Kingdom Come (comics)

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The cover to Absolute Kingdom Come by Alex Ross (2006)

Kingdom Come was a four-issue comic book limited series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Mark Waid and painted in gouache 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 is 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.

Plot

Impending disaster

The story is set roughly a generation after the current DC universe. Ten years prior to the start of the story, the Joker massacres the staff of the Daily Planet, killing (among others) Jimmy Olsen, Perry White and Lois Lane. As he arrives for his trial, he is killed by a new superhero named Magog. Magog is acquitted for his cold-blooded act and Superman is appalled by the public embracing a killer as a hero. Already disheartened at the death of Lois Lane, Kal-El abandons his life as Superman, retreating to his Fortress of Solitude where he will spend the next decade, failing to realize his importance as a constant inspiration/role model to other heroes. Other heroes, equally disturbed at the public's overwhelmingly positive reaction to Magog's actions, withdraw from the world at large, leaving a power vacuum that is soon filled by the new generation of "heroes" Magog represents.

Without the moral compass provided by Superman and his generation, there is little or no distinction between 'heroes' and 'villains'. Metahumans battle openly in the streets without true cause, or concern for collateral damage or innocent passers-by. Average humans, demoralized by the loss of their true heroes, the disregard that 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. Efforts that celebrate human achievement, like professional sports, have been abandoned.

Certain heroes like the Flash, Hawkman, Green Lantern and Batman have remained active, although their methods have changed dramatically, all of them becoming more distant from humanity. Hawkman, now an anthropomorphized hawk, has become an eco-terrorist. Batman, now an old man who relies on a metal exo-suit to support his broken body, enforces the rule of law in Gotham city with an army of remotely controlled bat-like androids. The Flash has become permanently hyper-accelerated, patrolling Keystone city at speeds so fast that he seems to be everywhere at once, but can no longer be seen or heard by human beings. Green Lantern lives alone in a huge orbiting space station, ready to defend the Earth against an extraterrestrial threat that may never appear.

The narrator and point of view character of the story is a minister named Norman McCay. McCay is a longtime friend of Wesley Dodds, the original Sandman, now infirm and bedridden. The nightmares that once aided Dodds' crimefighting have become disturbing, apocalyptic visions. McCay, like Dodds' doctors, attribute the visions to senility. When Dodds passes away, his visions are transferred to McCay. Already suffering from a crisis of faith, McCay is convinced he has finally gone insane when the Spectre appears to him. The Spectre, still hosted by Jim Corrigan, but no longer in touch with his humanity, recruits McKay to bear witness, and help him determine the innocent from the wicked and ultimately to pass judgment on the approaching superhuman apocalypse.

Promotional art for Kingdom Come. Clockwise from top: The Ray, Red Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, Power Woman, Rev. Norman McCay and the Spectre (in background), Green Lantern

The dark state of the world comes to a head when the Justice Battalion, led by Magog, attacks the Parasite with excessive and unnecessary force — they refuse his offers to surrender and deny his pleas for mercy. Parasite panics and tears open Captain Atom, releasing his nuclear energies and irradiating the entire state of Kansas and parts of the surrounding states, taking out a large portion of America's food production.

Second coming of Superman

Coaxed by Wonder Woman, Superman decides to return to Metropolis and re-form the Justice League following the Kansas disaster. The yellow aspects of his costume replaced by black, Superman intends to enforce morality upon the runaway metahumanity by offering them a choice: join his League and abide by a code of ethics, or be made a prisoner by it. He manages to collect former heroes (including Green Lantern, the Flash, Hawkman, and Dick Grayson, now going by Red Robin, among others) and reformed "new heroes," such as Avia (Mr. Miracle and Big Barda's daughter), but Batman, one of the most prominent of the old guard, refuses to join Superman's crusade. Batman believes Superman's idealist notions are outdated and that his interference will only exacerbate the problem. He interprets Superman's plan as an example of the strong exerting their will upon the weak, something 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, who is 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." Luthor captured Captain Marvel years earlier, and has been controlling him through the use of worms that affect 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, and resemble Mr. Mind, Marvel's nemesis. Batman and his group ally themselves with Luthor's group, to better protect mankind during the impending metahuman war.

