Future State: Superman: Worlds of War #1 is an issue of the series Future State: Superman: Worlds of War (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 2021. It was published on January 19, 2021.
Synopsis for "The Many Lives of Clark Kent"
Smallville, Kansas. The future...
Sadie is a girl from Gotham City. She lived in Metropolis before, and she decided to come to Smallville to pay homage to the original Superman, long disappeared from Earth. As she steps into the city, she finds Smallville transformed into some sort of pilgrimage in the memory of Superman: fake kryptonite jewelry is sold, old chemistry notes of Clark Kent read like they are some sort of holy scripture, with people gathering and praying in his name. This is not what Sadie wanted to do here, and so she tries to find another place where someone else, someone who understands better who Superman still is: in a field, people are seated, remembering how Superman saved them.
Sadie listens to them: many of them are former citizens of Metropolis, who left the city after the new Superman, Jon Kent, miniaturized it with kryptonian tech without asking any permission. Every single one of them tells stories about the great power of Superman, and then they start to build conspiracy theories about his death, or him ascending to new places and roles, being, after all, a godlike being. Sadie is tired: they cannot really limit the importance of Superman to just powers and feats. He's also a beacon of hope, and an alien who lived the life of a man, because he wanted to. Superman loved humans, and humanity, so much that he became one: Clark Kent. And it wasn't Superman the one who saved Sadie: her hero was Clark.
As the other members of the group insult her, calling her a jerk, Sadie leaves, while the true fate of Kal-El lied not on Earth, but somewhere else. Somewhere far, far away...
Mongul's Warworlds
Superman was captured, and trapped, by the new Mongul: he must fight for his life in the arena, against any threat Mongul throws at him, while also having to hear the tyrant call him a former great champion, now old and depowered. But he will find a way to come back home.
And on Earth, someone, like Sadie, still holds hope for him to return...
Appearing in "The Many Lives of Clark Kent"
Featured Characters:
- Superman (Clark Kent) (Also in a vision)
Supporting Characters:
- Eyiitsha (First appearance)
- Sadie (First appearance)
- Terry (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- Magog (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
- Mongul MDCCXCII (First appearance)
- Zombies (In a vision)
Other Characters:
- Alex (Flashback and main story) (Single appearance)
- Chris (Flashback and main story) (Single appearance)
- Donnie (Flashback and main story) (Single appearance)
- Greg Niles (Single appearance)
- Church of Krypton (Single appearance)
- Justice League (Zombified) (In a vision)
- Aquaman (Arthur Curry) (In a vision)
- Batgirl (In a vision)
- Batman (Bruce Wayne) (In a vision)
- Cyborg (In a vision)
- The Flash (Barry Allen) (In a vision)
- Green Lantern (John Stewart) (In a vision)
- Hawkgirl (In a vision)
- Hawkman (Carter Hall) (Single appearance) (In a vision)
- Martian Manhunter (In a vision)
- Nightwing (In a vision)
- Superman (Jon Kent) (In a vision)
- Wonder Woman (Diana of Themyscira) (In a vision)
- Kryptonians (In a vision)
- Brainiac (Mentioned only)
- Ma Kent (Mentioned only)
- Mongul MDCCXCI (Mentioned only)
- Pa Kent (Mentioned only)
- Supergirl (Mentioned only)
- WGBS (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Hypertime (Behind the scenes)
- Future State
- 2030
- Earth (Also in a vision)
- Israel (Flashback only)
- United States of America
- Metropolis (Flashback only)
- Queensland Bridge
- Smallville
- Smallville High School (Mentioned only)
- Gotham City (Mentioned only)
- Kansas City (Mentioned only)
- Metropolis (Flashback only)
- Earth's Sun (In a vision)
- Warworld
- Krypton (Mentioned only)
- Earth (Also in a vision)
- 2030
- Future State
Items:
- Bracelets of Submission
- Kryptonite (Mentioned only)
- Nth Metal
- Wonder Woman's Tiara
Concepts:
Synopsis for "Time and Effect, Part One"
Shilo Norman, Mister Miracle, finds himself in an unspecified location. His Mother Box was speaking in Kryptonian, as it found a trace of a kryptonian matrix, but then adapted to North American english. They are in a grave, full of decomposing bodies: Shilo must track down the reason of all this death. And when he finds out, he's not surprised: a warworld, a darwinist reality of eternal fighting ruled by the overlord Mongul. Trying to understand where he is, he's spotted by Midnighter, also infiltrated here: Shilo needs to contact the JLA for help, as they must get Clark out of here. Mister Miracle is confused: Clark who? Midnighter tells him to reason a bit with his brain, how many Clarks he knows who could need the help of the JLA here? It seems like Shilo lost some of his mind when they had to surrender Metropolis a few years back.
