Prime Earth

     This page is similar in name to other pages. See also New Earth, Earth-Prime, Earth 0.

Prime Earth, also known as Earth 0, is the primary universe depicted in modern DC Comics. It was formed by the temporal merging of the disparate DC, Vertigo, and Wildstorm Universes in an effort by Pandora and the Flash to restore the timeline to its intended nature in the aftermath of the Flashpoint event.

It was later revealed that Doctor Manhattan used the cosmic upheaval to remove 10 years from the continuity, an action that had wide-ranging and unexpected consequences on a massive scale. However, his manipulations were eventually undone and the full timeline was restored.

History

The following events have occurred in the current timeline of Prime Earth. While some events happened in the initial version of history that arose following the Flashpoint event, some of them were not restored to their place in history until the the timeline was corrected.

Ancient History

In the Beginning

Following the death of a previous, corrupted cosmos, a new universe arose, beginning (as most do) with the Big Bang. As this new reality was born, so too were the stars, planets, and the Endless, seven powerful entities who each represented an aspect of this new cosmos.

At the very center of creation, within the Sphere of the Gods, the Silver City came into being, a fortress for the heavenly hosts of The Presence. However, the archangel Lucifer rebelled, resulting in a great heavenly war. Lucifer and his followers were cast out, becoming the first demons. One of these fallen angels, Galid, was transformed into an instrument of God's Wrath by the archangel Michael. Galid was eventually stripped of his rank once more and cast out, replaced by another, Aztar, who became known as the Spectre.

The Old Gods arise, forging great and terrible systems. First among them was Olgrun, who ruled over his kin and the nascent universe until he was manipulated by his brother, Bjoltr, into slaying his daughter, Ajna. Driven mad by grief, he warred with the other Old Gods for centuries before finally being defeated - though not killed. They split his essence into seven "aspects" which they scattered across the Multiverse, each with a world built around it and cunning traps and puzzles to guard it from the unworthy. Olgrun's sorrow became the Revenant Queen, an unliving spectre born from his terrible lament.

The Early Cosmos

On the world of Cilia, the first sentient races are born, the beings who become the Lords of Order and the Lords of Chaos. Elsewhere, on the planet Maltus, a powerful race arises, becoming the Maltusians. They relocate to Oa, a world near to the center of the physical universe.

There came a time when the Old Gods died in a savage cosmic war. What remained of their world, Urgrund, fissioned into two, becoming Galactica, later rechristened New Genesis, and Apokolips. This fiery holocaust all but wiped out the Old Gods, save for a few lone stragglers such as Gog, Pazurem, and the corrupted Nyctar.

On the world of Ma'aleca'andra, the Martians arise. One of the Maltusians, Krona, becomes obsessed with the origin of the universe and builds a machine to peer into the past. He succeeds, for a moment, unleashing devastation and inadvertently calling forth the cosmic traveler Volthoom. From him, they learn of the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum. Volthoom's immense power overwhelms his mind, however, and he is driven mad. He is imprisoned by the Maltusians after a battle with the First Seven Green Lanterns.

The Maltusians take on the title of the Guardians of the Universe, becoming known as the Oans. They set out to impose order onto the universe by many means. After a first attempt to bring order through a creation known as the A'tmatentrym, they tried again, creating a robot police force known as the Manhunters. The Manhunters serve dutifully for a time before a malfunction leads to the slaughter of Sector 666 and the Manhunters turning upon their Oan masters. The Oans fractured, with those seeking another path to order becoming the Controllers and those who refused to abandon their emotions becoming the Zamarons.

The survivors of Sector 666 form the Five Inversions and the Empire of Tears, creating a powerful empire with ancient blood magic. The Guardians go to war with them, seeking to bring their vast magical power to heel. Afterwards, they imprison them on the world of Ysmault and bind much of the galaxy's magic into a singular mass known as the Starheart.

Early Humanity

In the Solar System, life thrives. Yggdrasil, the World Tree, achieves sentience, and forms the Green and its representatives, the Parliament of Trees.