Superman's Justice League gathers more captives than converts, and he makes a request to Aquaman to build an undersea prison; Aquaman refuses. Superman and the League end up building the Gulag, a massive penal colony in the Kansas wastelands; security design of the Gulag was provided by Scott Free, the universe's ultimate escape artist. The prison is filled to capacity almost as soon as it is built. Superman designates Captain Comet as warden and works to persuade the inmates 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, pressure builds. Meanwhile, Superman, urged on by Wonder Woman, reacts with increasing inflexibility towards the inappropriate behavior of the metahuman community. He learns that Wonder Woman's ardent militant stance may be influenced by her recent exile from Paradise Island: in the eyes of the Amazons, her mission to bring peace to the outside world has failed.

Pact

Batman and his cadre of heroes 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. Batman eventually discovers, with the assistance of the Martian Manhunter, 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.

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Superman and Captain Marvel face off in Kingdom Come.

After Captain Comet's murder, Wonder Woman and other members of the League decide that they must deal with the inmates of the Gulag by whatever means necessary, including lethal force, a notion to which Superman still objects. When the Gulag breaks open, the Justice League clash with the bloodthirsty inmates. Superman seeks out Batman and, refusing to hear Batman's pessimistic "holier than thou cracks", forces him to recognize that they may be at the end of the world and he must act because, deep down, he knows Batman does not want to see the other heroes die. Upon arriving at the Gulag, Superman and Captain Marvel battle, The Spectre and Norman watch, unable (or, in the Spectre's case, 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 (his name an allusion to the Book of Revelations) 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.

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 its payload. 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 some survive beneath a force field generated by Green Lantern and his daughter Jade, and others are teleported away at the last second by Fate. 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--not realizing 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 for super-humanity, taking the survivors of the Gulag to Paradise Island for rehabilitation.

Batman abandons his crusade and becomes a healer, opening 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, and his son Ibn al Xu'ffasch. Superman lashes himself to a giant plow and begins the arduous task of restoring the Midwestern farmlands, devastated by nuclear explosions. He even comes to terms with his past as Clark Kent by accepting a pair of glasses from Wonder Woman, and shares a kiss with her before she returns to Paradise Island. 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 their fathers; Thomas Wayne, the doctor, and Jonathan Kent, the farmer.

Green Lantern represents superhumanity on the UN Security Council. He no longer dons his green armor, but can still use the green lantern energy.

The former leaders of the MLF are forced into becoming nurses in Batman's hospital, wearing inhibitor collars which keep them under control. Luthor himself is reduced to emptying bedpans and being taunted by Batman over his defeat.

Norman McCay resumes pastorship of his congregation, preaching a message of hope for humanity. Among the congregation is Jim Corrigan, the Spectre's human host. In the novelization, Clark Kent attends a sermon as well.

The final scene features Clark Kent, Diana, and Bruce Wayne meeting for a meal at Planet Krypton, a restaurant with a golden age of superheroes theme. Now a couple, Clark and Diana intend to inform Bruce they are expecting a child, but Bruce deduces the news before they can tell him. Diana manages to surprise Bruce by asking him to serve as godfather and mentor to the child, whom Bruce rightly describes as potentially the most powerful child in the world. (He accepts.) As they exit the restaurant, they pass a mannequin wearing the Sandman's original costume and framed copies of Whiz Comics #1, the first appearance of Captain Marvel, and More Fun Comics #1, the first comic printed by DC. (This scene did not appear in the original four part comic book series, which concludes with McCay resuming his pastorship.)

