Multiverse (DC Comics) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The DC Multiverse is a fiction

Fiction

Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...

al continuity

Continuity (fiction)

In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...

construct that exists in stories published by comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

company DC Comics

DC Comics

DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

. The DC Multiverse consists of numerous worlds, most of them outside DC's main continuity, allowing writers the creative freedom to explore alternative versions of characters and their histories without contradicting the official continuity, permanently altering it, or both. The number of alternate universes used by the Multiverse construct has varied over the years due to DC Comics' policy of using or abandoning the concept at various points in its publishing history.

Originally, there was no consistency regarding "numbered" Earths — they would be either spelled out as words or use numbers even within the same story (such as was the case with Earth-3 in 1964) but a tradition of spelling them out developed. Because the current Multiverse (brought back via Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...

and 52
52 (comics)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...

) uses numbers some people mistakenly believe that this was a way DC separates the current multiverse from the "original" one.

Pre-Crisis

Although DC Comics

DC Comics

continued publishing from the 1930s through the 1950s, the Golden Age of Comic Books

Golden Age of Comic Books

The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...

had come to a close in the late 1940s or early 1950s, and most superhero

Superhero

A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...

comic books had ceased publication. The only superhero features to survive without long interruptions from the Golden Age to the present were Superman

Superman

Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...

, Batman

Batman

Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...

, Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....

, Aquaman

Aquaman

Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...

, and Green Arrow

Green Arrow

Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...

. In 1956, DC's Showcase
Showcase (comics)
Showcase has been the title of several comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of these series has been to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing...

anthology provided a starting point for the new Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen. It was firmly established in the Flash's first appearance that the Golden Age Flash was a comic-book character within the DC Universe, whose fictional exploits inspired Barry Allen to take on the name. With the success of this character, more Golden Age characters' names were reused with new heroes, often having new costumes, identities or powers, such as Green Lantern

Hal Jordan

Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...

, the Atom, and Hawkman. In order to facilitate crossovers between heroes from the main DC Universe and the Golden Age, an explanation was provided in one story that resonance from parallel worlds can be detected by some people who go on to write stories based upon the information they are receiving.

The first parallel universe

Parallel universe (fiction)

A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...

was introduced in 1953 in Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....

#59, in which Wonder Woman fell through a space-time warp and encountered her double, whose name, Tara Terruna, translated as Wonder Woman. After battling the villain Duke Dazam

Duke Dazam

Duke Dazam is a fictional character who appeared in the DC Comics' series Wonder Woman, in the first published DC Comics story about the multiverse.-Fictional character biography:...

, Wonder Woman returned home.

The parallel universe concept was not used again until Wonder Woman #89 (April 1957), which featured an alternate Earth where crime predominated. The second was "Magic-Land", an alternate Earth where magic

Magic (fantasy)

Magic in fiction is the endowing of fictional characters or objects with magical powers.Such magic often serves as a plot device, the source of magical artifacts and their quests...

, instead of science, was the dominant force in the world. However, its existence has been ignored in current DC Multiverse continuity. It appeared in Gardner Fox

Gardner Fox

Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic-book historians estimate that he wrote over 4,000 comics stories....

's "Secret of the Sinister Sorcerers" in Justice League of America
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....

#2.

The story "Flash of Two Worlds

Flash of Two Worlds

"Flash of Two Worlds!" is a landmark comic book story that was published in The Flash #123 . It introduces Earth-Two, and more generally the concept of the multiverse, to DC Comics...

" appeared in The Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....

#123 and established the Multiverse concept. In the story, the Barry Allen version of the Flash uses his powers of super-speed vibration to climb a rope suspended in mid-air and vibrates from Earth-One to Earth-Two where he meets Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash. He claims that events on Earth-2 must have found their way into the dreams of Gardner Fox. At the end of JLA #22 the Fiddler

Fiddler (comics)

The Fiddler is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain and a recurring foe of the first Flash . He first appeared in All-Flash #32 .-Fictional character biography:...

, to stop the JLA and JSA capturing him, says that as there is an Earth-1 and an Earth-2 there must be an Earth-3. Although he was unable to transport himself away in time, the multiverse concept was touched upon here.

Each universe's Earth has its own set of superheroes, with their own unique characteristics and life histories. In several cases, characters from other publishers acquired by DC, previously established within a fictional universe

Fictional universe

A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....

of their own, have been incorporated into the Multiverse in various alternate universes.

Claw the Unconquered
Claw the Unconquered
Claw is a fictional character, a sword and sorcery hero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Claw the Unconquered #1 , and was created by David Michelinie and Ernie Chan.Similar in many ways to Robert E...

#7 (May/June 1976), by David Micheline and Ernie Chan

Ernie Chan

Ernesto "Ernie" Chan is a Filipino-born American comic book artist.-Biography:Chan migrated to the United States in 1970, and became a citizen in 1976. For a number of years, he was obliged to work under the name "Ernie Chua" as that name had been wrongfully entered on his U.S...

, contained one of the first anecdotal mentions of the Multiverse in a DC Comics title, including the term "Multiverse". In Star Hunters #7 (October/November 1978), with co-plotter Bob Layton

Bob Layton

Bob Layton is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor, who has worked for Marvel Comics, Valiant Comics, DC Comics, Future Comics, and other publishers.-Early life:...

and penciler Rich Buckler

Rich Buckler

Rich Buckler is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four in the mid-1970s and, with writer Doug Moench, co-creating the character Deathlok in Astonishing Tales #25...