The inhabitants of Ma'aleca'andra, the world that will later become known to humans as Mars, colonize the Solar System and become an empire.

On Earth, the progenitors of modern mankind arise. A divergent strain forms the civilization that becomes Atlantis.

In another dimension, the scientist known as Kell Mossa attempts to peer into the dawn of time, like the Maltusian Krona. As penance for his actions, he becomes Pariah and is rendered effectively immortal, forced to watch untold worlds die and be powerless to stop it.

A supernova leads many of Earth's earliest sorcerors to flee, following Citrina into what would become known as Gemworld.

Etrigan the Demon, the first demon with no memory of Heaven and thus no desire to return to it, is born to the demon Belial. Nabu, an exiled Lord of Order, manifests on Earth.

On Krypton, a series of horrific alien experiments led to the creation of the unstoppable force that would later be named Doomsday.

The high mage of Atlantis, Arion, sacrifices his life to stop his insane mother, Majistra, from obtaining the Twelve Crystals of the Zodiac. Resultingly, he is unable to prevent the sinking of Atlantis during the Great Deluge at the hands of Eclipso. Poseidonis and Tritonis survive the catacylsm, adapting to life beneath the sea. Other Atlanteans flee to the extradimensional Skartaris, founding the city of Shamballah.

Other early humans become great tribes. Amongst the Bear Tribe, the young Anthro rises to prominence, defending his tribe from marauders like Vandar Adg of the Blood Tribe. Vandar, alongside several members of the Bear Tribe, most prominently Klarn Arg, are exposed radiation from a mysterious meteor, granting each of them forms of immortality. Vandar grew to become the conqueror known as Vandal Savage, and Klarn eventually became the hero and adventurer known as the Immortal Man.

An amnesiac Bruce Wayne is briefly deposited in this era by Darkseid's Omega Beams. When a pregnant Neanderthal woman is murdered by her spouse, her soul, and that of her child, are taken aside by the gods, later to become Hippolyta and her daughter, Diana. A tribe of early humans in what will one day be called Germany encounters an alien artifact known as the H-Dial. The New Gods visit Earth and experiment on an early human, creating Aurakles, the Earth's first super-hero. Kong the Untamed is born on Dinosaur Island.

The Time of the Ancients

The Titans Cronus and Rhea give rise to several children; among them is Zeus, who rebels against Cronus, transforming him into a gnarled tree within Limbo and banishing the other Titans into deep space. Zeus becomes ruler of Olympus, and takes Hera as his queen.

Centuries later, the New God Uxas (later known as Darkseid) convinces the Olympians to divide their essence, giving rise to the Gods of Rome.

A collection of Earth's earliest sorcerors form the Circle of Eternity. Among their number is the Aboriginal thunder god Mamaragan, who becomes known as the wizard Shazam.

Elsewhere, Nommo Balewa rules over the lost land of Kor as the guardian of the Flame of Life.

The alien race known as the Reach visits Earth, leaving behind the scarab Khaji Da, a cybernetic artifact designed to suppliment and eventually control Earth's greatest champions.

Prince Amentep recieves the mighty Ibistick, becoming Ibis the Invincible. Defeated by the Mesu, known as the Black Pharoah, Ibis and his wife, Taia, begin a 4,000 year long period of suspended animation.

In ancient China, a powerful mystical warlord known as the Devil Nezha rises. In turn, four champions rise to meet him, becoming the league of warriors known as the House of Ji. Through great sacrifice, they are able to entomb Nezha. In the Cradle of Civilization, the Spectre, acting in his role as God's Wrath, devastates the cities of Sodom and Gamorah.

Gods and Monsters

The Goddess Rama Kushna creates Nanda Parabat, a hidden Himalayan paradise.

On Apokolips, Yuga Khan reigns until his attempt to breach the Source Wall fuses him with the wall as a Promethean Giant. His wife, Heggra then claims the throne.

In Egypt the slave Teth-Adam, a member of the Khandaqi tribe, becomes the champion of Mamaragan.

Pandora is manipulated into opening what would become known as Pandora's Box, resulting in the release of the deadly entities known as the Seven Deadly Sins into the world. The Sins are eventually re-imprisoned by Teth-Adam, then known as the Mighty Adam.

