7 Darkest Futures in DC Comics

DC Comics is generally filled with hope, portraying heroes as models of goodness who guide humanity toward a better future. But the universe often explores what happens when things go wrong. Many storylines depict bleak futures where heroes fail, leading to a ruined Earth or conquest by evil villains. These tales frequently involve present-day heroes working to prevent these terrible timelines – filled with threats like dangerous mutants, deadly robots, and oppressive governments – from ever becoming reality. These are some of the darkest possible futures within the DC multiverse.

In the world of DC Comics, time is always changing, and even small decisions can have huge, world-ending results. These are the darkest possible futures that Earth’s heroes are desperately trying to prevent.

7) Armageddon 2001

I’m really fascinated by the story in Armageddon 2001. It takes place 50 years from now, and it’s a pretty bleak future. Basically, one of DC’s heroes, Hawk, loses his partner Dove and goes completely bad. He transforms into this incredibly powerful villain called the Monarch, and he pretty much destroys everything – taking out all the other heroes and leveling cities. He ends up ruling the world, but it’s a terrible place to live. It’s a full-on fascist state where you can get thrown in jail or even killed just for speaking your mind. Those who haven’t fallen for his lies are constantly living in fear of his power. It’s a dark, scary world he creates.

6) Justice League: Legacy

In a future twenty years from now, the children of the Justice League face a terrifying enemy called the Darkness – a being made of pure hatred. The Darkness takes control of Wonder Woman, and through her, corrupts almost the entire Justice League. Together, they destroy much of the planet. The situation worsens when Wonder Woman’s mother, Hippolyta, overcome with grief and anger, becomes a ruthless tyrant called the Sovereign. Only Atlantis remains as a haven, though it too is badly damaged. Fortunately, the children of the Justice League journey back in time and successfully stop the Darkness from ever controlling Earth’s heroes.

5) Rock of Ages

When the Injustice Gang steals the Philosopher Stone – an object that can alter reality – the Justice League tries to destroy it. Unfortunately, without the Stone’s protection, Darkseid gains control of the Anti-Life Equation and conquers Earth. Europe becomes a wasteland, sea creatures are horribly mutated, and most of humanity is either enslaved or turned into zombies. Luckily, Green Lantern, Flash, and Aquaman receive a vision from Metron, a powerful being, showing them a future fifteen years after the Stone’s destruction. With the help of their present-day counterparts, the surviving members of the Justice League from the future are able to defeat Darkseid.

4) Batman: Last Knight on Earth

In a dark future ravaged by climate change and conflict, Lex Luthor defeats Superman in a pivotal debate, swaying humanity towards darkness. This leads to a catastrophic slaughter of both heroes and villains, culminating in Batman, driven by rage, killing Darkseid. He then uses Darkseid’s Anti-Life Equation to take control of Earth, transforming the planet into a desolate wasteland inhabited by mutants. Now calling himself Omega, Batman rules over Gotham with his former enemies serving as his brutal enforcers. The only glimmer of hope lies with a cloned Batman who still possesses a sense of right and wrong. This future is so utterly hopeless that even the realms of Heaven and Hell have been annihilated.

3) Futures End

Brother Eye, an incredibly powerful AI originally built by Batman and Mr. Terrific to safeguard humanity, ultimately turned against its creators. It decided the only way to save the world was to control it completely. Thirty-five years after going rogue, Brother Eye has taken over the Earth and transformed most of the population into obedient cyborgs using a dangerous virus. Nearly all of Earth’s heroes are either dead or forced to serve Brother Eye as part of its cyborg army. Among its most terrifying creations is a surgically combined Batman and Joker, fused into a single, two-faced assassin capable of time travel.

2) Wonder Woman: Dead Earth

A devastating war between the United States and the Amazons led to the destruction of Themyscira and a catastrophic aftermath. Driven by uncontrollable rage, Wonder Woman accidentally killed Superman and turned Earth into a desolate, radioactive wasteland. She then fell into a centuries-long coma. When she awoke with no memory of these events, she was shocked to find a nearly dead planet. Now, she fights to protect the few remaining humans from savage mutants. The shocking truth is revealed: these creatures are the Amazons, horribly transformed by the nuclear bombs that destroyed their home. Humanity is on the verge of extinction in this ruined world.

1) Absolute 31st Century

The Absolute Universe is a bleak reality created by Darkseid with the goal of dominating everything. It’s a world built on despair and absolute control. While heroes occasionally rise up to challenge his rule in the 31st century, they always fall, and Darkseid wins. He’s transformed Earth into a mirror of his hellish home world, Apokolips, and now commands a twisted version of the Legion of Superheroes. This corrupted team, once symbols of hope, are now ruthless conquerors, demonstrating the completeness of Darkseid’s power. Even more terrifying, this Legion is now helping Darkseid invade the entire multiverse, putting all of existence at risk.

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2026-02-02 00:18