This is the Multiverse. We-- all of us--have a door to a place without limits. Where there are no rules... just flying. Where anything and everything can happen whenever we step through that door... and just imagine.
Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1 is a one-shot with a cover date of February, 2023. It was published on December 13, 2022.
Synopsis for "Dark Crisis: Big Bang"
In the House of Heroes, Barry Allen tells Wallace West his plan: to find the Anti-Monitor. Barry explains that Pariah's plan to recreate the original multiverse worked and an infinite number of Earths have now been recreated, but the Anti-Monitor has gone missing, also telling him that he died trying to stop the monster's plans before. Barry wants to perform a recon mission to find the Anti-Monitor and asks Wallace to follow him. The two speedsters travel the multiverse, seeing worlds familiar and new, each of them unique in their own way.
However, on Earth 28, they find the Anti-Monitor capturing and trying to destroy the heroes of that world, who are calling for assistance. Despite Barry's warnings, Wallace is captured by the Anti-Monitor, forcing Barry to attack the Anti-Monitor with an Infinite Mass Punch, knocking the heroes through various universes and freeing Wallace. However, the Anti-Monitor is able to get his bearings and return the favor, blasting Barry to Earth 17. Before he can land the killing blow, Wallace returns with a small army of heroes. Despite their power, the Anti-Monitor is too strong still. Barry decides to rally the heroes, calling for Bat-Lantern, Doc Fate, Superdemon, and Shazam to find and open up a portal to the Antimatter Universe so the other heroes can shove the Anti-Monitor back in.
As they do that, Barry charges up one last Infinite Mass Punch, intending on joining the Anti-Monitor to save the multiverse again. At the last second, Bat-Lantern pulls Barry out, saving the hero and stopping the Anti-Monitor's rampage for now. The gathered heroes talk to each other before departing back to their worlds, with Barry and Wallace continuing their adventures.
The final pages showcase a "living document" of the worlds discovered by Barry, thanks in part to comics from Earth 33.
Appearing in "Dark Crisis: Big Bang"
Featured Characters:
- The Flash/Barry Allen (Earth 0) (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Bat-Lantern/Bruce Wayne (Earth 32)
- Batman/Bruce Wayne (Earth 17)
- biOMAC/Ben Boxer (Earth 51)
- Doc Fate/Kent Nelson (Earth 20)
- Etrigan the Superdemon (Earth 13)
- Formula-I (Earth 34) (First full appearance)
- Kid Flash/Wallace R. West (Earth 0)
- Miss Martian (Unknown Earth) (First appearance; unnamed)
- Shazam (Unknown Earth) (First appearance; unnamed)
- Sunshine Superman (Earth 47)
- Superboy (Earth 1956)
- Superman/Clark Kent (Earth 12)
- Superman/Clark Kent (Earth 789)
- Super-Man/Kong Kenan (Earth 0)
- Tesla Strong (Earth 25)
- Wonder Woman (Earth 19) (First full appearance)
Antagonists:
- The Anti-Monitor (Post-Flashpoint)
- The Anti-Monitor (Pre-Crisis) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Two-Face (Earth 18) (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Unnamed Robot (Earth 23) (Single appearance) (Cameo)
Other Characters:
- Batman/Bruce Wayne (Earth 66) (Cameo)
- Batman/Bruce Wayne (Earth 789) (Cameo)
- Batman Blue/Bruce Wayne (Earth 162) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Batman Gray/Bruce Wayne (Earth 162) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Blood League (Earth 43) (Cameo)
- Dinosaurs (Earth 27)
- Flintstein (Earth 41) (Cameo)
- Green Lantern/Leonard Lewis (Earth 6) (Cameo)
- Yggdrasil (Earth 6) (Behind the scenes)
- Green Lantern/Guy Gardner (Earth 55) (Cameo)
- Green Lantern/Jessica Cruz (Earth 49) (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Ibn al Xu'ffasch (Earth 22) (Cameo)
- Icon/Augustus Freeman (Earth 93) (Cameo)
- The Joker (Earth 66) (Cameo)
- The Joker (Earth 789) (Cameo)
- Justice League (Earth 23) (Cameo)
- Justice Squadron (Earth 28) (Cameo)
- The Flash (Wally West)
- Green Lantern (John Stewart)
- Superman (Kal-El)
- Kara Zor-El (Earth 55) (Cameo)
- The League (Earth 118) (Cameo)
- Madame .44 (Earth 18) (Cameo)
- Nightstar (Earth 22) (Cameo)
- Owlman (Earth 3) (Cameo)
- Pax Americana (Earth 4) (Cameo)
- Secret Six/"Tangent Heroes" (Earth 9) (Cameo)