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 adoptions of old names. Partial list:

• Superman: The leader of the League and a graying Man of Steel 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 slowly consumed by an inner rage directed at the state of the world and her exile from Paradise Island. Her fellow Amazons have deemed her mission to bring peace to 'man's world' a failure. At the conclusion, she is restored her royal station as Princess, but eschews the ambassadorial role of "Wonder Woman", leaving it to other Amazons. (In the novelization, Cressida becomes the new Wonder Woman.)
• Red Robin: Dick Grayson, the first Robin, 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.
• Green Lantern: Ending his vigil among the stars, Alan Scott returns to Earth and joins Superman's crusade. He needs no power ring, having incorporated the lantern that fueled the ring into his armor. At the conclusion, he becomes a UN charter member under the nation of "New Oa".
• Hawkman: Now a literal 'hawk-man', Carter has become a guardian of nature. In the novelization, he is killed in the nuclear blast.
• Donna Troy: Seen wearing Amazon robes, it is possible the former Wonder Girl may have replaced her sister/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. In the novelization, she is killed in the nuclear blast.
• 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. In the novelization, he is killed in the nuclear blast.
• Aquaman: Garth, the former Aqualad, now the inheritor of his mentor's mantle as Aquaman. He wears a variation of his 'Aqualad' costume, but sports a beard and long pants. In the novelization, he is killed in the nuclear blast.
• King Marvel and Lady Marvel are now married and have a superpowered son named The Whiz, who is also a member of this League.
• Aleea Strange: Adam Strange's daughter, who has taken up her father's mantle.
• Power Woman: The former Power Girl. In the novelization, she is killed in the nuclear blast.
• Robotman: The former Cyborg.
• Red Tornado: A heavily armed Mathilda Hunkel.
• Human Bomb: A explosion causing metahuman.
• Midnight: The ghost of Mid-Nite, apearing in the form of a smoke-cloud.
• Captain Comet: He is chosen by Superman to be warden of the Gulag. He is killed in a prison riot, and according to the novelization, it is by Von Bach.
• Bulletman and Bulletgirl: The successors of the original golden age duo.
• Brainiac's Daughter: Brainiac's offspring and the ancestor of Brainiac 5.
• Red Tornado A new Red Tornado.
• Starman: The former Star Boy.
• Golden Guardian: The second clone of Jim Harper, who took up his predecessor's role.
• Hourman: The successors of the first two Hourmen, not having his predecessor's time limit
• Sandman: Formerly Sandy, the Golden Boy, then Sand, he's taken up the mantle of Sandman after his mentor, Wesley Dodds, died.
• Living Doll: The daughter of Doll Man and Doll Girl.
• Tornado: The ghost of Tornado Champion.
• Avia: The daughter of Mister Miracle and Big Barda. In the novelization, she and her parents survive through a boom tube, thanks to her father's uncanny foresight.
• Atom Smasher: The godson of Atom.
• Ray: Son of the first Ray. He is responsible for removing the radiation from Kansas, twice.
• Power Man: An android programmed by Superman.
• Phoebus: Earth's newest fire elemental after Firestorm.

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. Playing upon the generational differences between the heroes, five of his heroes are the children of the original Teen Titans, while the Titans have all sided with Superman. Partial list:

