The DC Multiverse has been a major part of comic book history, giving creators a seemingly endless playground for stories. But lately, things have felt a little…overdone, even for DC, which has one of the biggest multiverses around!
DC Closes The Multiverse Door
In a shocking twist, DC Comics just changed things up in a big way! In Absolute Power #4 (written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Dan Mora), the Flash did something wild. He shut down Amanda Waller’s multiverse-crossing machine. This stops her crazy plan to bring in an army of alternate-reality villains. Stopping Waller saved Earth, but the Flash's actions had a surprising side effect: our main Earth, Earth Prime, is now totally cut off from the rest of the DC Multiverse!
A Multiverse Full Of Stories
This move was huge because DC's Multiverse has been central to some of their greatest stories, and these iconic series now get an impact. From the classic Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez (which completely reshaped DC) to Dark Nights: Metal and Death Metal by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (which went super epic and rebooted the whole multiverse), this is an even bigger move!
Introducing The Absolute Universe
With the multiverse shut off, DC introduced something new! Get ready for the Absolute Universe. It will serve as a stand-in! In DC All In Special #1, this is going to give the Justice League something to worry about! Instead of an endless multiverse with limitless alternate Earths and villains, there are just two! This way, there will be Earth Prime (the home for many beloved superheroes and series), and there's this wild, new Absolute Universe!
The Benefits of a Smaller Universe
Having fewer universes is smart. Having just Earth Prime and the Absolute Universe lets DC make a very intense focus and a sense of high stakes to its main stories! If there is another threat on the horizon, those who think DC will bring in those awesome heroes who patrol and explore the multiverses from Justice League Incarnate might be disappointed.
Earth Prime is now stuck where it's at.
Other ongoing series will take place in the multiverse, such as Elseworlds but the story in Earth Prime and the new Absolute Universe are where everyone will need to look! What was interesting! The creators mentioned a major new threat that would show up soon, suggesting more surprises.
Multiverse Fatigue Is Real
Let’s be honest— the multiverse is everywhere. Everything Everywhere All At Once and Across The Spider-Verse gave a large dose to the main audience and other shows as well! DC recognized this issue! Over time multiverses got stale because there were endless possibilities with so many other Earths that it didn't feel interesting anymore.
Marvel's Example
It’s not hard to look to what happened with other Multiverses.
Marvel made this change earlier but really kept things interesting as they stuck mostly to two universes! Earth-616, and Earth-1610. That focus led to success! It helped launch great characters like Miles Morales! DC's latest shift sounds incredibly similar but has the potential for being one that really shows some innovative storytelling that audiences will adore.
A New Era Of DC Comics
DC might just be bringing back some big mystery and excitement into the superhero world. This change makes everything more suspenseful, unlike ever before. No one has an idea of what lurks around the next bend. It could make it feel like all the action has high stakes for the readers. Fans might wonder about what's around but if you haven't seen the story for yourself, get caught up with DC Comics’ Absolute Power #4 and DC All In Special #1, for your dose of an exciting new approach to the multiverse!
