Ever since the Flashes of the Golden and Silver Ages first met in 1961, DC Comics has been popularizing the concept of the multiverse in comics. Even after DC destroyed all its alternate universes during Crisis on Infinite Earths event, the multiverse was eventually restored and paved the way for many more gripping narratives and reimaginings of classic characters. Some of the most popular alternate universes in DC Comics include Earth-3, the home of the Crime Syndicate, and the Absolute Universe. Still, with a multiverse as infinite and diverse as the one of DC Comics, there are bound to be parallel Earths that have been unfairly overlooked.
DC Comics’ multiverse has allowed many artists to put their own creative spins on preestablished iconic superheroes and villains. These are the worlds in the infinite multiverse that nobody talks about anymore, despite their gripping characters and storylines.
On Earth-18, the villain Time Trapper had frozen all culture and technology in the late 19th century, ensuring that it would always be the Wild West. Even in a world stuck in the American Frontier, the need for heroes would still arise. As seen in the Elseworld miniseries Justice Riders, a team of cowboy-style DC heroes comes together to protect innocent people from bandits and supervillains. Led by either Superchief or Madame .44, the Justice Riders’ other members include Bat-Lash, El Diablo, Pow-Wow Smith, Tomahawkman, John Jones, and Johnny Thunder. Not only does Earth-18 offer cool cowboy versions of iconic DC heroes, but it also acts as a tribute to DC’s old line of Wild West comics and characters.
Originally debuting as an original animated film, the Justice League: Gods and Monsters universe features darker versions of classic heroes. Instead of being paragons of virtue, the Justice League are violent anti-heroes who are distrusted by humanity. In this universe, Superman is the son of General Zod and was raised by Mexican immigrants, Batman is a vampire, and Wonder Woman is a runaway New God princess. The film and tie-in comics centered on this world are incredibly engaging and offered nuanced reinterpretations of the Trinity. Although future plans for this universe were cut short, it’s long past time for DC Comics to revisit it and develop darker reimaginings of other superheroes.
Although comic book legend Stan Lee is best known for his work at Marvel Comics, he also had a short crossover partnership with DC Comics, during which he reimagined the rival company’s most popular characters. The result was Earth-6, aka the Just Imagine Universe, where many DC heroes were given new identities, powers, and origins more in line with Marvel Comics tropes. Superman’s a space cop, Batman’s a wrestler, Wonder Woman gains her powers from an Incan Sun God, Green Lantern is connected to the World Tree Yggdrassil from Norse mythology, and the Flash acquires her powers after being injected with radioactive hummingbird blood. The original 2001 and 2022 series offered many fantastical and compelling versions of DC heroes, befitting of Stan Lee’s legacy.
In one of DC Comics’ most creative and unique alternate parallel worlds, Earth-9, aka the Tangent Universe, is populated by characters connected to their original counterparts only in name. This world’s premier hero is the Atom, who can manipulate atoms. Other heroes of this bizarre world include a medieval spirit Batman, a reality-warping alien Wonder Woman, a necromancer Green Lantern, a Flash who can turn into a being of pure light, and a freedom-fighting Joker. The Superman of this Earth is a powerful telepath and telekinetic who used his gifts to take over the world. These are some of the most outlandish and imaginative reinterpretations of DC’s classic characters, and it’s a shame that they don’t appear more often.
One of DC Comics’ most ambitious projects of the 2010s, Earth One was a graphic novel line set in its own universe, featuring darker, more inexperienced versions of many DC heroes. The line was praised for its reinterpretations of superheroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Teen Titans. They were given all-new origins that lent themselves to thought-provoking storylines. Yet, despite Earth One’s initial success, it was unfairly cut short and largely forgotten due to its sporadic publishing schedule. Despite its influence on films like Man of Steel and The Batman, Earth One hasn’t been revisited in years and is rarely discussed anymore. This is a huge disservice to such an invigorating world, which deserves far more recognition.
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