Kingdom Come (comics)
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Kingdom Come was a 4-issue comic book limited series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Mark Waid and painted in acrylic paints & watercolours by Alex Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea. Set some 20 years into the future of the current DC Universe, it deals with a growing conflict between "traditional" Superheroes (such as Superman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League) and a growing population of largely amoral and dangerously irresponsible new vigilantes. Between these two groups are Batman and his assembled team, who attempt to contain the escalating disaster, foil the machinations of Lex Luthor, and prevent a world-ending superhuman war.
The series draws heavily on biblical apocalyptic imagery, especially that of the Book of Revelation.
The Absolute version of Crisis on Infinite Earths catalogued this as Earth-96.
Plot
Coming disaster
The story is set roughly a generation ahead of the current DC universe. Some 10 years past in this near future, the Joker is killed in cold blood on live television by Magog after a massacre at the Daily Planet offices, where he murdered (among others) Jimmy Olsen, Perry White and Lois Lane. Superman, already disheartened at the death of his wife Lois, abandons his battle for truth and justice after a jury delivers an acquittal for Magog, essentially embracing the brutal tactics of the new generation of "heroes" Magog represents.
Having retreated to the isolation of his Fortress of Solitude, the Man of Steel failed to realize the importance of his role as a symbol to others, and thus many other heroes of his generation withdraw from the world at large, leaving a power vacuum that is soon filled by a less disciplined generation. These new heroes battle openly, "with abandon" using lethal force against each other without concern for collateral damage or innocent passers-by. For the most part, the day to day superheroics are undertaken by this new, third generation heroes who have little or no respect for the legacies they represent. In fact, their actions have become so reckless and selfish, it has become difficult to determine the heroes from the villains anymore. Average humans, demoralized by the loss of their true heroes, the disregard the new generation shows for them and their inability to do anything about the state of affairs created by these metahumans, have fallen into a societal depression, where efforts that celebrate human achievement, like professional sports, have been mostly abandoned.
Certain classic age heroes like the Flash, Hawkman, the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, and Batman have remained active, although their modus operandi have changed dramatically. The Flash now lives 'between seconds' and remains in constant motion at super-speed. Hawkman has become an environmental terrorist, attacking logging camps and appearing more bird than man. (It is implied, though not stated in the text that Hawkman is in fact Carter Hall, not Northwind, his godson, who comes from a race of human-bird hybrids. The modern Northwind has been seen in issues of the Justice Society of America with an appearance very similar to the Kingdom Come Hawkman.) Green Lantern lives in an orbiting satellite, defending the Earth from extraterrestrial threats. He has also taken to wearing a full suit of green armor, and wielding a lance or sword made of emerald energy. Batman, his body no longer able to take the punishment heaped upon it over the years, wears an exoskeleton which includes a heavy neck and back brace to move. He now patrols Gotham City through the use of remote control robots.
The narrator and point of view character of the story is a religious minister named Norman McCay. McCay is a longtime friend of Wesley Dodds, the original Sandman. The aged Dodds, now infirm and in a nursing home, suffers from hallucinations or visions about a pending apocalypse and tries to warn McCay with his final breath. McCay, like Dodd's doctors, attribute the visions to senility. When Dodds passes away, his visions begin appearing to McCay. Already suffering from a crisis of faith, McCay is convinced he has finally gone insane when the Spectre appears to him while he prays for guidance. McCay is recruited by the Spectre (who feels his ability to determine the innocent from the wicked is not what it once was) to bear witness and help pass judgment on the approaching superhero apocalypse.
This sad state of affairs comes to a head when the Justice Battalion, led by Magog, attacks the Parasite with excessive and unnecessary force. In his panicked efforts to escape, the Parasite manages to tear Captain Atom open, releasing the nuclear forces within him, obliterating the entire state of Kansas and parts of the surrounding states.
