Endless Winter is set to drop the DC Universe into sub-zero temperature this December, with character teasers depicting heroes in new thermal costumes alongside foreboding quotes that seem to reference an old, forgotten enemy. But what exactly is the mysterious nine-issue event all about? Rumors circulate that the series is centered around the Justice League and even the Endless of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, but co-writers Ron Marz (Batman/Aliens, Silver Surfer) and Andy Lanning (The Authority, Guardians of the Galaxy) hint that we’re seeing a bit of a revenge tale involving everyone from the Teen Titans to Black Adam and even Justice League Dark.
Justice League: Endless Winter #1 goes on sale December 1st and will showcase two separate timelines: the Justice League encountering a life-ending storm at the former site of the Fortress of Solitude in the present, and the story of Queen Hippolyta, Swamp Thing, Viking Prince, and Black Adam encountering a villain known as the Frost King in the distant past.
Teasers for the Endless Winter series were recently released showcasing Wonder Woman in heavy-warrior gear and Batman wearing a long white coat and goggles, with individual quotes reading, “You can’t bury the past forever” and “We thought he was dead. But he’s back.” But if revenge is indeed a dish best served cold, who exactly is back and fulfilling it? DC solicits imply that over 1,000 years ago, a group of heroes banded together to prevent exiled Norse god the Frost King from freezing the world over, but it came at a price. Could the Frost King be exacting retaliation now, and will it involve temperature-manipulating baddies such as Mr. Freeze, Captain Cold, or even Delores Winters?
Delores Winters was a character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster way back in the '40s (first appearing in Action Comics #20). Winters was a popular movie star, and after a series of unfortunate circumstances led to her brain being implanted in another body, she became a lifelong devotee to cosmetic surgeries, owning a business in the field and rebranding herself as Endless Winter. She teamed up with super villainess Roulette and hosted brawls: heroes were thrown into Battle Royale-like matches to kill or be killed; those who didn’t survive were given to Winters and her specialists to be dissected, their parts sold and surgically implanted in consumers aching for metahuman abilities. Winter herself had some modifications done to her skin: she’s now able to manipulate humidity and heat to create ice and snow. Although she has little control over these abilities, she has joined the ranks of other icy DC villains such as Mr. Freeze and Captain Cold, and since she shares her name with the event itself, it seems likely she'll be involved in the fray.
There'll certainly be enough going on to keep all of DC's cold-snap villains occupied, as the Justice League: Endless Winter one-shot will be followed by The Flash #767 (December 8,) Superman: Endless Winter Special #1 (December 8,) Aquaman #66 (December 15,) Justice League #58 (December 15,) Teen Titans: Endless Winter Special #1 (December 15,) Justice League Dark #29 (December 22,) and Black Adam: Endless Winter Special #1 (December 22,) with its concluding chapter in Justice League: Endless Winter Special #2 (December 29.) With a powerful new villain, an ancient team of heroes, and a message that's likely to touch on modern-day climate worries, Endless Winter promises to be one (frozen) hell of a story.
Source: DC Comics