Superman Future State

[Vordan]

You kinda can, if you just apply the lazy logic of "this cosmic event changed some stuff in the timeline for whatever reason". They've done it before. And like I said its lazy, but in regards to this, I would rather prefer it to be what they go with. Very much might not be but my hope would be to just kick it to the curb as fast as possible.

You don’t even have to do that. Dick Grayson got his secret ID back without a massive event. Mxy is an easy go to option, you could even have him do it against Clark’s will. Frankly massive cosmic events to undo reveals are stupid and central to why DC is a mess. But I really am fine with them keeping Clark outed for a while if the writers want to play with that. If the genie is going back in the bottle they better use the goddamn secret identity and DP cast. If it’s just so we can get brief Clark snippets forget it, Bendis is still doing that with his ID outed.

[Immortal Hulk]

Very exciting from what I've seen so far! I know it's temporary, but it sounds and looks much better than the current Super books...Specially Worlds of War! Hopefully we'll get equally talented creative teams for the "relaunch" after bendis (thanks god)goes away.

[Stanlos]

So they are sticking with the Post Crisis WW-esque no secret ID thing for Clark?

[Morgoth]

Well, in an interview, the thesis was voiced that all Superman's problems came from the fact that he revealed his secret identity. This may just mean that they will erase this at the end of the event, if I'm not mistaken, Future State should end at Generations: Forged in February, it is possible that there will be time manipulations that will prevent this future. And because of this Bendis's Superman will get some retcon.

[Stanlos]

Another thing that worries me is the question of whether they will eliminate Peege by making her a "future state" of Supergirl, i.e. Superwoman

[manofsteel1979]

Well, in an interview, the thesis was voiced that all Superman's problems came from the fact that he revealed his secret identity. This may just mean that they will erase this at the end of the event, if I'm not mistaken, Future State should end at Generations: Forged in February, it is possible that there will be time manipulations that will prevent this future. And because of this Bendis's Superman will get some retcon.

Possibly. It depends on whether the new teams want to play with the stuff Bendis has set up. A part of me Hope's they do because I actually have enjoyed some of it ,but I knew as soon as they had Clark reveal his identity it was just a matter of time before it is undone somehow. That's just how characters like Superman work.it wouldn't shock me if they just swept it away,but it wouldn't shock me if the new writers want to play with it a bit before finding some way to undo it.

[Digifiend]

You don’t even have to do that. Dick Grayson got his secret ID back without a massive event.

Well, it made sense in his case, as Spyral did it.

[manofsteel1979]

You don’t even have to do that. Dick Grayson got his secret ID back without a massive event. Mxy is an easy go to option, you could even have him do it against Clark’s will. Frankly massive cosmic events to undo reveals are stupid and central to why DC is a mess. But I really am fine with them keeping Clark outed for a while if the writers want to play with that. If the genie is going back in the bottle they better use the goddamn secret identity and DP cast. If it’s just so we can get brief Clark snippets forget it, Bendis is still doing that with his ID outed.

At this point, I'd rather they keep Clark outed for a while longer, because, let's be realistic, it isn't as if the new teams will likely have a "cracking " yarn to tell involving Clark Kent, mild mannered crusading journalist and the Daily Planet that requires the usual status quo to tell. I mean, honestly, aside from not seeing Clark in glasses as we are used to, there isn't a huge difference between the stories Bendis and his immediate predecessors told prior to the ID reveal and after. At least in regards to the type of "closeted" Clark Kent stories we got prior. Outside of a few fleeting times over the last decade,and even before,the whole "disguised as Clark Kent, Mild mannered reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper" angle to the character has been mostly an afterthought and largely absent from the stories anyway. I seriously doubt that's going to change anytime soon.

That's not to say they shouldn't ever or wont reverse the ID reveal in short order.They more than likely will within the next year if not sooner,but at this point the only reason to do that is to get back those panels of Clark wearing glasses when he isnt Superman and to have that genie put back in the bottle for the sake of it. If the new teams have some ideas involving the current status quo from another angle, why not give them a chance? I'm probably in the minority, but I actually think the angle from which Bendis approached the ID reveal was a breath of fresh air and was an interesting way to get there. Far better than TRUTH at any rate. I'm as traditional Superman as anyone,but I'm in no hurry to rush back to the old status quo unless the new teams have something new and interesting to say about it.

