A Multiplicity of Multiverses

The multiverse is everywhere. According to breathless reports, Robert Pattinson’s upcoming incarnation of the Batman is reportedly from “Earth-2”. That’s not ours. Meanwhile, the new Flash movie set in “our” universe features both our world’s square-jawed Ben Affleck Batman and Michael Keaton’s earlier inexplicably apt version of the Caped Crusader, who DC’s world builders now deem to be from yet another alternate universe. (That explains those Prince videos.) Meanwhile, rumors have Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, in his upcoming ‘No Way Home’ adventure,  running into what will be presented as Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s parallel universe versions of everyone’s favorite webslinger.

Press play to hear a narrated version of this story, presented by AudioHopper.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, The Flash, WandaVision, Spider-Man Into the Spiderverse, The Batman, Loki, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, The Arrowverse, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Earth 616 etc…For those following or trying to follow current developments in the Marvel and DC cinematic and TV universes, the concept of the multiverse is everywhere.

How did we get here?

What hath quantum mechanics wrought?

Alternate worlds and dimensions have existed in literature since people first began spinning tales. But you can trace the birth of the peculiarly science-backed version of the multiverse so central to Marvel and DC narratives  back to a late-night cheap sherry-infused post-scientific colloquium gabfest that took place at Princeton–the Hogwarts of quantum mechanics in its day–back in 1954. It was at that gathering physics prodigy Hugh Everett, who exchanged letters with Einstein when he was 12 years old, first put forward his then novel solution to one of the relatively new field of quantum mechanics most daunting puzzles.

There the begowned, somewhat refreshed 23-year-old, little imagining its future impact on Disney and Warner Brothers bottom lines, posited his thesis that infinite constantly generating parallel universes was the only solution to quantum mechanics’ revelation that subatomic particles didn’t follow the rules of “classic” Newtonian physics.

The alcohol-emboldened Everett tweaked Niel Bohr’s nose by positing that if subatomic particles could indeed be “everywhere at once” then–logic demanded–so could we. Each movement made, each choice chosen, all spun merrily off creating their own alternate realities. Within an ever-multiplying infinite amount of universes, anything that could happen did. That unfortunate feline, Schrodinger’s cat, thus was simultaneously both definitely dead and astoundingly alive.

Sadly for Everett, the science establishment of the time almost universally rejected his radical proposal for parallel universes. However, the mind-blowing concept, which would find greater acceptance decades later, soon worked its way into the science-fiction literature of the era. With parallel universes in the air it was not surprising that by the early 1960s a series of seminal parallel universe stories burst on to the comic book scene.

A Flash of genius

First among these was the immortal Flash #123. Published in 1961, it told the tale of how the Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen, accidentally through his ability to vibrate himself right down to his molecules at super speed discovers a parallel universe wherein the Golden Age Flash of the 1940s, and embodiment of the FTD logo, Jay Garrett resides. (How does that hat stay on his head?)

The popularity of this story led to a 1963 Justice League of America story where DC’s previously mothballed most popular Golden Age characters, including alternate versions of existing Silver Age icons, were reintroduced in JLA #21 “Crisis on Earth-One” followed by JLA #22 “Crisis on Earth-Two”. The reception was rapturous.

Just a year later, in 1964, we saw the JLA Crisis on Earth Three storyline introducing the Crime Syndicate comprised of “evil” variants of the JLA including Owlman, Superwoman, Power Ring Johnny Quick and Sea King, among others.

“Crossover” events, as they became known, telling the stories of the heroes of Earth-1 and Earth-2 and many more mixing it up and visiting alternate worlds became commonplace, and set the table for what would be an ever expanding number of alternate Earths making up the DC Universe. Marvel, in less epic fashion during the early 1960s, also introduced the concept of the multiverse or parallel universes.

Not surprisingly, it would be in the pages of the Fantastic Four, that the initially more relaxed Marvel take on the multiverse began. In the early 1960s Marvel’s First Family introduced the Fifth Dimension, Sub Atomica and Other-World, home of Kang the Conqueror in Rama Tutt form in FF#19. The parallel universe concept would also appear in Doctor Strange, additional Fantastic Four stories, and the Avengers.

Avengers #70’s foray into the multiverse wherein the Squadron Sinister, a thinly disguised version of DC’s Justice League, emerged from another universe to challenge Marvel’s top team was particularly notable. Rare for a mulitverse story, it introduced enduring “original” characters like Hyperion and Nighthawk. Yes. Hyperion was essentially a variant of Superman and Nighthawk of Batman. But importantly, they were variants requiring a lot more imagination than slightly altering the costumes. These characters would live on long past their initial introduction, ultimately generating yet another multiverse version of themselves where they were the good guys known as “The Squadron Supreme”. (By the way, Marvel, please bring back Nighthawk’s original Robin’s egg blue costume.)

Worlds apart

Alternate universes, however, were not just for crossover events. Sensing a larger market, both publishers created whole titles focused on stories occurring outside normal continuities featuring alternate versions of key characters. These required no crossover with their primary reality. Notable examples include DC’s popular Elseworld series spectacular 1996 stand alone Kingdom Come series and Marvel’s Ultimates and What If…? series. Story lines from the Ultimates formed the base for the acclaimed 2018 animation film Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse which brought together all the Spiderman variants. Just this summer, Marvel adapted What If…?  for a hugely popular animation series.

Through the 1970s, and well into the 2000s, both DC and Marvel’s comic multiverses continued to expand and editorial staff struggled mightily to maintain some form of continuity and editorial control over these ever expanding universes.

