Multiverse



The Multiverse consist(ed) of multiple versions of the universe existing in the same physical space, but separated from each other by their vibrational resonances.

The Original Multiverse was created as the result of interference in the Big Bang by Krona. It was destroyed by the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

After the events of Infinite Crisis, the remaining Earths created by Alexander Luthor collapsed back together, combining historical remnants to form one New Earth. However, the single universe was too small to contain the energy inside it and it began replicating - into 52 identical Universes, a new Multiverse.

Official Name: Multiverse Nicknames: none Former Aliases: Elseworlds Other Current Aliases: n/a

Location Details
Universe: n/a Identity: The existence of Multiverse was unknown to the general populace of any one particular planet.

In the Beginning
Krona 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). He 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.

Flash of Two Worlds
From the perspective of the Earth-One Universe, the first travel to another parallel universe occured when The Flash (Barry Allen) accidently changed his vibrational frequency to match that of Earth-Two, where he met Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash. That meeting resulted in years of interaction between the original super-hero team, The Justice Society of America, and their younger Earth-One counterparts, The Justice League of America.

As Barry Allen was the first traveller, the honor of naming the two earths fell to him - his universe's Earth was called Earth-One, Jay Garrick's became Earth-Two. As noted years later by the elder Superman, they (the JSA) were too polite to mention that they were around first.

Over the years, various other Earths (i.e. an Earth part of another parallel universe) were visited by super-heroes (and villains).

The End of All Things
The Multiverse was destroyed by the Crisis on Infinite Earths. The histories and peoples of Earth-One, Earth-Two, Earth-Four, Earth-S, and Earth-X were merged to form one composite universe, New Earth. Earth-One became a sort of template, onto which the other Earths were added.

Characteristics
Area/Dimensions: Infinite

Where in the World?
The Multiverse consisted of multiple versions of the universe existing in the same physical space, but separated from each other by their vibrational resonances.

As Allen explained to Garrick in their first meeting:
 * "..I vibrated so fast -- I tore a gap in the vibratory shields separating our worlds! As you know -- two objects can occupy the same space and time -- if they vibrate at different speeds! My theory is, both Earths were created at the same time in two quite similar universes! They vibrate differently -- which keeps them apart! Life, customs -- even languages -- evoloved on your earth almost exactly as they did on my Earth! Destiny must have decreed there'd be a Flash -- on each Earth!"

Passage of Time
The JSA and JLA would get together once a year when the temporal matrices of the two universes were at their closest point, using a dimensional transporter.

As Batman once explained about the differences between Earth-One and Earth-Two:


 * "This Earth (Earth-Two) rotates at a slower speed -- time passes less quickly than on our Earth!"

Green Arrow added:
 * "The idea is that Earth-Two is about twenty years behind because of some time flux."

List of Original Universes
Below is a partial list of notable alternate worlds, and universes with known numerical designations. Beyond these, many other alternate worlds have been visited or explored by denizens of the DC Universe.


 * Earth-One: The Modern Age of heroes including Martian Manhunter and the JLA
 * Earth-Two: World War II's JSA
 * Earth-Three: Evil counterparts of Earth-One heroes
 * Earth-Four: The homeworld of Captain Atom, The Question, and others
 * Earth-Six: Homeworld of Lady Quark
 * Earth-Twelve: Homeworld of the Inferior Five
 * Earth-692: World created by the merging of the Marvel Universe and the DC Universe
 * Earth-A
 * Earth-C
 * Earth-D
 * Earth-S: The Marvel Family's Earth
 * Earth-X: Freedom Fighters
 * Earth-Prime: Superboy-Prime

Location Details
Universe: n/a Identity: The existence of Multiverse was unknown to the general populace of any one particular planet.

History
This Multiverse existed only during Alexander Luthor's attempts to recreate the Original Multiverse during Infinite Crisis.

Luthor's plan to use the Multiversal essences of natives of the combined Universes to recreate Earth-Two also required:
 * "the rest of the Multiverse back as well. I need thousands and thousands of worlds. Worlds I can sift through like sand, one grain at a time, combining and mixing until I find it. Until I find the perfect Earth."

Luthor further noted that:
 * "The Superman of Earth-Two is the key to the return of the rest of the Multiverse. For some reason I can't explain or understand, and probably never will ... everything comes from Superman."

After activating his device and the program "Earth: Spawn", a multitude of Earths (and their respective Universes) appeared.

The elder Superman, Kal-L, explained to his younger counterpart that:
 * "your Earth [New Earth] has been splintered back into a multiverse made up of thousands of worlds. But the Multiverse is unstable. The Earths will become weaker and weaker as they're divided. And if they aren't brought back together soon, the entire universe will explode in a new Big Bang. Everything will be destroyed. We need to get back to Earth-One."