[Journey]

Maybe jon has to face the angry mob.It would'nt be the first time a superman did the right thing inspite of people not liking it

Since this is non-canon I wouldn't be opposed to going the Homelander route with this and just have him incinerating them cause why not *shrugs* at least he'd have some personality.

[sifighter]

Hey you know what I noticed is kind of odd, the only Future State book that is releasing in March is Superman vs Imperious Lex. Even The Next Batman which is four issues will rap up by February. I wonder why that is, could just be a scheduling issue but I’m curious.

[Sacred Knight]

You don’t even have to do that. Dick Grayson got his secret ID back without a massive event. Mxy is an easy go to option, you could even have him do it against Clark’s will. Frankly massive cosmic events to undo reveals are stupid and central to why DC is a mess. But I really am fine with them keeping Clark outed for a while if the writers want to play with that. If the genie is going back in the bottle they better use the goddamn secret identity and DP cast. If it’s just so we can get brief Clark snippets forget it, Bendis is still doing that with his ID outed.

I appreciate that mindset, yeah. I also get the argument manofsteel makes about how its not like they know how to work the nuance into stories in a fun way anymore. It has just sorta been there for a long time now. I just personally won't give up on it because they've sucked at it for so long. Especially now when there's a genuine new structure there that could conceivably bring about some level of change. At the very least its not the exact same people pulling the exact same stunts this time around.

BTW, if we ever got our three imprint wish, how would you distinguish them, name-wise? Me, I still like to apply the old idea I had back when I was wishing for main and New 52 Earths to be published separately, just for three this time. Main line is Earth-0 so I'd tag it as DC-0. The other two then would be DC-1 and DC-2 for Earths 1 and 2. Which is which of those two doesn't really matter.

[Flash Gordon]

I'm highkey loving the covers for the John Carter Superman one.

I haven't had a chance to dig into the entirety of the Jan solicits, but so far the Superman stuff is sounding stellar.

[Vordan]

Snip

I feel the same way. I like the secret identity. If they do undo the reveal so be it. But then they need to freaking use it. They need to lean in to the journalism, to Superman using “Clark” as more than just a one panel gag.

Since this is non-canon I wouldn't be opposed to going the Homelander route with this and just have him incinerating them cause why not *shrugs* at least he'd have some personality.

They’re not doing an evil Superman story by their own admission. Honestly it kind of blows my mind how people are reacting to this. I guess I can’t blame some of you, we’ve been trained for so long that any deviation from “Superman punches bad guy, Superman gives a speech about Hope ™, Superman flies home to his nice nuclear family where he has zero personal problems whatsoever” means Superman is going EVILLLLLLL.

I appreciate that mindset, yeah. I also get the argument manofsteel makes about how its not like they know how to work the nuance into stories in a fun way anymore. It has just sorta been there for a long time now. I just personally won't give up on it because they've sucked at it for so long. Especially now when there's a genuine new structure there that could conceivably bring about some level of change. At the very least its not the exact same people pulling the exact same stunts this time around.

BTW, if we ever got our three imprint wish, how would you distinguish them, name-wise? Me, I still like to apply the old idea I had back when I was wishing for main and New 52 Earths to be published separately, just for three this time. Main line is Earth-0 so I'd tag it as DC-0. The other two then would be DC-1 and DC-2 for Earths 1 and 2. Which is which of those two doesn't really matter.

Future State is a fine name, and I see no reason to change it. Universe is fine for the main line. For the young versions of classics, maybe Originals?

Hey you know what I noticed is kind of odd, the only Future State book that is releasing in March is Superman vs Imperious Lex. Even The Next Batman which is four issues will rap up by February. I wonder why that is, could just be a scheduling issue but I’m curious.

I’m just going to pretend it means Russel is on one of the main books when Future State is over lol.

[Robanker]

Everything Superman's done for them and they just exile Clark from Earth .

