Summary

• Adventure Time #34 depicts the cartoon's "original timeline," as Finn wakes up as "Old Man Finn," an old, battle-hardened version of himself resembling his hero Billy.
• Finn saves the day by using a time machine in his prosthetic arm and prevents the "Mnemonoid" from feasting on his memories, by instead offering him an endless supply of stories.
• Adventure Time #34 has a perfect ending, showcasing why Finn is a great character at any age.

In Adventure Time, Finn the human is a great hero, but even he has someone he looks up to: the man simply called “Billy.” An ancient hero who fought the Lich King, a bear, and even the ocean, stories of Billy's triumphs are what inspire Finn as he fights evil alongside Jake. That said, some fans may not know that in the “original” timeline, Finn became that hero himself.

In Adventure Time #34 – written by Ryan North, with art by Shelli Paroline – Finn and his friends keep facing off against an all-powerful telepathic being known as the Mnemonoid. Finn has such exciting adventures, the Mnemonoid keeps coming back to him over decades to feast, meaning Finn keeps waking up in progressively older bodies with no memories of aging.

In one of these instances, he appears as “Old Man Finn,” an ancient hero who looks just like Billy.

Finn Doesn't Know How He Became Billy, But He'd Make His Hero Proud

Adventure Time #34 Written By Ryan North; Art By Shelli Paroline, & Braden Lamb

When Finn wakes up as an old man in Adventure Time #34, he feels like his thirties were just yesterday. He's decked out in armor and furs, with a sweet sword, looking like his own version of his hero Billy.

The first time Finn and Jake met Billy in Adventure Time, he was an old man, living as a hermit in a cave, determined to have no more adventures. When Finn told him he and Jake wanted to be heroes just like him, Billy rejected them, saying they should solve all problems non-violently, that fighting isn’t worth it. Finn and Jake, however, were not used to trying this method and messed things up even more for a local village. They went back to Billy and inspired him by telling him that sometimes violence does solve problems, and that's what they're best at.

When Finn wakes up as an old man in Adventure Time #34, he feels like his thirties were just yesterday. He's decked out in armor and furs, with a sweet sword, looking like his own version of his hero Billy. Even though Finn doesn't how the world became such a wasteland, he still knows he's the only one who can save it. He is even able to inspire hope in one of his few friends still alive: Queen Bubblegum, who has locked herself away ever since the Mnemonoid killed her wife Marceline.

Finn Knows the True Hero's Way to Solving The Mnemonoid Problem

Stories Taste Better Than Memories

Once the Mnemonoid has a better source of food than Finn, he's no longer interested in the young hero, meaning the future has been changed. Old Man Finn slowly fades away as his timeline never happens.

When the Mnemonoid confesses to Finn and Bubblegum why he eats memories, he says that what he actually hungers for are stories, and adventurers have the very best. Finn lives up to his hero Billy both as a warrior, and in a non-violent way: after fighting the Mnemonoid to distract him, he reveals that his prosthetic arm holds a powerful time machine, and he and Bubblegum travel back to the day they first met the Mnemonoid. If he's going to feed on stories, the person he really wants is Lumpy Space Princess, who has an endless stream of gossip to share.

Once the Mnemonoid has a better source of food than Finn, he's no longer interested in the young hero, meaning the future has been changed. Old Man Finn slowly fades away as his timeline never happens, though he warns Finn of a bunch of things to avoid – including, for example, marrying the Flame Princess. It's an all-around perfect ending that ties up the loose ends and hits all the beats that have been set up for it. This story shows why Finn is such a great character at any age, and that the best of times are Adventure Time.

Adventure Time #34 is available now from BOOM! Studios.