, Michelinie offered a description of multiple co-existing parallel Earths. It also described an ancient war between the forces of light and dark using agents scattered across multiple universes.

Crisis on Infinite Earths

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, in 1985 DC Comics published the 12-issue limited series

Limited series

A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....

Crisis on Infinite Earths. The series featured appearances by nearly every DC Comics character published and told a story that allowed the company, at the end of the series, to 'reboot' its entire line of comics: a cosmic battle ending with the recreation of the comics universe from the dawn of time with a single universe. This allowed DC to launch a new era with a reinvention of its major character franchises, such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

One by one, a villain known as the Anti-Monitor

Anti-Monitor

The Anti-Monitor is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain and the antagonist of the 1985 DC Comics miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. He first appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 , and was destroyed in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12, only to return after a long absence in Green...

destroyed several alternate universes. Heroes of the last five universes (Earth-One, Earth-Two, Earth-Four, Earth-S, and Earth-X) along with a handful of survivors from other universes (Pariah

Pariah (comics)

Pariah is a fictional scientist published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 , and was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez.-Fictional character biography:...

, Lady Quark

Lady Quark

Lady Quark is a fictional character, a superheroine in the DC Universe. In the DC Comics 12-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths , the character is one of the rulers of Earth-Six, where the American Revolutionary War had been won by England.-Crisis:Lady Quark's husband Karak and daughter...

, Alexander Luthor, Jr.

Alexander Luthor, Jr.

Alexander Luthor Jr. is a DC Comics character who turned from a hero to a villain. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Alexander has a prominent role in the DC Universe storylines Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis....

) held off the destruction of the last five universes long enough to defeat the Anti-Monitor.

After this, during a time travel incident, the Big Bang

Big Bang

The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...

was altered, and only one universe was created. In the modern day, this new DC Universe combined elements of the last five universes, along with completely new elements. For example, there was a Flash named Jay Garrick who was a member of the Justice Society during the 1940s, and another Flash named Barry Allen who was a member of the Justice League decades later, but there was only one Superman, who had a modified history, different in some respects from both the Earth-One and the Earth-Two versions.

Several pre-Crisis characters (most importantly the Kara Zor-El Supergirl

Supergirl

Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...

and Barry Allen) were killed during Crisis on Infinite Earths, and as a result were either erased from history, as in Supergirl's case, or simply proclaimed dead, as in Barry Allen's case, in the new singular universe. Wonder Woman was thought to have been slain in the final issue, but was revealed to have been thrown backwards through time, reverting back to the clay from which she was formed. This set the stage for her reintroduction into the reformed DC Universe and the relaunch of the Wonder Woman comic, helmed by George Pérez. Other characters and concepts, such as Streaky the Supercat

Streaky the Supercat

Streaky the Supercat is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Streaky first appeared in Action Comics #261 , and was created by Otto Binder and Jim Mooney.-Fictional character biography:...

, Comet the Super-Horse, and the Space Canine Patrol Agents

Space Canine Patrol Agents

The Space Canine Patrol Agents, or SCPA , is a group of fictional anthropomorphic extraterrestrial canine superheroes that appeared in stories published by DC Comics....

vanished without explanation.

Initially, most of the superhero characters remembered the Multiverse, but after some time their memories got in step with the new timeline, and the pre-Crisis Multiverse was forgotten, except for only one character who remembered it: Psycho-Pirate

Psycho-Pirate

The Psycho-Pirate is the name of two DC Comics supervillains, dating back to the Golden Age of Comics.-Charles Halstead:Charles Halstead is a minor character who first appears in All-Star Comics #23, created by Gardner Fox and Joe Gallagher...

Post-Crisis

Although the Multiverse concept was eliminated after the publication of Crisis, several comics published after it made references to it. A story in Animal Man
Animal Man
Animal Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . As a result of being in proximity to an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the ability to temporarily “borrow” the abilities of animals...

by Grant Morrison

Grant Morrison

Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...

referred to the Multiverse, with its effects coming undone as comic books, along with characters who no longer or never had existed emerging from the Psycho-Pirate

Psycho-Pirate

’s mask inside Arkham Asylum. Keith Giffen's character Ambush Bug

Ambush Bug

Ambush Bug is a fictional character who has appeared in several comic books published by DC Comics.His real name is supposedly Irwin Schwab, but he has mental problems that prevent him from truly understanding reality around him, so even his true identity might be no more than a delusion on his part...

demonstrated an awareness of the events in Crisis in his various mini-series, in which it was referred to as "Crisis on the only Earth we're still allowed to use". The Books of Magic
The Books of Magic
The Books of Magic is a four-issue English-language comic book mini-series written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo. Since its original publication, the mini-series has also been published in a single-volume collection under the Vertigo...

series, published under the Vertigo label but set in the DC Universe, had a storyline by Peter Gross (beginning in The Books of Magic #51) in which a Timothy Hunter

Timothy Hunter

Timothy Hunter, is a fictional character, a comic book sorcerer published by DC Comics. He first appeared in The Books of Magic vol. 1 #1 , and was created by Neil Gaiman and John Bolton.-Publication history:...

from a parallel universe traveled from universe to universe, killing and absorbing the powers of his alternate selves.

Elseworlds

Although DC maintained that the other Earths no longer existed, during the 1990s they published occasional one-shots and mini-series labeled Elseworlds
Elseworlds
Elseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...