The being known as Ktar Deathbringer and the angel Shrra reincarnate as the Egyptians Khufu Maat Ka-Tar and Chay-Ara. After a Thanagarian ship crashes to Earth, the pair discover Nth Metal. Khufu and Chay-ara are murdered by Hath-Set, who inadvertently entangles himself into their eternal cycle of reincarnation and rebirth.

The Mighty Adam murders the Circle of Eternity, but, unable to defeat his patron, instead weaves an enchantment upon him, keeping him sedated for centuries, a period during which he becomes known as He-Who-Sleeps. Later, the Mighty Adam attempts to seize power in Egypt, resulting in a brief reign, recorded in history as the mysterious "Userkare". The Wizard awakes from his centuries-long slumber, confronts Adam, and exiles him from Earth, casting him into the depths of outer space.

The Amazons are given life by a collective of Olympian Goddesses: Aphrodite, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, and Hestia. The first Amazon to be born is Hippolyta, born from an ancient soul, one of the first women to be brought low by male violence. She becomes their queen, ruling alongside her sisters, Antiope and Atalanta. Surviving horrific violence at the hands of Hercules, they become the guardians of Doom's Doorway on the isle of Themyscira.

Rama Khan, Gamemnae, Manitou Raven, the Anointed One, Sela, the Whaler, and Tezumak unite to defend a risen Atlantis as the League of Ancients.

After 3,000 years of defending Earth from the forces of Chaos, Nabu's human form reaches its end. In an attempt to heal, he places himself in suspended animation for more than 2,000 years in a pyramid built within the Valley of Ur in Chaldea.

The Homo magi take refuge in a concealed valley in Turkey, which is hidden by a magical barrier.

The African warrior-princess Zahavah is murdered in ancient Madagascar.

The Druid priest later known as Blackbriar Thorn witnesses the slaughter of his tribe at the hands of the Romans before he himself is trapped deep within Earth. The Roman centurion Longinus uses his spear to pierce the chest of Jesus Christ. In later years, this spear will become known as the Spear of Destiny.

The Common Era

The Golden Gladiator fights heroically in the Roman Colosseum. Marcus Aelius, the man who will some day become the hero known as the Alpha Centurion, leaves Earth to represent Rome in an alien cultural exchange.

Merlin is given the Eternity Book by his father, Belial. King Arthur assembles the Knights of the Round Table and forges the kingdom of Camelot. Among them are Sir Justin, the Shining Knight, and Briant Kent, known as the Shining Knight. Nimue, half-sister of King Arthur, takes the name Xanadu. As Camelot falls, Merlin binds Etrigan to his human servant, Jason Blood. In the year following Camelot's fall, the mage Kon-Sten-Tyn sires three sons, ultimately sacrificing all three in his pursuit of the arcane.

The Starheart falls to Earth in China during the dawn of the Song Dynasty, where it is fashioned into a lamp by a mystic, who is later killed by local villagers.

In defiance of his mother, Heggra, Uxas secretly marries the daughter Suli. Together, they bear a son, Kalibak. Fearing that the gentle Suli provoked weakness in Uxas' heart, Heggra has the torturer DeSaad murder Suli. After her death, Heggra commands that his daughter marry Tigra. Uxas gains control of the Omega Force and slays his brother, Drax, taking the god-name Darkseid. He places his pregnant wife, Tigra, into a Hyperfreeze Prison and claims the throne of Apokolips for himself.

The hero known as the Viking Prince sailed unknown seas in search of high adventure. Arak, Son of Thunder is rescued by Vikings exploring America and brought to Europe, where he becomes a swashbuckling adventurer.

A motley crew of adventurers and immortals, including Jason Blood, Madame Xanadu, Vandal Savage, Sir Ystin, the Horsewoman, Al Jabr, and the Amazon exile known as Exoristos, form the Demon Knights as their paths converge in a small village in the path of the horde of the Questing Queen and the ancient mage, Mordru. They later battle Morgaine Le Fay and Lucifer himself. Over the following decades, the group falls apart and later reassembles to defeat the first vampire, Cain, and his undead horde as it marches on Paradise Island. They ultimately discover the hiding place of the Holy Grail.

