Warning! Spoilers ahead for Absolute Power #4 and DC All In Special #1!An enormous change has come to theDC Universethat redefines everything for the iconic multiverse.Absolute Powerreaches itsdramatic last issue and the only way to stop Amanda Waller’s power grab is by doing something that has a dramatic effect on DC’s alternate Earths.
Waller succeeded in stealing powersfrom every superhuman on Earth and incarcerated most of them. But it wasn’t enough to just take down the heroes of Prime Earth as Waller set her sights on every Earth in the DC multiverse. An army of heroes rises to stop Waller’s mission, only to completely change the entire DC cosmology.
Flash Cuts Off DC’s Prime Earth from the Multiverse
Amanda Waller is Stopped, But a High Price is Paid
InAbsolute Power #4by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Alejandro Sánchez, and Ariana Maher, the heroes have reassembled after being broken out of Amanda Waller’s prison and are armed with weaponry courtesy of Green Lantern. However, as the army fight’s Waller’s forces up top, the Flash (thankfully still in possession of his powers) is alone as he fights several speedsters from across the multiverse. Waller has recruited hundreds of villains as part ofa larger campaign to bring the entire DC Universe under her control.
Waller revealed she had even recruited the Crime Syndicate among other evil multiversal variants inAbsolute Power: Task Force VII #5 (2024).
Thankfully,Green Lantern comes into assist Flash. While Hal takes care of the army, Flash looks at the multiversal gate Waller has constructed. Barry speedily analyzes the machine and admits that the physics of the gate completely confound him. Green Lantern gets a boost of willpower from Jay Garrick and Wally West, but they implore Barry to turn it off as fast as possible.Flash warns them if he does this, Prime Earth will be cut off from the multiversepermanently. With no other choice, the Scarlet Speedster pushes his powers to the limit and destroys the gate.
…the Scarlet Speedster pushes his powers to the limit and destroys the gate.
The heroes successfully defeat Amanda Waller and regain their powers by destroying the Amazos that took their abilities in the first place. The massive event even winds up with some heroes gaining new, unexpected powers. As the dust settles, Jay, Wally, and Flash discuss the fallout. Garrick confirms that Barry was right and that the vibrational access speedsters had to the alternate worlds is gone. Wally also confirms that he’s tried everything and even he can’t find a way to another Earth in DC’s multiverse.
DC’s Multiverse Has Expanded and Contracted Over the Years
From Infinite to One to 52 and Beyond
Over the last century, the DCU has been through a number of changes, especially as reboots and shifts to continuity have come into play. The multiverse began in earnest in the Silver Age when Barry Allen accidentally traveled to another world by vibrating his molecules at the frequency of a neighboring Earth. The Flash traveled to Earth-2, home of DC’s older Golden Age heroes, giving the stories of yesteryear a home in DC continuity. Over the next few years,other Earths would be established in the greater DC multiverseto the point where it contained an infinite number of worlds.
Barry’s trip to the Earth-2 can b see in the classic “Flash of Two Worlds” story inThe Flash #123!
However, the countless universes were eliminated in the iconic event seriesCrisis on Infinite Earths, which saw the Anti-Monitor destroy thousands of alternate worlds. Several Earths survived and were combined into one unified timeline and that was the state of the DC Universe for roughly two decades. It wasn’t untilInfinite Crisisthat Alexander Luthor revived the multiverse in an effort to find a perfect world. But unlike the previous, limitless structure, this new multiverse was limited to 52 worlds. Though it wouldn’t be longbefore DC’s multiverse changed yet again.
As ofDark Crisis on Infinite Earths, the standard multiverse returned to its original limitless state…
TheConvergenceevent revealed that all timelines that had ever been seen still exist. Later, the eventDark Nights: Death Metalsaw the multiverse destroyed, though it was recreated and revealed to be part of a greater ‘omniverse’ composing of multiple multiverses that make up the Divine Continuum. As ofDark Crisis on Infinite Earths, the standard multiverse returned to its original limitless state after Pariah, a player inCrisis on Infinite Earths, went mad and nearly destroyed reality. Thankfully, the Justice League stopped him and Barry Allen began charting this new multiverse and its new worlds.
DC Now Only Has Two Worlds That Matter: Prime and Absolute
DC Has Already Replaced Its Multiverse with a Strange New World
Cutting the DC Universe off from the greater DC multiverse is big, but what happened inAbsolute Poweronly tells half the story. The same week thatAbsolute Power #4came out,DC All In Special #1hit the shelves, which saw Darkseid’s physical form being destroyed and unleashing his energy out into the world. With nowhere else to go, Darkseid’s energy tore a hole through reality and traveled to the young, impressionable Elseworld, where the energy imprinted on itand creating the new Absolute Universe.
Be sure to pick up a copy ofDC All In Special #1by Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson, Daniel Sampere, Wes Craig, and Dan Mora, on sale now!
While DC Comics is currently exploring some of its alternate worlds in books likeBatman: Gotham by Gaslight: The Kryptonian AgeandDC vs. Vampires: World War V, none of them are going to have any real impact on the Prime Earth. With Flash destroying the multiversal gate, there’s no way for any hero from any alternate world to travel.The only connection the Prime DCU has right now is with the Absolute Universeand with it radiating the same energy as Darkseid, DC’s heroes might not be so keen to just pop in for a visit.
…the only neighbor the Prime Earth has is the one created by Darkseid.
The multiverse is often a reflection of the state of the Divine Continuum at any given moment. During the Infinite Frontier and Dawn of DC eras, it felt like anything could happen. Now the multiverse has been sealed away and the only neighbor the Prime Earth has is the one created by Darkseid. While fans haven’t had the chance to see much of this new world, Scott Snyder has discussed just how dangerous this new addition the Absolute Universe is. Whatever happens next,DC’s heroes are on their own and can’t turn to the multiverse for assistance.
What Does the Future Hold for DC’s Multiverse?
When Will DC’s Multiverse Return?
The good thing is that unlike Crisis on Infinite Earths, the multiverse isn’t gone, it’s just closed off. Of course, it’s not known how deep Amanda Waller’s damage is so it might be some time before fans see it. But as long as the Absolute Universe exists, there is still a multiverse for fans to enjoy. It’s just smaller and more manageable to follow. Though fans will have to make do with a simplified multiverse for now, it’s still out there waiting for the PrimeDC Universeto rejoin it.
