Several upcoming stories, including a return to their most controversial crossover, suggest a pending reboot of DC’s comic book universe.
The DC universe is feeling the tremors of a major change. The return of the Flashpoint universe, combined with the death of the Justice League and the success of Future State, along with rumors of the Great Darkness threatening reality all point to an unavoidable conclusion: the DC universe is about to once again be rebooted.
In Justice League #75, Joshua Williamson, Daniel Sampere, and Alejandro Sanchez launch “Death of the Justice League,” a story in the works since Infinite Frontier. Most of the members of DC’s premier superhero team will meet their end in this tale that coincides with the 30th anniversary of Superman’s death. The ten members of the team leave on a mission to a dead multiverse but only one will return.
At the same time, DC is revisiting their multiverse-rewriting storyline Flashpoint in Flashpoint: Beyond. Thomas Wayne, after his adventures with Justice League Incarnate, returns to a world that shouldn’t exist: the Flashpoint universe. This alternate universe was created when the Flash went back in time to save his mother. This caused a ripple in time that created a world devastated by war between the Amazons and the Atlanteans, and Superman imprisoned since his arrival on Earth. In this world, Bruce Wayne died in the alley and his father, Thomas Wayne took on the cowl of Batman.
These two events are happening a year after the launch of the “Future State” titles that gave a glimpse into the potential future of the DC Universe. Coming to the front was a whole slate of supporting characters: Jonathan Kent as Superman, Yara Flor as Wonder Woman, and Jackson Hyde as Aquaman, just to name a few. DC showed that the mantle of their main heroes can all be worn by new people. The series was an overall success. Several of these characters have made their way into the regular DC timeline in current issues and the plots of many titles have already started to bend towards what was seen in “Future State.“
There have also been rumors of the Great Darkness stirring around the DC Universe, and the heroes of Justice League Incarnate are actively working to stop the malevolent force from returning to the multiverse. The Great Darkness is the primordial source of all evil as was first introduced during the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” era. It now seeks to enter the mainstream universe through a crack in the multiverse.
The death of the Justice League, the return of Flashpoint, the success of “Future State,” and the threat of the Great Darkness all point toward a major change in the DC Universe. All of this happening now in conjunction strongly suggests that, for better or worse, another reboot is on the horizon.
The entire point of Flashpoint was to provide a way to reboot the universe outside of a Crisis-level event. A return to that world provides a way for DC to practically reboot their universe. “Future State” also had the added benefit of providing a testing ground for a new world, and the success of that venture may indicate that another reboot would be accepted (and more importantly supported) by fans.
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