• Batman: Since his real identity was made public, the Batman no longer hides behind the carefree appearance of Bruce Wayne. In fact, he is referred to as "The Batman" even in civilian guise and does not bother with the cape and cowl until the final battle. No longer the example of human perfection, he now requires an exoskeleton to move and utilizes robots and a battle suit to continue his war on crime. His distrust of both Superman and Luthor leads him to form the Outsiders. 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.
• Ibn al Xu'ffasch: The son of Batman and Talia al Ghul, the heir to Ra's al Ghul's criminal organization, and used as a mole to infiltrate Luthor's MLF. His role is not fully revealed until the third issue (p. 144 in the graphic novel), when he is standing among the Outsiders, being taken to the Batcave with the others.
• Oliver Queen: One of Batman's partners, he has married his long-time love Dinah Lance, Black Canary, and the two have a daughter, Olivia Queen, who also operates as Black Canary. According to the novel, he was killed in the nuclear blast, and he never appears after the blast in the comic.
• 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, with one panel showing Green Arrow holding her body in his arms after she was accidentally shot in the head by the metahuman Trix. In the novelization, she dies in Queen's arms during the blast.
• 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. Kord is also killed in the nuclear blast.
• 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 permanently non-corporeal 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 is the daughter of Wally West. According to the novel, she was among those killed by the nuclear blast. However, she appears in The Kingdom, as well as in The Flash (in the "Chain Lightning" arc) due to Hypertime.
• Darkstar: Son of Donna Troy, who has taken her place as Earth's Darkstar.
• Obsidian: Son of Alan Scott and brother to Jennie-Lynn Hayden. He manipulates shadows and darkness. His appearance resembles that of The Shadow.
• Tula: A sea-faring malcontent. Daughter of Aquaman and Deep Blue. In the novelization, she is killed in the nuclear blast.
• Steel: After Superman went into seclusion, Steel switched his devotion to Batman. He now wields an iron bat-shaped battle axe.
• Wildcat: A man-panther with the spirit of the first (presumably Ted Grant).
• Zatara: The son of the late Zatanna and John Constantine, and grandson of Giovanni Zatara. Besides being a magician, he's inherited his father's ability to see the dead. According to the novel, he was so horrified by the nuclear blast that he was unable to use his magic to escape.
• Nightstar: The daughter of Dick Grayson and Starfire. She has inherited her mother's powers and abilities, but decides not to join her father in the Justice League. Effectively Batman's adoptive granddaughter, she becomes close to his natural son Ibn al Xu'ffasch.
• Menagerie: Formerly Beast Boy, whose power is now limited to imaginary creatures.
• Nucloid: A elastic superhero with a nuclear core.
• Huntress: An African superheroine based on Paula Brooks.
• Cossack: A member of The Batmen Of Many Nations, the Champion of Russia.
• Ace: A alien Bat-Hound, the giant winged steed of the Fourth World Batwoman.
• Batwoman: A Batman admirer from the Fourth World.
• Samurai: A member of Batmen of The Batmen Of Many Nations, the Champion of Japan.
• Dragon: A member of Batmen of The Batmen Of Many Nations, the Champion of China.
• Creeper: Though he has aged, he is still the insane screwball he was when he was young. In the novelization, he switches sides several times during the Gulag battle, and is killed in the nuclear blast.
• Lightning: The daughter of Black Lightning.
• Condor: The last Black Condor
• Ralph Dibny: The former Elongated Man, Ralph is contorted out of shape.
• Spy Master: A independent agent, in a post Cold War era.
• Phantom Lady: A literal phantom of the original version.
• Red Hood: The daughter of Red Arrow and mercenary Cheshire.
• Fate: Nabu is able to channel his consciousness through the Helm and Cloak without the need for a host body.
• Green Lantern: Jade took up the mantle of Green Lantern after Kyle Rayner.
• Mr. Scarlet: A bright red devil of a man known for hanging out at Titans Tower bar with Matrix, the new Joker's Daughter, and the new Thunder.
• Bat-Knights: Batman's robotic guardians of Gotham City.

Luthor's Mankind Liberation Front

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Captain Marvel, shown here as depicted in Kingdom Come by Alex Ross, battles Superman at the climax of the miniseries.

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.
• 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, and, like Savage, is also immortal.
• Red, White, and Blue: Three heavily armed terrorists. They are actually androids under Luthor's control who are used as spies in the Gulag.

