DC Comics just revealed who the final hero and villain left standing at the end of time – and naturally, the hero is none other than Superman, but his antagonistic counterpart might surprise some readers. While he isn’t the villain most fans would expect, at the end of time, only the Time Trapper is awaiting Superman for the final battle between good and evil.
Superman #19 – written by Joshua Williamson, with art by Dan Mora – featured a flash forward to the final fate of the DC Universe. When everything is consumed by flame and even time itself has ended, the last hero in the universe is Superman, and the final villain is the Time Trapper.
Time Trapper ominously states that if Superman won’t fulfill his goals, he will find someone who will as he fades away. Time Trapper has likely returned to the past, to before everything in the universe ended, but what exactly he’s looking for is unknown.
DC Confirms Superman Survives To The End Of The Universe – Time Trapper Is A Perfect Choice For His Final Foe
Superman #19 – Written By Joshua Williamson; Art By Dan Mora, Alejandro Sanchez, & Ariana Maher
The Time Trapper is an odd character. Primarily the enemy of the Legion of Super-Heroes, which is only made more complicated by the fact the Legion was created by the Time Trapper to begin with. Time Trapper’s exact origin is unknown, as there have been several people under the mantle, including Superboy-Prime, Rokk Krinn, Lori Morning, and Glorith. In some interpretations, Time Trapper is even speculated to be a sentient alternate timeline that is trying to destroy the main DC one to supplant it. Thus, as the DC timeline continues to change, so too does the Time Trapper’s identity.
Time Tapper is a fantastic final villain for the last hero in the DC Universe, as there’s nothing left to protect when there’s no future.
DC has previously hinted that Superman is immortal. They’ve done this by having characters such as Neron outright state it, as well as showing potential futures, such as Superman One Million, where Clark is one of the last beings alive in the universe. It seems that Superman will never die, and the final antagonist that he’ll have to face off against is one who threatens the only thing that matters when everything ends, history itself. Time Tapper is a fantastic final villain for the last hero in the DC Universe, as there’s nothing left to protect when there’s no future.
When There’s No More Future, The Only Thing To Protect Is The Past
Superman #19 – Available Now From DC Comics
It is difficult to come up with villains who are capable of challenging Superman in any kind of conflict. Especially when it’s a Superman who really has nothing left to lose. There’s no city or loved ones left to threaten. That is why the Time Trapper is such a perfect final villain for the last hero in the universe. Since there’s no more future of the DC Comics Universe to fight for, the only thing Superman has left to protect is the past, and Time Trapper is the one villain with the power to destroy all of it.
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Superman #19 will be available October 23, 2024 from DC Comics.
Superman
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.