We all love superheroes, however, sometimes following the main continuity of your favorite hero can get a bit tiring. Sometimes we'd like to see heroes thrown into unnatural situations without having to worry about how the story will affect the entire comic universe, or how everything all led up to this. This is where we get are great "What if?" stories; that mini-series or story arc that takes a look outside of the box and is not limited by the restrictions of continuing a decades-long plot. Here, I'll take a look at the 5 best stories that take place outside of the main DC Comics continuity, and show how things could've been for our favorite heroes.
5. Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
The so-called "Historical Last Issue" of Superman is Alan Moore's take on the end of the Man of Steel's career as the most powerful superhuman there ever was. The entire story is told by Lois Lane to a reporter for the Daily Planet, set ten years after the last sighting of Superman. While, of course, this wasn't the last we all saw of him, it's a fantastic story of how it might all go down if Superman was simply done being Superman.
4. Superman: Red Son
Superman: Whatever Happend to the Man of Tomorrow? may have brought an end to a character we all know and love, but this story reinvents him completely. Red Son is about a world in which the infant Kal-El reaches the planet Earth 12 hours later than in the main continuity, landing in the Ukraine. Raised as the pride and joy of the Soviet Union, Superman takes over as president after Stalin's death, controlli most of the world under his communist rule. Red Son also features notable appearances by Batman, an anti-Superman terrorist whose parents were killed by the head of the KGB and Lex Luthor, a brilliant American scientist married to Lois Lane.
3. Kingdom Come
Alex Ross and Mark Waid's story takes place in a world where the Justice League have hung up their cowls and called it a day. Aged and retired, the "old-school" heroes face the problem plaguing the world as younger, more radical and amoral superhumans begin to take their places. The narrator, a man named Wesley Dodds, has a vision of the impending superhuman war and how it will cause the apocalypse. Overall, this is one of the most serious stories in the history of the DC comic book universe, and one that should be required reading for fans. The scale and scope of this story is often compared to that of Watchmen, and it's look at the concept of the superhero is both unique and unforgettable.
2. Injustice: Gods Among Us
Whether it be the recently released video game, or the companion comic book series, Injustice: Gods Among Us is a fantastic "What if?" scenario that shakes the entire DC universe. Tired of his back-and-forth fight with Batman, The Joker decides to go after none other than the Man of Steel. Using a kryptonite-infused version of the Scarecrow's fear toxin, Joker tricks a hallucinating Superman into murdering Lois Lane, who is pregnant with his child. Filled with blind rage, Superman leaves his boy scout morality behind and establishes a totalitarian rule over the world with Wonder Woman at his side. If you're not a gamer, the ongoing Injustice comic book series is only 14 issues in, and is well worth a good read.
1. Flashpoint
The Flash is not a hero who often finds himself at the center of a major event, however, Flashpoint proves that maybe that needs to change. Barry Allen awakes to find himself in an alternate version of the DC Universe where pretty much everything has changed. The biggest difference is that, in the world of Flashpoint, Superman does not exist (at least not the Superman we know). The vast amount of major differences in the world of Flashpoint are what make this the best "What if?" story in the DC universe. My favorite Flashpoint character has got to be Batman. During that fateful night in Crime Alley, it was the young Bruce Wayne who was murdered in a senseless act of violence, causing his father, Thomas Wayne, to become a ruthless, merciless version of Batman who doesn't hesitate to toss criminals off of buildings to their deaths on the pavement below.
There you have it folks, the 5 best "What is?" stories from DC comics. Since most of these stories only take up a few issues, they make for a nice, quick read while we wait for the next big story involving the true versions of our favorite heroes.
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