DC Comics Two Thousand (also known as DC Two Thousand or DC 2000) is a two-issue miniseries published by DC Comics in January and February 2000. The story features a team-up between the Justice League of America (JLA) and the Justice Society of America (JSA), who must use time travel to prevent T. O. Morrow from altering the present by changing the past. The series is notable for its exploration of time travel and the consequences of meddling with history, as well as for bringing together two iconic superhero teams.
Synopsis
Issue #1
In the year 2000, T. O. Morrow, a brilliant scientist and villain, has become the ruler of the world. Using a time-travel machine known as M.O.R.R.O.W., Morrow sends advanced pieces of modern technology—such as a laptop and an artificial heart—back in time to 1941. These devices influence key events in the past, giving Morrow the ability to reshape history.
In 1941, the Justice Society of America (JSA) is investigating the mysterious appearance of these advanced technologies. As they attempt to understand the situation, a group of heroes from the future, the Justice League of America (JLA), arrives, intent on retrieving the time-displaced devices and restoring their timeline. The JSA's Spectre, using his divine abilities, peers into the minds of the JLA members and sees the worst aspects of the future—such as the dismantling of the New Deal, which leads to widespread suffering among the poor. To prevent this grim future, the Spectre imprisons the JLA members in 1941.
Issue #2
The JLA members escape their imprisonment and return to the year 2000, where they find Morrow's citadel under attack by corrupt descendants of the JSA. These heirs, who have come into power through unearned means, seek to hijack Morrow's technology and use the M.O.R.R.O.W. machine for their own purposes. Meanwhile, in 1941, most of the JSA members wish to use the futuristic technology to improve the world, but Jay Garrick (The Flash) tries to convince them that this would be wrong. He argues that altering the past could have devastating consequences.
In a pivotal moment, The Flash stops the future version of Morrow from killing his own mother in the past. Morrow had planned to kill her, reasoning that he would become "tougher" by growing up an orphan. Flash shows him that crossing such a moral line is unacceptable, even for someone as ruthless as Morrow.
The JSA then travels to the year 2000, where they see the devastating consequences of Morrow's manipulation of time, as well as the unintended consequences of their own actions. With Morrow's reluctant help, they use the M.O.R.R.O.W. machine to retrieve all of the advanced technologies that had been sent back to 1941. By doing so, they restore the proper timeline, ensuring that history unfolds as it should.
Themes and Legacy
"DC Comics Two Thousand" explores the ethical implications of time travel, particularly the consequences of using advanced technology to alter history. The story reflects the tension between the desire to improve the world and the dangers of taking drastic, unchecked actions to change the past. The team-up between the JLA and JSA highlights the importance of collaboration across generations and the wisdom that comes from both experience and youth. The miniseries is an important entry in DC's history of time-travel stories, providing a gripping narrative about the potential and peril of tampering with time.