The Darkest Futures in Superhero Comics Ranked

In the upcoming “Age of Revelation” event, Marvel is venturing back into familiar grounds, drawing parallels with the original “Age of Apocalypse” storyline. This time, a new ruler takes over where the classic villain, Apocalypse, once held sway – his heir, Revelation (also known as Doug Ramsey. The event will depict a seemingly idyllic mutant society that ultimately leads to the extinction of humanity. It’s not uncommon for comics to explore such themes, and it’s likely we’ll see more in the future. Humanity tends to be fascinated by potential catastrophes, disasters, and events that could drastically alter our world, especially when we find ourselves responsible for these calamities.

The idea is consistently recurring in the comics realm, extending beyond the heroes and villains of major corporations. In this age of event comics and their spin-offs, we’re seeing an increasing number of bleak futures, some lasting only temporarily, others permanently – but it’s those truly dire scenarios that stand out as the most dismal.

15) Flashpoint

Barry Allen’s choice to travel back in time and save his mother from the Reverse-Flash ignited the contentious New 52 phase in DC Comics, starting off chaotically. As a result of his actions, he creates the “Flashpoint” timeline, where Thomas Wayne becomes Batman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman are engaged in war between New Themyscira and Atlantis, and Superman remains imprisoned, having never stepped out of his cell. It’s a grim future, but it’s ranked low on the list because it didn’t last long. Subsequent reboots and events diminished its impact.

14) The Dark Knight Returns

In the three-part saga known as “The Dark Knight Returns”, the storyline unfolds in a dystopian society plagued by violent gangs of mutants, impending nuclear conflict, and Superman serving as a pawn for the American government. The initial limited series sets the stage for this bleak world. The sequel, titled “The Dark Knight” continuation, introduces other DC Comics heroes to aid Batman in his struggle against Lex Luthor’s tyrannical presidency. A revamped and lethal version of Dick Grayson reemerges as a new Joker-like figure in this installment. The final chapter, “The Master Race”, introduces a swarm of fanatical Kryptonians who wield nuclear bombs and pose a threat to annihilate every city on Earth with their bodies acting as living weapons. This sounds like an outrageous nightmare, but things can always get more dire.

13) Rock of Ages

During the 90’s, Grant Morrison’s iconic stint on JLA served as a tantalizing glimpse into what was to come with Final Crisis. Some astute Redditors have noted that this later work can almost be seen as a sequel, depicting a world where Darkseid emerges victorious. This Darkseid-controlled Earth, tainted by the Anti-Life Equation, is characterized by desolation, harshness, and an abundance of parademons. Remarkably, he is revered as a deity, hinting at the terrifying extent of his influence beyond our previous understanding. Moreover, the story offers a unique portrayal of the infrequently seen blue energy Superman, making it stand out during that era.

12) Old Man Logan

In essence, did Mark Millar draw inspiration from his work in “Wanted” to shape a narrative where the villains triumphed over the Marvel Universe’s heroes? Yes, indeed. The plot revolves around Wolverine after the catastrophic final battle between righteousness and wickedness, with evil emerging victorious to institute a new order under the Red Skull’s leadership within the United States.

The story is replete with Marvel history references, yet it portrays a world that is unforgiving. It’s a time when warlords use Savage Land dinosaurs, controlled by symbiotes, to feed on former heroes. Furthermore, sneaky moloid infestations are causing cities to sink beneath the ground, and various gangs battle constantly for control of their territories. And that’s just the beginning; there’s more to discover before we understand why Wolverine no longer unsheathes his claws.

11) Batman: Last Knight on Earth

In a reimagined universe, our protagonist, known as Omega instead of Batman, wakes up confined within Arkham Asylum. Here, he finds himself in a world where Superman lost a debate to Lex Luthor, causing the public to view superheroes negatively and promoting lawlessness. This Omega is actually a clone of the original Batman, who acquired the Anti-Life Equation upon beheading Darkseid. Scott Snyder’s creation skillfully combines the chaos seen in his “Dark Nights: Metal” crossover event with an opportunity for Bruce Wayne to embrace his villainous persona.

10) Earth X

In an alternative Marvel Universe scenario known as Earth X, it’s revealed that Earth harbors a Celestial egg implanted within it, and following Black Bolt’s choice to release the Terrigen Mists, the population undergoes alterations. Essentially, think of it as Marvel’s version of Kingdom Come, where new heroes and old ones clash before culminating in the return of Galactus engaged in a fight against the Celestials. The scope broadens further in Universe X and Paradise X, with the latter two stories enhancing the cosmic theme across the galaxy.

9) Future Imperfect

In the upcoming tale of “The Incredible Hulk”, we encounter the ruthless Maestro – a future version of the Hulk who seizes global control following a devastating nuclear conflict. Overexposed to atmospheric radiation from the war, he becomes mentally unstable and establishes himself as a tyrant, ready to employ his might to maintain power. During their initial confrontation, he brutally kills Professor Hulk by breaking his neck. However, he’s only temporarily thwarted when transported through time by the Hulk and future revolutionaries, back to the instant the Gamma bomb detonates, giving rise to the Hulk. Despite his absence, this future remains a grim landscape.

