Editing Days of Future Past

{{Short description|Marvel Comics X-Men storyline}}
{{About|the comics storyline|the 2014 film|X-Men: Days of Future Past|other uses|Days of Future Past (disambiguation)}}
{{distinguish|Days of Future Passed}}
{{Infobox comics story arc

|image          = X-Men v1 141.jpg
|caption        = {{Descript-cvr|[[The Uncanny X-Men]]|art=[[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]] and [[Terry Austin (comics)|Terry Austin]]|141|Jan, 1981}}
|publisher      = [[Marvel Comics]]
|startmo        = January
|startyr        = 1981
|endmo          = February
|endyr          = 1981
|titles         = ''[[The Uncanny X-Men]]'' #141–142
|main_char_team = [[X-Men]]<br>[[Brotherhood of Mutants|Brotherhood of Evil Mutants]]<br>[[Sentinels (comics)|Sentinels]]
|writers        = [[Chris Claremont]]<br />[[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]]
|pencillers     = John Byrne
|inkers         = [[Terry Austin (comics)|Terry Austin]]
|TPB            = [[Trade paperback (comics)|Trade paperback]]
|ISBN           = 0-7851-1560-9
|TPB1           = [[Graphic novel]]
|ISBN1          = 0871355825
|TPB2           = Essential X-Men Vol. 2
|ISBN2          = 0785102981
|cat            = X-Men
|sortkey        = Days of Future Past
}}
"'''Days of Future Past'''" is a storyline in the [[Marvel Comics]] comic book ''[[The Uncanny X-Men]]'' issues #141–142, published in 1981. It deals with a [[dystopia]]n future in which mutants are incarcerated in [[internment camp]]s. 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 that triggers anti-mutant hysteria.

The storyline was produced during the [[media franchise|franchise]]'s rise to popularity under the writer/artist team of [[Chris Claremont]], [[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]] and [[Terry Austin (comics)|Terry Austin]]. The dark future seen in the story has been revisited numerous times, and was the basis for the 2014 film ''[[X-Men: Days of Future Past]]'', wherein Wolverine is sent back in time. In 2001, fans voted the first issue of this storyline as the 25th greatest Marvel comic.<ref>''100 Greatest Marvels of All Time, Volume 1'' (2001)</ref>

The ''Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005'' gave the numerical designation for the original "Days of Future Past" timeline as '''Earth-811''' in the [[Multiverse (Marvel Comics)|Marvel Multiverse]].

==Plot==
The storyline alternates between the present year of 1980 and the future year of 2013. In the future, [[Sentinel (comics)|Sentinels]] rule a dystopian United States, and mutants are hunted and placed in [[internment camp]]s. Having conquered North America and hunted all mutants and other [[superhuman]]s, the Sentinels are turning their attention to the rest of the world. On the eve of a feared [[nuclear holocaust]], the few remaining X-Men, while making a desperate attempt to stop the Sentinels, send Kitty Pryde's mind backward through time, to possess the body of her younger-self and to prevent a pivotal event in mutant–human history and the cause of these events: the assassination of [[Robert Kelly (comics)|Senator Robert Kelly]] along with [[Charles Xavier]] and [[Moira MacTaggert]] by [[Mystique (comics)|Mystique's]] newly reassembled [[Brotherhood of Evil Mutants]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Claremont|first=Chris|title=The Uncanny X-Men #141: Days of Future Past|date=January 1980|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref>

Working with the present-day X-Men, Kitty Pryde's future-self succeeds in her mission and is pulled back to her own time, while her present-day-self is returned with no memory of any interim. The world of 2013 is not shown again in this story arc; the present-day X-Men are left to ponder whether their future dystopia has been averted or simply delayed.<ref>{{cite book|last=Claremont|first=Chris|title=The Uncanny X-Men #142: Mind out of Time|date=February 1980|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref>

