DC's Future State might be all in the past this fall

DC's Future State: Gotham will come to an end in October with issue #18, which may effectively mark the end and serve as the last gasp of the supposed future of the DCU – especially now that Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths is altering the Multiverse yet again.

Written by Dennis Culver and illustrated by Geoffo, Future State: Gotham #18 concludes the 'war of the Batmen' and shows the last Batman standing – as determined from the fight between Bruce Wayne, Jace Fox, Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, and Hush in issue #17 – as he faces off against 'Gotham's greatest threat.'

Originally billed as a two-month crossover event in 2021, Future State followed Dark Nights: Death Metal and showed a possible future based on the legacy of the Justice League heroes. Throughout the event, Aquaman, Batman, the Flash, Superman, and Wonder Woman see younger heroes take up their mantles.

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In current DC continuity, Jon Kent has kept his father's legacy alive as the new Superman, though when Clark returns to Earth in September, Jon's role may shift. Otherwise, none of the heroes who sought to fill the Justice League's shoes in Future State currently have those titles, and it's unclear if or when they ever will. It is worth noting that Future State only meant to show a possible future, not a definite one – so perhaps major shake-ups were never really in the cards.

Meanwhile, the current Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths (which is set in a more immediate future of the DCU) has seen Dick and Jon fail to replace their supposedly dead mentors on Earth-0, even with the latter boasting the Superman identity. Whatever happens in the near-future DCU, we know the Justice League will be back in action sooner rather than later, per writer Joshua Williamson's teasing at San Diego Comic-Con, and legacy is still very much a story focus.

Future State: Gotham #18 will be available October 11. Check out DC's full October 2022 solicitations at Newsarama.

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Samantha Puc (she/they) is an editor at Newsarama and an avid comics fan. Their writing has been featured on Refinery29, Bitch Media, them., The Beat, The Mary Sue, and elsewhere. She is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative nonfiction at The New School.