DC Multiverse question (pre-New 52)

[Weapon_X]

After Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985), there was no Multiverse. Just the DCU. Then in 2005-2006, it came back during and after Infinite Crisis. So in the time between the crossovers how could we have "alternate dimensions"? I remember reading the Teen Titans/Legion Special (November 2004) where The Persuader uses his atomic axe to bring in alternate versions of the Fatal Five from "alternate dimensions". Most people lump alternate dimensions with parallel dimensions, universes, earths. So my question is if there wasn't a Multiverse, and DC had abandoned/disavowed the Hypertime concept, where did all the alternate versions of the Fatal Five come from? Did Geoff Johns just say "screw it" and scrapped continuity? Or is it just sloppy editing on DC's part at the time?

Just curious to get anyone's thoughts on this?

[glennsim]

The answer to your question comes from the concept that there are different things that can create alternate universes aka parallel universes aka alternate timelines.

The original DC Multiverse was the result of Krona's tampering, and results in, for example, the original Earth One, Earth Two, and Earth Three, S, X, Prime, etc.

So the Crisis undid Krona's tampering, resulting in there not being THE particular multiverse created by Krona's tampering.

None of this, however, prevented alternate timelines and dimensions that were the product of some other cosmic mechanism, such as the basic quantum physics thing that states that whenever someone makes a decision to turn left, there is an alternate timeline created wherein that person decided to turn right.

[Weapon_X]

I've heard of the Branching Universe Theory. I think Hypertime was partially based on that concept.

Do you know if DC ever addressed the Megaverse that Rip Hunter mentioned to Booster Gold at the end of 52?

[Anthony D]

Between COIE and Hypertime/Infinite Crisis, DC tried to insist that there weren't any alternate universes to a rather draconian degree (plus an Orwellian insistence on pretending the pre-Crisis multiverse didn't exist). Despite this, they decided alternate "dimensions" were somehow "different," even if they were effectively parallel universes. For example: Earth-C (home of Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew) still existed post-Crisis as an "alternate dimension", despite that it's basically a funny-animal version of the Earth---similar cities, countries, culture, history, etc.---fitting the definition of "parallel Earth." Also, parallel universes were also apparently "OK" if they weren't tied to the existing DCU remotely (the "Worlds Collide" crossover with the Milestone Universe---Milestone at the time just an imprint of DC---plus "DC vs. Marvel")

[Thor-Ul]

I will stick to the explanation given by Darwyn Cooke through Rip Hunter in The New Frontier Special: (I'm quoting freely, don't remember exactly how was but the spirit of the word is still there)
"Forget any number or denominations, everything is part of a big dimension called imagination".

[glennsim]

Essentially, Crisis got rid of parallel worlds that would be constantly revisited, but one-offs here and there were fine.

[Buried Alien]

Between COIE and Hypertime/Infinite Crisis, DC tried to insist that there weren't any alternate universes to a rather draconian degree (plus an Orwellian insistence on pretending the pre-Crisis multiverse didn't exist).

I remember those times well. Some are under the illusion that such practices had never been seen at DC until the New 52 superseded the previous DCU, but that DCU was also maintained for years by an adamant denial of the original DC Multiverse.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Weapon_X]

I will stick to the explanation given by Darwyn Cooke through Rip Hunter in The New Frontier Special: (I'm quoting freely, don't remember exactly how was but the spirit of the word is still there)
"Forget any number or denominations, everything is part of a big dimension called imagination".

In hindsight, Darwyn Cooke may have laid the seeds for Morrison's story in Final Crisis: Superman Beyond... Interesting...

[Weapon_X]

Between COIE and Hypertime/Infinite Crisis, DC tried to insist that there weren't any alternate universes to a rather draconian degree (plus an Orwellian insistence on pretending the pre-Crisis multiverse didn't exist). Despite this, they decided alternate "dimensions" were somehow "different," even if they were effectively parallel universes. For example: Earth-C (home of Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew) still existed post-Crisis as an "alternate dimension", despite that it's basically a funny-animal version of the Earth---similar cities, countries, culture, history, etc.---fitting the definition of "parallel Earth." Also, parallel universes were also apparently "OK" if they weren't tied to the existing DCU remotely (the "Worlds Collide" crossover with the Milestone Universe---Milestone at the time just an imprint of DC---plus "DC vs. Marvel")

That always bothered me about DC. I wish they would have taken a page from Marvel and embraced the Multiverse concept. I understood the need to clean it up and reboot it after 50 years, but they didn't have to abandon the concept. All they needed to do was try and manage it.

[marshal99]

After COIE , Zero hour shows that the crisis wave never ended , it's still happening and during zero hour , there were alternate realities that were overlapping with the DCU, Then Mark Waid (i believed) introduced hypertime where there are still infinite alternate realities.





Superboy also travelled into hypertime to fight his alternate future self , black zero.

[Weapon_X]

After COIE , Zero hour shows that the crisis wave never ended , it's still happening and during zero hour , there were alternate realities that were overlapping with the DCU,...

It's been a while since I read Zero Hour. What's the Crisis Wave? I only recall the anti-matter wave from COIE.

[marshal99]

It's been a while since I read Zero Hour. What's the Crisis Wave? I only recall the anti-matter wave from COIE.

Been a while since i read it but i recall that Waverider was saying something about the rewriting of history after COIE was still ongoing.

[Weapon_X]

Been a while since i read it but i recall that Waverider was saying something about the rewriting of history after COIE was still ongoing.

Thanks!

Superboy also travelled into hypertime to fight his alternate future self , black zero.

Yeah, that HyperTension storyline from the the Superboy comic was one of my favorites. It's too bad it was never collected into TPB because it was good story and showcased the potential of Hypertime in the Post-COIE DCU. The threat of an evil alternate-Superboy with an Army of Doomsdays from altnerate timelines was great. In the future, while I hope but doubt they'll bring back Hypertime, I would like DC to revisit Black Zero as a villian (are you listening Geoff Johns?!?) at the least....