- Society of Super-Heroes (Earth 20) (Cameo)
- Stargirl/Kortni Duginovna (Earth 24) (Cameo)
- Superman/Clark Kent (Earth 22) (Cameo)
- Superman/Clark Kent (Earth 49) (Cameo)
- Superman/Clark Kent (Earth 55) (Cameo)
- Superman/Clark Kent (Earth-Two) (In a comic book only) (Cameo)
- Uncle Sam (Earth 10) (Cameo)
- Agents of W.O.N.D.E.R. (Earth 39) (Mentioned only)
- Atomic Knights of Justice (Earth 17) (Mentioned only)
- Batman (Earth 46) (Mentioned only)
- Batman Beyond/Terry McGinnis (Earth 12) (Mentioned only)
- Batman Villains (Earth 46) (Mentioned only)
- Batman Villains (Earth 66) (Mentioned only)
- Bizarros (Earth 29) (Mentioned only)
- Batman, Jr. (Earth 216) (Mentioned only)
- Beast Boy/Garfield Logan (Earth 100) (Mentioned only)
- Bizarro (Earth 29) (Mentioned only)
- Blue Beetle/Ted Kord (Earth 0) (Mentioned only)
- Blue Beetle/Ted Kord (Earth 4) (Mentioned only)
- The Bombshells (Earth 24) (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
- Captain Atom (Earth 0) (Mentioned only)
- Captain Cold (Earth 0) (Mentioned only)
- Crime Syndicate (Earth 3) (Mentioned only)
- Damian Wayne (Earth 100) (Mentioned only)
- Dino-Cop (Earth 41) (Mentioned only)
- Dinosaurs (Earth 27) (Mentioned only)
- The Flash/Wally West (Earth 0) (Mentioned only)
- Forerunners (Earth 48) (Mentioned only)
- Freedom Fighters (Earth 10) (Mentioned only)
- God (Mentioned only)
- Green Lantern/Tai Pham (Earth 98) (Mentioned only)
- Inferior Five (Earth 47) (Mentioned only)
- Iris West (Earth 0) (Mentioned only)
- Justice 9 (Earth 36) (Mentioned only)
- Optiman (Mentioned only)
- Justice Fleet/"Pirate Heroes" (Earth 31) (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
- Captain Leatherwing (Mentioned only)
- Justice Guild (Earth 11) (Mentioned only)
- Justice League (Earth 0) (Mentioned only)
- Justice League (Earth 1) (Mentioned only)
- Batman (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
- Superman (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
- Wonder Woman (Diana of Themyscira) (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
- Justice League of America (Earth 6) (Mentioned only)
- Justice League of America (Earth 21) (Mentioned only)
- Justice League of America (Earth 898) (Mentioned only)
- Superman (Clark Kent) (Mentioned only)
- Justice League of Assassins (Earth 14) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Justice League/The Just (Earth 16) (Mentioned only)
- Justice Lords (Earth 50) (Mentioned only)
- Justice Riders (Earth 18) (Mentioned only)
- Justice Titans (Earth 32) (Mentioned only)
- Karkan/"Superman"/Kal-El (Earth 183) (Mentioned only)
- Light Brigade (Earth 34) (Mentioned only)
- Little League (Earth 42) (Mentioned only)
- Lois Lane (Earth 49) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Love Syndicate (Earth 47) (Mentioned only)
- Martha Wayne (Earth 789) (Mentioned only)
- Marvel Family (Earth 5) (Mentioned only)
- Nightcracker (Earth 41) (Mentioned only)
- Overcorp (Earth 45) (Mentioned only)
- Superdoomsday (Mentioned only)
- Pariah/Kell Mossa (Pre-Crisis) (Mentioned only)
- Prez Rickard (Earth 47) (Mentioned only)
- Primate Legion (Earth 52) (Mentioned only)
- The Question/Vic Sage (Earth 0) (Mentioned only)
- Raven/Rachel Roth (Earth 100) (Mentioned only)
- The Retaliators (Earth 8) (Mentioned only)
- Robin/Dick Grayson (Earth 66) (Mentioned only)
- Robots (Earth 44) (Mentioned only)
- Metal League (Mentioned only)
- Shazam Family (Earth 0) (Mentioned only)
- Society of Super-Criminals (Earth 40) (Mentioned only)
- Spore (Earth 41) (Mentioned only)
- Super-Americans (Earth 35) (Mentioned only)
- Super Friends (Earth 1956) (Mentioned only)
- Supergirl (Earth 789) (Mentioned only)
- Super Hero Girls (Earth 96) (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
- Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) (Mentioned only)
- Bumblebee (Mentioned only)
- Supergirl (Mentioned only)
- Zee Zatara/"Zatanna" (Mentioned only)
- Superman (Earth 30) (Mentioned only)
- Superman (Earth 2020) (Mentioned only)
- Superman II (Earth 2020) (Mentioned only)
- Superman III (Earth 2020) (Mentioned only)
- Superman Blue (Earth 162) (Mentioned only)
- Superman, Jr. (Earth 216) (Mentioned only)
- Superman Red (Earth 162) (Mentioned only)
- Thomas Wayne (Earth 789) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Thunderer (Earth 7) (Mentioned only)
