7 Darkest Futures in DC Comics

A constant and underlying theme of DC Comics is of a universe built on hope, with its heroes standing as paragons of virtue as they lead humanity to a brighter tomorrow. However, there have been numerous storylines where the ideals of truth and justice fail, and the future becomes a nightmare. In these grim future timelines, the superhero community falls, and the Earth is either reduced to a wasteland or conquered by a maniacal supervillain. Often, these stories feature heroes of the present trying to prevent dystopian futures from coming into being. From terrifying mutants, killer robots, and fascist regimes, these are the darkest future timelines in the DC multiverse.

In DC Comics, time is in constant flux, with the smallest choices leading to potentially apocalyptic consequences. These are the bleakest futures the heroes of Earth must avoid at all costs.

7) Armageddon 2001

Armageddon 2001 is set 50 years in the future, where one of DC’s heroes has turned into a monster. In this dark future, the hero Hawk was corrupted after the death of his partner Dove. Hawk became the tyrannical supervillain Monarch and wiped out Earth’s heroes. And after destroying entire cities and slaughtering anyone who opposed him, Monarch establishes himself as the ruler of Earth. The survivors live in a fascist society where free speech is punishable by incarceration or execution. The few people who haven’t been brainwashed by Monarch’s propaganda live in constant fear of his cosmic power.

6) Justice League: Legacy

Twenty years into the future, the children of the Justice League fight the malevolent force known as the Darkness. The Darkness is an entity of pure hatred who possesses Wonder Woman. She, in turn, eventually spreads its corruptive power to most of the Justice League. Together, the possessed Justice League decimates the planet. Things only get worse when Wonder Woman’s mother, Hippolyta, fueled by grief at the loss of her daughter and wishing to lash out at the world, becomes the tyrant, the Sovereign. Atlantis is the only refuge left on Earth, but it is also left in shambles by the Darkness. Thankfully, the children of the Justice League travel to the past and manage to prevent the Darkness from ever taking control of Earth’s heroes.

5) Rock of Ages

When the Injustice Gang gets their hands on the reality-warping Philosopher Stone, the Justice League attempts to destroy it. Without the stone’s protective powers, Darkseid obtains the Anti-Life Equation and conquers Earth. Europe is reduced to a Fire Pit, the sea life has been mutated, and most of humanity has either been beaten into servitude or transformed into mindless zombie slaves. However, Green Lantern, Flash, and Aquaman are guided by the New God of Knowledge Metron to see what becomes of the future 15 years after the Justice League destroyed the Philosopher Stone. With the help of the present-day heroes, the future remnants of the Justice League manage to kill Darkseid.

4) Batman: Last Knight on Earth

In this future, decimated by climate change and political strife, Lex Luthor wins a debate against Superman and convinces humanity to succumb to evil. After mankind slaughters most of the heroes and villains, an enraged Batman kills Darkseid. The Dark Knight then uses the Anti-Life Equation to conquer the Earth. Taking on the name “Omega,” Batman turns the planet into a post-apocalyptic landscape populated by mutants. Omega rules over Gotham and has his former villains work as enforcers. The only hope for this world is a clone of Batman who hasn’t lost his morality. This future is so bleak that even Heaven and Hell were destroyed.

3) Futures End

Created by Batman and Mr. Terrific, Brother Eye is a powerful AI that was designed to protect humanity. However, Brother Eye soon goes rogue reasoning that the only way to prevent humanity from destroying itself was by taking over. Thirty-five years later, Brother Eye has not only conquered the world but also uses a techno-organic virus to convert most of the Earth’s population into cyborg abominations that obey the AI’s every command. By this point in time, most of the planet’s heroes have either been killed or added to Brother Eye’s cyborg army. One of Brother Eye’s most nightmarish creations is surgically merging Batman and the Joker into a two-faced time-travelling assassin.

2) Wonder Woman: Dead Earth

When the United States went to war with the Amazons and nuked Themyscira, Wonder Woman entered into a blind rage so destructive that she killed Superman and reduced the Earth to an irradiated wasteland. After her rampage, Wonder Woman fell into a coma. Centuries later, she woke up with no memory of what she had done and was horrified by the near-lifeless world. The amnesiac Wonder Woman desperately tries to protect the last remnants of humanity from legions of bloodthirsty mutants. However, it’s revealed that the creatures are the Amazons, who had been horrifically mutated by the nuclear warheads that bombed their island. In this hellish world, humanity had been brought to the brink of extinction.

1) Absolute 31st Century

Created by Darkseid to gain the power to conquer the multiverse, the Absolute Universe revolves around hopelessness and control. And although in the present some heroes are emerging to fight the status quo, the grim world of the 31st century shows that they ultimately fail, and Darkseid emerges victorious. The Earth has been turned into a replica of Apokolips, and Darkseid rules the universe with the help of his corrupted Legion of Superheroes. This team of heroes always represents the best possible future, and to see them twisted into bloodthirsty conquerors shows just how absolute Darkseid’s dominion is. Even worse, Darkseid’s Legion has begun aiding their master’s invasion of the multiverse, which threatens all of existence.

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