The destiny of the DC Universe has been teased in a brand-new trailer for their upcoming Future State mega event. The upcoming event, spinning out of Dark Nights: Death Metal, will consist of a variety of mini-series set in a future, dystopian DC Universe; DC will “pause” their regular ongoing titles during Future State’s two month run. There has been much speculation on the DC Universe of Future State, and the trailer sheds new light on this event.
First announced this past Fall, the event has sparked fans interest. DC provided first looks and preview art, all of which raised more questions than answers. Fans saw new versions of Wonder Woman, Batman, and Swamp Thing, as well as some surprising returns, such as The Guardian and The Black Racer. Readers learned about a dystopian Gotham ruled by a fascist regime outlawing masked heroes, and that a great tragedy had befallen Shazam and left him broken. A recent issue of DC Nation Presents, DC’s promotional magazine, laid out a Future State timeline and featured interviews with various creators involved in Future State, but even then, there are many questions on fans’ mind heading into the event.
The trailer, posted on DC Comic’s YouTube channel, does not answer any questions about the event--but does showcase artwork from the books up close, with special attention paid to the new versions of DC’s “Trinity” of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman (along with Catwoman and the Titans). A narrator asks who will take up the mantle of the heroes and invites fans to “discover the destiny of the DC Universe,” the event’s tagline.
Showcasing the Trinity along with other characters such as Catwoman and the Titans may be telling. The Trinity will obviously be important to the story, but why were the Titans and Catwoman chosen to be spotlighted? DC has revealed that something bad happened to Shazam, and the Titans were involved—is showing them in the trailer a way to emphasize how important this plot point is? And what role will Catwoman play in the fascist Gotham presided over by the Magistrate?
While some may express disappointment that the trailer provided no answers to our questions, it is important to keep in mind that this was designed to build hype and promote a product—which it does well. The action shots taken from the comics, coupled with the dramatic music, gets the adrenaline flowing and the reader excited to discover the destiny of the DC Universe. While fans still have questions, they must wait until DC Future State starts January 5th, 2020.
Source: DC Comics