Multi-Universes

Multiverses

 * See Multiverse at the DC Database
 * See Multiverse at Wikipedia.org
 * See Ages of Comics for more information on the Ages of Comics.

DC has at least six Multiverses: the "original" Pre-Crisis multiverse, Hypertime, 52 Multiverse, The New 52 Multiverse, the "evolved" Pre-Crisis multiverse, and the Dark Multiverse. The Pre-Crisis multiverse covers the Golden, Silver, and Bronze age of comics.

Original Pre-Crisis Multiverse

 * See Pre-Crisis at the DC Database
 * See Pre-Crisis at Wikipedia.org

Pre-Crisis is a term used to describe characters, items, realities or events that took place prior to 1986.

All occurrences relating to the Golden Age, Silver Age or Bronze Age of comic book publishing are germane to the Pre-Crisis continuity.

The Original Multiverse was supposedly created as the result of interference in the Big Bang by Krona. He was a member of the ancient race of powerful, blue-skinned humanoid immortals from the planet Maltus (they would later relocate to Oa and style themselves the Guardians of the Universe). Krona was a scientist obsessed with observing the creation of the universe, despite an Oan legend that said discovering that secret would cause a great calamity. Krona created a machine that allowed him to see into the moment of creation. Somehow, his experiment disrupted the process of creation, with terrible consequences – it caused the creation of not a single universe, but the generation of an infinite number of universes

Crisis on Infinite Earths

 * See Crisis on Infinite Earths series at the DC Database
 * Crisis on Infinite Earths series at Wikipedia.org

In the mid 80's, the Crisis on Infinite Earths series effectively re-booted the internal DC universe from the dawn of time onward.

A new history was written – one that rendered many of the older DC stories apocryphal. Characters, timelines, and events from the varying alternate realities were condensed into one modernized mainstream reality, excising many characters that would otherwise be construed as redundant. This new reality was given the name "New Earth".

Zero Hour/Hypertime Multiverse (Post-Crisis)

 * See Post-Crisis at the DC Database
 * See Hypertime Multiverse at the DC Database

After Crisis on Infinite Earths, it quickly became clear that Harbinger's claim that only a single Earth (called "New Earth") with a singe history existed was untrue.

A pocket universe created by the Time Trapper was discovered but it didn't explain other discrepancies (such as the existence of Mon-El and the Legion's numerous visits to the 20th century). The proof that there were still multiple timelines was revealed when Waverider came back to 1991 from 2031 to prevent a hero from going bad, wiping out all other heroes, and taking over the world by used his powers to view each hero's "future" and getting different results each time (which per Crisis one Earth one timeline claim should have not happened).

New Earth's history also proved to be unstable as various events such as Zero Hour, JLA/Avengers, Infinite Crisis and Trinity caused alterations to history and the present. But these were one time alterations not constant continuity issues that eventually required the creation of yet more Earths (such as Earth-85). But the real continuity gremlin would come in the form of hypertime.

Hypertime
If Crisis had supposedly wiped out all parallel Earths when what were these other realities? The answer to that was hypertime. Unlike the original Pre-Crisis multiverse hypertime realties could briefly remerge, interact, and then diverge again. This would cause changes to history that are usually not even noticed by the inhabitants of a timeline. Compounding matters is that some of these hypertime realties were effectively identical to Pre-Crisis realties that had been destroyed (Earth-Three and Earth-Twelve) or absorbed to make New Earth (Earth-S).

Then it was shown that the events of Infinite Crisis had created a local multiverse of 52 realities via hypertime one of which was functionally identical to Earth-Two and another identical to Earth-S.

Flash:Flashpoint
The Flash created a darker timeline due to saving his mother from Professor Zoom. His effort to restore the timeline was interfered with causing three previous realities to be merged into one. This new reality was called Prime Earth. This action rippled through the local 52 multiverse altering large parts of it.

Convergance

 * See Convergence (Event) for more details.

Brainiac creates a world where he places cities from world that are part of various DC multiverses on. The keeper of this world, originally a part of Brainiac, renames himself Telos and decides on having the various cities fight each other to decide which of the universes will survive. Eventually the world becomes unstable thanks to the actions of Paradox Hal and threatens to shatter the multiverse. To prevent this Telos transports several of the heroes to the original Crisis to prevent the destruction of the original multiverse. According to Telos "They have done it. Reality is resetting, stabilizing. Each world has evolved, but they all still exist." As each Earth in the Pre-Crisis had it own set of timelines it is unclear what Telos meant by "evolved".

Rebirth
It is revealed that the New Earth Superman had been sent to Prime Earth. Due to to the actions of Mister Mxyzptlk the histories of the New Earth and Prime Earth Supermen were merged forming "A new, existence-wide, single reality, rebuilt from two. A timeline and history both familiar... and new. With lives realigned. Consistent with the memories and experiences of all. Everything solidified. Locked in... so it fits." What effect this had on the local 52 multiverse is unknown.