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 was being led in to the courthouse for his competency hearing, Magog ran 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 Kingdom Come, Magog lives on Paradise Island, and is seen disciplining Swastika, having finally seen the need for self restraint. In the novelization, he matures to the point of becoming a Dean of Students there.
• Von Bach: A Yugoslavian would-be dictator who speaks in German. He was imprisoned in the Gulag for killing opponents who had already surrendered. After being humiliated by Captain Comet during his incarceration, he made Comet the first fatality of the prison riot by breaking his neck. He was then killed by Wonder Woman during the Gulag battle to stop him from killing Zatara.
• 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. In the novelization, he is killed in the nuclear blast.
• Joker's Daughter/Harlequin: A riot girl and one of the many followers of the Joker's style. This one has no relation to the other four Harlequins, Duela Dent, 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. She survives the nuclear blast, protected by Green Lantern, and is last seen at Paradise Island.
• 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. He survives, and is last seen on Paradise Island.
• Catwoman: The armored metahuman successor to Selina Kyle, this one might be more feline than the original.
• Manotaur: A minotaur-like metahuman. In the novelization, he, too, becomes a teacher at Paradise Island, a fitting fate for "one whose ancestors bedevilled the Amazons long ago."
• The Americommando and the Minutemen: A group of savage patriots who started killing the huddled masses of immigrants near the Statue of Liberty. The Minutemen were controlled by the mysterious Brain Trust.
• Trix (after Matrix): a morphing biomechanism. Near the end of the series, she accidentally shoots Dinah Lance (Black Canary) in the head during the Gulag riot. She remains unconscious, and is killed by the nuclear blast.
• Captain Atom: A member of Magog's Justice Battalion. His death/detonation at the hands of the villain Parasite, and the irradiation of Kansas this caused, is what causes Superman return to action.
• Judomaster: A member of Magog's Justice Battalion. She was apparently killed with the other members when Captain Atom was killed.
• Mr. Terrific: The successor of Mister Terrific with oversized guns, shoulder pads, and other military accoutrements. He still sported the "Fair Play" logo, but has since lost sight of its true and original meanings. In the novelization, he is killed in the nuclear blast.
• Alloy: The combined form of the Metal Men, a member of Magog's Justice Battalion. He protects Magog from being killed in Comet's detonation, but his fate is unknown. According to the novelization, white hot shards of him are found on the scene, so it is presumed he died in the process.
• Stars: an African-American street kid wearing a leather jacket with an American flag bandana, and a T-shirt with an inverted American flag, using the cosmic rod in conjunction with the cosmic converter belt.
• Stripes: Equipped with various military acoutrements such as automatic weaponry, knives and kevlar padding.
• Thunderbolt: A member of Magog's Justice Battalion, killed when Captain Atom explodes.
• Peacemaker: a member of Magog's Justice Battalion, he wears an outfit reminiscent of Boba Fett's. He perishes when Captain Atom detonates.
• Demon Damsel: Would-be Legionnaire.
• Nightshade: a member of Magog's Justice Battalion who dies when Captain Atom explodes.
• Blue Devil: A winged, indigo-skinned demon from Hell.
• King Crimson: Gigantic, red-skinned demon with a Sun symbol on it's chest.
• Vigilante: A half-man, half-robot cowboy with a machine gun arm.
• Tokyo Rose: A Japanese martial arts assassin. In the novelization, she survives the nuclear blast when she is saved by Magog.

Others

• Arthur Curry: Arthur has given up the mantle of Aquaman and dedicated himself fully to his role as monarch of Atlantis. He is approached by Wonder Woman 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.
• Orion: Orion appears in the collected edition of KC, in pages Ross added to the collection. Orion has killed his father Darkseid and taken his place as ruler of Apokolips. He attempted to bring democracy to Apokolips, but was unanimously elected by the fearful slave-minded lowlies. In the novelization, Orion hints that he recruited Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu and Mikhail Gorbachev to help him run a fair election, but failed.
• Deadman: He has lost or foregone his normal appearance, and appears as a skeleton wearing his Deadman uniform. He is never identified as "Deadman", and simply introduces himself as "Boston". In the novelization, he explains why none of the Quintessence (comprised of Shazam, Ganthet, The Phantom Stranger, Zeus, Highfather and Spectre) will get involved - the situation almost always turns for the worse, using Zeus' intervention with Troy as an example. (Spectre posits that the Quintessence meet to prevent one another from intervening.)
• Spectre: The Spectre takes Norman McCay through the events of a possible future, his aim to determine who is responsible for an impending apocalyptic event. However, his "faculties are not what they once were," and he needs a human perspective to properly judge events. In conversation with McCay, Deadman mentions that Spectre had become further and further removed from humanity over time. The Spectre is convinced by McCay to try to see things through the perspective of his human host, and, as Jim Corrigan, he can be seen in the congregation of McCay's church at the end of the story, as well as at the Planet Krypton restaurant, visibly upset the dish named after him, "the Spectre Platter", is a mild concoction of spinach and cream cheese.