Second coming of Superman
With coaxing from Wonder Woman, Superman decides to return to Metropolis and reform the Justice League. Superman intends to enforce morality upon the runaway metahumanity by offering them a choice: join his league and abide by Superman's code of ethics, or be a prisoner of it. He manages to collect former heroes (including Green Lantern, the Flash and Hawkman, and Dick Grayson, who now goes by Red Robin, among others) and reformed "new heroes," of the new generation such as Avia (Mr. Miracle and Big Barda's daughter), but one of the most prominent of the old guard of heroes refuses to join Superman's crusade: Batman. Batman, while seeing the need to stop the escalating metahuman problem before it gets out of hand, believes Superman's idealist notions are outdated and that his interference will only exacerbate the problem. He sees Superman's plan as exerting the will of the strong upon the weak, to which he will not be a party. He instead begins to organize a third group of heroes, made up largely of non-powered heroes like Green Arrow and the Blue Beetle, as well as second and third generation heroes like Jade, daughter of the first Green Lantern, and Zatara, son of Zatanna and grandson of the first generation hero whose name he shares.
Lex Luthor is still alive and well, and has organized Mankind Liberation Front. The MLF is primarily a group of Silver Age Justice League villains, including Batman foes Catwoman and the Riddler; Vandal Savage; King, leader of the Royal Flush Gang, as well as third generation villains like Ra's al Ghul's successor, Ibn al Xu'ffasch. (Al Xu'ffasch is also Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul's son, although their relationship is understandably strained.) The MLF work to wrest control of the world away from the heroes. Luthor's group also have an ace in the hole, a man the Spectre calls "the captain of the lightning and the thunder." This is none other than Captain Marvel, whom Luthor captured years earlier and has kept under control through the use of worms that crawl through Marvel's brain. The worms play upon the psychological dichotomy of the teen Batson inhabiting the adult body of the world's mightiest mortal, Captain Marvel. The worms very much resemble Marvel's old nemesis, Mr. Mind. Batman and his group ally themselves with Luthor's group, to better protect mankind from the coming metahuman war.
With Superman's Justice League gaining more captives than converts, they have to hold them somewhere. After being rebuked by Aquaman for their request to build an undersea prison and by Orion, (now ruler of the New Gods and Apokolips following the defeat of his father Darkseid) to build a prison off-world, Superman and the league end up building a massive penal colony called the Gulag in the Kansas wastelands; security design of the Gulag was provided by the universe's ultimate escape artist, Scott Free. The prison is filled to capacity almost as soon as they build it. Superman designates Captain Comet as warden. Superman tries to persuade the inmates through the use of repeated holographic messages that their methods are wrong-headed and dangerous, but his entreaties fall upon deaf ears. With hostile hero-villains like 666, Kabuki Kommando, and Von Bach locked up together, the pressure builds. In the meanwhile, Superman, urged on by Wonder Woman, had become more and more inflexible in his tolerance of inappropriate behavior by the metahuman community. He also learns that Wonder Woman's ever-increasing militant attitude may be based at least in part upon the fact that she has been exiled from Paradise Island. In the eyes of the Amazons, she has failed in her mission to bring peace to the outside world.
Pact
Batman and his cadre of heroes (referred as the "Outsiders" by fans, though not explicitly stated in the series), turn the tables on Luthor and the MLF after Luthor reveals his plan to exacerbate the conflict between the League and the inmates by setting Captain Marvel loose upon the League, the gulag and Superman, and use the ensuing chaos and confusion to seize power. Luthor missteps when he reveals that it is not in fact Captain Marvel he has enslaved, but instead an adult Billy Batson, Marvel's powerless alter ego. Batson, who becomes Captain Marvel when he speaks his word of power, "Shazam!", is the one being capable of countering Superman effectively. When the Gulag's inmates start rioting, killing Captain Comet, Batman's forces ambush Luthor and his co-conspirators. Batman is unable to restrain the severely brain-washed Batson before he turns back into Marvel and flies to Kansas. He follows Luthor's instructions to open the Gulag and unleash a chaos capable of destroying the world.
