DC Comics Race-Swaps Yet Another Classic Character In Its Absolute Universe, This Time In Absolute Flash

DC Comics and their Absolute Universe have done a lot to race-swap background characters and rewrite the DC Universe as more diverse. Now, in Absolute Flash, they’ve redesigned the character The Golden Glider and made her into a black woman.

There has been a lot of hype around the Absolute universe, much like Marvel’s Ultimate universe it was modeled upon. These days, because mainline continuity hardly exists and gets retconned every time a new writer comes on board, there’s very little reason to follow a character and progress. Comic fans have turned to alternate universe stories to try to get character growth and change from these companies that have stagnated for too long.

With the Absolute universe, DC Comics has made characters that are mostly unrecognizable in their Elseworlds version other than by name. Absolute Batman does not like Bruce Wayne, but some random Rob Liefeld creation from the 1990s with big muscles and crazy costumes dominating the scene.

These books have been popular despite DC Comics doing what it always does with different race swaps and feminist issues creeping up in the comics. One wonders how much comic fans will tolerate.

First, DC Comics race-swapped Barbara Gordon to make her black, despite Jim Gordon still being white and looking like the iconic character. Scott Snyder refuses to answer questions about this, and it seems the new marketing narrative is to do these race swaps without advertising them in hopes that fans will accept them.

Green Lantern also features a new black, female iteration of the character. This has been tried before in the extremely DEI-infused Green Lantern: Far Sector, but it seems they wanted to go there again.

Now, in Absolute Flash, the character The Golden Glider has received the same treatment as a black woman with a redesign

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The first issue introduces her as a character but doesn’t name her. One can see her skate-like costume but different as she appears as a part of a super-team in a few panels. In Issue 2, however, she’s named “Glider” by one of the characters, confirming this is a race-swapped classic character again.

The Golden Glider, also known as Lisa Snart, is the younger sister of Leonard Snart (Captain Cold) and one of The Flash's recurring villains. First appearing in DC Comics in the late 1970s, she was originally an Olympic-level figure skater who turned to crime after her boyfriend, The Top, was killed. Lisa combines her skating prowess with advanced technology, using specialized skates that allow her to glide on air and gold-themed weapons including hypnotic gold dust. She frequently partners with her brother in his criminal schemes against The Flash, with their sibling dynamic adding complexity to her character. Throughout various comic iterations and media adaptations, including appearances in The Flash TV series, Golden Glider has evolved from a revenge-driven villain to a more nuanced character with a complicated family history and occasional moments of anti-heroism.

How many characters will DC Comics race, gender swap, or turn gay in the Absolute Universe before it finally implodes? Leave a comment and let us know.

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