The DC Universe is famous for twisting and bending its timelines into unrecognizable versions of itself. The New 52: Futures End and Future State are two of the publisher's most ambitious time-bending events and each threw the DC Universe into dystopian nightmares that completely reset the narrative direction of the entire universe.
In 2014, Future's End was a line-wide event and maxi-series that were all about Batman Beyond's official entry into the mainline DC Universe. He traveled back in time to stop Brother Eye from transforming everything into a cyborg-controlled hive mind.
More recently the Batman Who Laughs nearly ripped existence apart at the seams, but Wonder Woman did enough to appease the Hands of the Multiverse to reset the continuity into an Infinite Frontier. Future State stems from the echoes of that reset and places a number of the heroes in dire straits. Some Future State timelines showcase heroes and vigilantes as criminals being hunted by futuristic police states and other heroes. Flash's Future State story tells the story of a possessed Wally West wreaking havoc and killing everything in sight. While both Futures End and Future State place their respective residents in hellish futures, which one was more horrifying?
The main villains of Futures End are Brother Eye and Brainiac, who was manipulated Mister Terrific into creating the despotic Brother Eye. A number of writers and artists contributed to the story, including Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Dan Jurgens, and Keith Giffen. The story begins when the aging Bruce Wayne sent Terry McGinnis back in time to prevent Brother Eye's ascension. However, Wayne's time machine failed and sent Terry McGinnis back five years too late. While Brother Eye was transforming Earth in his image, Earth 2's Apokolips Ear spilled over into the DC Universe as well. Earth 2 was destroyed, initiating an interdimensional refugee crisis. The refugees were met with hostility upon their arrival and they were imprisoned on Cadmus Island and left under the command of Grifter and Deathstroke. Even after Tim Drake traveled back into time five years to stop Brother Eye's ascension, he failed and Brother Eye continued to ravage the future.
Future State shows many potential timelines that erupted out of the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. The most prominent stories follow Tim Fox as he takes on the role of Batman, a new Justice League that keeps their identities secret from each other, and a Flash family that is being ravaged by a Famine possessed Wally West. The Magistrate is hunting down any and all masked individuals in Gotham City, with their influence ranging from the mayor to the GCPD. Future State: Teen Titans by Tim Sheridan and Raga Sandoval, tells the story of a land destroyed by demonic forces and the four riders of the apocalypse. Future State's stories have a recurring theme of pushing the heroes involved to their limits and blurring the lines between what it means to be a hero and a villain in a world where all masked individuals are treated like the plagues of society.
Future State introduced a horrible timeline where familiar heroes and teams are in shambles. The Flash Family has lost their connection to the Speed Force and Bruce Wayne was forced to live underground in an unrecognizable Gotham City. However, Futures End showcased a world that was horrible for everyone, whether they were heroes, villains, or civilians. And like Future State, Futures End also saw many heroes die and turn on one another. Even after Tim Drake tried to save the timeline, Brother Eye still ravaged everything in sight and an entire planet of refugees was left trapped in a foreign dimension.
The residents of Earth 2 probably had the worst existence of any of the residents of Futures End and Future State. Their Earth was destroyed and they were either inhumanely imprisoned by Grifter and Deathstroke or trapped in an unfamiliar dimension. While Future State explores a number of what-if scenarios that are bad for the heroes, Futures End was horrific for everyone involved. From the citizens on two different Earth's being displaced, to planetary wars and an entire roster of heroes transformed into cybernetic monsters, Futures End was a special kind of a nightmare for those forced to live through it.
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