That proved a difficult task, as the sky was filled with visions of multiple Earths, some mirroring Pre-Crisis Earths, others representing visions of past and future timelines, some known, some unknown.

The Earths collapsed back into a New Earth at the end of the Crisis.

Characteristics
Area/Dimensions: Presumably infinite in each of the created Universes

List of Interregnum Universes

 * Earth-0: A Bizarro Earth
 * Earth-25G: Unseen
 * Earth-97: The Tangent Earth
 * Earth-154: An Earth where Superman and Batman both had sons carrying on their legacies; combined by Luthor with Earth-462
 * Earth-247: The Legion of Super-Heroes future
 * Earth-462: Various alternate versions of World War II superheroes fighting Nazis; combined by Luthor with Earth-154
 * Earth-898: Western heroes of the 19th Century
 * Earth-3181: Unseen
 * Earth-One: New Earth with the elements of the other Earths removed.
 * Earth-One + Earth-Two + Earth-Three: Combined elements of these Earths.
 * Earth-S: The original home of the Marvel Family
 * Earth-Q: Unseen.

Location Details
Universe: n/a Identity: The existence of Multiverse is unknown to the general populace of any one particular planet.

In the Beginning
After the events of Infinite Crisis, the remaining Earths created by Alexander Luthor collapsed back together, combining historical remnants to form one New Earth. However, the single universe was too small to contain the energy inside it and it began replicating - into 52 identical Universes, a new Multiverse.

As Rip Hunter revealed to Booster Gold aboard his Time Sphere, in the few seconds after the creation of this new Multiverse, the Earths (and their corresponding Universes) "will occupy the same space, each on a different vibrational plane".

During their efforts to stop the vastly powerful Mr. Mind from destroying every universe, Hunter described Mind's efforts as "eating years and events from this universe's history -- altering the Earth with every flap of his wings". This resulted in the Earths changing, becoming different from New Earth in varying degrees.

Hunter further states that "the notion that there's a Multiverse beyond the reality we know -- that's too dangerous a secret to spread." However, he had let that very thing slip in front of Doctor Sivana.

Hunter also revealed that there is a coming Megaverse. How this may relate to other universes encountered after Infinite Crisis (ex. the Marvel Universe), if at all, remains to be seen.

Characteristics
Area/Dimensions: Infinite in each of the 52 Universes

List of 52 Universes
The following is a list of the other Earths thus created:


 * New Earth: The Earth existing in the primary reality following the Infinite Crisis event.
 * Earth-1:
 * Earth-2: A Justice Society, including a Robin. Huntress is holding up a copy of the Gotham Gazette with a picture of Superman and Power Girl entitled Kryptonians Still Missing
 * Earth-3: Criminal versions of the JLA, possibly another Crime Syndicate
 * Earth-4: An alleyway meeting of Question, Nightshade, Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, Peacemaker, and Judomaster
 * Earth-5: Marvel Family attacking Mr. Atom
 * Earth-6:
 * Earth-7:
 * Earth-8:
 * Earth-9:
 * Earth-10: Freedom Fighters doing battle with what appears to be a a group of JLA-like Nazis
 * Earth-11:
 * Earth-12:
 * Earth-13:
 * Earth-14:
 * Earth-15:
 * Earth-16:
 * Earth-17: This Earth appears to be similar to the world of the Atomic Knights
 * Earth-18:
 * Earth-19:
 * Earth-20:
 * Earth-21:
 * Earth-22: Kingdom Come
 * Earth-23:
 * Earth-24:
 * Earth-25:
 * Earth-26:
 * Earth-27:
 * Earth-28:
 * Earth-29:
 * Earth-30:
 * Earth-31:
 * Earth-32:
 * Earth-33:
 * Earth-34:
 * Earth-35:
 * Earth-36:
 * Earth-37:
 * Earth-38:
 * Earth-39:
 * Earth-40:
 * Earth-41:
 * Earth-42:
 * Earth-43:
 * Earth-44:
 * Earth-45:
 * Earth-46:
 * Earth-47:
 * Earth-48:
 * Earth-49:
 * Earth-50: The Wildstorm Universe
 * Earth-51:

Recommended Readings

 * Green Lantern (Volume 2)
 * Crisis on Infinite Earths
 * Infinite Crisis

Related Articles

 * Antimatter Universe
 * Elseworlds
 * JLA/Avengers
 * Justice League of America
 * Crisis on Infinite Earths
 * Infinite Crisis