DC’s Future State: An Aqua Princess, Justice League Promotion, Red X, and More Things You Might Have Missed

DC rocked everything today when they announced Future State, a two-month event that will encompass the entire DC Universe and shake things up in a huge way. Spinning out of all the Death Metal craziness, Future State will spotlight the heroes and villains you know in fresh and modern new ways, and will feature a host of iconic mantles being taken over by new characters, leaning further into the legacy that is so important to DC. In all the hoopla you might have missed some promising elements of the massive event, and we’ve collected some of our favorites all in one place.

Whether it’s bringing in a character from the animated world into the comics for the first time or bringing over a character from another universe onto the Justice League or having a very surprising person under the iconic Batman cowl, there’s something here you’re going to love, and you can check out some of the cool things in store starting on the next slide.

Here’s the official rundown on DC Future State.

“DC is starting 2021 off with a bang, giving fans a glimpse into futures both near and far, full of current and new characters as the publisher announced plans today for DC Future State, a two-month, line-wide event beginning in January. Through February 2021, the full title lineup will feature a combination of monthly and twice-monthly oversize anthologies, as well as a monthly schedule of miniseries and one-shots.

DC Future State spotlights the World’s Greatest Super Heroes in fresh new roles, with all-new characters taking up their iconic mantles. DC Future State features an incredible array of creative talent, combining award-winning writers and artists with new voices from the worlds of TV, movies and animation. In March 2021, the regular DC title lineup resumes, continuing existing story lines from 2020 and introducing new arcs for the year.

In DC Future State, the Multiverse has been saved from the brink of destruction, but the triumph of DC’s heroes has shaken loose the very fabric of time and space! The final chapter of Dark Nights: Death Metal (on sale January 5, 2021) brings new life to DC’s Multiverse, kicking off this glimpse into the unwritten worlds of DC’s future!

“The DC Universe has always been fertile ground for new and refreshing takes on our characters, and DC Future State definitely contributes to this legacy,” said DC Executive Editor Marie Javins. “When the event begins in January, some savvy readers will not only pick up on some of the breadcrumbs that have already been tossed out in our current titles, but they will also find new hints and clues of what’s to come in 2021.”

A stellar array of writers and artists are on hand to deliver this unique look at beloved DC characters, including fan favorites such as Mariko Tamaki, Brian Michael Bendis, Gene Luen Yang, Joëlle Jones, Joshua Williamson, Nicola Scott, Cully Hamner and John Timms, along with new voices such as award-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years A Slave), Brandon Vietti (Young Justice), Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, DC Super Hero Girls), Brandon Easton (Thundercats, Transformers: War for Cybertron), Alitha Martinez (REPRESENT! It’s A Bird!), L.L. McKinney (Nubia: Real One), Paula Sevenbergen (Stargirl) and Siya Oum (Lola XOXO), among others.”

What excites you most about DC Future State? Let us know in the comments or feel free to always talk all things comics with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!

Princess Andy All Grown Up

Aquaman fans who have been reading the recent series got a shock when Princess Andy popped up on the cover of Aquaman, and that’s because she’s grown up considerably since we last saw her.

In the current storyline, she is still quite young, just getting to the age where she’s running around without falling over. On the cover it seems she’s aged a few years and is riding on some sea life, suggesting she’s been able to get a handle on her powers, though we don’t actually know what those are yet.

Jo Mullein Part of the Justice League

One of the best books DC is putting out these days is Far Sector, which introduced fans to Jo Mullein. It seems in Future State she is not only mixing it up with other heroes in the DC Universe, but she’s also part of this world’s Justice League, and we couldn’t be more excited.

If anyone deserves a spot on the Justice League, it’s Jo, and we can’t wait to see how she interacts with the rest of this League and if all of the unique aspects of her ring are still intact.

New Deathstroke?

The cover to Teen Titans opens up a few questions, one of which is what happened to leave the team in such disarray. The main question though is regarding what appears to be Dick Grayson, who is front and center here in what appears to be a tattered Deathstroke costume, furthered by the fact that he’s reaching for a torn Deathstroke mask.

It could also be an old-school Nightwing costume with a twist, but the suggestions are definitely gearing towards Deathstroke.

Catman as Batman

The cover to Suicide Squad reveals Amanda Waller’s latest team is comprised of mirrors of the Justice League we know and love, with Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman, Superman, Flash, and Martian Manhunter all accounted for. I’m sure we’ll get all the identities soon enough, but Batman definitely sticks out.

Secret Six fans will spot some similarities to Catman, who was always seen as a D-List version of Batman in a way, but that series showed what he could be capable of in a leadership role. The blades on the side of the belt and that frequent comparison could indicate it’s Catman under the cowl here, but we’ll have to wait and see?

Wonder Woman Has a Batman Utility Belt

There’s a brand new Wonder Woman holding the Golden Lasso in Future State, and from the cover of Immortal Wonder Woman it appears she got some help from Batman. If you look at her costume it’s received a few upgrades, and that includes a stylish Utility Belt that is even sporting the Bat-Symbol on it.

Why she has it remains to be seen, but we are definitely eager to find out.

Red X Is Canon

Fans are always eager for characters and concepts from the animated shows to make their jump over to the comics and vice versa, and the latest example of that is Red X. Red X makes his official comics debut on the announcement art for Future State, appearing next to a variety of other characters that will have some sort of role in the event.

For those unfamiliar, Red X is from the Titans animated series, and while it was actually Robin going undercover at first, the mantle was picked up by a new character that plays more of an anti-hero role in the show. It remains to be seen who is under the cowl here, but the fact that Red X is in the comics at all is a win.

New Batgirl Costumes

The event will also bring two former Batgirls back into the spotlight in Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown, and they will be getting some new and improved costumes. The premise has them in a prison facility that houses both masked vigilante heroes and villains, so the looks have an edgier style to them.

The biggest changes are the Bat-Symbols front and center on the suits, though they do retain their previous Orphan and Spoiler codenames.

“What happens when you throw masked vigilantes–superheroes AND supervillains–into the SAME prison?

Find out in BATGIRLS 
featured in FUTURE STATE: THE NEXT BATMAN #2 & #4, out JAN/FEB 2021!

@definitelyvita story
@mellanuska art
@trishm colors
ya favorite bad gal ? edits”