- Tom Strong (Earth 25) (Mentioned only)
- Strong Family (Mentioned only)
- Tommy Tomorrow (Earth 54) (Mentioned only)
- Vampires (Mentioned only)
- Dracula (Earth 43) (Mentioned only)
- Werewolves (Earth 387) (Mentioned only)
- Wonder Girl (Mentioned only)
- Wonder Tot (Mentioned only)
- Wonders of the World/Justice Society of America (Earth 2) (First appearance as Justice Society of America) (Mentioned only)
- Wonder Woman/Diana of Themyscira (Earth 124) (Mentioned only)
- Wonder Woman/Tara Terruna (Earth 59) (Mentioned only)
- Zombies (Mentioned only)
- Anti-Livings (Earth 55) (Mentioned only)
- Zoo Crew (Earth 26) (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Multiverse-1
- The Bleed
- Orrery of Worlds (Also as an hologram)
- Earth 3 (Cameo)
- Earth 4 (Cameo)
- Earth 6 (Cameo)
- Earth 9 (Cameo)
- Earth 10 (Cameo)
- Earth 17 (Cameo)
- 21st Century
- Earth (In ruins)
- 1986 (Mentioned only)
- 21st Century
- Earth 18
- American Old West (Cameo)
- Earth 20 (Cameo)
- Earth 22 (Cameo)
- Earth 23 (Cameo)
- Earth 24 (Real name revealed) (Cameo)
- Earth 27 (Real name revealed) (Cameo)
- Prehistoric Era
- Earth (Cameo)
- Prehistoric Era
- Earth 28 (Real name revealed) (Cameo)
- Earth
- The Watchtower (Mentioned only)
- Earth 33 (Cameo)
- Earth 41 (Cameo)
- Earth 43 (Cameo)
- Earth 49 (Real name revealed) (Cameo)
- Earth 55 (Real name revealed) (Cameo)
- Earth 66 (Real name revealed) (Cameo)
- United States of America
- Gotham City (Cameo)
- United States of America
- Earth 93/"Dakotaverse" (Real name revealed) (Cameo)
- Earth 118 (Real name revealed) (Cameo)
- Middle Ages
- Kingdom of El (Cameo)
- Middle Ages
- Earth 162 (Cameo)
- Earth 789 (Real name revealed) (Cameo)
- United States of America
- Gotham City (Cameo)
- United States of America
- Earth 0 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 1 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 2 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 5 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 7 (Destroyed) (Mentioned only)
- Earth 8 (Mentioned only)
- Angor (Mentioned only)
- Earth 11 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 12 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 13 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 14 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 15 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 16 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 19 (Mentioned only)
- United States of America
- Gotham City (Mentioned only)
- United States of America
- Earth 21 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 25 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 26 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 29 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 30 (Mentioned only)
- Soviet Union
- Russia (Mentioned only)
- Soviet Union
- Earth 31 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 32 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 34 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 35 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 36 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 37 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 38 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 39 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 40 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 42 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 44 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 45 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 46 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 47/"Dreamworld" (Mentioned only)
- Earth 48 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 49 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 50 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 51 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 52 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 54 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 59 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 63 (Real name revealed) (Mentioned only)
- Earth 96 (Real name revealed) (Mentioned only)
- Earth 98 (Real name revealed) (Mentioned only)
- Earth 100 (Real name revealed) (Mentioned only)
