The comic book world has been buzzing this week, and not just on the printed page. While new issues line up for release, big-picture moves behind the scenes are quietly rewriting the future of superheroes in every medium.

Over at Marvel, the future is literally ending again, this time in The End 2099. The new one-shot dives back into the dystopian world of Spider-Man 2099 and his fellow future vigilantes just in time to wipe their timeline off the map. The threat is gloriously over the top: a monstrous fusion of a Knull-infected Galactus called Abyssyus descends on 2099, forcing Mephisto to gamble the fate of the entire era in a multiversal cage match. Classic versions of Wolverine, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, and Scarlet Witch are thrown into the fray, each fighting for their own reality’s survival, as a brand-new Spider-Man 3099 looms on the horizon as the next big future webhead. It is a love letter to Marvel history disguised as an extinction-level event.

At the same time, Marvel is having a quieter but no less intriguing moment with Iron & Frost, an Age of Revelation tie-in that pairs Iron Man’s legacy with Emma Frost’s icy presence. The upcoming third issue continues to tease how mutant power players and Avengers-adjacent tech collide in this new era. These previews signal Marvel’s current strategy: big cosmic fireworks in one corner, character-driven, status-quo-bending experiments in another.

Across the street, DC is steering into heartland drama with Action Comics 1093. Mark Waid’s latest chapter finds Superboy fighting a battle he cannot just heat-vision away: the possible shutdown of the Kent Farm. The preview frames it as a coming-of-age story where small-town economics and family legacy hit as hard as any supervillain. Super-mythology has always been about the tension between cosmic power and Kansas soil, and this new issue leans hard into that contrast.

DC is also having a moment of self-reflection with its Absolute line. Absolute Martian Manhunter: Martian Vision, collecting the early issues of the recent series, is being spotlighted as more than just another prestige reprint. The book uses J’onn J’onzz’s shape-shifting and psychic gifts to explore how people hide from their own true selves, turning a classic Justice Leaguer into the anchor of a psychological sci-fi epic. It is a sign of where DC’s boutique projects are headed: high-concept, introspective, and visually ambitious.

Meanwhile, the wider DC brand is stretching well beyond comics. Industry chatter this week has Warner Bros. Discovery in active talks to bring DC heroes to Universal theme parks around the globe. Imagine Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Justice League inhabiting immersive new lands and rides, potentially reshaping the theme-park superhero landscape for years. Factor in the broader corporate shakeups around Warner Bros., and suddenly the question of where you meet Batman first – page, screen, or roller coaster – is back on the table in a big way.

Collectors and investors are feeling a shift too. Recent market talk notes a surprising cooling on many Marvel keys at conventions, where bargain hunters are turning their attention toward DC instead. Green Lantern back issues, especially John Stewart’s early appearances, have been getting more heat, boosted by renewed interest in the character’s future in other media and the general sense that DC’s cosmic side is due for a breakout. Even Batman is finding fresh momentum through the Absolute Batman line, which has captured younger readers without having to reinvent him from scratch.

All of this is happening as longtime fans continue to lobby for their favorites. Hawkman and Hawkgirl devotees, for instance, are loudly calling for more coherent, sustained storytelling for DC’s winged warriors, frustrated that these deeply rooted characters keep getting shuffled around continuity while the Trinity dominates the...