2099 Universe - Post Superior Spider-Man

[Nausiated]

I don't know if anyone has tackled this, but the 2099 universe has some complications due to the resurgence of Spider-Man 2099 in the pages of Superior Spider-Man and his subsequent ongoing series that ran until 2016. I think I have some workable theories on how the Chronology Project should view this. I once reached out to Peter David about what he thought was going on, but he politely declined.

Here's a quick rundown on what happened (for those who are not up to date on this)

Spider-Man 2099 reappeared in the pages of Superior Spider-Man, going back in time to prevent the death of Tiberius Stone in order to prevent his family line (and 2099 AD) from being erased from existence. It is also pointed out that the breaking of time caused by Age of Ultron played a part in the problems with the timeline. It ended with Spider-Man 2099 being trapped on modern-day Earth-616. He eventually attempted to go back home and built a time machine. However, every time he went to 2099 AD it was completely different from what he remembered.

(1) When he returned to 2099 AD in Spider-Verse, it was relatively the same as when he left it.
(2) When he visited it in Spider-Man 2099 Vol 2, it was a version of the Hulk Dystopia reality. A different one than the original, as the Maestro of this reality, did not recognize Spider-Man.
(3) In Vol 3, it was yet another version of 2099 AD where he encounters the Sinister Six 2099 and gets involved in Civil War 2099.
(4) At the end of Vol 3, Miguel settles in yet another reality he considers home which is now in the year 2100 AD. It was later identified that this was the 2099 AD that was glimpsed at during Secret Wars (it's been assigned to reality Earth-23291 per the most recent Marvel handbook)

Spider-Verse makes multiple references to this Miguel O'Hara as being from Earth-928 (the original 2099 AD) but also being from the future of Earth-616.

To date, Marvel hasn't really explained much of any of this. But I think I have it figured out....

What is Known

The problem with this is, when you take a look at the period of time which Miguel O'Hara was pulled from his own time, there are a number of issues with continuity:

1) In Superior Spider-Man 17-19, Tyler Stone is the head of Alchemax. Miguel also knows that he is Tyler's son. Tyler is also fully mobile. This suggests that Miguel went back in time sometime before Tyler Stone was shot by Conchatta in Spider-Man 2099 #34. Spider-Man 2099 also remembers meeting Spider-Man in the past and knows that he is Peter Parker, also putting it as happening after Spider-Man 2099 Meets Spider-Man.

2) When Miguel returns to his era in during the Spider-Verse event (Spider-Man 2099 Vol 2 #7) it is confirmed as the version of 2099 that he originally left in Superior Spider-Man. It's interesting to point out that Punisher 2099 is in his original garb and still operating as a vigilante, suggesting that this also happened prior to Doom 2099 becoming President of the United States and enlisting Gallows into his new version of SHIELD.

3) When Miguel visits the alternate Dystopia he runs into a version of Strange 2099 and remembers meeting her in the past. In Spider-Man 2099 Vol 1, Miguel met Strange 2099 in Spider-Man 2099 #32 while in Mexico. This was shortly prior to Doom 2099 becoming President of the United States. In fact, Miguel was still in Mexico when Doom took the presidency.

4) In Spider-Man 2099 Vol 3 #10-12, during his battle with the Sinister Six 2099, he recognizes both the Goblin and Venom. Suggesting that perhaps Miguel came to some point after his encounters with Venom 2099 (Spider-Man 2099 #35) and the Goblin (Spider-Man 2099 #40). These events happening after Tyler Stone was shot and was still in a wheelchair, Miguel was in charge of Alchemax, and while Doom 2099 was president of the United States. It should also point out that the Goblin seen here is revealed to be Father Jennifer D'Angel, as opposed to Gabriel O'Hara as seen in Spider-Man 2099 #45. Miguel does not appear to be aware of the Goblin's true identity, suggesting that this was prior to the Goblin being unmasked in Spider-Man 2099 #35.

5) The First, an Earth-616 organization formed in Spider-Man 2099 Vol 3 #1, was later revealed to be formed by the same Tyler Stone that sent Spider-Man 2099 into the past in Superior Spider-Man #17.

The Problems

This creates all sort of issues with continuity. The big issues being the state of the plot with Spider-Man 2099 Vol 1 after Peter David quit the book and the series was wrapped up when the 2099 books were all consolidated to an anthology series and ultimately wrapped up in the Manifest Destiny One-Shot.

The Spider-Man 2099 seen in Superior Spider-Man and beyond seems to ignore everything that happened after Peter David stopped writing the series. Ignoring this material would be one thing, but the state of the story when Peter David left it doesn't make this any easier.

