In the possible future of the DC Universe known as FUTURE STATE, Superman’s mission to Warworld with the Authority goes horrifically wrong and the entire team are stranded there for decades. The only surviving member to avoid capture is Midnighter. And he’s about to receive help from an unknown benefactor who could turn the tide a war with a completely different threat to humanity…
While these future events eventually impact the lives of the modern-day Midnighter and Apollo of DC’s Prime Universe, in theory, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’ll somehow lead into Superman and the Authority’s sojourn to Warworld.I would place it before the beginning of THE WARWORLD SAGA, but think about it even a little bit and it doesn’t really fit into continuity at all. It makes more sense for both Midnighters to be from the same Future State timeline, but that apprently isn’t the intention. So consider this to be optional reading, at best.
Crossover: ‘The Passenger’ is a crossover more by default, title-hopping as a series of back-up features before it concludes in Midnighter’s own annual.
Must Reads: Story arcs marked with a ✔are must-read stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
Anthology Issues: When an issue contains multiple stories, the relevant story is denoted with square brackets. For example, [2/5] refers to the second story of the five stories in that issue, so you don’t need to read the other four.
Previous events that directly impact this stroy:
- FUTURE STATE (2022) – A possible future for the DC Universe
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- ✔ Future State – Superman: Worlds of War #1 [3/4]
- ✔ Future State – Superman: Worlds of War #2 [3/4]
- ✔ Action Comics #1029 [2/2]
- ✔ Action Comics #1030 [2/2]
- ✔ Action Comics #1031 [2/2]
- ✔ Action Comics #1032 [2/2]
- ✔ Action Comics #1033 [2/2]
- ✔ Action Comics #1034 [2/2]
- ✔ Midnighter 2021 Annual
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| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Future State: Superman – Worlds at War #1 [3/4] Almost 20 years into the future (in the FUTURE STATE timeline), the Midnighter is stranded on Mongul’s Warworld. He receives a package from an unknown benefactor with instructions to deliver it to the Chrysalis Collider orbiting Warworld. Trojan Solutions plan on wiping out all life in the galaxy with Nirodhium – an isotope similar to Kryptonite – and Midnighter must find the Collider and end the threat. Setting off, he fights his way to the centre of Chrysalis, but is faced with his husband, Apollo… |
| ✔ | Future State: Superman – Worlds at War #2 [3/4] ‘Apollo’ is actually Andrej Trojan – founder of Trojan Solutions – who has altered his appearance to look like the hero. Midnighter shoots Trojan’s face to reveal a machine skull. Following Trojan’s villainous monologue, Midnighter drags him into the Collider’s time flow where Trojan’s synthetic flesh is burned away and Midnighter finds himself rapidly deaged, then rapidly aged. He activates his payload which brings his employer, the Midnighter of Prime Earth’s present day, to his future timeline. Together, the two Midnighters defeat Trojan. The Prime-Midnighter pushes the Future State-Midnighter through a dimension door with the Nirodhium and Trojan’s robot head to the present-day Midnighter’s lab. Prime-Midnighter escapes Chrysalis, but is trapped in the future to wait for the time paradox to right itself… |
| ✔ | Action Comics #1029 [2/2] With the future Andrej Trojan’s supercomputer now in his head to replace his outdated model, Future State-Midnighter easily takes down a band of armed terrorists. Having been stranded in present day Prime Earth for the last three days, Midnighter watches a TV interview with present day Andrej Trojan – CEO of Trojan Solutions and robotics expert – knowing what he’ll one-day become. But the chip in Midnighter’s head also contains future Trojan’s consciousness and tells him he wants to get both of them back to the future… |
| ✔ | Action Comics #1030 [2/2] Present day Apollo notices Midnighter looks older and assumes he’s tired out. Keeping the truth about his place in time secret from Apollo, the Midnighter decides to assassinate present-day Andrej Trojan… |
| ✔ | Action Comics #1031 [2/2] When he’s unable to locate Andrej Trojan, Midnighter kills the armed mercenaries hired to protect Trojan Solutions, leaves a note for Andrej and departs. Later, Midnighter refuses to talk about his interest in Andrej Trojan to Apollo, who knows something’s different. At Trojan Solutions, Andrej discusses his plans to go to Warworld and reveals he’s keeping Mister Miracle (Shilo Norman) prisoner… |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Action Comics #1032 [2/2] Trojan Solutions scientists begin work adapting the Boom Tube technology from Mister Miracle’s Mother Box. In 10 years, they will leap to Warworld, build the Chrysalis Collider satellite and eliminate all organic life in the universe. Andrej Trojan plans on transferring his consciousness to another form, immediately! For now, some of his employees have been grafted onto military vehicles. Meanwhile, Mister Miracle plans to make his escape before Andrej has him killed… |
| ✔ | Action Comics #1033 [2/2] Midnighter’s notes from his younger self lead him to Mister Miracle who escapes and finds Midnighter has violently despatched the agent sent to kill him. This is the modern day Mister Miracle, not the FUTURE STATE version Midnighter previously met in the future, and he’s horrified by Midnighter’s methods. Andrej Trojan sends the human/vehicle hybrids after Midnighter and Mister Miracle… |
| ✔ | Action Comics #1034 [2/2] Midnighter and Mister Miracle fight back against Andrej Trojan’s ‘upgraded’ scientists, refuse to hear his offer and defeat his cultists. Andrej threatens to annihilate the two heroes, but Apollo arrives to tip the scales… |
| ✔ | Midnighter 2021 Annual Apollo initially refuses to help Midnighter for keeping secrets, but he eventually annihilates the killing machines. Midnighter, Apollo & Mister Miracle dimension door to safety while Andrej Trojan escapes. Midnighter reveals the truth to Apollo right before Trojan’s drones attack. The trio head to Andrej’s home where Midnighter shoots him in the head, but Andrej’s brain has already been uploaded into a supercomputer which controls host bodies. His ‘Step-Mother Box’ opens a Boom Tube to the Prime-Midnighter who’s stranded in the future Warworld. Mister Miracle pulls Prime-Midnighter back to the present, while Andrej transfers his consciousness to future Midnighter’s Trojan chip. But Midnighter’s will drowns out the consciousness of the past & present Andrej Trojans. Prime-Midnighter, Apollo & Miracle all depart. Future-Midnighter opens the bag he’s been carrying to reveal explosives which he detonates, killing himself and the Trojans in his head. But (at least one) Trojan consciousness jumped to his assistant who gladly relinquishes his body for his master… |
| Issue & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| Superman and the Authority #2 (2021) Modern-day Midnighter and Apollo join Superman’s Authority. Action Comics #1036-1046 (2022) Superman: Warworld Revolution #1 (2023) Superman’s liberation of Warworld doesn’t go to plan; Midnighter avoids capture and leads a far more successful rebellion against Mongul, fighting alongside Superman. | THE WARWORLD SAGA |
The collected editions that bring the Passenger (2021) together for you…
Future State: Superman
Includes…
- Future State – Superman: Worlds of War #1-2
Reading Order ©OmniverseComicsGuide 2023
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