In this review of DC K.O. #5, Darkseid battles the King Omega for all the marbles, but who comes out on top and how will it impact the future of the DC Universe?
DC K.O. #5
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and Main Cover by JAVIER FERNÁNDEZ, XERMÁNICO, WES CRAIG
Variant Covers: DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON, MIKE DEL MUNDO, JEROME OPENA, IAN BERTRAM, GUILLEM MARCH, STEVE SKROCE, DAN MORA, JAVIER FERNÁNDEZ, BEN OLIVER
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: 3/4/26
This review contains spoilers
DC K.O. #5 begins with an early realization by Superman that the game night he’s had with Diana, Bruce, and Lois was a separate reality created by Time Trapper. After the events of Superman #35, Time Trapper travels to Clark moments before he flies off from the game night to fight Darkseid (as first seen in DC KO #1). Doomsday uses his remaining power to bring Superman back to life in the tournament while simultaneously killing Lex, giving Clark the King Omega crown. The universe is reborn in Superman’s image and the Heart of Apokolips merges with Clark.
The battle between Superman and Darkseid begins as the Heart narrates the action, at the same time giving Clark guidance in the fight. While Clark is strong, he’s not strong enough and is forced to retreat through time. It’s seemingly to escape the fight, but secretly, his plan is to arrive at the Big Bang. Once there, he absorbs all of the energy present, becoming as powerful as Darkseid.
Superman then gains the upper hand and is on the verge of defeating Darkseid, but his plan is not to deliver the final blow for the win. He reaches into himself and destroys the Heart of Apokolips, choosing to bring the tournament fighters back to life to help finish off Darkseid. Clark wants everyone to win and this is his way of accomplishing that goal.
With the universe restored, Clark reveals to Batman and Wonder Woman that he must go, as there’s something he must do, but that he’ll be back. He releases alpha energy to the universe before departing, setting the stage for the next level of heroes to step up.
In the epilogue of DC K.O. #5, a series of panels set up events for upcoming stories, as well as larger events that hint at an infinite multiverse and a crisis within the Absolute universe.
Analysis
After DC KO #4, Superman fans (myself included) were probably a little miffed at the ending, but Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson have done us a solid by putting the Man of Steel back in place to battle Darkseid. I’m sure there will be fans who roll their eyes, but this has been a Superman story from the start.
The Lex twist in the last issue was interesting, but all signs pointed to Superman going toe-to-toe with Darkseid. From the start Clark wanted a world where everyone wins. Lois even gave us that hint way back in the first issue during the game night, but we just didn’t know it was so relevant as to how things would turn out.
Some readers will likely be frustrated by what they might see as a reset with little overall consequence. I’d say that it’s okay to be frustrated, but Clark doesn’t reset or reboot the universe. He only restores it with what may be a slight upgrade with the alpha energy. I’d also suggest seeing what’s coming as a result of this event.
The “Next Level” era is a direct result of this story and we’re getting all-new stories for characters like Lobo, Firestorm, and Zatanna (we even get to see them toward the end of this issue). They don’t usually get the spotlight, so this is a good opportunity to branch out. Fans of Superman will definitely want to stay tuned for “Reign of the Superboys” to find out (hopefully soon) what’s happened to Clark.
DC K.O. #5 was a long time coming. The prologue issues started at the end of September 2025 with the first main DC KO issue in October. Over that five month period, I read every issue of the event. It gave me a chance to check out titles that I normally don’t, such as Aquaman and Justice League Unlimited. Some issues were better than others, but there was good connective tissue to the overall story. I can certainly understand not wanting to get bogged down with all of the tie-ins, but events like this are meant to drive sales and, hopefully, gain new readers for books they might not usually notice.
The combination of artists working on DC K.O. #5 has done a great job with the look of it. Javi Fernández, Xermánico, and Wes Craig each provide their talents to the pages and the results are fantastic. The panels and pages are laid out in a way that draws you into the action. There’s one page where Superman and Darkseid are passing through panels from the past as they move back through time. That is one of my favorite pages of this issue and one that I had to go back to look over a couple times.
Alejandro Sanchez’s colors are just as good as they have been in the previous issues. The choice of colors and the application of effects make the battle between Superman and Darkseid stand out. The bright colors used when Superman becomes energized look great on the dark backgrounds of space.
Final Thoughts
DC K.O. #5 wraps up a massive event and serves as a lead-in to the next chapter in the DC universe. With big action, incredible artwork, and an exciting conclusion, this finale gets us ready for the Next Level era in a major way. Have fun, comic lovers!
