Alternative future
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In science fiction stories involving time travel, an alternative future or alternate future is a possible future which never comes to pass, typically because someone travels back into the past and alters it so that the events of the alternative future cannot occur.
An alternative future differs from alternative history in that alternative history usually speculates on what might have happened in the past if some events in the past had occurred differently, while an alternative future usually speculates on what might happen in the future. Also, alternative histories commonly forgo time travel, while alternative futures do not.
An alternative future should not be confused with a possible future. Many science fiction stories are set in the future and treat it as if it were the only future within the context of the story; an alternative future story is specifically set in an alternative one, that is, one that, within the context of the story, does not come about to pass.
Examples of fictional works which show alternative futures include:
- Back to the Future Part II
- It's a Wonderful Life
- The Butterfly Effect
- A Sound of Thunder
- Samurai Jack
- In Marvel Comics:
- Days of Future Past
- Cable's future timeline dominated by Apocalypse and Stryfe
- Age of Apocalypse
- The Transformers: The Movie ends up as an alternative future in the Marvel comics continuity
- Danny Phantom
- Dragon Ball Z
- Heroes
- Timeslip
[edit] See also
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