DC's Future State explores events in the future of the DC Universe. Some of the events depicted take place in the near future, while others are set eons from now at the end of time. But one thing remains constant: there are heroes in every age, no matter how grim things get.
Of course, as the times change, so too must the heroes. In particular, many of the stories revolve around the ways heroes respond to a new private police force known as the Magistrate who actively works to stop superhumans in Gotham. They have standing orders to shoot anyone in a mask on-site and have imposed a curfew on the city. They even shot Bruce Wayne and have reported Batman's death to the public. Given the state of the future, is it any wonder that some of the heroes have undergone radical changes to deal with these events?
10 Bruce Wayne — Bruce has been gut-shot, left destitute, & reduced to a shadow of his former self
Bruce Wayne is probably the most famous and recognizable superhero around (only Clark Kent really gives Bruce a run for his money, and considering the size of Wayne’s stock portfolio, even Superman has a hard time running against that much money).
But in Future State, Bruce has been gut-shot, left destitute, and reduced to a shadow of his former self. Still, he persists. He may no longer be Batman, may have lost everything, but no one can take his skills or his indomitable will from him.
9 Stephanie Brown — she goes into deep cover, allowing herself to be arrested to help infiltrate the Magistrate’s prison
Stephanie has been a fan-favorite character since she appeared back in the '90s and she has undergone numerous changes over the years.
In the near-future setting of Future State, she goes into deep cover, allowing herself to be arrested to help infiltrate the Magistrate’s prison, working with both villains and incarcerated heroes to enact change and gather intel from within. When Cassandra Cain is arrested, Stephanie uses her influence to stage a prison riot, allowing the two heroes to move freely through the prison while the guards are busy.
8 Wonder Woman — she is deeply committed to revolutionary reforms that will end systemic corruption within the Brazilian government
There are numerous Wonder Women in Future State and all of them are awesome. They all have something about them that makes them stand out from the usual status quo of the hero.
Yara Flor, the primary Wonder Woman, seems to have a lackadaisical attitude, refusing to take her duties seriously. However, she is deeply committed to revolutionary reforms that will end systemic corruption within the Brazilian government. Besides her, there is Nubia, who replaces Diana as Wonder Woman when all the other Amazons leave men’s world (and their responsibilities) behind. And of course, there is Diana herself, who endures long after most people have died off.
7 Swamp Thing — he wanders with his people looking for any humans still alive in the ruins of what was once human civilization
For time uncounted, humanity has used the environment at the cost of the planet. Since the Industrial Revolution, that has worsened. As the representative of the Green and the protector of the planet, Swamp Thing helps the Earth fight back, killing off most of humanity.
Now the father of a new species of humanoid plants, he wanders with his people looking for any humans still alive in the ruins of what was once human civilization. Seeing the ways he used plant biology to construct a new species of humanoids makes his story one of the most interesting bits of all of Future State.
6 Jo Mullein — by the time she joins the League, she has become the greatest detective on the planet
Ju Mullein, the star of Far Sector, is the Green Lantern on the Justice League in Future State. While Jo is a fantastic character already in the comics, by the time she joins the League, she has become the greatest detective on the planet.
While most Green Lantern rings have been deactivated, Jo’s ring was always special and operated on its own rules. As such, she can continue to use her ring.
5 Midnighter — he learns that his ex-boyfriend, Apollo, is the one behind his enemies, turning the love of his life into his greatest foe
Ever since his debut back in the original Wildstorm Comics of the '90s, Midnighter has been a brilliantly inventive and effective brawler. He has a computer in his brain that lets him play out every possible way a fight could go down before it even starts, as well as other body augmentations. So long as he fought alongside his boyfriend Apollo, the two were an unstoppable force.
In the backup story to Superman: Worlds of War, Midnighter is on his own. He uses a door to teleport into space and fights his way through a space station against numerous cybernetic foes. But only for him to learn that his ex-boyfriend, Apollo, is the one behind his enemies, turning the love of his life into his greatest foe.
4 Nightwing — When Bruce Wayne was shot, Dick stepped up to fill the gap left by his mentor
Dick Grayson has had a long journey from child acrobat to Robin, and then Nightwing. He has even been Batman… a couple of times. But he is best known as Nightwing.
When Bruce Wayne was shot, Dick stepped up to fill the gap left by his mentor. Now a darker, grittier Nightwing wars against the Magistrate who have devastated Gotham City, leading the resistance against them and working to rescue people being targeted by their oppressive forces.
3 Jonathan Kent — Superman’s son has become Big Brother in Metropolis
The son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, Jonathan has always lived in his father’s impressive shadow. Now that the original Superman is gone, Jonathan is stepping in to fill his father’s big red boots.
Ever an optimist, Jonathan is very much his father’s son, powerful but hopeful, naïve but competent, and willing to do what he can to help others. But when he becomes overwhelmed, Jon’s weaknesses lead him to misuse his strength, and he shrinks Metropolis and traps it in a bottle to protect it. Effectively, Superman’s son has become Big Brother in Metropolis.
2 Jessica Cruz — she uses a Yellow Lantern battery as a blunt force weapon
Green Lanterns need to be able to overcome great fear. Jessica Cruz lives with General Anxiety Disorder and has always battled fear. But even if Jessica will live her life struggling with unbidden anxiety, she has proven capable of managing it and making her fear serve her.
Alone on a station that the members of the Sinestro Corps target, Jessica takes them down, taking her enemies down with stealth, grit, and cunning. Wearing her old Green Lantern ring on a cord around her neck with yellow rings, she wields a massive battle ax and even uses a Yellow Lantern battery as a blunt force weapon.
1 Tim Fox — Jace by day, he saves people from the Magistrate by night
The newest version of Batman is Tim Fox, the son of Lucius Fox and brother of Luke Fox (AKA Batwing). Tim prefers to go by the name “Jace” in his daily life, but by night, he saves people from the Magistrate, figuring out just what it means to take up the mantle of Batman.
Tim was an old character who has barely been seen in recent decades until an appearance in Batman issue #101. Bringing him back and reinventing him offers unlimited possibilities for the kinds of stories that Tim can appear in and lends extra gravitas to him now that he is back.