When the Gulag breaks open, the Justice League clash with the bloodthirsty inmates, while Superman and Captain Marvel battle (Marvel countering Superman's possibly superior strength by summoning lightning with his magic word "Shazam!") The Spectre and Norman watch, helpless (or unwilling) to do anything. Batman's forces join the fray, aiding Superman's League in quelling the riot, but also attempting to stop Superman and his allies from imposing their narrow rules upon all metahumans. Batman, wearing an armored battle suit with the power of flight, comes into direct conflict with Wonder Woman. The sheer power of the conflict threatens to destroy the nation...and perhaps the world.
As the conditions of the war worsen, shaking the earth and blackening the sky, the United Nations Secretary General Wyrmwood authorizes the deployment of three tactical nuclear warheads, hardened against certain metahuman powers. While this action will destroy hero and villain alike, the UN feels it has no choice in the matter; if mankind is to survive, metahumanity must be destroyed. This genocide is the UN's attempt at saving the world from an inevitable human/metahuman war. As Wyrmwood says; "Listen to me and understand! There is nothing rational about dispatching tactical nuclear weapons into the heart of my own country! But these are not rational times, we are at the flashpoint of human existence. The only way to ensure that future generations remember this as our final option is to insure there are future generations after this day..."
Armageddon
An armored Batman and Wonder Woman clash in the middle of the warzone, taking to the skies, where they see the incoming Blackhawk fighter-bombers delivering the nuclear bombs. They manage to stop two of them, but the third slips past and drops from its carrier. Captain Marvel continues to batter Superman by using his magic lightning bolt over and over, but dodging before it hits, leaving Superman to bear the brunt of a magical lightning strike. However, as Marvel says the name again, Superman grabs him and the lightning finds its mark; Marvel turns back into Billy Batson. Holding Batson's mouth shut, Superman tells Batson that he is going to stop the remaining bomb, and Batson must make an important choice: either stop Superman and allow the warhead to kill all the metahumans, or let Superman stop the bomb and allow the metahumans' war to engulf the world. Superman tells Batson he must be the one to make this decision, as he is the only one who lives in both worlds, that of normal humans (as Batson) and the metahuman community (as Marvel).
Superman releases him and flies off to stop the incoming bomb. Batson, his mind now clear of Luthor and Mr. Mind's influence, says the name, turns into Marvel, flies past Superman, and takes hold of the bomb, having found a third option. Marvel shouts "Shazam!" three more times in rapid succession, and the lightning sets off the bomb prematurely.
Despite Marvel's sacrifice, most of the metahumans are obliterated in the explosion, although a few survive beneath a force field generated by Green lantern and his daughter Jade. Superman, though outside the force field, is virtually untouched. His uniform torn and blackened by the lightning and the nuclear explosion, his eyes glowing red with restrained heat vision, he rises from the ashes looking more villain than hero. Enraged at the tremendous loss of life, he flies to the UN Building and threatens to bring it down atop the delegates as punishment for killing all his friends (Superman does not realize there were survivors at this point), and reacting in such a fearful and cowardly way to the metahuman war. The surviving metahumans arrive, but Norman McCay is the one who talks him down, pointing out how his appearance and behavior are exactly the sort of reasons that normal humans fear the super-powered. Chastised and ashamed, Superman immediately ceases his rampage. He is handed Captain Marvel's cape, the only remnant of the hero, and tells the UN representatives that they will use his wisdom to guide, rather than lead, humankind. Superman ties Captain Marvel's cape to a flagpole and raises it among the flags of the member nations of the UN, suggesting that this role of guidance would be more political and global in nature than the classic crime-busting vigilantism of the past.
Epilogue
In the aftermath of the metahuman civil war, the heroes actively strive to become fully integrated members of the communities they had previously tried to distance themselves from. Masks are abandoned. Wonder Woman's exile from Paradise Island ends, and she becomes an ambassador of sorts for the community of super-humanity, taking the survivors of the Gulag to Paradise Island for rehabilitation. Batman abandons his crusade and instead becomes a healer, opening up his mansion as a hospital to care for those wounded by the destruction of Kansas and the ensuing violence. He also reconciles with both Dick Grayson/Red Robin, who had sided with Superman, and I'bn, his son by Talia. Superman lashes himself to a giant plow and begins the arduous task of restoring the Midwestern farmlands devastated by nuclear explosions. It is a fitting parallel to the end of the generational conflict that started the war, as both men have come full circle in their lives and adopted the vocations of the their fathers; Thomas Wayne, the doctor, and Jonathan Kent, the farmer.