, featuring alternative versions of their characters — a practice that was consistent with the concept of a Multiverse. DC officially classified these as stories that perhaps "could have" happened but had not actually occurred. Some one-shots and limited series without the Elseworlds label, such as Frank Miller

Frank Miller (comics)

Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...

's re-imagining of DC heroes and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, also diverged from established continuity, or in the case of The Dark Knight Returns, have had continuity diverge from them. More recently, after the events of 52 re-established the Multiverse as part of DC continuity, many alternate worlds within the Multiverse and the characters that inhabit them are now based on stories that bore the Elseworlds label.

Hypertime

In 1999, DC introduced Hypertime, a concept which provided a framework of recognition for both canonical and apocryphal stories, stating that all stories outside mainstream continuity happened in alternate timelines that had "branched out" and, in some cases, re-merged. Hypertime was a superset of the Multiverse, including not only all pre-Crisis stories set on alternate Earths, but any story set in any continuity. This concept was first referenced in The Kingdom, in which an image of what appeared to be the original Earth-Two appears. However, the concept has been subsequently used only a few times, most notably in story-arcs in the pages of The Flash and Superboy
Superboy (Kon-El)
Superboy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. A modern update of the original Superboy, who is a younger version of Superman, the character first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500 , and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.Originally...

. In Booster Gold vol. 2, #30 (March 2010) Hypertime is specifically mentioned. According to Dan DiDio

Dan DiDio

Dan DiDio is an American writer, editor and publisher who has worked in the television and comic book industries. He is currently the Co-Publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee...

, Executive Vice President of DC Comics, Hypertime will not be featured in any future stories.

Snowflake

In Warren Ellis' Planetary
Planetary (comics)
Planetary is an American comic book limited series created by writer Warren Ellis and artist John Cassaday published by the Wildstorm imprint of DC Comics...

series (and subsequently other series from the WildStorm

WildStorm

WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...

imprint), the structure of the Multiverse is described as a web of 196,833 universes arranged in a pattern resembling a snowflake

Snowflake

Snowflakes are conglomerations of frozen ice crystals which fall through the Earth's atmosphere. They begin as snow crystals which develop when microscopic supercooled cloud droplets freeze. Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Complex shapes emerge as the flake moves through...

, each universe separated from its neighbors by a medium called the Bleed. In the Batman-Planetary crossover, it is said that a "partial multiversal collapse" occurred in 1985, an oblique reference to Crisis on Infinite Earths. The fact that it is only a "partial collapse" indicates that there were definitely still other realities, and that the Multiverse was not as "gone" as was originally believed. At about the time of Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...

, the Bleed was shown to lie between the 52 dimensions.

Infinite Crisis

In 2005, DC began Infinite Crisis, a DC Universe crossover and sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths. Stories leading up to the main limited series contained scattered references to the Multiverse, such as the Return of Donna Troy mini-series, in which the titular character Donna Troy

Donna Troy

Donna Troy is a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #60 , and was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani...

returned from the dead and remembered the various origins of her alternate selves (such as her counterpart from Earth-Seven, who became her nemesis Dark Angel

Dark Angel (DC Comics)

Dark Angel is a fictional DC Comics villain who battled Wonder Woman. She is a wandering spirit who inhabited the body of Baroness Paula Von Gunther during World War II...

), and the Captain Atom: Armageddon mini-series, which sees the main character sent to the Wildstorm Universe

Wildstorm Universe

The Wildstorm Universe is a fictional shared universe where the comic books published by Wildstorm take place. It represents an alternate history of the real world where ideas such as interstellar travel and superhuman abilities are commonplace...

and inadvertently causing its destruction and recreation.

In the Infinite Crisis series itself, the Superman and Lois Lane of Earth-Two, the Superboy of Earth-Prime, and Alexander Luthor, Jr., of Earth-Three, all survivors of the destruction of the original Multiverse, reappeared and the former existence of the Multiverse was acknowledged. Earth-Two was recreated in issue #4, and the surviving heroes who originated from Earth-Two were transported there.

In addition, worlds previously described only as "Imaginary Stories" or "Elseworlds

Elseworlds

Elseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...

" were revealed to be universes within the Multiverse, as shown by the presence of Superman Red and Superman Blue from the Silver Age

Silver Age of Comic Books

The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...

imaginary story of the same name; Superman, Jr., and Batman, Jr., from the World's Finest stories of the 1970s; the Superman from the Elseworlds story Superman: Red Son
Superman: Red Son
Superman: Red Son is a three-issue prestige format comic book mini-series published by DC Comics that was released under their Elseworlds imprint in April 2003...

; a world featuring Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman in Aztec

Aztec

The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...

garb; and a world featuring characters from the first Wonder Woman pilot, as well as from the Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman (TV series)
Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superhero of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, the show originally aired from 1975 to 1979....

television series, alongside the original Teen Titans in a militaristic setting.

Eventually, Alexander's plan was circumvented when his equipment was destroyed by Superboy

Superboy (Kon-El)

Superboy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. A modern update of the original Superboy, who is a younger version of Superman, the character first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500 , and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.Originally...

, resulting in all Earths re-merging into "New Earth". The effects of this transformation were shown during the series 52
52 (comics)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...

and in the "One Year Later

One Year Later

"One Year Later" was a 2006 storyline event running through the DC Universe. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Comics Universe following the events of the Infinite Crisis event, to explore major changes within the continuities of the many...