==Background and creation==
[[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]] devised the plot for "Days of Future Past", since he wanted to do a story featuring the Sentinels and his collaborator [[Chris Claremont]] had no interest in coming up with one.<ref name="back29">{{cite journal|last=Nickerson|first=Al |title=Claremont and Byrne: The Team that Made the X-Men Uncanny|journal=[[Back Issue!]]|issue=29 |pages=10–11|publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]]|date=August 2008|location=Raleigh, North Carolina}}</ref> Years later, Byrne said, he realized that he had unconsciously lifted the "spine" of the plot from the 1972 ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial ''[[Day of the Daleks]]''.<ref name="back29"/>

==Sequels==
{{Main|Days of Future Present}}
Though Byrne had intended "Days of Future Past" to be a completely self-contained story, with the future world seen in the story no longer existing even as an alternate timeline following the conclusion,<ref name="back29"/> a number of stories have revisited this future and even acted as outright sequels.

[[Rachel Summers]], a character seen in the future segments of "Days of Future Past", later travels through time to the present day and joins the X-Men. A [[supervillain]], Ahab, follows her to the present in the "[[Days of Future Present]]" [[fiction crossover|crossover]]. In this story, Ahab kidnaps the children [[Franklin Richards (Fantastic Four)|Franklin Richards]] (son of [[Mister Fantastic]] and the [[Invisible Woman]] and, in the future timeline, Rachel's lover) and [[Cable (comics)|Nathan Summers]] (son of [[Cyclops (Marvel Comics)|Cyclops]] and [[Madelyne Pryor]]) but is defeated by the X-Men, [[X-Factor (comics)|X-Factor]], the [[New Mutants]] and the [[Fantastic Four]].

Rachel joins the European mutant team [[Excalibur (comics)|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 reveals that Excalibur's robotic "mascot" [[Widget (comics)|Widget]] had been possessed by the spirit of the future Kitty Pryde.<ref>''Excalibur'' #67. Marvel Comics.</ref>

A similar but distinct reality is seen in a vision by her teammate [[Captain Britain]]. This story, "Days of Future Tense", reveals the final fate of that timeline's Excalibur team.<ref>''Excalibur'' #94. Marvel Comics.</ref>

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.<ref>''Hulk: Broken Worlds Book 2''. Marvel Comics.</ref>

The miniseries ''Days of Future Past: Doomsday'' looks at what happened to other characters as this world fell apart, such as Spider-Man being beaten to death in an anti-mutant riot or General Ross and the Avengers resigning from the government in protest  at what they were being asked to do.

==Secret Wars (2015)==
A sequel based on the original storyline written by [[Marguerite Bennett]], ''Years of Future Past'', was released in June 2015,<ref>Richards, Dave (March 11, 2015). [http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/exclusive-secret-wars-resurrects-a-mutant-nightmare-in-years-of-future-past "EXCLUSIVE: "Secret Wars" Resurrects a Mutant Nightmare in "Years of Future Past"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820110032/http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/exclusive-secret-wars-resurrects-a-mutant-nightmare-in-years-of-future-past |date=2016-08-20 }}. Comic Book Resources.</ref> featuring the "Days of Future Past" timeline depicted in the 2015 "[[Secret Wars (2015 comic book)|Secret Wars]]" storyline. The setting on [[Battleworld]] is called the Sentinel Territories. Major characters in the series include Christina Pryde and Cameron, the children of Kate Pryde and Colossus.<ref name=YoFP3>''Years of Futures Past'' #3. Marvel Comics.</ref>

==In other media==
===Television===

* The "Days of Future Past" storyline was adapted in the ''[[X-Men: The Animated Series|X-Men]]'' animated series. The storyline concepts were combined with another alternative future story—that of [[Bishop (comics)|Bishop]] and the idea of a traitor within the ranks of the X-Men, though Mystique is still responsible for Senator Kelly's assassination. Bishop plays the role of Kitty Pryde in the adaptation—albeit traveling completely back in time instead of just projecting his mind into his past self—while the 'traitor' is 'revealed' to be Gambit, with the X-Men's interference revealing that Mystique had killed Senator Kelly while in the guise of Gambit, to try and frame the X-Men.