The final scene features Clark Kent, Diana, and Bruce Wayne meeting for a meal at Planet Krypton, a theme restaurant based on the golden age of superheroes. (Norman McCay and a man who looks like the Spectre's civilian identity, Jim Corrigan, are also eating at the restaurant.) Clark and Diana are there to tell Bruce they're expecting a child, but Bruce deduces the news before they can tell him. Diana still manages to surprise Bruce by asking him to accept the role of godfather and mentor of the child, whom Bruce rightly describes as potentially the most powerful being in the world. As the three exit the restaurant, they pass three framed comic books; the books are Whiz Comics #2 (the first appearance of Captain Marvel), The Sandman's costume, and More Fun #1, the first book ever published by DC Comics. Meanwhile, Corrigan complains to McCay about the contents of the Spectre platter, cottage cheese and spinach.
Characters
Superman's Justice League
Many of the members of the re-formed Justice League are either old characters in new forms or brand new adaptions of old names. Partial list:
- Superman: The leader of the League and a greying Man of Steel (though many times more powerful than he was in his younger days) that is growing uneasy with the role of being a world leader during a time of extreme tension.
- Wonder Woman: Superman's lieutenant is being quickly consumed by an inner rage directed at the state of the world and her exile from Paradise Island for her failure to bring peace to 'man's world'.
- Red Robin: The former Nightwing and the first Robin. He has replaced Batman on the Justice League.
- Flash: After melding with the Speed Force, the Flash's molecules have become unstable and as a result, he is constantly in motion. Waid later confirmed this Flash to be Wally West in The Kingdom. Alex Ross intended for him to be an amalgam of all previous Flashes. To this end, his real name is not given in the comic, and he cannot be seen disntictly enough to be recognised. He wears Jay Garrick's winged Mercury helmet, he has the red blur usually associated with Barry Allen and the speed lightning of Wally West. The Kingdom and Kingdom Come may also be two different timelines and accommodates both versions.
- Green Lantern: Ending his vigil among the stars, Alan Scott returns to Earth and joins Superman's crusade.
- Power Woman (formerly Power Girl): Though she has grown slightly older, Power Woman still retains her trademark cleavage.
- Hawkman: Now a literal 'hawk-man', Carter has become a guardian of nature.
- Donna Troy: Seen wearing Amazon robes, it is possible the former Wonder Girl may have replaced her mentor Wonder Woman as Paradise Island's ambassador to the world. She has also aged considerably compared to Diana: going slightly grey and putting on weight.
- Red Arrow: The former Speedy and Arsenal is now following in the footsteps of his mentor, the Green Arrow, down to a mustache, goatee and exact copy of Green Arrow's costume, but in red.
- Aquaman II: The former Aqualad, now the inheritor of his mentor Aquaman's mantle. He now sports a beard and (finally) long pants.
- King Marvel: The former Captain Marvel Jr.
- Lady Marvel: The former Mary Marvel. She is now married to King Marvel, and both have a superpowered son named The Whiz, who is also a member of this league.
- Robotman III: The former Cyborg.
- Aleea Strange: Adam Strange's daughter, wearing a similar outfit to her father's.
Batman's "Outsiders"
Batman has formed a group of metahumans, similar to his Outsiders many of which are second-generation heroes, to combat the Justice League and the Mankind Liberation Front. Partial list:
- Batman: No longer the example of human perfection, Bruce Wayne now requires an exoskelliton to move and utilises robots and a battle suit to continue his war on crime. His distrust of both Superman and Luthor leads him to form a new Outsiders of sorts. He objects to both the League and the MLF's plans for making a better world, feeling mankind should be able to make its own decisions and mistakes.
- Oliver Queen: One of Batman's partners, he has married his long-time love Dinah Lance, Black Canary II.