With the last of Midnighter's words, Shilo is even more dumbfounded: what happened a few years back? Still, he needs to know where he is and how he can stop Mongul from keeping his slaughtering running. In the end, Shilo manages to exit the arena, and he finds himself in open space, with an entire warfleet surrounding him. It looks like things are going to get much more complicated...
Appearing in "Time and Effect, Part One"
Featured Characters:
- Mister Miracle (Shilo Norman)
Supporting Characters:
- Midnighter (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Mongul MDCCXCII (Behind the scenes)
- Warzoons (First appearance; unnamed)
Other Characters:
- Superman (Clark Kent) (In a photograph only) (Cameo)
- The Authority (Mentioned only)
- JLA (Mentioned only)
- Kryptonians (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Hypertime (Behind the scenes)
- Future State
- 2030
- Warworld
- Earth (Mentioned only)
- Metropolis (Mentioned only)
- 2030
- Future State
Items:
- Aero-Discs
- Mother Box (Behind the scenes)
Concepts:
Synopsis for "Midnighter: Future State, Part One"
Warworld, sometime tomorrow....
Midnighter is inside Mongul's Warworld, trying to understand how to save Superman, when a drone with a box approaches him. He shoots it, and retrieves the package: wrote on it there is Midnighter's name as the recipient, while the sender is labeled your best friend. Midnighter has no idea who he might be, but he activates the box: a voice starts speaking. It's familiar, but too digitized to understand who might be on the other side. Still, the analysis made by his computers seems to deem the information given by this mysterious friend legit. The voice tells Midnighter that Trojan Solutions is developing a Kryptonite-like compound to destroy all life in the galaxy, starting with Superman: to stop them, he must deliver what is inside the box to someone inside the Chrysalis, a space station nearby.
Midnighter activates a door to it, and the voice is not fast enough to tell him doors won't work inside that place. He still finds a way inside, but thanks to the mistake, the alarm is activated. After beating up some guards, Midnighter feels something is wrong: his computer keeps going online and offline. And somehow, whoever is talking with him on the other side knows it. Then, a man appears on a screen: he welcomes him to the Chrysalis, and tells him the Collider is probably making his outdated brain computer going crazy. Midnighter has the feeling he knows the man he's talking with, and the guy confirms it: they know each other, but Midnighter just won't remember him.
Midnighter tells him he will stop them from producing Kryptonite, but the man specifies it's not Kryptonite, but Nirodhiumthat they are producing. Similar, but also quite different. But Midnighter has not time for this: some powered up guards are coming, and if not for his friend on the other side, he probably would have lost. As he completely loses the connection with his mysterious ally, Midnighter now has to complete his mission alone, with no help, neither from the voice or his super-computer. Meanwhile, the man behind the screen is revealed to be Apollo: he is the boss of Trojan, and his scientists developed a stable Nirodhium sample. Soon, all suffering will end. This is Apollo's will, and it will start with Midnighter.
Meanwhile, the connection comes back, and the voice tells Midnighter he's helping him like that because it knows what happens in the future: Trojan will start devouring life on Earth, and then will extend its hunger beyond it. They must stop it. Also, it seems the mysterious ally does not consider Mister Miracle much of an help: Midnighter really itches to know who is talking behind the box. As he arrives in front of the enemy though, Midnighter is astonished: the leader of Trojan is Apollo?
Appearing in "Midnighter: Future State, Part One"
Featured Characters:
- Midnighter (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Midnighter (Earth 0) (Unnamed) (Voice only) (Flashback only)
Antagonists:
- Trojan Solutions (Flashback only)
- "Apollo" (First appearance; unnamed) (Flashback and main story)
Other Characters:
- Mister Miracle (Shilo Norman) (Mentioned only)
- Superman (Clark Kent) (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Hypertime (Behind the scenes)
Items:
- Kryptonite (Mentioned only)
- Nirodhium (Flashback only)
Concepts:
Synopsis for "Future State: Black Racer, Chapter One: Do Not Go Gentle"
Appearing in "Future State: Black Racer, Chapter One: Do Not Go Gentle"
Featured Characters:
- Black Racer (Tanda) (First appearance) (Flashback and main story)
Antagonists:
- Dees (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
- Warzoons
Other Characters:
- Black Racer (Willie Walker) (First appearance) (In a vision)
- Talla (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
- Mongul MDCCXCII (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Hypertime (Behind the scenes)
- Future State
- Sphere of the Gods
- Apokolips (Mentioned only)
- New Genesis (Mentioned only)
Items:
Concepts:
Notes
- All the events of this issue take place in 2030.
- The "Time and Effect" story takes place after the events of Mister Miracle's story from Future State: Superman of Metropolis #2.
See Also
- Cover gallery for the Future State: Superman: Worlds of War series
- Images from Future State: Superman: Worlds of War Vol 1 1