Appearances in mainstream continuity

The Kingdom

Main article: The Kingdom (comics)

Due to the popularity of the series, Mark Waid and Alex Ross began to plot a sequel and prequel. Alex Ross' concept of Gog, mentor of Magog, is an alien from the original "super world" that split to create Apokolips and New Genesis. Because he came from a super planet, Gog is twice as large as a normal human. Waid and Ross disagreed on several concepts and Ross decided to leave the project.

Without Ross' involvement, Waid continued the story in New Year's Evil: Gog. The Kingdom soon followed, featuring a two-part series, and several one-shots focusing on specific characters. The series was used to present Grant Morrison's hypertime concept.

"Thy Kingdom Come"

In the final issue of 52, Earth-22 is revealed to be the designation of Kingdom Come's alternate universe.

In the pages of Justice Society of America, a new Starman appeared with a costume identical to that of Kingdom Come's Starman. Due to a time-machine error, the new Starman went to Earth-22 before arriving in the present. The next storyarc of the series is entitled "Thy Kingdom Come", featuring characters from the series and involvement from co-creator Alex Ross.

Concept adaptations

Since the publication of Kingdom Come, elements from the series have been adopted into the modern DC Universe.

• For a brief time, Cyborg inhabited the Omegadrome armor and adopted the appearance of his Kingdom Come counterpart.
• Albert Rothstein (the former Nuklon) became Atom Smasher, donning a similar (yet not identical) suit to that worn by Kingdom Come's Atom Smasher.
• The Metal Men combined into Alloy, their Kingdom Come version, during a tie-in issue of the DC One Million event.
• Kingdom Come's Hawkman inspired a change in the appearance of the Hawkman-related character Northwind.
• Captain Atom appeared in his Kingdom Come costume in the Captain Atom: Armageddon miniseries. He had briefly appeared in the costume when he was a member of the Super Buddies, and the design was mocked.
• During Infinite Crisis Nabu looked similar to his Kingdom Come incarnation.
• J. J. Thunder briefly looked similar to Kingdom Come's Thunder, (bald and with glowing eyes), during a storyline in which he was possessed.
• Roy Harper, formerly Speedy and Arsenal, is now known as Red Arrow, the name he went by in Kingdom Come.
• Alex Ross based his design for Maxine Hunkel, aka Cyclone, on the Kingdom Come Red Tornado, retroactively making them one and the same.
• The Starman appearing in Justice Society of America is from the Kingdom Come universe. (He was the Star Boy of the Legion of Super-Heroes, a connection explored more fully in James Robinson's Starman series.) The mentally unstable Starman was sent to New Earth with six other Legionnaires.
• Kingdom Come villain Swastika appears in Justice Society of America (vol. 3).
• In Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #3, Ted Grant's son Tom transforms into a werecat identical to the Kingdom Come Wildcat.
• Red Robin makes an appearance in a promotional image for DC's weekly series Countdown.
• Rebel, who fights Damage in Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #1, is based on Von Bach.
• Zatara II served as the inspiration for Zachary Zatara who appears in Teen Titans.
• Offspring, Plastic Man's son, has appeared in Teen Titans and 52.
• Sand has taken up the mantle of Sandman in Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #1.
• In Justice Society of America (vol.3) #2, White Dragon's outfit bears a loose resemblance to Phoebus' costume.
• 52 Week 52 revealed an alternate reality based on the Kingdom Come universe designated Earth-22.
• A promotional image to DC's Countdown series displays the Joker wearing a button reading: "Jimmy Olsen Must Die." In Kingdom Come the Joker murdered Olsen.
• A second image shows the Superman of the Kingdom Come universe with two other alternate Supermen. His right hand is glowing, and bears a small atomic symbol.
• In Justice League of America #10, Wally, Linda, Iris, and Barry West have returned to the mainstream DC Universe. Iris and Barry have aged into teenagers.
• In the "Titans Tomorrow" storyline of Teen Titans, Arkahm Asylum is destroyed by the Joker's Daughter.
• In the Titans Tomorrow alternate timeline, Ibn al Xu'ffasch's gravemarker appears in the cemetery where Arkahm Asylum once stood.