Kara's finally Superwoman. I guess they'll probably give her the pants people seem very focused on her wearing.

I see a Super with a cape and a Super without a cape while Clark goes all T-shirt and jeans. Does Jon ditch the cape only for Conner to start wearing it?

Yeah, the guy saves them from extinction events every month but well he done goofed this time, get 'im out of here! I didn't know we were a Luthor hivemind. Whatever. I'll give it a shot, but already that's a groan and reads as an excuse to get him out of the mantle.

Superman editor Jamie S. Rich on Future State:

Superman's Exile From Earth

While Future State isn't necessarily intended to be any more or less dark than the present-day DCU (a pointed change from most future timelines featured in superhero comics), it does seem as though the future isn't terribly kind to Kal-El. For reasons that won't be immediately revealed, Superman has fallen out of favor with the people of Earth, causing him to leave his adopted home behind and begin a new mission in the stars. The exact reasons for his departure and his newfound mission on Warworld will be revealed over the course of Future State, though Rich was clear all of this builds directly on what writer Brian Michael Bendis has been crafting in the pages of Superman and Action Comics. As he explained, the events of Future State are basically the inevitable result of Superman's decision to reveal his secret identity and his shift towards defending the universe as a whole rather than just Metropolis or Earth.

"We're looking at what Bendis has been doing on his books and Superman revealing who he is and starting to extrapolate - what does that mean?" said Rich. "In Future State, you won't know exactly how Superman ended up on Warworld, but the story in Superman: Worlds of War that Phillip Kennedy Johnson is writing kind of balances that. So you will also see, on Earth, what it means to people to have him gone... does he create a space that inspires people?"

"The childish thing to do with Superman that every boy who wants to tear the wings off flies would do is try to tear him down or make him evil," said Rich, revealing that some of the ideas being explored here were inspired by conversations with All-Star Superman writer Grant Morrison. "We want to just show that the symbol is greater than any one place or any one populace. Actually, that's probably a good point to make too. We're not imagining Future State as this horrible dystopian, 'everything goes wrong' [timeline]. Certainly there are books where things are bad and stuff has taken a turn for the worst cause that's dramatic, but there's also a lot of hope in this."

With Superman now a pariah who's left Earth behind, you might think Lex Luthor would be having the time of his life in the year 2030. But Rich teased that won't quite be the case.

"We're actually dealing with that in the Superman vs. Imperious Lex miniseries that Mark Russell and Steve Pugh are doing, who people know as the great team behind The Flintstones," said Rich. "That has more of a satirical tone, more of a lighthearted tone as Lex Luthor. I don't know if you remember back in the '60s and '70s, Lex Luthor had a planet called Lexor where he would go and hang out because people thought he was a hero there and he'd managed to con them into thinking that Superman was a villain. Now you see the future where Lex is trying to get Lexor into the United Planets and Lois Lane is now representing Earth, and she's trying to stop him in and how Superman gets in the middle."

Head to page 2 for plenty more on the strange landscape of Future State, including what happens when Jon Kent takes up the mantle of Superman.

Jon Kent's Terrible Choice

For many Superman readers, the biggest selling point of Future State may be the promise of seeing Jon Kent take up the mantle of Superman. We've already seen one take on that story in the form of the zombie-themed DCeased franchise, but Future State has the benefit of being set within the traditional DCU. Unsurprisingly, Jon will find his father left behind very big shoes to fill.

"We see him as finally reaching a point where his dad can say, 'This is the family business. You are Superman. It's your job now. I'm going to go take care of this over here, out in space. You need to keep an eye on Metropolis.'" said Rich. "For Jonathan as a legacy character - which as we know, DC has a great history of continuing these kinds of characters and creating new versions and connecting them to the past - he has a different mode than his father ever did, because he has no secret identity because his father recently told everybody who his family was, but he's also half human."

