Between the ongoing saga of 2099 in Marvel Comics and Miguel O'Hara's important role in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, it seems as if things have never been better for Marvel's not so far-flung future. However, the world of 2099 is not the only alternate timeline Marvel has introduced, nor is it the only one currently making waves. The venerable publisher has also introduced the world of 3099, although it simply doesn't have the same breadth of source material to look back on - and it probably never will.
Although source material is hard to find, games such as Marvel Snap and Future Fight include variant versions of characters sporting futuristic 3099 skins. Popular characters such as Iron Man, the Falcon, and even the Super-Skrull have all received this treatment (albeit to varying degrees of success), all of them draw the exact same question of where exactly they came from. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this question, as the world of Marvel 3099 has yet to be clearly defined.
Why Marvel 3099 Has Never Really Been Defined
While several Marvel comics have journeyed to the year 3099, none of them have really ever stuck as a firm example of the future in the same way as 2099. What might be Marvel's first iteration of the world of 3099 was seen in 1991's X-Factor #67 (by Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, and acclaimed X-Scribe Chris Claremont). In this timeline, Apocalypse reigned supreme until being brought down by Nathan Summers, who would go on to become the legendary mutant hero Cable.
It wasn't until 1998's 2099: Manifest Destiny (by Len Kaminski and Mike McKone) that Marvel unveiled a version of the year 3099 that resembled the universe 100 years prior. The one-shot featured Miguel O'Hara (aka Spider-Man 2099) leading a new generation of heroes and humanity in a vast future world. Among these heroes was Doctor Strange (albeit in spectral form) alongside his successor to the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, and Steve Rogers' Captain America, who was once again frozen and thawed into yet another world he did not quite understand, wielding not only his old shield but also Thor's hammer, Mjolnir.
Although 2099: Manifest Destiny set the stage for what could have been groundbreaking stories, the one-shot simply laid the foundation for 3099 without building it up to the heights it could have achieved. Not only has this alternate future been entirely ignored ever since, but very different iterations of the era have cropped as if to replace it. This was the case with both 2008's Immortal Iron Fist #21 (by Duane Swiercyznski and Timothy Green II) as well as 2009's Guardians of the Galaxy #16 (by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Wesley Craig). The latter of these titles may have given its 3099 a bit more room to be fleshed out, but each of them rewrote what 2099: Manifest Destiny had established, and all without ever cementing themselves as a relatively certain future.
Why Marvel Doesn't Need to Give Fans a Proper 3099 Experience
With several versions of 3099 having been introduced at one point or another, it would seem unfathomable to ignore what possibilities could be tapped into with such a large leap forward. However, there just isn't enough depth to 3099 as it currently stands for any of its prior iterations to be brought back successfully into the spotlight. The best way for Marvel to bring this future world back into view would likely involve simply building another version of it from the ground up instead of trying to make a cohesive timeline out of what has come before.
Apart from futuristic and decidedly different versions of popular characters, almost no version of 3099 has established a sense of importance about the era. 2099: Manifest Destiny may have attempted to do so by introducing new versions of Captain America and Doctor Strange, but the new versions of the classic heroes were only seen on a surface level that failed to explore any nuiances that would make them interesting. Only the Nathan Summers version of the era appears to have much staying power, and even that tends to take a backseat whenever the world of Marvel 3099 is referenced today.
As such, there is still plenty of room for Marvel to reintroduce the world of 3099, and with so many variants of classic characters having already been designed, it would be easy enough to populate the era ahead of time. However, this still doesn't address the lack of interest in the setting or it's relative non-existence and overall insignificance to the wider Marvel Universe. With these factors in mind, there is very little incentive for a return to the world of 3099, meaning that this fascinating new world will likely remain an untapped mystery waiting to be explored for the foreseeable future.