Armageddon 2001

publisher	DC Comics
startmo	May
startyr	1991
endmo	October
endyr	1991
crossover	y
timetravel	y
titles	Action Comics Annual #3 Adventures of Superman Annual #3 Armageddon 2001 #1-2 Detective Comics Annual #4 Flash Annual #4 Batman Annual #15 Hawk and Dove Annual #2 Hawkworld Annual #2 Justice League America Annual #5 Justice League Europe Annual #2 L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 Annual #2 Superman Annual #3 The New Titans Annual #7 Armageddon: Alien Agenda #1-4 Armageddon: Inferno #1-4 Action Comics #670 Superman (vol. 2) #61 Captain Atom: Armageddon #1-9
main char team	Waverider Monarch
writers	Archie Goodwin Dennis O'Neil
pencillers	Dan Jurgens
inkers	Dick Giordano Steve Mitchell Art Thibert
colorists	Adrienne Roy Anthony Tollin
cat	DC Comics
sortkey	Armageddon 2001
self-titled	y

"Armageddon 2001" is a 1991 crossover event storyline published by DC Comics. It ran through a self-titled, two-issue limited series and most of the annuals DC published that year from May through October (Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #2 did not tie-in to the storyline). After the event, there were two limited series, Armageddon: The Alien Agenda #1-4 (which was a direct sequel) and Armageddon: Inferno #1-4 (which was only tangentially related).

Each participating annual explored potential possible futures for its main characters. The guiding hands behind the series were editor and writer Dennis O'Neil, writer Archie Goodwin and artist Dan Jurgens.[1]

Plot

Monarch

Monarch was an oppressive tyrant from a bleak, dystopian Earth 50 years in the future.

Response and last-minute changes

At some point during the crossover it was revealed that Captain Atom would be the hero who became Monarch. The conclusion of the Annual for Justice League Europe, the final crossover issue before the conclusion of the story, seemed to confirm this leak. Waverider had seen the futures of various Justice League Europe members but had not scanned Captain Atom, who was away at the time. The final panel of the issue showed Waverider about to touch Captain Atom, who had just returned, and a text box stated that the story would be concluded in the second issue of Armageddon 2001.[6] In response to the leak, the originally-intended ending was changed at the last minute: Monarch was revealed to be, not Captain Atom, but rather the Hawk. The problem with this reveal was that Waverider had seen Hank Hall fight and die against Monarch[3] and that the Dove had allowed him to see so many futures as to conclude "No matter the future they fought him but never became him",[4] making Hank Hall and Dawn Granger the only two heroes Monarch could not be. They were the only characters shown in this situation, and thus any of the other major characters could have been Monarch without creating a continuity issue.[7] This revelation was unpopular among both fans and professionals, in part because of the continuity issue mentioned above and the disregard for the clues placed in previous issues. Additionally, it required Hawk to behave in ways that many felt to be out of character. This also made it impossible to continue using either Hawk or Dove as they had in the past and necessitated the cancellation of the Hawk & Dove series. Karl Kesel, the writer of Hawk & Dove, commented that "Hawk and Dove was always a love story. Then one day, Hawk went insane and murdered Dove".[8]

A storyline in JSA later revealed that the ending of Armageddon 2001 had been faked by Mordru. He had created an illusion of the Dove being murdered by a future Hawk/Monarch in order to drive the current Hawk insane. He then took control of Hawk and used him to impregnate Dove so she would give birth to a child that would inherit all the powers of the Lords of Chaos and Order. Mordru cast a spell on Dove that kept her in a comatose state for years. She did give birth to a child, but before Mordru could possess the child's body, it was instead inhabited by a reincarnated Hector Hall who aged the body to adulthood and thus caused it to become the new Doctor Fate. Much later, while searching for his wife Lyta, Hector would discover Dove and bring her out of Mordru's spell, revealing the truth of these events. She would then discover that her sister had inherited Hawk's powers after the death of Hank Hall.

Annual tie-ins

In addition to the bookend issues, the storyline followed Waverider through multiple annuals:

Armageddon 2001 #1 leads to Superman Annual (vol. 2) #3 (by Jurgens and penciller Dusty Abell; Superman attempts to rid the world of nuclear weapons, but is instead killed by Batman at the government's behest (the plot was the inverse of Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and contains homages to that story).[9] It leads to Batman Annual #15.

Batman Annual #15[10] - The time traveler, Waverider, shows Batman a possible future. In the near future of 2001, an aged Batman is found guilty of murder for the accidental death of the Penguin and sentenced to death. Anarky, an anarchist anti-villain, sympathizes with the fallen hero and breaks into the prison in an attempt to rescue Batman mere hours before the execution is to take place. Believing himself guilty, Batman initially refuses to escape, but when he discovers evidence that the accident was set up by a third party, he escapes to pursue the true murderer.[11]

Justice League America Annual #5 - written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis; Guy Gardner starts his own cult, while Fire bankrupts the Blue Beetle. The story is humorous in tone, much like the JLA books at the time. It leads to Hawk and Dove Annual #2.

Hawk and Dove Annual #2 - written by Karl and Barbara Kesel; The daughter of the Hawk and the Dove takes on Monarch.

Hawkworld Annual #2 - written by John Ostrander; Hawkman and Hawkwoman come out of retirement to face a robot.

Flash Annual #4 - written by Mark Waid; Wally West has entered the Witness Protection Program, but becomes the Flash once again to rescue his super-powered son from his former Rogues Gallery.

L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 Annual #2 - by Alan Grant and penciller Mike McKone; Dox and Lady Quark take over the universe.

The New Titans Annual #7 - Nightwing leads the Team Titans on guerrilla raids against a fascist government. While most of the annuals had no real consequences for the ongoing series they were attached to, The New Titans Annual #1 tied in significantly to ongoing storylines. The future group of "Team Titans" depicted in the Annual had been present in the ongoing series for some time as seemingly antagonistic figures.

Action Comics Annual #3 - by writer Roger Stern and penciller Tom Grummett; Superman becomes President of the United States, after remembering moments of the previously probable future seen in Superman Annual (vol. 2) #3.

Detective Comics Annual #4 - Batman vs. Talia.

The Adventures of Superman Annual #3 - by writer Louise Simonson and penciller Bryan Hitch; Lois Lane dies while pregnant with Superman's child and a widowed Superman eventually romances Maxima. It leads to Justice League Europe Annual #2.

Justice League Europe Annual #2 - The JLE are lost in time. It leads to Armageddon 2001 #2.

Aftermath titles

Action Comics #670
Superman (vol. 2) #61

Sequel miniseries

Armageddon: The Alien Agenda #1-4
Armageddon: Inferno #1-4

Armageddon 2001

Plot

Monarch

Waverider

Hawk and Dove

The Alien Agenda

Response and last-minute changes

Annual tie-ins

Aftermath titles

Sequel miniseries

Aftermath

In other media

See also

External links

References