DC Unveils Monstrous Redesign Of Classic Hero, And It's Absolutely Twisted

Published Sep 11, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT

An experienced Editor representing Canada via ScreenRant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com.

His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023.

DC's Absolute Universe is often the furthest point from subtle in how it reimagines characters from 80 or more years ago, in many cases. It's turned Bruce Wayne from a billionaire playboy to a working-class civil engineer, with a significantly bulkier build. Meanwhile, Superman's new look features longer, unkempt hair and a radical technological spin on his classic suit, while this universe's Wonder Woman radiates badass aura, runs a strong black and red motif, and carries a sword big enough to get Guts' seal of approval. This is before even getting into the mind-bending redesigns of DC's supervillains, with the positively deranged Brainiac and a ferocious, demonic Joker.

But not all redesigns need to be for crucial characters, as is proven in Absolute Green Arrow. Throughout the limited series so far, three primary individuals were suspected to be the Green Arrow Killer, namely Roy Harper, Mia Dearden, and Thomas Ludlow Hallaway. The latter-most of these characters, through his alter ego as the Spider, has not only graced the pages of DC Comics as an ally and a crook over the decades, but before then, he featured in Crack Comics #1 as published by Quality Comics, the periodical home of other fantastic characters like Plastic Man, The Spirit, and the Blackhawks. But instead of a hero or villain makeover, Hallaway's Spider moniker is turned on its head in the most telling, horrifying glimpse yet.

DC's Absolute Green Arrow Reveals One Classic Hero's Horrific Redesign

Despite his origins stretching back to 1940, clad in yellow and blue while fighting with a bow and arrow and driving the Black Widow as his superhero vehicle of choice, the Spider's new look is an entirely too cruel aesthetic match chosen by Dr. Iker. Absolute Green Arrow #5's latest preview showed as much with Hallaway's horrific redesign, more closely matching a literal human spider than ever before, although his human features are fading fast, no longer able to form words beyond a horrible hissing sound. Now a writhing mass of arachno-sapien limbs, with Hallaway's muscular remnants stretched into a spindly abomination, the Spider's redesign is simple, yet brutally effective.

What's worse about this situation is, Hallaway didn't even deserve such a fate. He merely served as Oliver Queen's bodyguard, and as the latest new reveal proves, he wasn't even the suspected Green Arrow Killer as hinted by Malcolm Merlyn. Instead, he's used as fodder by Hector Hammond, propped up as a cruel example of what his own personal Moreau, Dr. Iker, could do to his new captives, Dinah and the unmasked Green Arrow Killer. Dubbed by Hammond as the Human Spider, it's a far cry from the hilarious Bruce Campbell moment from another publisher, a different universe, and a happier time.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead For The Green Arrow Killer's Identity From The Issue #5 Preview!

Green Arrow's Unmasking Proves Hallaway Wasn't A Hero Or Villain: He Was A Casualty

The biggest jaw-dropping reveal, though, comes mere panels after Hammond approaches a maimed and bound Green Arrow Killer and Dinah Lance, unmasking the former without any further delay. Provided there aren't any backups ready to strike at a moment's notice, this, at least for now, confirms the identity of the Green Arrow Killer as Malcolm Merlyn, his head of security initially tasked with uncovering the hooded vigilante's secret. The twisted bit is, given Merlyn assembled the main list of suspects, Hallaway's fate seems entirely unnecessary, thrown under the bus and twisted into a nightmare creature.

With the Absolute Green Arrow #6 preview still firmly stating itself to be the big reveal of the killer's identity, Merlyn's entry to the scene could be a deliberate red herring. Down a hand and now unmasked, Merlyn's tenure, even as the Green Arrow Killer's copycat, will get greater exposure in the fifth issue when it drops on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. One thing is for sure: much like Jim Gordon and the entire family of Lex Luthor, the Absolute Universe is utterly unafraid to stage some truly cruel fates for legacy characters, and Tom Hallaway being forced to assume his alter ego in the most grotesque way imaginable is a fate that won't soon be forgotten.

Green Arrow