DC Officially Adds Batman '89, Injustice and More to Its Multiverse

By Jenna Anderson - December 13, 2022 07:00 pm EST

For nearly a century now, the DC multiverse has been expanding and evolving, shifting to accommodate alternate Earths and concepts. The events of the currently-running Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths have been adding even more possibility to that concept, bringing back the previously-gone "infinite earths." The event's latest tie-in, Dark Crisis: Big Bang, added even more alternate worlds to that concept — including quite a few that even casual DC fans will recognize. Not only did the event showcase some previously-unseen pockets of the DC multiverse, but it ended up giving official universe classifications to the universes of some beloved comics, movies, and even video games inspired by DC.

Big Bang ended with a new multiverse guide, including notes from Barry Allen / The Flash about what each new Earth contains. While many of these notes reference Earths that readers are already familiar with, there are quite a few that are new additions — and noteworthy ones at that. Spoilers for Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1 from Mark Waid, Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund, Federico Blee, and Troy Peteri below! Only look if you want to know!

Earth-24: Bombshells

Right out of the gate, Big Bang officially canonizes one of the most popular Elseworlds stories in recent years — DC Bombshells. The franchise, which has inspired a line of merchandise and multiple tie-in comics, showcases an alternate version of World War II with the female heroines of the DC universe on the frontlines.

Earth-24's ambiguity has been a thing ever since The Multiversity Guidebook, with it previously being the second of seven "unknown worlds" that caused concern at the time. Oddly enough, the Infinite Frontier Secret Files series confirmed last year that the modern-day version of Earth-24 has its own Superman and a genderbent version of Lex Luthor, Alexandra Luthor — seemingly hinting at Bombshells' enduring legacy.

Earth-27: Jurassic League

DC officially canonizes Earth-27 as another memorable Elseworlds story — The Jurassic League. The recent miniseries, which is brought to life by fan-favorite creator Daniel Warren Johnson, imagines the heroes and villains of the DC universe as gigantic dinosaurs.

Earth-28: DC Mech

Following right behind The Jurassic League is Earth-28, home to the recent miniseries DC Mech. As the title suggests, the comic imagines Superman, Batman, and the like fighting using giant mechanized suits.

Earth-46: Batman: The Gargoyle of Gotham

One of the most perplexing parts of this new multiverse list is Earth-46, which is supposedly home to "a grim young Batman with a unique unrecognizable rogues' gallery", and is listed as being represented in Batman: The Gargoyle of Gotham.

The only caveat is that Batman: The Gargoyle of Gotham is not something that has publicly been announced by DC — either as a comic, an animated property, or otherwise. We'll just have to wait and see what shape that title ultimately ends up taking.

Earth-49: Injustice

Earth-49 has been an enigma in the DC mythos since Multiversity, and has been dubbed as the most mysterious of the seven unknown worlds — until today. According to Big Bang, Earth-49 is home to the lore of Injustice, the highly-popular video game, comic, and animated movie franchise that has been entertaining fans over the past decade.

As Injustice fans know, the events of its series can definitely be violent and cataclysmic — which makes the previous images of Earth-49 literally being on fire rather fitting, in retrospect.

Earth-55: DCeased

Just a few stops further in the multiverse is another of DC's darker Elseworlds — DCeased, the recent comic series depicting its heroes and villains fighting off an Antilife-related zombie apocalypse. With the finale of DCeased now underway, this official distinction in the multiverse feels even more fitting.

Earth-63: DC vs. Vampires

While we're on the topic of DC stories with a ghastly twist, we now have an official canonization for DC vs. Vampires, the recent comic that follows the ins-and-outs of a DC universe overrun by vampires.

The events of that Earth are now confirmed to have taken place on Earth-63.

Earth-66: Batman '66

While the 1966 Batman television show has remained a touchstone for many DC fans for generations, it has yet to get an official designation in the comics multiverse — until now. The television series, and its subsequent movie and comic offshoots, all take place on Earth-66, the same designation it was given in The CW's Crisis on Infinite Earths television crossover.

Earth-96: DC Super Hero Girls

Another television property that's now officially part of the multiverse, one that was teased in Big Bang's variant covers, is DC Super Hero Girls. According to the new multiverse map, Earth-96 is home to "teenage students Batgirl, Bumblebee, Supergirl, Zatanna, and others."

Earth-98: Green Lantern: Legacy

Keeping up the pattern of young adult heroes, Earth-98 is officially the home of Tai Pham, the Green Lantern who accidentally inherits his grandma's Lantern ring in Green Lantern: Legacy. This confirmation comes right before the graphic novel is set to get a sequel, Green Lantern: Alliance, next year.

Earth-100: Teen Titans: Raven

Another graphic novel — or more specifically, a series of graphic novels — represented in the new multiverse is Kami Garcia and Gabriel Piccolo's Teen Titans series. The graphic novels, which have included Teen Titans: Raven, Teen Titans: Beast Boy, Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven, and the upcoming Teen Titans: Robin, all take place on Earth-100.

Earth-118: Dark Knights of Steel

One of DC's newer Elseworlds, the sword-and-sorcery inspired Dark Knights of Steel, now officially takes place on Earth-118.

Earth-789: Superman '78 and Batman '89

Here's an interesting one — Earth-789 amalgams together the events of the 1978 Superman movie and the 1989 Batman movie (and their subsequent comic tie-ins) into a single universe. While this counteracts '89's designation in the aforementioned TV Crisis, it now connects together two of the most beloved live-action adaptations DC has ever had.

Earth-1996: Amalgam

And finally, Earth-1996 is listed as the home of "mysterious 'amalgamated' (?) heroes", which Barry Allen's notes suggest require "further investigation."

That line, of course, seems to be a nod to the Amalgam universe, a collaboration between DC and Marvel that mashed up the concepts and costumes of its various characters, and ran in 1996 and 1997. By the end of its storyline, the Amalgam universe was believed to have been destroyed entirely — so maybe this

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What do you think of the new Earths introduced in Dark Crisis: Big Bang? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!