back a fan-favorite costume with intriguing change to the chest window.
Because, I’m claiming, Omen isn’t actually dead, in spite of Ejecta declaration that she’s"as good as dead.“In the same way that Omen’s telepathic abilities aren’t visible in her mind, neither is the mental trap that Ejecta set for her. In theory, whatever Ejecta did to Omen may only be in Omen’s mind. Her mind may be trapped somewhere in a mental mindscape, whileOmenherself merely appears dead in the physical world, like a coma. Whatever the case may be, I sincerely doubt that anySupermanFamily member is going to die on-panel without the pomp and circumstance it deserves.