- Dinah Queen: One of Batman's operatives, she now wields a bow like her husband Green Arrow. She was among the fatalities in the Gulag battle, since we see her husband and daughter weep for her.
- Blue Beetle: Ted Kord, one of Batman's operatives, who now wears a Blue Beetle armored battle suit powered by the mystical scarab that gave the first Blue Beetle his powers.
- J'onn J'onzz: Once the Martian Manhunter, he has become a shell of his former self and can no longer control his powers. He tried to touch all humanity's mind at once and could not handle the torrents of hate, love, anger, sadness and joy. A shattered spirit, he maintains a human form at all times now and does not participate in any super heroics until Batman persuades him to help one last time.
- Kid Flash III is the daughter of Wally West.
- Darkstar: Son of Donna Troy, who has taken her place as Earth's Darkstar
- Obsidian: Son of Alan Scott with shadow powers. His look is based on the pulp-fiction hero the Shadow.
- Tula: a sea-faring malcontent. Daughter of Aquaman II.
- Steel: After Superman went into seclusion, Steel switched his devotion to Batman. He now wields an iron bat-shaped battle axe.
- Wildcat III: A man-panther with the spirit of the first.
- Zatara II: The son of the late Zatanna and John Constantine, and grandson of Giovanni Zatara. He may have inherited his father's ability to see otherworldly beings as he noticed the Spectre and Norman McCay in issue 3.
- Nightstar: The daughter of Dick Grayson and Starfire (comics).
Luthor's Mankind Liberation Front
Since Superman's departure ten years ago, Luthor and the MLF have been conducting events behind the scenes in an attempt to destroy metahumans and rule the world at last.
- Lex Luthor: The MLF's leader. Goes into mad fits whenever mention is made of Superman.
- Captain Marvel: Luthor's brainwashed houseboy and the last step in his plan for destroying Superman and the League.
- Ibn al Xu'ffasch: The son of Batman and Talia al Ghul, the heir to Ra's al Ghul's criminal organization.
- Vandal Savage: The only willing member of the MLF with any powers to speak of: immortality.
- Catwoman: The only female member of the MLF.
- Riddler: There only as a courtesy to Catwoman (they seem to be in a relationship) and tends to get under Luthor's skin.
- Kobra: A cult leader.
- King of the Royal Flush Gang: The MLF's newest member.
Rogue metahumans
The superheroes of the future have virtually no regard for human life. Many of them were killed in the Gulag battle, but most have already made their mark in the world as monsters. Listed below are the major, supporting, or otherwise notable characters.
- Magog: Ironically referred to as the new 'Man of Tomorrow'. His first act as a hero (shown in a flashback sequence) was the very public killing of the Joker. The Joker had been arrested for the murder of 92 men and one woman (Lois Lane being the woman) at the Daily Planet, but was expected to be ruled criminally insane, and thus not responsible. When the Joker appeared at his competency hearing, Magog flew in and blasted a hole through his chest, killing him instantly. Magog then surrendered to Superman. Put on trial for murder, with Superman testifying for the prosecution, Magog was acquitted. Superman, appalled at the seeming endorsement of lethal vigilantism, went into self-imposed exile. Magog and the composite Metal Men hero Alloy were the only survivors of the Justice Battalion, and at least partially responsible for the destruction of Kansas, for which Magog later seeks forgiveness. At the end of the Kingdom Come, Magog lives on Paradise Island, and is seen disciplining an unruly hero, seemingly to have finally grasped the need for self restraint.
- Von Bach: A Yugoslavian would-be dictator who speaks in German. He was imprisoned in the Gulag for killing opponents who had already surrendered. He was killed by Wonder Woman during the Gulag battle to stop him from killing Zatara II.
- 666: A gothic looking man/machine hybrid with little respect for the heroes of the past and is one of the major prisoners inside of the gulag. 666 battles other metahumans not for justice, but for sport. Visually based on Brian Azzarello.
- Joker's Daughter II/Harlequin IV: One of the many followers of the Joker's style. This one has no relation to Harlequin I(Molly Mayne Scott), Joker's Daughter I/Harlequin II (Duela Dent), Harlequin III (Marcy Copper), or Harley Quinn. She was one of the survivors of the Gulag Battle. After the battle, she lived on Paradise Island with most of the other survivors, and appeared to have tattooed a tear shape under her left eye. Modeled after Scary Godmother writer Jill Thompson.
