Days of Future Past

"Days of Future Past" is a popular storyline in the Marvel Comics comic book The Uncanny X-Men issues #141 and #142, published in 1980. It deals with a dystopian alternative future in which mutants are incarcerated in internment camps. An adult Kate Pryde transfers her mind into her younger self, the present-day Kitty Pryde, who brings the X-Men to prevent a fatal moment in history which triggers anti-mutant hysteria.

The storyline was very popular at the time and was produced during the franchise's rapid rise to popularity due to the writer/artist team of Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin. As a result of the storyline's popularity, the dark future seen in the story has been revisited numerous times. The first issue of this storyline was voted the 25th greatest Marvel Comic of all time by fans in 2001.

This reality in which the story occurs is designated Earth-811 in the Marvel Multiverse.

Plot
The storyline alternates between present day of 1980, in which the X-Men fight Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and a future timeline, taking place in 2013, caused by the X-Men's failure to prevent the Brotherhood from assassinating Senator Robert Kelly. In this future universe, Sentinels rule the United States, and mutants live in internment camps. The present-day X-Men are forewarned of the possible future by a future version of their teammate Kitty Pryde, whose mind traveled back in time and possessed her younger self to warn the X-Men. She succeeds in her mission and returns to the future, but despite her success, the future timeline still exists as an alternative timeline rather than as the actual future. (The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 gave the numerical designation of "Days of Future Past" Earth as Earth-811).

Aftermath
Rachel Summers, who was a key player in the original storyline, traveled through time from this alternative future, Earth-811, to the present day and joined the X-Men. Nimrod, the "ultimate Sentinel," followed her to the present and became a foe of the X-Men and the Hellfire Club. Another supervillain, Ahab, later followed her to the present in the Days of Future Present crossover''.

Days of Future Present
Ahab kidnapped the children Franklin Richards (son of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman and, in the future timeline, Rachel's lover) and Nathan Summers (son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor) but was defeated by the X-Men, X-Factor, the New Mutants and the Fantastic Four.

Meanwhile, Rachel joined the European mutant team Excalibur, whose series twice revisited the "Days of Future Past" timeline. The first time was in a story by Alan Davis entitled "Days of Future Yet To Come," in which a time-traveling Excalibur and several Marvel UK heroes overthrow the Sentinel rulers of future America. This storyline also revealed that Excalibur's robotic "mascot" Widget had been possessed by the spirit of the future Kitty Pryde.

A similar but distinct reality was seen in a vision by her teammate Captain Britain. This story, "Days of Future Tense," revealed the final fate of that timeline's Excalibur team.

A prelude to Days of Future Past was produced in a three-part mini-series entitled "Wolverine: Days of Future Past." This three-issue mini dealt with ramifications between the catalyst for the creation of the alternative future up until the main storyline in Uncanny X-Men 141-142. The prelude explains why Logan leaves for Canada and why Magneto is in a wheelchair in the main two issue story.

Another view of this reality was presented in the second issue of Hulk: Broken Worlds. A short story, "Out of Time," examines the life of Bruce Banner (the Hulk) in a Sentinel prison camp.

Television

 * The Days of Future Past storyline was adapted in the X-Men animated series. The storyline concepts were combined with another alternative future story—that of Bishop and the idea of a traitor within the ranks of the X-Men. Bishop plays the role of Kitty Pryde in the adaptation.


 * The series Wolverine and the X-Men has a similar storyline, where Professor X is in a coma for 20 years, and awakens to find that the mutants are imprisoned by the Sentinels. He telepathically connects with the X-Men of the past to try to prevent that future from happening. By the end of the first season, the Sentinel-dominated future was averted. However, a future based on the Age of Apocalypse appeared in its place.


 * A Days of Future Past incarnation appeared in The Super Hero Squad Show episode "Days, Nights, and Weekends of Future Past."


 * A Madland level based off Days of Future Past appears in the Ultimate Spider-Man episode "Game Over". The scenario even features a shot of Wolverine being blasted by a Sentinel in an homage to Uncanny X-Men #142.

Film

 * A vague "Days of Future Past" scenario is used for a Danger Room session in the film X-Men: The Last Stand where Wolverine is thrown by Colossus into a Sentinel using the Fastball Special.


 * X-Men: Days of Future Past is the upcoming sequel to both The Last Stand and First Class. Several actors from the past of the franchise are confirmed to return, including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Ellen Page, Daniel Cudmore, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Jennifer Lawrence, and James McAvoy. Newcomers Peter Dinklage, Omar Sy, Fan Bingbing, Booboo Stewart and Evan Peters have been announced to play Bolivar Trask, Bishop, Blink, Warpath and Quicksilver, respectively. Although the trailer reveals that Wolverine will be the one to actually return to his "younger" body, director Bryan Singer described Pryde as the prime facilitator and that Pryde's phasing ability enables time-travel to happen

Video games

 * Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has a Days of Future Past-inspired stage serving as an alternative to the standard Metro City stage, with an "Apprehended"/"Slain" poster similar to the famous one, featuring characters from both Marvel and Capcom that starred in Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, but did not return for the Marvel vs. Capcom 3 games. Taking the place of the playable Wolverine is Mega Man.

Popular culture

 * In "Genesis", the first episode of the television series Heroes, the character of Hiro Nakamura cites Kitty's traveling through time as teaching him about the concepts of time travel. Hiro states that the comic taught him that time is a circle, even though it actually insinuated that time branched. The episode "Five Years Gone" was a further homage to the story, featuring Hiro and his friend Ando travelling into a future where New York has been destroyed and people with abilities are being hunted, forcing them to travel back into the past to prevent the original explosion.

Collected editions

 * Days of Future Past (TPB) ISBN 0-7851-1560-9 collects X-Men #138-141, The Uncanny X-Men #142-143 and X-Men Annual #4
 * Days of Future Past (Graphic Novel) ISBN 0-87135-582-5 collects X-Men #141 and The Uncanny X-Men #142
 * The black and white Essential X-Men Vol. 2 ISBN 0-7851-0298-1 collects X-Men #120-141, The Uncanny X-Men #142-144