Warning: Spoilers for Power Girl #15!A new enemy ofPower Girlmay become a friend in no time. As a Superman Family member, Power Girl has a tough rogues gallery, but none have been as tough as Ejecta. A few issues after debuting, Ejecta has managed to overwhelm Power Girl physically and emotionally, as well as leave her best friend, Omen, for dead in a coma that she may not wake up from.
Power Girl#15 by Leah Williams and Adriana Melofinally reveals Ejecta’s origin story, getting to the root of what makes the arc’s primary villain tick. As it turns out, the answer is a manipulative Symbio, who’s been raising Ejecta in secret for years in a pocket dimension under questionable circumstances.
As those circumstances come to light, it becomes evident that Ejecta has been deceived by a true supervillain. One has to wonder if all of these revelations couldlead to Ejecta seeing the error of her waysand perhaps becoming the real hero she’s been lying to the public about being.
Power Girl’s Newest Foe, Ejecta, Gets Her Own Tragic Origin Story
Power Girl#15 by Leah Williams, Adriana Melo, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Becca Carey
Power Girl#15 starts with a flashback starringEjecta, who was once a young girl named Abigail Weathers. She’s riding in the backseat of her parents' car during a heavy storm. Before she knows what hit her, the car screeches off the Quillaux-Black Bridge and into a body of water. Ejecta finds herself drowning at the bottom of the Quillaux Sound, until she’s pulled to safety by a familiar character: Symbio. Symbio, a threat to Metropolis, isthe rogue Kryptonian A.I. tech beingwho seemingly does an uncharacteristically noble deed. But it soon becomes evident that he has nefarious plans for the young girl.
For more about Symbio’s current circumstances, check out the first arc in thisPower Girlseries by Leah Williams and Eduardo Pansica, available now both digitally and in collected editions from DC Comics.
With no extended family to return to now that her parents are dead, Ejecta lives with Symbio in the savage pocket dimension known as Dolira. There,Symbio serves as her adoptive father, trainer, and, in her own words, her"angel"who saved her life. From a young age, he manipulates Ejecta, convincing her that he was running away from a"super-strong monster"in Power Girl, who was hunting him"for being different.“Anyone who has read the earliest issues of thisPower Girlseries knows that there’s more to the story than that.
Power Girl Helps Ejecta See the Light, Possibly Changing the Villain’s Mind
Will Ejecta See Through Symbio’s Lies?
Symbio trains his “daughter” to fight and, in due time,shares his biotech with Ejecta, gifting her dark powers. Unbeknownst to him,Symbio’s lies start to unravel. Ejecta mentions in her inner monologue that he told her that the TV they have in their realm can only play a channel that plays commercials on a loop, yet he is seen enjoying a news channel. Nonetheless, on her father’s behalf, Ejecta finds herself in conflict with Power Girl. With her adoptive father’s help, she targetsPower Girl’s friend, Omen, nearly killing her.
Power Girl seems to have helped Ejecta at least see through the lies that Symbio spent her entire life spinning.
With help from her new love interest, the AsgardianAxel Gust, Power Girl uses the mirror within the Charnel House of God-Thought to learn about Ejecta and how Symbio corrupted her, also learning that Symbio is still alive. Power Girl forces a confrontation with Ejecta, where she gives Ejecta the ultimate truth bomb. Symbio didn’t save Ejecta after her parents' freak accident;Symbio directly caused the murder of her parents to kidnap the girl. Out of excuses, the issue ends with Symbio calling Ejecta an"ungrateful wretch.”
Can Power Girl Save Her Misguided Enemy, Ejecta?
Ejecta’s Future in the DC Universe
Power Girl seems to have helped Ejecta at least see through the lies that Symbio spent her entire life spinning. Paige’s revelations may have causeda permanent strain in the relationship between Ejecta and Symbio, but the bigger question that lingers is the fate of Ejecta’s DC future. Assuming that she survives this arc, of course, as Symbio doesn’t look too happy at the close of this issue. Ejecta’s fate remains to be seen, and hopefully fans will see the full extent of her confrontation with Symbio in December’sPower Girl#16.
However, if she does survive, the next natural step for Ejecta would be for her to become a full-blown hero - for real this time. The public guise she’s provided already gives her the adulation that comes with being a celebrity superhero, but behind the scenes in violent encounters with Omen,Power Girl, and their friend Steel,Ejecta has acted anything but heroic. Now, she has a chance to redeem herself and her reputation within the hero community by walking a genuinely righteous path. However, given what she’s done as a villain apprentice to Symbio, that could be easier said than done.
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Ejecta may have legitimately killed Omen, judging by the final page where Power Girl watches Omen’s health monitor flatline. The previous issue teased Omen’s death, butif she’s gone for good, then Ejecta’s path to being forgiven and becoming a legitimate hero becomes a harder climb. Killing another superhero could be deemed unforgivable within the DC Universe, and it’s not an easy task for villains-turned-heroes to be accepted by other heroes after such a deed. Ejecta would need to go through some immense character development and rebuilding before she’s forgiven byPower Girl.
