- Chris Claremont's X-Men approximately 114 million people would be in
concentration camps in the island of Manhattan and in Jersey City.
- Neal Adams and Don McGregor's Killraven, all of Earth's governments would
be destroyed and most of the human population enslaved or eaten by Martians. Only
about 100 people on the entire planet have any idea what freedom is.
- Dan Jurgens Armageddon 2001, the entire world would be in the
middle of the reign of a super powered dictator who would nuke anyone who
opposes him or if he just wants a summer home and you happen to be occupying
Tahiti.
- Frank Miller's Dark Knight predicted a nuclear war and the continued reign of
Ronald Reagan throughout the nineties. Now that is scary.
- Alan Moore thinks we should all be dead now. Those of us who live in
Washington D.C. should be dead twice over. Watchmen took place in the 80s and
V for Vendetta was supposed to have happened in 1997. Actually- come to think
of it, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow was supposed to have happened by
now. That story had its own sense of foreboding.
- We're getting close to the point where the entire state of Kansas is supposed
to be blown off the map in Mark Waid and Alex Ross's Kingdom Come.
- In Kamandi, Jack Kirby predicted the entire human race, save for one boy,
would be wiped out and the world would be taken over by mutated animal people.
The truly depressing thing is despite their many wars, they go about it in a way
that is much more civilized than the way we do things. Bascially, Kirby is
saying animals are more humane than humans.
- There is Marvel's Guardians of The Galaxy, where humanity and aliens are
trying desperately to recover from intergalactic tyranny that almost wiped all
of them out. Drugged out street punks. Frank Castle emulators running the
NYPD. Skrulls and Kree living together. Total mass hysteria.
- Peter David had his hands in many dark futures. He predicted two great
nuclear wars in The Incredible Hulk. One which spawn the villain known as the
Maestro in the classic Future Imperfect. Later he wrote Hulk: The End which
literally imagines nothing left but The Hulk and cockroaches. He was also one
of the architects of Marvel's original 2099 which was one giant technocratic
nightmare.
- A recent Justice Society story imagines a future ruled by a revived Nazi
party. However this falls into the category of the prevented future. Which
means even as alternate futures go this one is not going to happen.
- The Archie version of Ninja Turtles has New York City almost entirely
underwater by the year 2089. Not only that but a small group of mutant animals
are the only thing stopping the conquest of the planet by mutated cyborgs. Yes,
Archie published it. That Archie comics.
- Speaking of Archie, his descendant in the year 3000 can't decide between Betty and Veronica- and either one (or both) could be somewhat incestuous. Okay not that apocalyptic but is still at least somewhat disturbing and I thought I'd mention it.
- Geoff Johns and Paul Levitz Legion of Super Heroes predicts man colonized
space, genetically engineered itself to survive on various planets and then
decided to wipe out their mutated brethren.
- Then there is Keith Giffen and the Beirbaum's run on the Legion, as brilliant
as it was, where you needed a score card to list everything unbelievably dark
about it. It was just simply very effective at finding a piece of hope in the
darkness.
-
Young Me: Okay, so you still live here with Mom and Dad but you have a
somewhat real job. I didn't figure you would. I thought I'd either make it as a
writer which doesn't count as a 'real job' or be institutionalized.
Me: Yeah, I remember thinking that -- Then I'd point to a picture on my computer desktop.
Young Me: Wait -- that girl went out with you?
Me: Yes.
Young Me: More than once?
Me: Yes. I know . . . I don't understand it either.
Young Me: I have trouble even talking to girls.
Me: Don't worry. That'll change. Just wait till you get to college. Geekiness is a plus there.
Young Me: You're sure there are no giant robots that have wiped out 90% of the world's population?
Me: If there were could I be talking to you?
Young Me: Oh yeah. Sorry about that. Are there any new genetically engineered deadly super plagues designed by secret factions within the CIA spawned with the sole purpose of wiping out what remains of Earth's free people?
Me: Nope. There are some bad things going on in the world-- but nothing as bad as that. There are terrible things happening all the time, whenever you go but nothing so universal. I can't tell you much more than that-- because I'm not sure if you used Marty McFly time travel- in which case I'm endangering the universe just by talking to you-- or if you're some sort of alternate past me in which case I could strangle you right now and not change anything.
Young Me: I'm probably just some metaphysical construct used to make a point. If that's the case- one more question. Do they ever make a sequel to Roger Rabbit?
Me: There was briefly some talk back in 2008 but the first one was a copyright law nightmare-- so no.
Young Me: Apocalypse averted then. I'm going to get some Oreos.
