Comic book fans have been waiting a long time for Y: The Last Man to hit the screen. The long-in-development television series follows the story of Yorick, the last surviving man in a world where a mysterious plague has killed all other men. Though the series is just getting started, fans know there is a lot in store.
The new series seems as if it will lean heavily on the acclaimed early 2000s Vertigo comics series it's based on, which ran for six years and sixty issues. Co-created by writer Brian K. Vaughn and artist Pia Guerra, the comic book is a blueprint for the story of the live-action series, providing old and new fans alike with a lot to chew on.
The Disaster That Started It All
Y: The Last Man begins with the sudden and total death of men all over the world. The show seems as if it will follow this plot point fairly closely. The shock is so great that in the opening scene of the Vertigo comic book series, a female police officer, having lost her husband and partner on the force, takes her own life rather than face the horror of what is to follow.
The out of nowhere death of men across the world erases half the population in an instant and leads to a lot of collateral damage, like planes crashing without their pilots.
There Is Never An Answer For The Plague
The most intriguing thing for viewers of the new show - and maybe the most daunting - is that no explanation is ever given in the comics for what caused the plague. A number of theories are put forward by the characters over the course of the series, with none of them being given any particular weight by the narrative.
Brian K. Vaughn said in an interview there is a reason, and fans might be able to decipher it in the comics. Among the theories stated is that the emergence of cloning caused nature to eliminate men, as well as the theft of an ancient and cursed amulet from Jordan right at the moment of the crisis.
Alter's Role In It All
One of the most tantalizing theories in the comic has to do with Lt. General Alter, an Israeli soldier, and leader in the aftermath of the plague. Over the course of the series, it's revealed that Alter, along with others, was responsible for unleashing a chemical agent in China to prevent the birth of new males.
Instead, this resulted in killing nearly all men everywhere. This theory is never put forward as fact in the comic, but in the unproduced movie adaptation written by Brian K. Vaughn, this was stated as the reason for the plague.
Who Is The Last Man
Comic fans know the entire series hinges on the fact two males did survive - Yorick Brown, a magician and escape artist, and his pet monkey Ampersand. Like with the plague, no specific reason is ever given for why they survived, but fans of the comic got a few theories that could play into the show.
A wild theory considered by the characters involved Ampersand's feces. A genetic mutation may have made him immune to the plague that killed nearly all other male mammals, and handling Ampersand's feces may have somehow immunized Yorick as well.
The Culper Ring
TV fans may be intrigued by the presence of the Culper Ring in Y: The Last Man. The Culper Ring is a major element of the plot, a clandestine spy organization going back centuries that seeks to find a cure for the plague. The Culper Ring is a real-world historical body that featured in the AMC series Turn, one of the best spy thriller TV series.
The show focused on the Culper Ring, a network of secret spies active during the American Revolutionary War. The organization in Y: The Last Man is a modern iteration of the same group.
Agent Of Peace
Fans of Turn will remember an Agent 355 from the Culper Ring. The key representative of the Culper Ring in Y: The Last Man comics is Agent 355, who is assigned by Yorick's mother, a United States Congresswoman, to protect him.
355's name is never given in the comics, but at the end of the series, a future Yorick visits her gravesite and the word Peace is inscribed on a tree along with her designation. The at times contentious but fun dynamic between Yorick and 355 is one of the best relationships in comics.
Daughters Of The Amazon
The status quo in the world changes radically overnight and one aspect of this the new show might embody from the comics is the Daughters of the Amazon. This group of women emerges in the aftermath and seek to kill Yorick to prevent him from creating any other males.
This group, which includes his sister Hero, believes that the plague is nature's way of ridding of the 'mistake' of men. The behavior of the group is very challenging in the comics, and it's very likely the show will approach them with a lot of nuance should they appear.
The Search For Beth
As much as the comic book series is about finding a cure for the plague, it's also about Yorick finding his girlfriend Beth. At the time of the disaster, Beth is in Australia. The collapse of most transportation makes reuniting with her impractical and Yorick spends much of the series looking for her.
It's likely the live-action series will include some aspect of this quest as well, but comic fans know it isn't as simple as two lovers reuniting after a terrible tragedy. The story takes many twists and turns, some of them very tragic.
Yorick's Wedding Ring
Ancient and powerful mystical artifacts are often weapons in Marvel Comics, and such an object could play a big role in Y: The Last Man. Though Yorick's survival is suggested to be tied to Ampersand, there may be another reason. The engagement ring he received from Beth is actually thought to be ancient, hailing from the Middle East.
The engagement ring is believed to convey some aspect of his wife's femininity onto the wearer, and this could be the reason Yorick was spared. This plot thread could become relevant in the live-action series if it explores the idea that Agent 355's theft of another ancient amulet from Jordan was in some way tied to the origins of the plague.
The Tin Man Story Arc
While the new show could diverge greatly from the comic book in terms of its story and ultimate outcome, the comic book provides an escape hatch for humanity. Over the course of the series, clones play a crucial role.
"The Tin Man" story arc revealed that Dr. Alison Mann, dedicated to finding the cause and a cure for the plague, is a clone herself. Ampersand is also a product of the same experimental program by her father. Her efforts eventually lead to the creation of clones of Yorick, and a way out of the plague.