" storyline.

52

In the "DC Nation" column printed in the back of Week 37, Dan DiDio

Dan DiDio

Dan DiDio is an American writer, editor and publisher who has worked in the television and comic book industries. He is currently the Co-Publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee...

revealed "the secret of 52" in a coded message. The message was spelled out using the first letter of every third word and said: "the secret of fifty-two is that the Multiverse still exists". In 52 Week 52, it was revealed that the Multiverse was recreated at the end of Infinite Crisis with the creation of fifty-two separate Earths, separated by different vibrational frequencies and each with their own histories. These Earths were initially identical to New Earth until they were altered by the intervention of Mister Mind "eating time" using his powers.

All-Star Superman

In the tenth issue of the out-of-continuity series All-Star Superman, Superman creates, by himself, a parallel universe called "Earth-Q", to see if a world without a Superman or any other superheroes could work. It is revealed at the end of the issue that Earth-Q is "our" Earth, as Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...

is seen creating his famous Übermensch

Übermensch

The Übermensch is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche posited the Übermensch as a goal for humanity to set for itself in his 1883 book Thus Spoke Zarathustra ....

, or "Superman", concept, and Joe Shuster

Joe Shuster

Joseph "Joe" Shuster was a Canadian-born American comic book artist. He was best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with writer Jerry Siegel, first published in Action Comics #1...

is shown drawing the first modern Superman on the cover of Action Comics #1

Action Comics 1

Action Comics #1 is the first issue of the comic book series Action Comics. It features the first appearance of several comic book heroes, most notably the Jerry Siegel/Joe Shuster creation Superman.-Contents:...

Countdown and Final Crisis

The yearlong series Countdown to Final Crisis, as well as the various Countdown spinoffs and Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...

lead-ins, feature the Multiverse extensively, as several characters traverse the Multiverse in search of New Earth's Ray Palmer, while the events of Countdown: Arena involve the villain Monarch collecting various alternative versions of DC heroes and forcing them to fight in deathmatches to decide which ones to recruit into his army.

While Crisis on Infinite Earth depicted the Multiverse as overseen by a single being known as The Monitor, Countdown, 52, and other titles have established that each of the fifty-two Earths has its own individual monitor. The original Monitor from Crisis on Infinite Earths supposedly returns during Final Crisis, now a vampiric creature and one of the various villains in the story. This was never confirmed. However, the being does resemble the original Monitor seen during the first Crisis story, though with vampiric traits.

The events on Earth-51 tie directly in to the early issues of Final Crisis and involve the fate of one of the monitors, Nix Uotan. In Final Crisis, the Multiverse is shown to be made of a cone-shaped or an upside-down pyramid, where New Earth is at the top, holding all the other Earths together. If New Earth is destroyed all the other Earths fall in a domino effect

Domino effect

The domino effect is a chain reaction that occurs when a small change causes a similar change nearby, which then will cause another similar change, and so on in linear sequence. The term is best known as a mechanical effect, and is used as an analogy to a falling row of dominoes...

and are also destroyed.

Flashpoint and The New 52 (2011 reboot)

After the events of Flashpoint

Flashpoint (comics)

Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...

and The New 52

The New 52

The New 52 is a 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero books, in which all of its existing titles were cancelled, and 52 new series debuted in September 2011 with new #1 issues. Among the series being renumbered are Action Comics and Detective Comics,...

, the DC Multiverse has been restructured yet again. For example, the main DC Earth formerlly known as Earth-0 aka New Earth, the Wildstorm Universe (Earth-50) and Vertigo (its parallel (Earth-13) have all been merged into the new primary reality.
It remains to be seen how the reboot of the primary reality has been reflected in the other realities of the 52 universe multiverse and which of the 52 universes still exist. As of the reboot of 2011 "New 52", only the new Earth-1 reality with the 2012 "Batman: Earth-1"

Batman: Earth One

Batman: Earth One is an upcoming graphic novel series, that is part of the DC: Earth One line, set to be released on May 8 2012, written by Geoff Johns with art by Gary Frank.-Publication history:...

is confirmed to continue.

List of universes

Originally, there was no consistency regarding "numbered" Earths — they would be either spelled out as words or use numbers even within the same story. For example, "Crisis on Earth-Three!" from 1963 (JSA #29) uses "Earth-3" and "Earth-Three" interchangeably, though a tradition of spelling out the numbers seems to have emerged in "The Most Dangerous Earth" in 1964 (JSA #30). This convention was disregarded in Crisis on Infinite Earths, and it became common practice to refer to the various Earths with numerals instead a practice continued in 52 and Countdown.

After the first Crisis, several new universes appeared despite DC's intentions to the contrary. In addition, DC ran a number of crossovers with other companies that involved travel between different realities. Technically, none of these worlds were ever part of the Multiverse.

A new Multiverse was revealed at the end of the 52
52 (comics)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...

weekly limited series. Unlike the original Multiverse, which was composed of an infinite number of alternate universes, this Multiverse is composed of only fifty-two alternate universes, which are referred to as New Earth and Earths 1 through 51. The alternate universes were originally identical to New Earth and contained the same history and people until Mister Mind "devoured" portions of each Earth’s history, creating new, distinct Earths with their own histories and people, such as the Nazi-themed version of the Justice League that exists in Earth-10. Each of the alternate universes have their own parallel dimensions, divergent timelines, microverses, etc., branching off them.