Rich continued, "There's a lot to explore there in terms of who this character is. He's also grown up offstage in the future, which is a total other problem. He's got that kind of human, identifiable element that hopefully current readers can be attracted to. Here's a guy trying to figure out how to make his way in the world. And where we see him in Future State is there is a whole, rampant new version of Brainiac called Brain Cells that is self-replicating, and John is trying to figure out, 'How do I stop this? How do I protect my city?' The same time he's looking at Gotham, which is now is in big trouble. And he's like, 'How do I keep Metropolis from becoming Gotham?'"

Jon's fight to stop Brain Cells will also put him in conflict with Supergirl, who won't be too happy to see her cousin resort to the same Bottle City tech Brainiac used to steal away Kandor. In the process, Kara will take her own steps toward becoming a better hero in Clark's absence, finally evolving from Supergirl to Superwoman.

Rich said, "Supergirl is there to question him and challenge him and also maybe be like, 'Wait a minute. I am as powerful as my cousin. I am as powerful as Clark. Why am I not the one who gets the cape?' There's a lot of cool family drama in there."

The Long-Term Impact of Future State

At this point, you may be wondering why DC is placing so much emphasis on stories set a decade or more in the future. What bearing do these flash-forward tales have on the present-day DCU? Is this the inevitable future, or just one possible timeline in a sea of infinite possibilities? And for that matter, will any of these new characters and concepts continue on after Future State ends in February?

Obviously, Rich could only reveal so much right now, but he did confirm readers will have a better idea of what DC is planning for March by the time Future State begins, and that should in turn help shed light on how the present and future of the DCU are meant to intertwine.

"Part of our goal is that we will let you know pretty fast as you're getting into Future State what's coming next," said Rich. "Part of the benefit of our solicitation cycle being ahead is we'll see some things are like, 'Oh, that's what I'm writing about right now and here it starts to pay off.' I can say that yes, what we're doing in Wonder Woman and what we're doing in Superman does hint of things to come. What exactly those will be is going to be part of the reader's adventure."

Rich continued, "There might be points where you're reading and you're like, 'Oh, is this where Jonathan Kent goes towards that story where he puts Metropolis in a bottle? Will he get out of it this time? Will he make a different decision?' Those are the things we want to tease, but I think you will definitely see some of these characters return pretty quickly... Superman stuff will start to play out pretty soon here. If you invest in this, you're going to get out of it exactly what you're going to get in those two months and you're going to have a satisfying story, but if you're ready to keep going, there's plenty of Easter eggs and seeds and these stories for you to start to pick up on later."

And regardless of how much the actual plot of Future State impacts the present-day DCU in 2021, Rich promises these books will give readers a taste of the tone and thematic content of the Superman and Wonder Woman lines going forward.

"Like I was saying earlier, I definitely don't want Superman to be this heavy, dark book," Rich said. "I want to continue to examine what he means. It's interesting, because I edited Batman for a few years and not a lot of writers really ever pitched me on Batman. You get a lot of Superman pitches, and the difference seems to be when writers pitch to me on Superman, and artists, they tell me what the character means to them and what they feel that character should say to people. To me, that's very interesting, and that's the kind of thing I wanted to explore. And as I work with these different writers and bring new ones in, that's kind of what I'll be looking for. How does Superman speak to you and how do we want that to communicate to the reader?"

Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/dc-futu...an-batman-2021

This sounds a lot better, to be honest, and more reassuring.

For others but Superman and Batman don't look right without capes

Agreed. It's too much a part of the dynamic.

the color scheme is based on power girl
im wondering if there gonna make her more like her

I don't like that either, it implies Power Girl is just Supergirl 2.0 on the way to Superwoman. Big no from me.

[manwhohaseverything]

Since this is non-canon I wouldn't be opposed to going the Homelander route with this and just have him incinerating them cause why not *shrugs* at least he'd have some personality.

That's not having a personality. That's just being a psychopath. He should just flip them off.You know, show them the finger and jump over tall buildings . Now that's personality.

Now this is the dashing debonair action hero of action comics.More zorro/goldenage superman and less space joker.
Edit-

Damn! i am sold on the look.He looks badass. Also, jon seems to be stopping bullets from hitting protesters in this image who wants to free metropolis from some authorities. There is another image of jon taking on new kind of brainiac . This is getting me hyped.The new man of tomorrow looks to be turning out great.