In October, Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard launched an exciting new arc for The Power Fantasy, a title that has consistently redefined how to tell superhero stories in unconventional ways. The Power Fantasy heavily explores the moral and ethical dilemmas that arise from possessing extraordinary abilities, which, if misused, could have devastating consequences for the Earth, its inhabitants, the universe, and even reality itself. While there may not be a lot of action in the book, much of the weight of the narrative comes from the delicate dance stemming from the Superpowers avoiding all out conflict with one another.
SPOILERS AHEAD for The Power Fantasy #14!
This balance was threatened in The Power Fantasy #12 when Etienne makes a psychic attack on Heavy’s son, Kid Ignition, leaving the boy comatose. Prior to this, in The Power Fantasy #11, Eliza and Jacky Magus, who is actually Eliza’s husband Dev, attempted to assassinate Etienne to prevent him from learning that Magus/Dev is not an Atomic. However, they failed in their attempt as the body that they destroyed was a proxy and not the real Etienne.
At the end of The Power Fantasy #13, a major player is removed from the board when Etienne is neutralized by Heavy, seemingly for good this time. After Etienne’s death, the Superpowers learn that Etienne was lying about a supposed failsafe that he had in place in the event of his untimely death. In a posthumous message, Etienne tells the other Atomics, “The only ethical thing to ever do with a nuclear button is not press it.” The message ends with Etienne wishing them all, “Good luck.”
Etienne’s death has the potential to be the catalyst that causes the conflict that has been building since the start of the series to accelerate and spin out of control, putting the Superpowers on a cataclysmic collision with each other, and the world governments that view them as threats to humanity’s very existence. As the title continues, it will be interesting to see which of the Atomics can fill the role that Etienne occupied in terms of mitigating conflict amongst the other Superpowers.
Eliza wonder what Hell is like (Image Comics)
The Power Fantasy#14 opens in Manchester, 1999, with Eliza praying and ruminating on Hell. She ponders the question, “What is Hell like?”, before we cut to Heavy, who is trying to justify his actions to Tonya. In this scene, we learn from Heavy that Etienne “turned off” 100 Superpowers, including Tonya. This revelation is fascinating because it confirms the lengths that Etienne would go to in order to prevent further bloodshed in the most ethical way he deems appropriate. It is very much in line with everything that we have known about the character up to this point.
While this revelation is shocking to Tonya, she is genuinely relieved that Etienne took away her powers and that she is not an Atomic. As she tells Heavy, “If all Atomics just had glowy fingers, do you think I’d deal with more shit for being Atomic or being black?” It is a thought-provoking moment that briefly touches on the concept of Race, and how differently White people with superpowers are perceived versus how Black people with superpowers are perceived, something which many superhero comics very rarely dare to address or comment on in any way whatsoever.
Tonya learns that Etienne prevented her from becoming an Atomic (Image Comics)
Other standout moments from the issue include Masumi and Isabella making an important decision regarding their future as a couple, Jacky Magus and Valentina devising a plan to help Eliza, and Tonya publishing her story about Etienne in which she writes, “I hope if it all comes crumbling down, Heavy has enough time to realise that Etienne was right all along.” The issue ends with a deeply foreboding caption which reads, “Eliza holds it together. For the next three months.”
Each issue of The Power Fantasy feels like we are gradually approaching an apocalypse of sorts that has been foretold to us from the start, and The Power Fantasy #14 in particular feels like we are two minutes away from midnight on the Doomsday Clock. Time is running out, and the Atomics are veering precariously to the precipice of all-out conflict that will have deadly ramifications for the Superpowers and those humans who are unfortunate enough to be caught in the fallout. The solicit for The Power Fantasy #16 promises that a “fight” of some kind is coming. Who will be involved in this fight, and what will be the spark that ignites the confrontation? We will just have to wait and see when The Power Fantasy #15 releases on January 16th, 2026.
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