Warning: Contains preview pages for Flashpoint Beyond #1
One member of the Justice League may not get the respect he deserves, but Flashpoint Beyond has just shown he could easily be the most brutal and deadly conqueror... if the world forced him to be. The alternate Flashpoint timeline has returned to DC Comics, and brought with it a twisted variant of Aquaman who is proving the King of Atlantis is not to be taken lightly.
When Barry Allen went back in time to save his mother's life, he accidentally created Flashpoint, the diverging timeline that is one of the darkest versions of the DC Universe imaginable. Bruce Wayne was shot and killed instead of his parents, Superman spent his entire life in prison, and the world was about to tear itself in half over a war between Atlantis and the Amazons. Thankfully Flash restored the timeline, but with Thomas Wayne's Batman returning to Flashpoint Beyond, the dark future has marched even farther into nightmare.
A new report informs the elder Batman of the 'state of emergency' ongoing in Britain in a preview for Flashpoint Beyond #1, by Geoff Johns, Jeremy Adams, Tim Sheridan, Xermánico, and Mikel Janín. Without the war being stopped as it seemingly was in the original event, the Atlanteans have apparently turned the tide, so to speak, against the Amazonian forces and have begun executing their soldiers. Emperor Aquaman releases a statement to the surface world demanding the surrender of all nuclear forces, and global recognition of his supreme authority. While the White House refuses to negotiate, Aquaman stands resolute in his promise to drown the world if his demands are not met. Take a look for yourselves in the official preview below:
If there's one thing the Flashpoint timeline has proven true, it's that Aquaman is a force to be reckoned with. He's already flooded a number of countries and killed millions of people. That's to say nothing of the tactical mind and resolve he's shown in fighting against the unyielding forces of the Amazons. While the standard timeline Aquaman is nowhere near as bloodthirsty or dead-set on conquering, this darker world has shined a new light on how powerful Arthur Curry really is.
Aquaman has often been the butt of many jokes throughout the years over his assumed "lameness." When Arthur began headlining his own comics again in the early 2010s, writers took it upon themselves to show how effective a hero he actually was. But Aquaman's Flashpoint self truly shows how much he is holding back. With a moral center and noble leanings, Arthur has become a reliable and dedicated hero. Take those away and all that's left is a monster who has the means and the abilities to bend the world to his will. If the Amazons and the combined forces of every remaining hero in the world can't stop him, then no one can.
It's a good thing for the DC Universe that Aquaman became a Justice League member. Because in another world, he'd be their biggest adversary.
Flashpoint Beyond #1 is available May 3, 2022.