Contact between universes

Originally in the pre-Crisis Multiverse, most inhabitants of these various Earths were completely unaware of the other universes, outside of the superpowered populace. The writers at DC Management changed this condition for the main post-Crisis Earth populace who are completely aware of the Multiverse, as shown in Final Crisis #7. It is unclear if the populace of most of the alternate Earths of the post-Crisis 52 Multiverse are also generally aware of other Earths, though many of the superpowered populace have been shown to be aware of, and interact with these other Earths and their inhabitants.

The first character recorded to cross the gap between these various Earths was in pre-Crisis reality (chronologically in continuity, not publishing order as this tale was revealed in the series All-Star Squadron
All-Star Squadron
The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in a special insert in Justice League of America #193 . Created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway.-The concept:...

in the 1980s) and done by Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam (comics)

Uncle Sam is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero based on national personification of the United States, Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam first appeared in National Comics #1 and was created by Will Eisner.-Quality Comics:...

of Earth-Two, who accidentally crossed over into Earth-X. DC Comics' first published story involving travel between alternate universes was Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman

's crossing into an unnamed parallel Earth, in Wonder Woman #59 (1953). Barry Allen, the Flash of Earth-One became the first recorded individual during the Silver Age to visit another Earth, accidentally vibrating at just the right speed to appear on Earth-Two, where he met Jay Garrick, his Earth-Two counterpart, in The Flash #123.

Other characters with super-speed powers have been able to duplicate the trick, but it has not been done routinely. Magic and technological devices have done the job as well. The Justice League of America's "transmatter" device (ordinarily used to transport the team between their satellite headquarters and the ground), was pressed into service for annual events in which the League and some of their counterparts on other Earths faced a universe-crossing "crisis" of one sort or another. Wonder Woman's invisible jet was also shown to be able to vibrate her across the multiversal barrier, in Wonder Woman #300, and she also crossed over when her magic lasso was struck by lightning, in Wonder Woman #59. Superman could travel to other Earths at will while Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel (DC Comics)

Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...

used the magical Rock of Eternity to gain access to all of the Earths.

Writers have occasionally put characters from different Earths together in the same story without explanation, a continuity

Continuity (fiction)

In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...

error often cited as a reason for eliminating the Multiverse in Crisis on Infinite Earths or as an extension of "Earth-B" (cited by DC staff as the setting for team-up stories told in The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...

, or edited by Murray Boltinoff or written by Bob Haney

Bob Haney

Robert G. "Bob" Haney was a US comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. He co-created the Teen Titans as well as characters such as Metamorpho, Eclipso, Cain, and the Super-Sons.- Early life and career :...

, which did not always conform to established continuity for Earth-One, or any other established Earth). For instance, one such story featured Catwoman

Catwoman

Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...

committing murder, which neither the Earth-One nor Earth-Two versions would ever do as it was strictly against each character's moral code.

Earth-616

Earth-616

In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...

, Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

' main universe, is typically acknowledged as being part of a different multiverse

Multiverse (Marvel Comics)

Within Marvel Comics, most tales take place within the fictional Marvel Universe, which in turn is part of a larger multiverse. Starting with issues of Captain Britain, the main continuity in which most Marvel storylines take place was designated Earth-616, and the multiverse was established as...

entirely; in the JLA/Avengers
JLA/Avengers
JLA/Avengers is a comic book limited series and crossover published in prestige format by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from September 2003 to May 2004. The series was written by Kurt Busiek, with art by George Pérez...

crossover, even after the barriers between Earth-616 and the post-Crisis DC Earth had been deliberately weakened, it was incredibly hard to make the voyage. Thor

Thor (Marvel Comics)

Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....

's hammer and the Flash's speed can allow travel between the Earths; however, as the Speed Force

Speed Force

The Speed Force is a concept presented in various comic books published by DC Comics, primarily in relation to the various speedsters in the DC Universe.-Empowered:...

does not exist on Earth-616, Flash cannot travel back.

Print collections

Contact between the universes (or stories set on the other Earths) have been reprinted in the following graphic novels.

