Absolute Wonder Woman #25 is positioned as a major turning point for Diana and Barbara Minerva. Scheduled for comic shops on October 28, 2026, the oversized milestone issue brings the current Heretic arc to its stated bloody conclusion—and, crucially, debuts the Absolute Universe version of Cheetah.
The official setup is deliberately focused: Diana’s search for Barbara Minerva reaches an end, but that end is not presented as a simple reunion or rescue. Barbara’s transformation into Absolute Cheetah is described as devastating and unexpected, giving the issue a character-first hook alongside the larger promise of a world-shaking escalation.
Diana’s search reaches Barbara Minerva at last
The central conflict in issue #25 is Diana’s pursuit of Barbara. That premise carries the issue through the finish of the Heretic storyline, with the solicitation making clear that the encounter will turn violent. “Bloody” is the key word supplied for the conclusion, so readers should expect consequences rather than a neat, consequence-free debut for this version of Cheetah.
Barbara Minerva’s arrival matters because she is not merely a new adversary entering the book for a one-issue clash. The issue frames her transformation as the result of Diana’s ongoing search and as the moment that sends the arc into a new phase. In other words, the character reveal is also the plot payoff.
The publisher has stopped short of specifying precisely what makes this Cheetah unlike expectations. That restraint is worth preserving. Readers know Barbara will emerge as the Absolute Cheetah and that the outcome will be devastating; anything beyond that remains a question for the issue itself rather than a confirmed detail.
What “Absolute Cheetah” means here
Absolute Cheetah is the name being used for this incarnation of Barbara Minerva within the Absolute Universe setting. It identifies this take as part of that continuity’s interpretation of the character, rather than offering a confirmed, panel-by-panel explanation of her powers, origin, appearance, or long-term role.
That distinction is important in preview season. A character debut can mean several different things: a first full appearance, a transformed identity, a new costume, or the opening movement in a longer story. The material for Absolute Wonder Woman #25 confirms Barbara’s transformation and Cheetah’s debut, but it does not provide a definitive technical breakdown of the form she takes. The most reliable expectation is the broad one: Diana and Barbara’s collision will change the direction of the book.
The creative team is writer Kelly Thompson and artist and cover artist Hayden Sherman. With the issue promoted as oversized, #25 has room to function both as a finale to the existing arc and as an entry point into the next major conflict. That does not automatically make it a standalone issue, but it does make the milestone number and the debut especially relevant to readers following the series.
Why the Heretic finale is the real story hook
New villain identities can dominate headlines, but the stated dramatic engine is the resolution of the Heretic arc. Diana has been looking for Barbara; #25 is where that search finally comes to a head. The debut of Cheetah therefore seems intended to be inseparable from the emotional and narrative stakes of that search.
For readers who have been following the arc, the appeal is the promised payoff: what has happened to Barbara, what Diana finds when she reaches her, and why the resolution is being pitched as so destructive. For readers considering the title because of Cheetah’s debut, the issue also signals that Barbara’s entrance arrives with established momentum rather than as an isolated cameo.
It is also a reminder that “milestone issue” is a publishing designation, not a spoiler. In this case, the available facts support several concrete reasons for that label: the oversized format, the conclusion of a named arc, and the introduction of a major Wonder Woman antagonist in this continuity. They do not confirm any additional surprise appearances, deaths, or permanent status-quo changes.
Release details and cover options
Absolute Wonder Woman #25 has a listed standard retail price of $5.99. The release information also lists several priced cover editions, including covers credited to Mark Brooks, Terry Dodson, Bryan Hitch, Babs Tarr, and Alexander Lozano, plus a blank cover.
- Standard issue: $5.99
- Mark Brooks cover: $6.99
- Terry Dodson cover: $6.99
- Bryan Hitch cover: $6.99
- Blank cover: $6.99
- Babs Tarr cover: $8.99
- Alexander Lozano cover: $24.99
Additional $6.99 cover listings are included in the release data without creator names in the supplied information. If a particular cover is the priority, the practical move is to check with a local comic shop before release day. Variant cover lineups can be extensive, and a listing alone does not guarantee a shop will have every edition available on the rack.
What prospective readers should and should not expect
The confirmed pitch is substantial without being exhaustive. Expect a confrontation between Diana and Barbara, the conclusion of the current Heretic arc, and the debut of Absolute Cheetah. Expect a more violent tone than the phrase “search reaches its end” might initially suggest, given the description of a bloody finish.
Do not treat promotional language about a “world-shaking” turn as a specific promise of a particular event. Comics solicitations frequently use big language to establish stakes; here, the details that have actually been identified are Barbara’s transformation and the escalation of Diana’s story. The precise nature of the fallout remains under wraps.
For superhero-comic readers surveying late-October releases, this is one of those issues where the draw is unusually easy to state: an arc finale and a defining character debut share the same oversized installment. Readers seeking more upcoming costumed-comic conflict can also see how another title is setting up its own character stakes in Amazing Venom #2.
The bottom line on Absolute Wonder Woman #25
Absolute Wonder Woman #25 arrives October 28 with a clear mission: resolve Diana’s pursuit of Barbara Minerva, make that resolution hurt, and establish Absolute Cheetah as a force in the series. Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman’s milestone issue is being sold on the collision between those elements, not on a fully disclosed explanation of Barbara’s new form.
That leaves an appealing amount unanswered. The issue confirms that Cheetah is coming. The question it intends readers to carry into the shop is what Barbara Minerva’s transformation will cost Diana—and what it will do to the Absolute Universe once the search is over.