- Earth 124 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 148 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 183 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 216 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 387 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 898 (Mentioned only)
- Earth 1956 (Real name revealed) (Mentioned only)
- Earth 1996 (Real name revealed) (Mentioned only)
- Earth 2020 (Mentioned only)
- Speed Force (Behind the scenes)
- Antimatter Universe (Mentioned only)
- Multiverse-2
- Antimatter Universe
- Qward (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Earth-Two
- United States of America
- Metropolis (In a comic book only) (Cameo)
- United States of America
- Antimatter Universe
- Pre-Flashpoint Multiverse (Unnamed)
- New Earth (Mentioned only)
Items:
- "Action Comics #1" (Cameo)
- Antimatter Cannon (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- The Anti-Monitor's Armor
- Earth 17 Bat-Armor
- Batsuits
- Bracelets of Submission
- Cosmic Grail (Mentioned only)
- Cosmic Staff (Cameo)
- Earth 9's Green Lantern
- Green Lantern Ring
- Helmet of Fate
- Justice Squadron's Mechs
- The Flash MKIII
- GL-SA-22/"The Green Lantern"
- Kal-El's Kryptonian Prototype
- Madame .44's Lasso (Cameo)
- Owlsuit
- Question's Mask (Cameo)
- T-Cubes (Cameo)
- Wonder Woman's Tiara
Vehicles:
- Soviet Superman's Rocket (Mentioned only)
Events:
- Earth 22 War (Mentioned only)
- Crisis on Infinite Earths (Flashback only)
- Dark Crisis (Mentioned only)
- Great Disaster (Mentioned only)
- The Return of Barry Allen (Mentioned only)
- World War II (Mentioned only)
Concepts:
Notes
- This story takes place a few days the defeat of Deathstroke's Army in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 but before its epilogue.
- From the perspectives of Earth 27, Earth 28, Earth 55 and Earth 118, this story takes respectively place after the events of The Jurassic League #6, DC: Mech #6, DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #8 and Dark Knights of Steel #12.
- Barry Allen's story chronologically continues in Flashpoint Beyond #1 that takes place one or two days[1] after this story.
- An updated "guidebook" of the Post-Flashpoint Multiverse, created in-universe by Barry Allen, is shown at the end of the issue.
- The remaining unknown realities (Earth 24, Earth 27, Earth 28, Earth 46, Earth 49) of The New 52 era are respectively revealed to be the settings of DC Bombshells, The Jurassic League, DC: Mech, Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham and Injustice continuities;
- Earth 15 is referred to as the home of the Cosmic Grail but there's no mention of being ruled by the Blackstars, which was shown in Green Lantern: Blackstars (Volume 1), suggesting that this reality was restored to its original state as a consequence of the rebirth of the Multiverse;
- Earth 789 is the setting of both the Donnerverse and Tim Burton's Batman movies and their sequels;
- The note of Earth 1956 implies that this reality is the setting of both Filmation Adventures and Super Friends.
- There are a few continuity errors in this story:
- Barry Allen mentions that there was a "cosmic limitation" to the Multiverse and there are now infinite realities again in the aftermath of the Dark Crisis. However, the existence of infinite realities beyond the 52 universes of the "Local Multiverse" was a concept already known even before the destruction of the Multiverse and after its rebirth;
- When The Flash enters Earth 49, Superman and Green Lantern were mistakenly drawn as their Earth 55 analogs. Clark wore the costume of Jon Kent, while Jessica was modeled after Dinah Lance, albeit with black hair instead of blond.
- The issue is collected in Tales from Dark Crisis.
Trivia
- A complete explanation of the Post-Flashpoint Dakotaverse setting is eventually given in Milestone 30th Anniversary Special #1.
- Earth 55 Kara Zor-El being shown as an ally of Superman originally foreshadowed the events of DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #7-8.
- The note of Earth 46 originally foreshadowed the release of Rafael Grampá's Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham (Volume 1) series.
- Alternate versions of Earth 789 and Earth 66 were previously shown to exist in the Arrowverse Multiverse.[2]
- Similarly, versions of Earth 1956 and the Donnerverse are also shown to be part of this Multiverse.[3][4][5]
See Also