Title	Material collected
Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups
Volume 1	The Flash Flash (comics) The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 .... #123, 129, 137, 151 Showcase Showcase (comics) Showcase has been the title of several comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of these series has been to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing... #55-56 Green Lantern Green Lantern The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and... vol. 2, #40 The Brave and the Bold The Brave and the Bold The Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983... #61 The Spectre Spectre (comics) The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52... #7
Volume 2	The Atom Atom (comics) The Atom is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe.There have been five characters who have shared the Atom codename. The original Golden Age Atom, Al Pratt, was created by Ben Flinton and Bill O'Connor and first appeared in All-American Publications'... #29, 36 The Brave and the Bold #62 The Flash #170, 173 Green Lantern vol. 2, #45, 52 The Spectre #3
Crisis on Multiple Earths
Volume 1	Justice League of America Justice League The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics.... #21-22, 29-30, 37-38, 46-47
Volume 2	Justice League of America #55-56, 64-65, 73-74, 82-82
Volume 3	Justice League of America #91-92, 100-102, 107-108, 113
Volume 4	Justice League of America #123-124, 135-137, 147-148
Volume 5	Justice League of America #159-160, 171-172, 183-185
Justice Society
Volume 1	All Star Comics All Star Comics All Star Comics is a 1940s comic book series from All-American Publications, one of the early companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. With the exception of the first two issues, All Star Comics primarily told stories about the adventures of the... #58-67 DC Special #29
Volume 2	All Star Comics #68-74 Adventure Comics Adventure Comics Adventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman... #461-466
Miniseries
Crisis on Infinite Earths Crisis on Infinite Earths Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...	Issues #1-12
Infinite Crisis Infinite Crisis Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...	Issues #1-7
Lord Havok Lord Havok Lord Havok is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain, part of the supervillain team called the Extremists. He is based on the Marvel Comics supervillain Doctor Doom, and, like him, is a genius equipped with powered armor... and the Extremists	Issues #1-6
Countdown: Arena	Issues #1-4
One-shots
Power Girl Power Girl Power Girl is a DC Comics superheroine, making her first appearance in All Star Comics #58 ....	Showcase #97-99 Secret Origins Secret Origins Secret Origins is the title of three American comic book series published by DC Comics.The title began in 1961 and for one issue, all reprints. The title Secret Origins of Super Heroes went onto a second series, also reprints, which ran for seven issues from 1973-1974... #11 JSA Classified #1-4 (contains a few plot-related pages from JSA #32 and #39)
Showcase Presents Showcase presents Showcase Presents is a line of black-and-white paperback books published by DC Comics at an average rate of two per month. Created to effectively be DC's version of Marvel Comics' Essential Marvel volumes, each book includes over 500 pages of reprints, primarily from the Silver Age... : Shazam	Shazam #1-20, 26-29, 33 (stories are set on Earth-S)
Huntress Huntress (comics) The Huntress is a name used by several characters in DC Comics.The Golden Age Huntress is a supervillainess, while the Bronze Age and Modern Age Huntresses are superheroines.... : Dark Knight Daughter	DC Comics Super Stars #11 Batman Family Batman Family The Batman Family was a DC Comics comic book series which ran from 1975 to 1978, primarily featuring stories starring supporting characters in the Batman comics... #18-20 Wonder Woman Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986.... #271-287, 289-290, 294-295
Weekly
52	Issues #1-52
Countdown to Final Crisis Countdown to Final Crisis Countdown, known as Countdown to Final Crisis for its last 24 issues based on the cover, was a comic book limited series published by DC Comics. It debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of the last issue of 52...	Issues #51-1

Other versions

Teen Titans Go!
Teen Titans Go!
Teen Titans Go! is a comic book series that was published by DC Comics. It is based on the 2003 animated TV series Teen Titans which is itself loosely based on the team that starred in the popular 1980s comic The New Teen Titans. The series was written by J...

#48 introduces its own multiverse. Each world pays references to various incarnation of the Teen Titans. The worlds shown are:

The majority of the story is set on a world which is menaced by the Teen Tyrants (evil Teen Titans), and is defended by the Brotherhood of Justice (heroic versions of the Brotherhood of Evil
Brotherhood of Evil
The Brotherhood of Evil is a group of DC Comics supervillains, archenemies of the original Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans.-Origins:The Brotherhood of Evil was founded by the engimatic villain the Brain. In the beginning, the group's motivation was world domination...

). Similar to Earth-3
Crime Syndicate of America
For the concept of crime syndicates in general, see Organized crime.The Crime Syndicate are teams of fictional supervillains, from one of DC Comics' parallel universes, who are the evil counterparts of the Justice League of America. The original team was specifically known as Crime Syndicate of...

.
Malchior's (from the Teen Titans
Teen Titans (TV series)
Teen Titans is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics characters of the same name. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003, and the final episode "Things Change"...

episode "Spellbound") homeworld.
A world similar to the past from the Teen Titans episode "Cyborg
Cyborg (comics)
Cyborg is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26...

the Barbarian".
A world containing the teen Lobo.
A world consisting of the animalistic Teen Titans (from the Teen Titans episode "Bunny Raven
Raven (comics)
Raven is a fictional superheroine who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26 , and was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez...

").
Another future timeline with Nightwing
Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....

(from the Teen Titans episode "How Long Is Forever").
A world consisting of the Chibi Titans.
A world in which the Teen Titans (as depicted in the Silver Age comics) consist of Robin
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...

, Speedy, Wonder Girl
Wonder Girl
Wonder Girl is the name of three fictional characters featured as superheroes in comic books and other media produced by DC Comics. The original was a younger version of Wonder Woman...

, Aqualad
Aqualad
Aqualad is the name of two fictional comic book superheroes appearing in books published by DC Comics. The first Aqualad, Garth, debuted in Adventure Comics #269 , and was created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist Ramona Fradon...

, and Kid Flash
Kid Flash
Kid Flash is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero The Flash. The first incarnation of the character, Wally West, debuted in The Flash #110...

.
The home of Larry the Titan.
A futuristic world where the Teen Titans consist of Nightwing (a vampirish version, based on Dagon of the Team Titans
Team Titans
Team Titans was a comic book published by DC Comics that spun out of DC's New Titans series. It began in September 1992 and ended in September 1994. The Team Titans were first introduced as a shadowy group stalking the Titans...

), Battalion
Battalion (DC Comics)
Battalion is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Team Titans #2 .-Fictional character biography:...