- Thunder: A new Johnny Thunder with the mischievous spirit of Thunderbolt, he was one of the survivors of the Gulag battle. Can shoot lightning from his fingers. His eyes glow continuously.
- Catwoman II: The armored metahuman successor to Selina Kyle, this one might be more feline than the original.
Others
- Aquaman: Now married to Dolphin Arthur has dedicated himself fully to his role as monarch of Atlantis. He is approached by Superman to use the oceans as the location of the Gulag but refuses to accept anymore of the surface-world's problems despite his support of Garth's new role as Aquaman II. He seems to have become very old and weary of superheroics in the years since Superman dissappeared.
- Orion: Orion only appears in the collected edition of KC in pages Ross added especially (They had been scripted but were ultimately cut). Orion exemplifies the theme of inter-generational conflict and yet ironically is the only character to truly accept the role of their parents. Having long ago defeated his father, Darkseid, Orion found it impossible to elevate the 'lowlies' of Apokolips from the state his father had left them in. Ultimately he found the only way he could rule was to become his father, returning Apokolips to it's hellish former state. He offers Superman advice and a warning about becoming that which he seeks to destroy. It is on apocalypse that Superman recruits Scott Free and Big Barda to build the Gulag.
Effects on mainstream continuity
Due to the popularity of the series it was suggested that DC attempt to steer the DCU towards the world depicted in Kingdom Come. This was dismissed, but Alex Ross began work on a prequel titled Kingdom (see below) that would address how certain characters came to be (including the new Wildcat) and tie mainstream continuity to that shown in Kingdom Come. Due to a falling out with co-creator Mark Waid, Ross's series was never produced and Waid produced the prequel/sequel The Kingdom without any input from Ross.
Since the publication of Kingdom Come, some of its elements have found their way into the mainstream continuity:
- Cyborg for a time displayed the same powers/appearance as he does in Kingdom Come. [volume & issue needed]
- The character of Nuklon was given the name 'Atom Smasher' and costume he displays in Kingdom Come.
- A new Johnny Thunder (Jakeem Thunder) was introduced[volume & issue needed] based on Ross's new design and has since shaved his head, making him even closer in appearance to his Kingdom Come counterpart.
- In James Robinson's Starman, it was revealed that - as in Kingdom Come - Star Boy of the Legion of Super-Heroes will, at some point, travel back in time to assume the identity and costume of Starman.
- In the pages of JSA,[volume & issue needed] Northwind, a Hawkman supporting character, appears to have taken on Hawkman's appearance from Kingdom Come.
- During the events of Infinite Crisis,[volume & issue needed] Nabu became independent of his fourth human host (Hector Hall). He then existed as the helmet, cloak, amulet and gloves only and no longer required a human host, much like Kingdom Come's Fate.
- For a time, Superman wore his 'S-shield' with a black background rather than a yellow one.[volume & issue needed]
- The Metal Men have joined into the composite robot Alloy at least once.[volume & issue needed]
- The Brain Trust, a group of villains who appear in passing in issue two, have made an appearance in mainstream continuity.[volume & issue needed]
- In a three-issue story arc in The Titans,[volume & issue needed] the various offspring of the Titans (Darkstar, Nightstar, Red Hood, Kid Flash and Tula), arrived in the current continuity to assist the Titans in preventing Dark Angel from erasing Donna Troy from reality.
- Power Girl has changed her costume to match the costume of Power Woman.[volume & issue needed]
- Recently, in the third Teen Titans series,[volume & issue needed] three characters have appeared based on characters in Kingdom Come. A teenaged Zatara, a boy with elastic abilities confirmed to be Offspring, Plastic Man's son, and Miss Martian, a female martian superhero based on a background character Joan J'onzz, a clone of the Martian Manhunter's daughter.
See also
- The Kingdom - a sequel set in a continuity similar to that of Kingdom Come.