However, minor events are not in line with the future depicted in Kingdom Come :

• Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) remains dead after being shot by Maxwell Lord.
• Jade was killed during the Rann-Thanagar War, although it was revealed that Donna Troy was supposed to die instead of her.
• Sandman (Wesley Dodds) remains dead after being revealed in JSA Secret Files #1.
• Jim Corrigan gives up the mantle of the host for The Spectre years prior to Infinite Crisis.
• Ibn al Xu'ffasch is known as Damien Wayne.

Collections

The original trade paperback collected the entire series along with twelve additional pages by Ross, including the epilogue. Promotional artwork and sketches of the major characters were also included.

A hardback edition added a second volume to the text, containing sketches and developmental artwork from Ross, showing the development of the character designs and the storyline.

Elliot S. Maggin published the novelization, which fleshes out characters such as Magog, the world leaders and the Batman/Ib'n connection. The book contains four new color pages by Ross, as well as four black and white sketches of the major players.

A 1998 special from Wizard magazine contained the original proposal for the series by Ross, providing notes on what was changed and why. Ross' comments on The Kingdom were also included.

For its 10th anniversary in 2006, DC released an Absolute Kingdom Come hardcover. It collected the entire series in a wider page format, along with interviews with Waid and Ross, character artwork, sketches and a complete annotation for the series.

DC also released an audio dramatization of the series featuring the voice talent of Mike Mearian, Don Peoples, Garet Scott, John Cunningham, Kent Broadhurst, Jeff David, Chuck Cooper, Harry Goz, Barbara Rosenblat, Craig Zakarian, Mike Arkin, Bob Lydiard, Peter Newman, Birgit Darby, Mark Finley, Igot Goldin, Macintyre Dixon, and Chloe Patellis, along with the guest voices of Dennis O'Neil, Mark Waid, Mike Carlin, Dan Raspler, Charles Kochman, Peter Tomasi, Greg Ross, Janet Harney, Elisabeth Vincentelli.

Toys

DC Direct (The exclusive collectibles division of DC Comics) has produced 3 waves of action figures based on Kingdom Come's artwork. The first wave of figures included Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Hawkman. The second wave included Batman, Red Robin, Captain Marvel and Kid Flash. The last wave included Magog, Flash, Armored Wonder Woman and Deadman. An exclusive figure of Red Arrow was released through ToyFare magazine. DC Direct also released several other characters through their Elseworlds toylines. These figures included The Spectre, Norman McCay, Jade, Nightstar, Aquaman and Blue Beetle.

See also

• The Kingdom - a sequel set in a continuity similar to that of Kingdom Come.
• Norman McCay -The human witness to the events

Other Versions

A roster of Kingdom Come characters make cameo appearances in Justice League Adventures #20. The Psycho Pirate hallucinates battles with three various superhero teams.[1]

Psycho Pirate encounters:

• Supergirl, Kid Flash, Red Arrow, Jade and Red Robin (Kingdom Come).
• Flash, Starman, Sandman, Hawkman, Hourman and Green Lantern (Justice Society of America).
• Batgirl, Green Lantern, Superman and Firestorm. This reality appeared in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Brave New Metropolis."
• The scene which depicts the fate of his wife and child contains the Martian Manhunter and a Martian Walker from the second episode of the Justice League tv show.