* The series ''[[Wolverine and the X-Men (TV series)|Wolverine and the X-Men]]'' has a similar storyline, in which 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 "[[Age of Apocalypse]]" appeared in its place. The series stopped production before the second season revolving around this could be made.

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

* A [[Arcade (Marvel Comics)|Madland]] level based on "Days of Future Past" appears in the ''[[Ultimate Spider-Man (TV series)|Ultimate Spider-Man]]'' episode "Game Over". Mutant Arcade designs the level under the basis of Sentinels being used to destroy mutants. The scenario features a shot of Wolverine being blasted by a Sentinel in an homage to the cover of ''Uncanny X-Men'' #142.

* ''[[Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.]]'' features a five-part episode entitled ''Days of Future Smash'', which consists of the Hulk chasing the Leader throughout numerous events of time and space. The episode's title is a reference to ''Days of Future Past''.

* A future resembling that in Days of Future Past can be briefly glimpsed in the ''[[Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur]]'' episode "Skip This Ad...olescence", as [[Moon Girl (Marvel Comics)|Moon Girl]] is accidentally sent to her future body by her time traveling app. The scene itself homages the cover of ''Uncanny X-Men'' #141. Executive producer [[Steve Loter]] later hinted on his Twitter account that the scene foreshadowed elements from the series' planned storyline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=@steveloter |url=https://twitter.com/steveloter/status/1633698735183249408 |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=Twitter |language=en}}</ref>

===Film===
''[[X-Men: Days of Future Past]]'' is a sequel to ''[[X-Men: First Class|First Class]]''. Numerous actors from the franchise returned, including [[Hugh Jackman]], [[Halle Berry]], [[Ian McKellen]], [[Patrick Stewart]], [[James McAvoy]], [[Michael Fassbender]], [[Anna Paquin]], [[Elliot Page]], [[Shawn Ashmore]], [[Daniel Cudmore]], [[Nicholas Hoult]], [[Jennifer Lawrence]], and [[Lucas Till]]. Newcomers [[Peter Dinklage]], [[Omar Sy]], [[Adan Canto]], [[Fan Bingbing]], [[Booboo Stewart]] and [[Evan Peters]] were also signed to play [[Bolivar Trask]], [[Bishop (comics)|Bishop]], [[Sunspot (comics)|Sunspot]], [[Blink (comics)|Blink]], [[Warpath (comics)|Warpath]] and [[Peter Maximoff|Quicksilver]], respectively. Although Wolverine is the one who is actually sent backward in time to his "younger" body, director [[Bryan Singer]] described Pryde as the prime facilitator and it is Pryde's phasing ability that enables time travel to happen.<ref>Plumb, Ali (July 31, 2013). "Exclusive: Bryan Singer Talks X-Men: Days of Future Past". Empire Magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2013.</ref> In this film, the catalyst for the Sentinel-dominated future was Mystique's assassination of Bolivar Trask and her subsequent capture, with analysis of her DNA allowing humanity to devise Sentinels capable of adapting to any mutant power. After Shadowcat learns how to use her abilities to 'phase' someone into their past self, Xavier and Magneto decide to have her send someone back in time to the year 1973 to prevent Mystique from killing Trask, with Wolverine being selected as he is the only one who can survive the process due to his regenerative healing factor. Upon arriving in 1973, Wolverine locates the past versions of Xavier, Hank McCoy, and Magneto and convinces them to help him prevent their extinction. Although Magneto nearly jeopardizes the plan when he tries to kill Mystique and takes control of the Sentinels as part of his own plan to save the mutant race, Xavier is able to convince Mystique to spare Trask, resulting in her being publicly shown defending President [[Richard Nixon]] from Magneto. As a result, Mystique is hailed as a hero, the Sentinel program is scrapped, and Trask is arrested for selling his designs to foreign nations. The film ends with Wolverine waking up in a revised, idyllic future in which the war with the Sentinels never happened and all of the X-Men are still alive.

