Warning: Spoilers for Power Girl #8!

Summary

• Axel Gust's abduction by Brainiac implies he may have powers, adding a new mystery to his character.
• Power Girl's involvement in the "House of Brainiac" crossover complicates her romantic relationship with Gust.
• The conversation between Power Girl and Gust may reveal his true identity as a spy with superpowers.

Axel Gust, the newest ongoing love interest for Power Girl, may be harboring a deeper secret than she ever could have guessed. When their flirtations first began, the Superman Family compatriot was quick to peg that something was amiss about this mystery man. She suspected him of being a CIA , and while she wasn't far off, Mr. Gust may prove to be much more.

Axel Gust returns in Power Girl #8 by Leah Williams and Eduardo Pansica, and he does so with an unexpected connection to Brainiac — with some harrowing complications for Power Girl's love life. As DC is plagued by the "House of Brainiac" event, the villain at the center is kidnapping anyone with powers or special abilities — including Metallo, Supergirl, and the entire Superman family.

If Brainiac is targeting superpowered beings to add to his collection, as confirmed in this very issue, Axel's kidnapping suggests he may be a metahuman. It leads readers to wonder what exactly Axel Gust is hiding from Power Girl — besides being a potential international man of mystery, of course.

Who Is Axel Gust, Power Girl's New Love Interest?

And What Is He Hiding?

Axel Gust makes his DC debut in Power Girl #1 by Williams, Pansica, Júlio Ferreira, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Becca Carey, where he tries to recruit Dr. Paige Stetler (Power Girl's new alter ego) at a combined Steelworks/Daily Planet's fundraiser. Oddly enough, he never specifies what he's trying to recruit the tech columnist for or who he's representing. She takes notice immediately and accuses him of being d with the CIA. Granted, it's a playful accusation as the recruitment quickly turns into a mutual flirtation.

The two continue flirting over text, and while Paige's persistence doesn't get her any closer to figuring out what Gust does for a living, small glimpses of his background tell the reader he may be some sort of jewel thief, a super-spy, or an actual CIA agent. It's not until Power Girl #8 that the title character's friend and roommate, Omen, convinces Paige to escalate things into asking him out for coffee. Unfortunately for Power Girl, Gust is abducted by Brainiac moments before he can answer that text, all while he's scaling a large building.

Does Power Girl's Love Interest Have Powers?

What Does This Mean for Their Pending Relationship?

Since this crossover began, Brainiac has made it clear he's targeting powered individuals for the sake of repurposing their powers and because, as he says in Action Comics #1064, "knowledge equals power. Therefore, power equals knowledge. And because of the Last Son of Krypton, there is more power within Metropolis than anywhere else in the universe." Seeing Gust getting abducted suggests that not only does he have powers, but he has powers that Brainiac would find useful. On top of adding a new mystery to the already mysterious Axel Gust, it adds another layer of complications to his romance with Power Girl.

Action Comics #1064 by Joshua Williamson and Rafa Sandoval launches the three-month "House of Brainiac" crossover event with the Superman title. The crossover will also include Power Girls' tie-in story, co-starring Lobo's daughter Crush.

Now that Power Girl is involved, she's likely going to save Axel Gust, and once she knows the circumstances of these abductions, she's going to have a lot of questions for him. A conversation was bound to be inevitable just to discuss whatever he actually does for a living — especially if his activities place him on the opposite side of the law. But that he may need to tell Power Girl that he's a spy or criminal and that he has superpowers leaves readers to wonder if these are secrets she can overlook in the name of love.

Power Girl #8 is available now from DC Comics.