(who resembles Cyborg), Mirage (who resembles Raven), and Killowat
Killowat
Killowat is a fictional character from the DC Comics series Teen Titans.-Fictional character biography:Killowat's story began 10 years in the future; or, rather, the false future where Lord Chaos reigned and a force known as the Team Titans struggled to overthrow his tyranny...

.

Parodies

Bongo Comics
Bongo Comics
Bongo Comics Group is a comic book publishing company founded in 1993 by Steve and Cindy Vance, Bill Morrison, and Simpsons and Futurama creator Matt Groening. It publishes comics related to the animated television series The Simpsons and Futurama, along with original material...

published a comic book series featuring characters from The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

and Futurama titled Futurama/Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis
Futurama/Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis
The Futurama/Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis is a two part crossover between the animated series Futurama and The Simpsons. It was published in 2002 and 2003 by Bongo Comics. A sequel, Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis II, was published in 2005.In the US, the first series was published...

. One of the conventions of DC's Multiverse that the series parodies is the existence of one universe's characters as fictional comic book characters in another.

Other media

In the animated television series Super Friends
Super Friends
Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup...

, the superhero teams encounter crossovers with other universes. In the episode "Universe of Evil", a freak accident causes Superman

Superman

to switch places with his evil counterpart.

DC Animated Universe

The DC animated universe

DC animated universe

The DC Animated Universe is a fan term that refers to a series of popular animated television series and related spin-offs produced by Warner Bros. Animation which share the same continuity. Most of these series are adapted from DC Comics properties...

(DCAU) has depicted the Multiverse many times. Several characters from the main DCAU have visited parallel universes that were similar to the DCAU.

In the Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...

episode "Brave New Metropolis", Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....

fell into a parallel Earth where Superman and Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...

had taken over Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....

, turning it into a fascist police-state.
In the Justice League
Justice League (TV series)
Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics...

episode "Legends", several members of the League were accidentally sent to a parallel universe where John Stewart
John Stewart (comics)
John Stewart is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 2, #87 , and was created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams.-Publication history:...

's comic-book idols, a pastiche
Pastiche
A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...

of the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....

named the Justice Guild of America
Justice Guild of America
The Justice Guild of America is a superhero team featured in the Justice League animated series two-part episode Legends, an homage to the Golden Age Justice Society of America, and to a degree the Silver Age Justice League of America.-Synopsis:...

, live. One member of the Justice Guild hypothesized that there are an infinite number of parallel dimensions.
In the Justice League episode "A Better World", the Justice League were held captive by their authoritarian counterparts from another universe, the "Justice Lords
Justice Lords
The Justice Lords are fictional heroes-turned-villains who first appeared in the two-part Justice League episode "A Better World" .-Biography:...

". In this universe, Lex Luthor had risen to the U.S. Presidency and had started a war which had killed the Flash, sparking the Lords' takeover of the world. Later in the series, the regular Lex Luthor ran for President solely to enrage Superman.
In the Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...

episode "Question Authority", the Question
Question (comics)
The Question is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by DC Comics. The original was created by writer-artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Blue Beetle #1...

is surfing through Cadmus
Project Cadmus
Project Cadmus is a fictional genetic engineering project in the DC Comics Universe. It was created by Jack Kirby as the DNA Project in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 , and was run by the former Newsboy Legion...

's files on a computer. One of the files is titled "Multiverse" and another file shows footage from the episode "A Better World" where the alternate Superman murders Lex Luthor. Ironically, after viewing files on the Justice Lords, he initially believes that instead of looking at an alternate universe, he is looking at the future of the universe in which the League lives. The exact means by how Cadmus came into possession of footage from the death of President Luthor seen in "A Better World" remains unknown.

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

In Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...

, the show's primary protagonists, Lois Lane and Clark Kent

Clark Kent

Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....

, encountered an alternative version Clark Kent from a parallel universe in the episodes "Tempus, Anyone?" and "Lois & Clarks". In the episode "Tempus, Anyone?", the dimension included these differences:

Clark Kent had not assumed the identity of Superman and was engaged to Lana Lang
Lana Lang
Lana Lang is a fictional supporting character in DC Comics' Superman series. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela, the character first appears in Superboy #10...

(prior to the events of "Tempus, Anyone?").
Lois Lane had been lost on assignment in the Congo and presumed dead since 1993 (prior to the events of "Tempus, Anyone?" and "Lois & Clarks").
Jonathan and Martha Kent died when Clark was a child.
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...

owns the Daily Planet
Daily Planet
The Daily Planet is a fictional broadsheet newspaper in the , appearing mostly in the stories of Superman. The building's original features were based upon the AT&T Huron Road Building in Cleveland, Ohio...

and is also Perry White
Perry White
Perry White is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comics. White is the Editor-in-Chief of the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet.White maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards...

's campaign manager for his mayoral election.
Both Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

and Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...

were elected as President of the United States of America (not to mention Elvis being alive and well).

The primary version of Lois, who was abducted by the villain Tempus and taken to this dimension, helped the alternate Clark become Superman, only to have Tempus expose his secret identity to the world on television. Despite Clark's alien origin, the world embraces him as their champion.

Later, in the episode "Lois & Clarks", the alternate Clark visits the primary L&C dimension to aid Lois in stopping Tempus while the Clark Kent of her world is trapped in a time vortex. After Tempus's defeat, it is implied that the alternate Clark would travel to the past with H.G. Wells and take his world's Lois Lane to his own time thus, under a predestination paradox

Predestination paradox

A predestination paradox is a paradox of time travel that is often used as a convention in science fiction. It exists when a time traveller is caught in a loop of events that "predestines" or "predates" them to travel back in time...

