When DC Comics announced Future State all we know is that it would take places a few years from the current DC Universe timeline. As more information on each of the titles involved in Future State have been released we have seen that the timeline for these comic books aren’t all taking place around the same time. There have been hints of that in both the solicitations and covers for all the Future State comic books that the timeline of this direction does take place over a greater period of time. Now we have a confirmation of that being true as the company released a free DC Nation magazine that gives us an overview of Future State and its timeline.
FUTURE STATE TIMELINE EXTENDS TO THE END OF TIME
One of the things that was noticeable early on when the initial solicitations came out about the Future State titles was how not every title looked to be taking place around the same time. We see that with stick out with several series. The Superman comics show both Clark Kent and Jon Kent at different ages depending on their covers. Immortal Wonder Woman’s new character design indicates that Diana Prince is one of the last remaining heroes as she is wearing items from Batman and Superman. Then we also see Nightwing is wearing two distinctly different versions of his costume in his solo Future State series and in Teen Titans.
Now we see it confirmed that DC Comics’ Future State takes place between 2025 sometime after the year of 82,020. Most titles take place between 2025 and 4500, with only the Black Adam back-up in Suicide Squad and Immortal Wonder Woman taking place long after those years.
There are a lot of takeaways from this reveal of the DC: Future State timeline. Getting this outlined timeline confirms why we see characters like Andy Curry, Arthur and Mera Curry’s daughter, as a young teenager working as Jackson Hyde’s, who is Aquaman by that time, sidekick with the Aqualass identity while in Justice League she is an adult operating as Aquawoman by that point. It will be interesting to see how careful creators for each of these comics are careful about not spoiling events that go on in other comics. Especially with series like Justice League where whoever the Next Batman is will have been operating for at least 15 years by the time the Future State Justice League begins.
IT ALL STARTS IN GOTHAM CITY
Unsurprisingly it looks as though whatever is going on in Gotham City with the Magistrate and the anti-vigilante direction of the city has taken is what kicks off DC Comics Future State. Most Batman Family titles and stories will be taking place in 2025. The only exception to that is Dark Detective, which will be taking place two years later in 2027. The two-year time difference does indicate that Bruce Wayne will not be seen by any of his allies for several years until he reappears as the Dark Detective. Which creates even more questions why Bruce would leave Nightwing, Robin, Red Hood, Catwoman, the Batgirls, and other Batman Family members on their own to battle the Magistrate.
This two-year time difference also does show that whoever the Next Batman is will have two years to establish themselves as the new Dark Knight before Bruce returns. It provides the potential for the Next Batman to also grow a connection with the other Batman Family members. We already know that Nightwing will not be happy that someone new has decided to take on the Batman mantle. But without Bruce around the Next Batman will have the time to get Nightwing and the other Batman Family members time to accept him as the Dark Knight.
The Batman Future State titles taking place at the beginning of this timeline also places a question on where all the other Batman Family members may appear or if they even survive the war with Magistrate. We know that Next Batman will still be around in 2040 as part of the Justice League with an upgraded Batman Beyond-style suit and Nightwing will be part of Teen Titans that takes place in 2027. Outside of those two the only other Batman related character that we see beyond 2025 is whoever the Batman is in the Suicide Squad team. There are no clues given on who this Batman is so it could be any of the Batman Family members.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS
The choice to have the Future State: Justice League series take place in 2040 is an interesting one for multiple reasons. For one, the solicitation for Future State: Justice League #1 reveals that 2040 will be the first time this roster will be working together. There seems to be a good reason why the Justice League haven’t been seen as a team because at some point in the future the Hall of Justice has been left in ruin. Which means something went down with the original Justice League for our heroes to not be united. Maybe that could be tied into the Future State: Teen Titans title, where the academy for young heroes was shown to be a failure in the future.
The 2040 timeline also means that by the time this new version of the Justice League form most of the heroes will have a wide variety of experience. As mentioned before, both Next Batman and Aquawoman will have at least a decade of experience that they will bring to the team alongside more veteran heroes like Jon Kent’s Superman and Jo Mullein’s Green Lantern. Having that history with these characters will give a different feel to the way all these characters will be portrayed compared to their solo series that takes place earlier in the DC: Future State timeline.
This makes the fact that Future State: Justice League series will chronologically be the first place where Yara Flor will appear as Wonder Woman an intriguing note in this timeline. Because as we see in the timeline Justice League takes place in 2040 whereas Yara Flor’s Wonder Woman series takes place in 2050. That could mean that Yara Flor’s role in Justice League could be like Diana Prince when she first appeared as Wonder Woman in the DCAU as the new hero when that universe’s Justice League formed. Which would be an interesting role for Yara Flor to have in the Justice League since the team will be filled with veteran heroes by that point.
SUPERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE STATE
Unlike the Batman Family, whose adventures are mostly document over a two-year period, the Superman Family is all over the DC: Future State timeline. The Superman Family will have presence within the timeline from at least 2025, when Batman/Superman takes place, all the way up to 3000 when House of El and Legion of Super-Heroes is set. That wider period where the Superman Family have a footprint on the Future State timeline makes sense since they’ve always had a large impact on the DC Universe future thanks to the link between Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes.
This also makes the fact that we see Clark Kent in different forms in various Future State Superman titles make more sense. This all confirms that no one series involving the Superman Family will be taking place at the same time. Every member of the Superman Family will be busy with something that impacts the way Future State version of the DC Universe develops over time.
This means that the tightrope that creators working on the Superman Family titles will be walking is something they need to be careful with. With the various time periods there is a danger that one title will spoil what is going on in another Superman title that takes place earlier in the Future State timeline. It also makes it clear why House of El was announced later on as that will be the final title we see members of the Superman Family involve with the Future State timeline.
That said, given how big of an impact the Superman Family have on the Future State timeline there is the question why they stop appearing after the year 3000. This could just be a case where no other title in their franchise takes place beyond that. Though given how both House of El and Legion of Super-Heroes solicitations are worded there could be an even that drastically impacts the Superman Family’s standing after the year 3000.
IMMORTAL WONDER WOMAN ENDS FUTURE STATE
That brings us to the reveal that Diana Prince as the Immortal Wonder Woman takes place in the year that is only known as “The End Of Time.” That is a very ominous tagline for the year that Immortal Wonder Woman takes place. Given that Immortal Wonder Woman is the only title we know Diana to appear in this immediately creates the question of what she was doing before the end of the Future State timeline. Based on her design including Batman’s utility belt and a necklace with Kryptonite on it we know she had some connection to Batman and Superman before “The End of Time” year.
Though given that the New Gods and Darkseid are involved in Immortal Wonder Woman they could possibly play more of a role to why the year that series is known as “The End Of Time.” There could be a war of the remaining Gods at that point that Wonder Woman is in the middle of. Which may very well be the reality since Immortal Wonder Woman teases the fact that Diana is the only one that can stand up to Darkseid during the year known as “The End Of Time.” What all that means for how things turn out could when Future State ends may mean that Immortal Wonder Woman is the most important title for where the timeline concludes at the end of February 2021.
Overall there was a lot of cool details to learn in the DC Nation: Future State magazine. You can check out all these details and more information about DC Nation: Future State for free digitally or at comics shops now.
SOURCE: DC COMICS
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