Dark Multiverse

 * See Dark Multiverse for more details

Underneath the 52/New 53 multiverse exists an older and larger Dark Multiverse. In it 'every fear, each bad decision, give birth to a malformed world of nightmare'. Worlds that by all rights should not even exist. As a result "these worlds are doomed to rot apart, and die, because they are wrong at their core." Five heavy Prime Earth metals actually come from the Dark Multiverse: Nth Metal, Promethium, Dionesium, Electrum, and Batmanium. How the Dark Universe relates to Hypertime is unknown.

Worlds of the Multiverses
While Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition lists some 114 Earths only a handful are important to the Superfriends. To keep realties of the various multiverses straight the DC Database had Pre-Crisis Earths below 52 are spelled out (ie Earth-Two), 52 multiverses Earths use a hyphen (ie Earth-2), and New 52 Earths use a space (ie Earth 2). Earth of the Dark Multiverse use a negative number (ie Earth -54).

Earth-Forty

 * See Earth-Forty

Based on Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition this is the oldest officially recognized parallel Earth (see Earth-Two-A below) ; it is also a hypertime reality. It's main relevance is that it had both Earth-Two and Earth-One elements; Superman and Batman both started careers c. 1940 and Superman had a Superboy career (but in Metropolises not Smallville) but Batman retired in the 1960s passing on the mantel to his son.

Earth-Two-A
The Earth-Two-A universe is very similar to the universe known as Earth-Two. It was originally presented by E. Nelson Bridwell in the Superman Family letters page to explain the various differences between the Earth-Two and actual Golden Age Superman. Mark Gruenwald used this information as the foundation of yet another Earth which Gruenwald called "Earth-E" (which given the name Earth-216 in the Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium) Furthermore Convergence #0 heavily implies that Earth-Two didn't actually appear until The Flash #123 (Sept 1961) meaning that where ever Golden Age stories took place it was not Earth-Two.

Earth-Two

 * See List of Earth-Two Characters for a complete list of Earth-Two inhabitants.
 * See Also: Earth-Two Timeline from Blaklion

Earth-Two is a parallel universe and a designation attributed to the planet Earth, and the Universe it inhabited. This Earth-Two continuity includes DC’s Golden Age heroes, including the Justice Society of America, whose careers began at the dawn of World War II, concurrently with their first appearances in comics. The two Earths were closely linked in terms of parallel development, although Earth-Two individuals usually predated their Earth-One counterparts by a few decades.

There is also a hypertime version of the Pre-Crisis Earth-Two.

Earth-S
Earth-S is one of the infinite number of divergent realities that made up the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Multiverse. The predominant heroic teams were the Marvel Family, the Crime Crusader Club and the Squadron of Justice, while the main team of supervillains were the Monster Society of Evil. During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Earth-S was effectively merged with Earth-One, Earth-Two, Earth-Four, and Earth-X to form one composite universe, called the New Earth.


 * Earth-S first appeared Whiz Comics, Vol. 1 #2 (February, 1940).
 * Earth-S is first named in Shazam!, Vol. 1 #1 (February, 1973).

There is also a hypertime version of Earth-S.

Earth-One
Earth-One was a parallel universe and a designation attributed to the planet Earth, and the Universe it inhabited. This Earth-One continuity includes DC’s Silver Age heroes, including the Justice League of America.


 * For a complete list of Earth-One inhabitants, see List of Earth-One Characters.

Earth-1A (Earth-Thirty-Two)
The Earth-1A universe (partly identified as Earth-Thirty-Two) is very similar to the universe known as Earth-One. Super Powers Volumes 1, 2, 3 and Super Powers Collection comics are all formally identified as happening on Earth-Thirty-Two so it seems reasonable to include Super Friends TV series and the Super Friends comic book series as also being set in that reality. According to the DC One Million 80-Page Giant  (Aug. 1, 1999), the universe is apparently part of Hypertime (which explains why comic stories set on Earth-Thirty-Two appeared after Crisis). Similar to the Post-Crisis Earth, Earth-Thirty-Two mixed elements from various Earths (for example, it had both a Justice Society and a Justice League). It may have even had its own version of the Marvel Family (but given that there is also a hypertime version of Earth-S this may have been the result of a brief merging of the two realities). Since Earth-Thirty-Two was most similar to Earth-One it may have been where the 1991 "Swamp Thing" animated series happened as Swamp Thing's portrayal is closer to the Pre-Crisis version of the character from the comics.


 * It should be noted that it is Conjectural on the part of this wiki to include all animated versions of the characters in this reality. Meaning they may or may not be part of Earth 1A. For example, the 1988 "Superman" animated series has Lex Luthor as a corrupt businessman who utilized a ring fastened with a small piece of Kryptonite as a means of defending himself rather then the wanted criminal seen before Crisis and a Superman with an origin the same as his Pre-Crisis one and his costume (including his cape) remains indestructible. Fitting this into the Earth 1A universe would be purely conjectural though this can be explained via hypertime.