, explaining her disappearance.

Smallville

The live-action television series Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...

has also feature the Multiverse concept. In the season 5 episode "Lexmas", Lex Luthor visits an alternate timeline where Lionel cuts Lex out of the family fortune while Lex is married to Lana and has a son named Alexander. Clark Kent is a reporter with the Daily Planet, Chloe is publishing a book exposing LuthorCorp with Lex's help. and Jonathan Kent is a state senator.

In the season 7 episode "Apocalypse", Clark is taken to an alternate timeline where his counterpart had not arrived in Smallville and is killed by Brainiac

Brainiac (comics)

Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....

. In that dimension, Clark Kent encounters another version of himself who is a human biological son of Martha and Jonathan and never met Lana Lang (who is a cheerleader with a different group of friends). Also in this dimension, Chloe Sullivan is engaged, Lana Lang is a married woman living in Paris, Sheriff Nancy Adams left Smallville and works as a member of the government, and Lex Luthor became president of the United States. While this dimension's Earth is destroyed by President Luthor, Clark travels back in time and sends his infant self to Earth, thus restoring his timeline.

In the season 10 episode "Luthor", when Clark Kent travels to an alternate universe dubbed Earth-2 with the help of a Kryptonian mirror box. There, Lionel Luthor is his adopted father instead of Jonathan Kent. Clark is a blood thirsty tyrant whose persona is Ultraman

Ultraman (comics)

Ultraman is the name of several fictional characters, who are supervillains appearing in stories published by DC Comics. The characters are all evil alternate-universe counterparts of Superman. Ultraman first appeared in Justice League of America #29 .-Publication history:Ultraman first appeared as...

. He has a relationship with his sister, Tess. Clark Luthor killed his brother Lex. When Clark Kent travels to the alternate earth, his counterpart, Clark Luthor, travels to his. Lois Lane is engaged to Oliver Queen

Green Arrow

, who bought land in Smallville for its kryptonite. And Lionel lures Clark into Oliver's kryponite trap and beats him. With the help of Oliver (who closes the kryponite portal), Clark uses the mirror box and returns to his world. Unknown to him, Lionel comes with him.

Earth-2 is featured again later in the season in the episode "Kent".

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

In Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...

, a kind of "multiverse" is referenced in the episodes "Deep Cover for Batman!" and "Game Over for Owlman!", which feature several references to alternate incarnations of DC Comics heroes and villains, including Batman

Batman

and Owlman

Owlman (comics)

Owlman is the name of several fictional supervillains that appear in comic books published by DC Comics who are the intended reverse counterparts of Batman. Owlman first appeared in Justice League of America #29 , and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky...

. The Multiverse is briefly revisited in "Night of the Batmen!", with a large group of Batman gathered from across various Earths coming together to help an injured Bruce Wayne protect Gotham. The army of Multiverse Batmen contained various iterations of Batman from different media adaptions, such as from The Batman
The Batman (TV series)
The Batman is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. It ran from 2004 to 2008, on the Saturday morning television block Kids' WB...

, the DC Animated Universe, the 60's Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...

TV series, and Batman Beyond
Batman Beyond
Batman Beyond is an American animated television series created by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy...

.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

The direct-to-video feature Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is a 2010 original direct-to-video animated film released on February 23, 2010. It is based on the abandoned direct-to-video feature, Justice League: Worlds Collide, which was intended as a bridge between the then-concluding Justice League animated television...

deals with the Multiverse as part of its story. The main story deals with a good Lex Luthor from his Earth (based on the pre-Crisis Earth-Three

Earth-Three

Earth-Three is a fictional alternate universe set in the . It is the Earth of an alternate reality in the DC Multiverse. It first appeared in Justice League of America #29 .-Pre-Crisis:Its history is a mirror image to the Earth we know...

) coming to the Earth where the Justice League are located to help fight their counterparts, the Crime Syndicate

Crime Syndicate of America

For the concept of crime syndicates in general, see Organized crime.The Crime Syndicate are teams of fictional supervillains, from one of DC Comics' parallel universes, who are the evil counterparts of the Justice League of America. The original team was specifically known as Crime Syndicate of...

. While the two Earths inhabited by the Justice League and Crime Syndicate are not named, names of other Earths are mentioned. These names are not from the official pre-Crisis nor post-Infinite Crisis Multiverse, but are nods to a degree. Examples include: "Gamma F-1", "Theta-Alpha", "Zeta-Pi", which are all Greek numbers. Earth-Prime is featured in the film, but is not the same Earth-Prime from the comics where it was "our" Earth. In the film, Earth-Prime is shown to be the cornerstone of all reality, and that decisions made by humankind on this world caused alternate Earths where the opposite decision was made to come into being. This world is shown to be a desolate barren wasteland of a planet, with ruins as far as the eye can see. It is unknown what exactly caused its desolation, though Owlman reasons that it was mankind who destroyed itself.

External links

DC Multiverse - Considering Counterparts in Pre-Crisis DC
The Annotated Crisis on Infinite Earths (includes the Infinite Atlas)
The Cosmology Compendium
Earth-Words
Alternity
An Earth-B Chronology
Too Many Earths? A MoviePoopShoot Article on DC Multiverse
And Then There Was One Part 2 of the MoviePoopShoot Article on DC Multiverse

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