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In the finale of Superman and the Authority, the team encounters Eclipso, and one hero renders Stargirl’s latest villain completely powerless.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman and the Authority #4, on sale now from DC Comics.
The Stargirl TV show has proven how formidable the ancient villain Eclipso can be. His shady powers have rendered the might of the Justice Society of America all but useless and his manipulative ways are tearing them apart from the inside. Even though this mysterious villain is causing trouble on the small screen, that hasn’t stopped him from causing problems for DC’s heroes in the comics. However, despite all his powers, there is one way to stop Eclipso – and Superman has the right hero for the job.
The Man of Steel’s new team is fully assembled in Superman and the Authority #4 (by Grant Morrison, Mikel Janín, Jordie Bellaire and Tom Napolitano). Although some of the new recruits have questioned some of his choices for the team’s roster, all is revealed in this final issue as they face one of the biggest threats of the DC Universe.
Eclipso has been plaguing Lia Nelson’s life for some time. The multiversal hero has been having serious doubts about how she can keep up her cheery social media persona with everything going wrong in the world. She’s even been considering taking her own life. Naturally, this ancient evil tries to prey on those thoughts and push her over the edge. Before he can get what he wants, however, the Authority intervenes.
Enchantress deals with the gun in Lia’s hand before she has a chance to pull the trigger. Meanwhile, Apollo shows the real reason he was chosen for this mission, namely to take care of Eclipso.
As the Authority rushes to Lia’s aid, Apollo releases a large blast of pure sunlight that immediately neutralizes Eclipso. As Superman explains, the solar-powered hero’s powers are the perfect foil to the demon. This ancient evil is at his most powerful when there’s a solar eclipse anywhere on the planet, something which allows him to take control of his host, Bruce Gordon. He’s one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, but he has a simple weakness. Since he draws his power from darkness, he is easily defeated by light.
Like Superman, Apollo gains his powers from absorbing the sun’s rays. Unlike Superman, Apollo’s powers are much more closely related to the sun. For one, his heat vision isn’t just a burst of heat like a Kryptonian’s but is pure solar radiation. Essentially, sunlight is pouring out of his eyes. He also has another ability that Superman doesn’t, which is what he uses to defeat Eclipso. He can release solar energy from all points of his body. In this case, he opts for the latter, essentially becoming a miniature sun that neutralizes Eclipso instantly.
Even though Enchantress’s magic could have probably countered Eclipso’s, it simply wasn’t necessary. In fact, the Authority’s resident magic-user most likely would have had a tough time keeping up with everything this ancient demon could throw at her. That’s why Superman chose Apollo to accompany her. With one attack he was able to take out Bruce Gordon’s dark side and finish the fight quickly, an impressive feat considering Eclipso once took control of the entire Justice League. It seems the Man of Steel has put some serious thought into who is on his new team and is more than likely prepared for any threat they may now face.
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