- I am, and I am not. And I'm about to save you from your future.
- ā Brother Eye
The New 52: Futures End #41 is an issue of the series The New 52: Futures End (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 2015. It was published on February 11, 2015.
Synopsis for "Futures End - Chapter 41"
Lois Lane is horrified and excited to witness the attack on New York City by Brainiac firsthand. From space, his ship is sending spheres down beneath the crust of the Earth which are forming a kind of matrix arount the city, cutting it off from the rest of the world - and it may be happening too fast for anyone to do anything about it. As if in answer, Superman speeds through the closing matrix, but finds that he can't do much to stop the attack head-on.
Meanwhile, those from the Justice League and Stormwatch who hoped to stop Brainiac in space are faring no better. From within his ship, they can hear the screams of thousands of people, and it hampers their ability to act. Hawkman, meanwhile, is intent on rescuing The Engineer, and forces his way inside. What he sees, though, is beyond anything he can imagine - people he knows in agony - but different versions of them, from different times; different universes. He hears a voice warning that as a foreign multiversal unit, he must be sterilized, and before he can reacy, he is split into different versions of himself, and finally fades from existence, screaming Shayera's name before he is gone.
Meanwhile, in New York, Michael Holt looks at the scene outside his window at Terrifitech while Brother Eye mocks him for being unable to understand what he is seeing. On the ground floor of the building, meanwhile, Batman and his companions have come to find that all of the Terrifitech security team has been murdered in the lobby. With the power out, he urges Tim Drake to get Plastique out of there - but the doors are locked, apparently by some kind of remote power source. As Batman makes his way up the many floors of the building, Brother Eye suggests to Michael that it is man's hubris that sees the world come to this state. It promises, though, that Michael shall be saved from his own future. As Batman finds his way into Michael's office, Michael turns with a smile, and expresses his gladness that Bruce is there to witness what's to come.
Tim, meanwhile, attempts to take control of an elevator using its auxiliary power source, but fails to notice that the cyborg version of Plastique from the future is waiting in the shaft to pounce on him. Inside the elevator, Plastique calls up to him that she knows she doesn't make it out of this timeline alive - if all goes to plan, only Terry McGinnis will - after changing the timeline.
On the Justice League Defence Station Omega, those who remain aboard can't seem to teleport themselves either to New York or to the ship, presumably because of interference from Brainiac. Despite the protests of Jason Rusch and Billy Batson, Madison Payne suggests that Doctor Yamazake may be the only one who can get around that interference. He succeeds, and upon their arrival on Earth, they discover that they'll need more help. Ignoring them, Brainiac initiates a link between himself and his ship, and prepares for transfer.
In space, the Leaguers sense that the ship is powering up and worry that they must try harder, and assume that the Engineer is lost to them. Ray Palmer launches himself at it, but is caught in the ship's tentacles and erased by the ship's beam of energy. Soon, the beam connects with Earth, and New York's fate is sealed.
Appearing in "Futures End - Chapter 41"
Featured Characters:
- Superman (Kal-El)
- Lois Lane
- Batman (Bruce Wayne)
- Tim Drake
- Plastique
- Firestorm (Madison Payne/Jason Rusch)
Supporting Characters:
- Justice League
- Cyborg
- Dawnstar
- Wildfire
- Equinox
- Superman (Billy Batson)
- Stormwatch
- Mister Terrific
- Doctor Polaris
Villains:
- Brainiac
- Brother Eye
- Batman/Joker Hybrid Cyborg
- Plastique Cyborg
Other Characters:
- Batman (Terry McGinnis)
- Batman (Batman '66)
- Zatanna Zatara (Pre-Flashpoint)
- Martian Manhunter (Pre-Flashpoint)
- Kid Flash (Earth-One)
- Donna Troy (Pre-Flashpoint)
- Supergirl (Earth-One)
- Justice Society of America (Pre-Flashpoint)
- Superman (Earth-Two)
- Harbinger
- Pariah
- Lady Quark
- Legion of Super-Heroes
- Batman (Earth-One)
- Grifter (Wildstorm Universe)
- Gus (Sweet Tooth) (Cameo)
- Superman (Red Son)
- Superman (Earth-395)
- Captain Marvel (Earth 5)
- Booster Gold (Pre-Zero Hour)
- Doctor Fate (Earth-20)
- Ambush Bug
- Phantom Lady (Earth-Two)
- Hawkgirl (Pre-Flashpoint)
- Hawkman/Carter Hall (Earth-Two)
- Hawkman/Carter Hall (Pre-Flashpoint)
- Hawkman/Katar Hol (Earth-One)
- Hawkman/Katar Hol (Pre-Flashpoint)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- The scene where Hawkman is "sterilized" mirrors the end of most Infinite Crisis tie-in issues, wherein the hero was split into four versions on the final page.
- This issue is reprinted in The New 52: Futures End Vol. 3.
See Also