At Marvel these challenges came to a head in the late 1970s galvanizing legendary editor Mark Gruenwald to undertake a series of epic reconceptualizations of the publisher’s multiverse that would, among other things, see the actual term “multiverse” first appear in its pages. Gruenwald’s efforts would later be immortalized in the 2021 Loki series in the person of Mobius M. Mobius of the TVA. The jet-ski loving character was reportedly a partial tribute to the legendary Marvel editor and his visionary efforts to bring order to an earlier version of its unruly multiverse.

Over at DC, in addition to lingering continuity problems, a history of acquisitions of smaller rival publishers, such as Fawcett (which controlled the Shazam titles) added yet another impetus for DC’s own embrace of the multiverse concept. Major crossover multiverse events were often the best tool available to integrate new characters from acquired publishers and establish manageable continuities. This principle was demonstrated in watershed DC multiverse crossover stories such as the now iconic 1986 Crisis on Infinite Earths. “Crisis” would become one of the DC’s great successes, casting a large shadow over all reorganizations of DC’s multiverse system to follow.

No event truly comparable in scale on the multiverse level would occur in Marvel comics till 2014’s Secret Wars. This reworking of the “Battleworld” narrative from the iconic 1984 series of the same name saw Battleworld become not just a contest between our Earth’s mightiest superheroes and super villains but a major multiverse crossover event wherein the superheroes and super villains of multiple universes battle to determine a champion.

There’s money in the multiverse

The narrative freedom offered by the multiverse concept was far from its only appeal. The multiverse concept became entrenched in the comic publishing world not only because it was an exciting narrative device but because it also demonstrated itself to be a low risk singularly profitable marketing tool.

Why waste money and creative resources trying to come up with a totally new character to rival Superman–a once in several lifetimes success–when you could attract and maintain a larger audience by putting a slight spin on the Man of Steel via costume, character or story line? Evil Superman, Zombie Superman, President Superman etc…Follow the same formula with each of your most popular characters. Create and sell multiple versions. It’s what accountants describe as monetizing your most popular already market-tested assets.

But successful major crossover multiverse events have yet another salutary effect. They flood the market, absorbing pretty much all coin and time to consume entertainment available to the target fan base. Ask anyone trying to keep up with the current Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney Plus menu. “Immersive” doesn’t begin to describe the experience. DC’s now legendary 1986 Crisis on Infinite Earths event set the tone when DC brass of the time mandated the “Crisis” story be worked into every DC comic produced.

DC Films and Marvel Studio heads seeking ever larger audiences and locked in platform subscribers with the kudzu-like growth of their content have clearly learned this “occupy all available space” lesson well.

But the concept isn’t perfect. As evidently fun, diversity enabling, and monetarily rewarding it can be there arguably is a price to be paid for lingering too long in the fields of the multiverse. Audiences, like Loki’s TVA, may enjoy the ever-unfolding spectacle of multiple alternate realities, but they want the reassuring presence of a sacred time line/prime reality comfortingly anchoring their entertainment experience.

Otherwise, too many “finger snap” retcons, too many variants of already beloved characters, and too many tweaks to beloved story lines, can lead to engagement collapse and emotional investment fatigue. This in turn can lead to dissolution of the very necessary willing suspension-of-disbelief contract fans enter into when they first fall in love with a franchise. One wants to avoid fans slipping into Owlman, from 2010’s classic Justice League Crisis on Two Earth’s “nothing matters” territory. This is the tightrope both Marvel and DC traverse.

DC’s Cinematic Universe is seeing strains of this with its seemingly endless Justice League and other film reboots all jostling with disconnected TV programming for fan affection and engagement. Meanwhile, the more coordinated Marvel Cinematic Universe, on the basis of ongoing fan enthusiasm, so far, seems a step or two ahead of the issue.

A lot of that core Marvel fan enthusiasm comes from the endless upping of the stakes that studio has offered fans as the Marvel Cinematic Universe unfolded. But how to top the universe-spanning drama of 2019’s Avengers Endgame? Once again the multiverse concept comes to the rescue.

The current general consensus is that the iconic multiverse centered 2014 Secret Wars series will be reborn yet again in live film format as the overarching narrative of Marvel Phase 5. Where Endgame’s story line merely put half  the universe in the balance, Secret Wars stages a battle royale between all superheroes and super villains from multiple universes–including the Marvel heroes such as the X-Men and the Fantastic Four previously controlled by Fox and Sony studios. Losers see all life in their parallel universes perish. Winners see their reality emerge dominating the amalgam of universes that remain. Endgame topped!

So. Following the multiverse path once again ensures the continued success of Marvel’s cinematic universe.

Maybe.

But after the warring universes of Secret Wars what then? How do you top that? How do you provide superhero genre fans one final jolt of glorious over the top multiverse crossover excess?

Here’s how.

Serve up Marvel versus DC–the primus inter pares crossover event. Think about it. Earth’s greatest heroes from Marvel and DC finally face each other on the silver screen and, yes ,there is a 1996 publishing event precedent. Captain America vs. Batman, Superman vs. Hulk, Avengers versus the Justice League of America.

This ultimate multiverse event could well serve as a final tip of the hat to the superhero genre, enabling DC and Marvel, the legendary arch rivals, to fittingly walk off into the sunset together.

It would be a Hollywood ending to a record-breaking phenomenon that transfixed a generation until it didn’t.