Comics Portal: When ‘The End’ Is Not The End!

On Wednesday, December 10^th, Marvel is calling ‘2099’ quits! But don’t worry, Marvel fans—when one future ends, another begins!

SAY GOODBYE TO 2099!

It sure seems these days as if the House of Ideas is ending several important parts of the MCU. We’re seeing the “Ultimate” line conclude, and now, this very week, it’s the beginning of “The End” for the 2099 line!

What’s going on? Here’s the info on The End 2099 #1 of 5:

“ONE FUTURE ENDS…ANOTHER BEGINS. 3099! From the ashes of the AGE OF HEROES, a new generation of vigilantes, like SPIDER-MAN 2099, NOVA 2099 and RED HULK 2099, emerged in the dystopia that followed to forge a bright, new future – a future that has come to an end in the face of ABYSSYUS, a horrifying fusion of a KNULL-INFECTED GALACTUS! As the DEVOUR IN BLACK descends upon the world, a deal is struck with the devil – LITERALLY as MEPHISTO bets the fate of 2099 in a brutal battle of survival, pitting the warriors of 2099 against fan-favorite characters from across the Multiverse – like AGE OF APOCALYPSE-ERA WOLVERINE, CLAREMONT/BYRNE-ERA CYCLOPS AND MARVEL GIRL, HOUSE OF M-ERA WANDA and so many more – each battling for their own universe’s survival! It’s hero against hero in this no-holds-barred war against extinction! But as Marvel’s past and present duke it out, only one thing is certain: The future is coming, and it’s arriving in the form of…SPIDER-MAN 3099?!”

This mini-series is written by Steve Orlando, with internal art from Ibraim Roberson and cover art by David Marquez.

HAS 2099 BEEN DYING?

I remember when Peter David and Rick Leonardi first presented Spider-Man 2099, making him Irish-Hispanic and with several new tweaks to the hero. It was part of a big initiative at Marvel, and it included Doom 2099, Black Panther 2099, X-Men 2099, Ghost Rider 2099, Punisher 2099, Secret Wars 2099, Ravage 2099, and so on. We just had a 30^th anniversary celebration for the 2099 line, didn’t we?

I was very sad to see Mr. David’s passing because I thought his Spider-Man 2099 was some of his best work after his Hulk days. So, I’m particularly sad to see that, not only will this mini-series likely be the last time we see Miguel O’Hara (the Irish-Mexican geneticist) unless he shows up in an Into the Spider-Verse movie or something, but the entire 2099 universe is being replaced by leaping forward a thousand years.

Really, it must be that interest (read that as “sales”) has declined over the years since 1992 (when 2099 first appeared), so it’s time to recreate the recreation by working to once again capture lightning in a bottle.

My only problem with this recreation happening again is that the baton must be passed on to new creators. As much as I would love it to be even better than 2099, that hasn’t been my experience with comics re-inventions. At some point in the process, the baton inevitably reaches someone who doesn’t have quite the enthusiasm or the creativity that went before and, slowly but surely, the light fades.

I mean, how long after 3099 comes in will Marvel have to go with 4099? 5099? I sense a pattern developing here!

‘THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING!’

One of my problems with comics these days is that nothing ever really ends. Yes, one storyline will lead into another storyline, but I had a friend who was interested in the X-Men, but he was discouraged because he had to know continuity from the past 40 years of comics to understand what was going on, he told me.

I like to point out that every “jumping-on point” is also a “jumping-off point.” And it says it right there in the description of this issue–ONE FUTURE ENDS…ANOTHER BEGINS. 3099! If you were a fan of 2099, well, your time is up! It’s time to jump forward another century instead of exploring the universe you enjoyed!

The rationale for all this is that you hope you attract enough new fans so they will replace the folks who have stopped supporting the current iteration. But while you may get some newbies to jump on board, you have to hope that you don’t lose the previous die-hard followers.

I’m not certain this kind of thing has enough life in it to keep jumping forward every so often. Not everyone is going to enjoy the new take on established characters or teams.

Still, there comes a point when you have to do something radical or else just cancel the whole bunch. It seems that this time has come for 2099.

WHAT IS COMING NOW?

Marvel has been busy revealing what Spider-Man 3099 is about, including what is being called a “shocking” new golden design.

Here’s a description of what is going on in the 3099 universe:

“In a war staged by Mephisto and the terrifying entity known as ABYSSUS on a distant planet, the heroes of 2099 must fight for their very existence in a secret war against an army pulled from other alternate timelines, including familiar faces from legendary Marvel storylines. Their enemies will also hail from a newly-emerging reality—the all-new 3099!”

Mephisto is still apparently around, and we know how good he is at resolving storylines! Just ask Mary Jane and Peter Parker about that!

Writer Steve Orlando had this to say about this new mini-series:

“This is the one for it all, folks. With all existing 2099 timelines united into the one, true, Universe-2099, the stakes are higher than ever when Abyssus, the Devourer in Black, comes to dinner! But not all is as it seems! Mephisto, 2099’s dark dealmaker, pivots from annihilation to a war of champions–with 2099’s greatest battling Abyssus’ finest, plucked from the multiverse!”

There are now Spider-Men in every time period in the MCU! Hey, Into the Spider-Verse is making a whole lot more sense now!

We have seen Marvel travel to 3099 previously, but it just doesn’t appear to me as well developed as 2099 was. I haven’t seen much info about the creators of 3099, but they could do much worse if Steve Orlando isn’t at the helm of it this time. All we can do is hang on because it looks like it might be a bumpy ride!

What do you think? Are you looking forward to 3099? Will you miss 2099? Are you hoping to see what the various Marvel characters will be like this far in the future? Whatever your opinion, share it on the Major Spoilers Discord server.

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