8) Age of Ultron

Similar to Future Imperfect, Age of Ultron depicts a world where the antagonist, Ultron, has triumphed and rules the future. Having emerged from his own time, Ultron uses Vision as a tool and commands an unending horde of Ultron Sentinels to hunt down remaining humans and safeguard the streets. The Avengers initially attempt to travel to the future and defeat Ultron directly, but their plan ends disastrously with the deaths of Captain America and Iron Man. The devastation doesn’t stop there; Wolverine and Sue Storm later use a time platform to go back in time and kill Hank Pym, unintentionally creating a world where Ultron never existed, only for Morgan Le Fay to rise in power and wage war against technology. Even Iron Man, if he had survived multiple dismemberments, is still caught up in this conflict. This limited series offers a chilling portrayal of two dreadful futures stemming from a single event, making it worthy of this ranking.

7) Days of Future Past

The dystopian future of the X-Men has been depicted multiple times, but the seminal storyline in Uncanny X-Men #141 remains unrivaled. In this alternate timeline, Sentinels have seized control of America and are targeting mutants and heroes for elimination, eventually expanding their purge to the rest of the world. Mutants and allies are imprisoned in camps slated for destruction; those who survive are fighting to escape and alter the course of history to prevent this future from materializing. Whether this will be the ultimate fate of the X-Men remains uncertain, but similar scenarios recur in other tales.

6) Moira MacTaggert’s X Lives

Drawing inspiration from the storyline of “Days of Future Past“, Moira MacTaggert realized that no matter what steps were taken, the machines and humans would invariably find ways to eradicate mutantkind. Throughout her various lives, she found herself assassinating the entire Trask family, allying with Magneto, and even joining forces with Apocalypse in a different life. Her most prolonged and twisted existence, spanning over 1,000 years, was marked by a Wolverine blood transfusion and the advent of post-humans. In this future, she came to believe that machines were the real adversaries, not humanity, as the post-humans revealed their treatment of mutants to be akin to keeping animals in a zoo.

5) Future’s End

In this scenario, we’re discussing the integration of “Batman Beyond” into the primary DC Comics timeline as part of DC’s New 52 initiative. This storyline presents a chilling future where Brother Eye gains control and mercilessly eliminates heroes to transform them into mechanical abominations. The original character, Terry McGinnis, who was “Batman Beyond,” perishes and is succeeded by Tim Drake. Over time, Tim comes to understand that defeating Brother Eye isn’t possible through time travel. Instead, he journeys to the future to spearhead a rebellion against this oppressive regime.

4) Kingdom Come

Alex Ross and Mark Waid’s timeless exploration of DC Comics’ future is a well-earned inclusion in this collection. The narrative centers around veteran superheroes, spearheaded by Superman, re-emerging into the public eye and facing off against equally violent young heroes who are as vicious as their adversaries. With Superman’s return, Minister Norman McCay starts experiencing premonitions of Doomsday, viewing him as a harbinger of impending danger. The story reaches its climax when the heroes meet their demise at the Gulag prison built by Superman following a U.S. missile strike that takes lives on both sides, leaving Superman with a new outlook after being dissuaded from assassinating the U.N. leadership.

3) Wonder Woman: Dead Earth

In Daniel Warren Johnson’s Black Label story of Wonder Woman, our heroine finds herself in a post-apocalyptic world teeming with monsters and death. However, the twist comes when she realizes that she herself is responsible for the devastation – her fury ignited by humankind’s war against the Amazons, culminating in nuclear strikes on Themyscira. As a result, the Amazon inhabitants of the island have transformed into colossal beasts that Wonder Woman had been battling. However, it is when she removes her bracelets and unleashes her full power that things take a turn for the worse – she wreaks havoc on Superman until he perishes, and the planet is left in ruins. There are no happy days to be found in this nightmare setting.

2) Age of Apocalypse

In this Marvel universe, the storyline that stands out most is “Age of Apocalypse”. However, it doesn’t hold the number one spot without reason. The grim future unfolds when Charles Xavier is slain by his son, Legion, paving the way for Apocalypse’s dominance over the United States. As humanity struggles to survive, a counterattack is organized in Europe while Apocalypse wields power with his four horsemen and prepares to conquer the globe. The X-Men, led by Magneto and Rogue, are the primary opponents, resisting Apocalypse’s rule. In this world, if you’re not a mutant, your life is forfeit.

1) Ruins

As a movie reviewer, I’ve just finished diving into Warren Ellis’ chilling two-issue comic book series titled “Ruins.” Instead of Marvel’s typical heroic tales, this grim storyline serves as a haunting counterpoint to the beloved Marvel Universe. In a twisted turn of events, the experiments and accidents that spawned our favorite heroes have led to mutations, deformities, or fatalities.

This is not your typical Marvel comic book. It’s more like a terrifying vision of what might happen if everything that could possibly go wrong actually did. The Avengers transform into radical rebels against President X’s oppressive regime, only to meet their tragic end in the final quinjet, struck down by a patriot missile.

The once indestructible Wolverine is now crumbling due to his toxic adamantium skeleton. Nick Fury, a figure of authority, has devolved into a cannibal who takes the lives of characters like Jean Grey and ultimately himself in front of Phil Sheldon. The story culminates with Sheldon meeting his own grisly end at the hands of the spider virus he contracted from Peter Parker.

“Ruins” is an exercise in despair, a grim exploration of what could happen when the Marvel Universe goes terribly wrong. It’s a tale that might even be enhanced by the cathartic destruction that often follows such dark narratives. Everything hurts in this world – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If you’re looking for a comic book to make you question the very nature of heroism and humanity, “Ruins” is definitely worth a read.

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2025-07-21 18:17