In rapid succession: Miguel runs off to Mexico where he meets Strange 2099, Doom becomes president, and Conchata shoots Tyler Stone. The last two points happen while Miguel was still in Mexico. He then is made the head of Alchemax by President Doom, and this leads to his encounters with Venom and the Goblin. David's run ends with Roman flooding Nueva York in Spider-Man 2099 #44. What complicates this further, Bob Raab and Terry Kavanaugh reveal the Goblin's identity in the following issue, pointing him out to be Gabriel O'Hara. Then in #46, Tyler Stone is killed, and he was still in a wheelchair at the time.

So... What's going on here?

Theory

Despite a few references that this Miguel O'Hara comes from Earth-928, I don't think that is his native reality. I think that his reality is a divergence of Earth-928 that was created due to interruptions of the natural flow of history on Earth-928. There is precedence to this. Looking at Exiles #75-76. Proteus arrives on Earth-928 and is pulled through the Virtual Unreality machine in place of the Net Prophet. In Issue #75, it is identified that this was Earth-928. But in the next issue, this version of 2099 AD is identified as Earth-6375. Marvel Handbooks with Spider-Man 2099 profiles specify that the arrival of Proteus created a divergence. Earth-928 still exists as it was intended, while Earth-6375 diverges from the point the Virtual Unreality machine is flipped on and Proteus is pulled through.

Taking that into mind, my theory is that the breaking of time caused by the Age of Ultron broke 2099 AD. Since time and the multiverse was repaired following the recent Secret War, I would argue that the original Earth-928 still exists in its original form, while a new divergent reality (which is, as yet, undesignated) existed where this Spider-Man 2099 from Superior Spider-Man #17 appeared from.

So how do you explain all the different 2099 ADs that Miguel visited thereafter?

I think it's a simple explanation. It's the same reason why every time someone travels to the future from Earth-616, that future is not always the same. Or, if you want to look at it a different way, it is like all the different versions of the Days of Future Past future that exist. It seems with all the modern day changes to the X-Men, the Days of Future Past reality is replaced with something that better fits with the modern age. I think the same can be said here with 2099 AD. It also explains past alternates of 2099 AD, such as Marvel Knights 2099 and Timestorm 2099.

That said, I think it is safe to say throughout this revival of 2099 stories there are a number of alternate 2099s that have been created.

(1) The one that Spider-Man 2099 came from in Superior Spider-Man #17. This world appears to have been the result of the damage to the time caused by the Age of Ultron. Without any sort of explanations, it appears that this world more or less follows Peter David's original run of Spider-Man 2099 AD. However, it looks like anything about the original 2099 that didn't originate from Peter David was culled from that reality (The Doom presidency, the flood of Nueva York, Tyler Stone still alive and fully healed.)

(2) The Dystopia 2099. Which is an alternate Dystopia for a few reasons: This Maestro had never encountered Spider-Man 2099 before (as he did in Peter David's run of Captain Marvel). Also, because this Maestro is still in charge of the Dystopia, whereas the one from Earth-9200 is running somewhere loose on Earth-616 following Peter David's run of Incredible Hulk.

(3) The Civil War 2099 reality as it is one where Alchemax runs everything and super-heroes are outlawed.

(4) The now 2100 AD, designated Earth-23291, which was first seen as part of Battleworld during the 2015 Secret Wars. This is the one that Miguel O'Hara settles in at the conclusion of Spider-Man 2099 Vol 3.

What do you think, sirs?

[StrayLamb]

You make a good argument here, Nausiated, and it makes sense to me. Thanks for posting this.

[Nausiated]

Thanks!

Revisiting this, I think (short of any other explanations) this alt 2099 (I like to think of it as Earth-928 v2.0 for now) has a few other characters with their own unique timelines.

There's Miguel O'Hara: He accounts for every Spider-Man 2099 appearance from Superior Spider-Man #17 onward (minus the other Spider-Man 2099s he met during Spider-Verse)

Tyler Stone: Who appears in Superior Spider-Man #17-19, he later escapes to Earth-616 and founds the Fist in Spider-Man 2099 Vol 3.

Punisher 2099: This Jake Gallows is the one that appeared during Spider-Verse in Spider-Man 2099 Vol 2. I would argue that this is also the same Punisher 2099 that appears in the most recent Contest of Champions series since that Punisher 2099 is also the "Pre-SHIELD" Jake Gallows.

Doom 2099: Although not shown to have a direct connection to Earth-928 V2.0, I think that the Doom 2099 that appears as a member of Kang's Chrono Corps in Uncanny Avengers Vol 1 is also from this alt-2099. He appears to be a Pre-Presidential Doom 2099, and it would be the least problematic to explain continuity wise.