The The Joker War. Since then, Gotham has been radically changed with the coming of the Magistrate.
The recently announced Future State event will span over two months in early 2021 and explore the various futures of DC Comics’ most iconic superheroes. Previews that have been released are teasing a completely different landscape from what fans might have expected, with Superman leaving Earth and a brand new Wonder Woman being introduced. However, it seems that the event has already planted seeds for what’s to come.
According to John Ridley, who is writing Future State: The Batman, the series will be an extension of The the mantle of the Dark Knight in his absence.
Ridley has teased that the new Batman, whose identity remains unknown, will be technologically sophisticated in his approach to fighting crime. Of course, the resourcefulness of the Magistrate is going to be a lot for a one man crusade to restore justice and order to Gotham. It is anyone’s guess whether this means that the new Batman will be as advanced as Terry McGinnis’ Batman, or simply a more grounded version of what’s to come in the near future, as this is set closer to current continuity than Batman Beyond. Interestingly, both of the future bat vigilantes wear masks which cover their entire faces. Some have theorized that this Batman could be Luke Fox, who has experience with highly advanced technology.
Despite their being outlawed, the city will maintain a team of masked vigilantes who are resistant to the Magistrate’s tyrannical force. Among the resistance is Nightwing, whose future as a protector of Gotham seems like a reasonable progression for his character. Although there’s a new Batman that isn’t Dick Grayson, Nightwing will attempt to fill that void himself. Readers can only imagine that Dick will have some thoughts about the new Dark Knight, which seems like it might make for a tense dynamic that will carry throughout Future State. DC’s Future State begins on January 5, 2021.
