Jim Lee, now sole Publisher of DC Comics, has confirmed that the company's upcoming Generation Five storyline (aka The 5G Initiative) will not be a reboot of the current DC Comics' Universe. Despite this, Lee also refused to divulge any details as to just what Generation Five is meant to accomplish.
Surprisingly little information has been made available regarding the 5G Initiative, beyond the fact that it will revolutionize the timeline of the current reality of DC Comics. The first steps have already been taken, with a story in Wonder Woman #750 confirming that Princess Diana of Themyscira was history's first recorded superhero and that she inspired the formation of the Justice Society of America in the new timeline. These heroes constituted the so-called First Generation of Superheroes, with the next three Generations constituting the Silver Age, the Post-Crisis Age and the New 52 Era. The capstone of the 5G Initiative will reportedly involve many of the classic heroes being replaced by the next generation, such as Jonathan Kent replacing his father as Superman.
Lee refuted the reboot rumors during his personal spotlight panel at C2E2 2020, according to a report by Newsarama."It's hard to talk about things we haven't announced," Lee explained. "Intention not to do a line-wide reboot." Lee went on to emphasize DC Comics' commitment to diversity and inclusiveness, while telling character-driven stories and pairing the right creators with the right characters.
Unsurprisingly, Lee remained mum about just what readers can expect to see from the upcoming 5G Initiative. It is apparent, however, that DC Comics is pushing forward with the storyline despite rumors that it might be scrapped following the departure of Dan Didio. This was always unlikely, however, as DC Comics just began soliciting their new titles for May 2020, which include a number of Generations tie-ins. Additionally, a Generations prequel, Generation Zero, was slatted to be one of DC Comics' offerings for this year's Free Comic Book Day event.
Whatever the end result of the various Generations comics and the 5G Initiative, it seems clear that the storyline will be the biggest thing to come out of DC Comics in the coming year. It remains to be seen, however, if the storyline will have any connection to the finale of the long-running Dark Knights: Metal saga which has similarly redefined the cosmology of DC Comics' universe or if it will have any connection to Doomsday Clock; another storyline that was meant to redefine the DC Comics universe but has yet to have much of an influence on anything.
Source: Newsarama