===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 (character)|Mega Man]].

To coincide with the release of the film, GlitchSoft, a mobile app developer, released ''The Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past'' for [[iOS]] and [[Android (operating system)|Android]] devices. The game is a side-scrolling 2-D action adventure, with a storyline closer to the original comic book, than the one portrayed in the film. Initially players will be able to control [[Wolverine (character)|Wolverine]], and as they advance further in the game, they will be able to choose between [[Kitty Pryde]], [[Colossus (character)|Colossus]], [[Scarlet Witch]] and [[Cyclops (Marvel Comics)|Cyclops]], with [[Storm (Marvel Comics)|Storm]], [[Polaris (Marvel Comics)|Polaris]] and [[Magneto (Marvel Comics)|Magneto]] announced as additional characters, each one with different powers and abilities, which is upgradable as the player progress in the game, by obtaining experience points.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uncannyxmengame.glitchsoft.com/ |title=Uncanny X-Men Game for Mobile &#124; Days of Future Past &#124; Wolverine Game &#124; iPhone &#124; Android |publisher=GlitchSoft |access-date=2014-08-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808054359/http://uncannyxmengame.glitchsoft.com/ |archive-date=2014-08-08 }}</ref>

The ending of the ''[[X-Men Origins: Wolverine (video game)|X-Men Origins: Wolverine]]'' video game is set in a not so distant future in which Wolverine (in an X-Men costume) breaks free from captivity by Bolivar Trask to discover Sentinels have taken over the world.

Stern Pinball released "The Uncanny X-Men" in 2024. This pinball machine was designed by Jack Danger. The plot of the game follows the story line of Days of future past by having the player jump between time in past and future. There is a giant sentinel head in the game that's used as a bash toy to simulate battling the sentinel army. Artwork for the game was inspired by the designs of the X-Men animated series  and recreated by artist Zombie Yetti.

===Novel===
A novelization of the comic version of "Days of Future Past" by [[Alex Irvine]] was released in May 2014 by Marvel Comics that tied into the release of the film, ''[[X-Men: Days of Future Past]]''. It essentially follows the plot of the original comic storyline, but with two particular changes to the events set in the future: Magneto survives the escape of the Sentinel camp and hides until his powers are restored to the point that he can annihilate the remaining Sentinels, and Kitty is conscious in the body of her future self rather than remaining comatose until she is returned to her own time.

==In popular culture==
In "[[Genesis (Heroes episode)|Genesis]]", the first episode of the television series ''[[Heroes (U.S. TV 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'' No. 4
* ''Days of Future Past'' (graphic novel) {{ISBN|0-87135-582-5}} collects ''X-Men'' No. 141 and ''The Uncanny X-Men'' No. 142
* ''Essential X-Men Vol. 2'' {{ISBN|0-7851-0298-1}} collects ''X-Men'' #120–141, ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #142–144

==See also==
* [[Multiverse (Marvel Comics)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{X-Comics}}
{{Marvel Animated Universe}}
{{Marvel Multiverse}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Days Of Future Past}}
[[Category:Fiction set in 1980]]
[[Category:Fiction set in 2013]]
[[Category:Comics set in the 1980s]]
[[Category:Comics set in the 2010s]]
[[Category:Comics by Chris Claremont]]
[[Category:Comics by John Byrne (comics)]]
[[Category:Marvel Comics dimensions]]
[[Category:Comics about time travel]]
[[Category:Science fiction comics]]
[[Category:Dystopian comics]]
[[Category:Marvel Comics adapted into films]]
[[Category:Fiction about assassinations]]
[[Category:Comics based on Doctor Who]]