Earth-96 is a reality in the Multiverse and the home Earth of Superman.
History
Pre-Crisis
In late 20th Century, the Kryptonian survivor, Kal-El, survived the extinction of his planet, Krypton, and landed on Earth where he grew up as a human under the alias of Clark Kent. While working as a journalist for the Daily Planet in Metropolis, he was secretly the superhero known as Superman.
Some time later, he married his colleague, Lois Lane, and the couple had a child, Jason.
Years later, the Gotham City villain, Joker, came to Metropolis and spread his toxic gas that murdered at least 48 Daily Planet employees, including Lois and the editor-in-chief Perry White. This tragedy heavily influenced Superman who began wearing a new outfit to remind himself that, even in the worst moments, hope could lift him out of darkness.[1]
In 2019, in the early moments of the Crisis, Earth-1 Felicity Smoak discovered the existence of the Paragons, seven beings that could respark the light of the Multiverse,[2] so The Monitor sent Superman/Clark Kent of Earth-38, his wife Lois Lane and Iris West of Earth-1 in a journey through the Multiverse to find the Paragon of Truth, a "Kryptonian who suffered a great tragedy".
The group journeyed to this Earth and met Clark Kent in the Daily Planet where they warned him about the Anti-Monitor's Crisis as well as the masterplan of Earth-38 Lex Luthor who sought to destroy every Supermen.
Luthor managed to control him thanks to the magic of the Book of Destiny so a brainwashed Clark fought against Earth-38 Superman who was easily defeated by his older counterpart. However, the group managed to help him break from the mind control so they defeated Luthor and returned to the Earth-74 Waverider on Earth-1.[1]
Hours later, Earth-96 was destroyed by the Anti-Monitor's Antimatter wave.[1] After the Spectre and the Paragons managed to defeat the Anti-Monitor and reboot the Multiverse, Earth-96 was restored along the other erased realities.[3]
Post-Crisis
- Main Article: Superman Returns
After the Crisis, the reborn Kal-El/Clark Kent became once again Superman, married Lois Lane and the two had once again a son named Jason.[4]
In the new continuity, Lois Lane and the Daily Planet employees were never murdered so Clark never changed his outfit, like in the Pre-Crisis continuity.
However, Superman left Earth to search for his home planet, Krypton, and eventually returned five years later just in time to prevent Lex Luthor's plan to use Kryptonian Crystals in order to create a new continent in the Atlantic Ocean.[4]
Years later, Superman was seen flying through the space.[3]
Residents
Pre-Crisis
- Superman (Kal-El/Clark Kent)
- Lois Lane
- Jason
- Lex Luthor
- Joker
- Perry White (Deceased)
- Jimmy Olsen (Deceased)
- Ron Troupe (Deceased)
- Brad Hunter (Deceased)
- Justin Moore (Deceased)
- Jackee Winters (Deceased)
- Franklin Stern (Deceased)
- Jennifer Owens (Deceased)
- Lacy Warfield (Deceased)
- Lisa Warren (Deceased)
Post-Crisis
- Superman (Kal-El/Clark Kent)
- Lois Lane
- Jason White
- Jimmy Olsen
- Perry White
- Lex Luthor
- Kitty Kowalski
- Jor-El (Deceased)
- Lara (Deceased)
Notes
- Earth-96 is the setting of Bryan Singer's Superman Returns movie.
- Despite the Donnerverse and Superman Returns being two different continuities, it's implied that the events of Superman III also happened in the Pre-Crisis continuity.
Trivia
- The Pre-Crisis continuity is heavily influenced by the Kingdom Come storyline.
- Pre-Crisis Superman wears the same suit worn by Kingdom Come Superman.
- Joker is responsible for the Planet disaster like his counterpart who also caused the death of Lois Lane in the original series.
- The Earth designation of this universe is also a reference to 1996 which is the year that Kingdom Come (Volume 1) was originally released.
- In the original script of Crisis on Infinite Earths, this reality was known as Earth-6[5] as a reference to 2006 that featured the release of Superman Returns.
- The Pre-Crisis incarnation of Lex Luthor was a member of the Council of Luthors.[6]
See Also
- Characters from Arrowverse: Earth-96
- Other things related to Arrowverse: Earth-96
- Arrowverse: Earth-96's Comic Appearances
- Reality Gallery: Arrowverse: Earth-96
Links and References