The New God Himon discovers the X-Element and develops the technology known as the Mother Box and the Boom Tubes. An early Mother Box forms the core of the Celestial City, also known as Supertown, built as a citadel for the citizens of Galactica above the largely ruined New Genesis.

The Manhunters extend their influence to Earth, giving rise to the Cult of the Manhunters.

On Ma'aleca'andra, the White Martians rise to prominence.

In England, Robert Fitzhugh becomes the outlaw known as Robin Hood.

The first Brother Blood arises in Zandia. Elsewhere, a group of pacifists led by the mystic Azar establish the otherdimensional city of Azarath.

In the lands that would eventually become known as North America, Saganowahna is empowered by a fallen meterorite and becomes Super-Chief.

In Africa, a troop of gorillas come into contact with an extradimensional power that granted them super-intelligence and psychic abilities. Subsequently, they build a futuristic city that would come to be called "Gorilla City", living in secret for centuries.

The Renaissance

In Arabia, a physician discovers the Lazarus Pits, mysterious pools that could prolong life and resurrect those who have died. He becomes Ra's al Ghul, the immortal master of the notorious League of Assassins. In time, he also creates the League of Shadows and the League of Lazarus. He develops lasting feuds with fellow immortals Vandal Savage and the Orgham Family.

The Order of Saint Dumas, an offshoot of the Knights Templar, recovers a fallen Mother Box from a battle between two New Gods. They use this device to imbue semi-monstrous agents inspired by Christian angels, most notably the Azraels, with a supernatural ability and discipline known as the System.

Andrew Bennett, a minor English nobleman, is cursed with vampirism. He spends the next four centuries combatting the Cult of the Blood Red Moon, which is led by his former love Mary Seward, also a vampire thanks to Bennett who calls herself Mary the Queen of Blood.

The Colonial Era

In America, the city that would come to be known as Gotham is founded, sometimes referred to in those early days as Gathome. A time-lost, amnesiac Bruce Wayne finds his way into this era, coming into contact with a group of Witch-Hunters. One of their victims curses the Wayne family for generations.

Klarion the Witch-Boy is born in Limbo Town.

Keith Everett, the Earl of Strethmere, is shot by brigands.

Ma'alefa'ak, the evil brother of J'onn J'onzz, creates H'ronmeer's Curse, releasing it upon his kinsmen on Mars. The telepathic flame-plague spreads through the Martian populace, wiping the planet clean. Among the dead are J'onzz's family. As he wanders through the ruins, J'onzz is pulled through time and space by an invention created by a scientist many centuries since.

Englishman Jon Valor sets sail as the Black Pirate, eventually suceeded by his son, Justin Valor. Captain Fear also prowls the seas.

During America's Revolutionary War, the legends of Tomahawk, his partners Dan Hunter and Miss Liberty, and Tomahawk's Rangers spread across the burgeoning frontier. Tomahawk and his wife, Moon Fawn, raise a son who eventually becomes the pacifist frontiersman known to the world as Hawk, Son of Tomahawk. Elsewhere, a Caucasian child with red hair is taken in by a Native American tribe and raised as Firehair.

Max Crandall is granted super-human speed and a connection to the cosmic Speed Force by a Blackfoot shaman. He uses his skills to protect natives and settlers from each other as Ahwehota, or the Windrunner.

The Industrial Age

In 1838, the merchant Richard Swift is betrayed and sacrificed, leading to his rebirth as the immortal villain the Shade.

A Terminian vessel crash-lands on a plantation in the American South in the early 1800s. Its inhabitant appears as an African American infant to its rescuers, and, stranded but nearly ageless, he grows into an individual who will one day become the hero known as Icon.

As the new nation expands westwards, heroes and villains arise on its frontier. Among those who fight for justice on the frontier are Jonah Hex, Bat Lash, El Diablo, the Texas Ranger Jack Woods, Johnny Thunder, the Wyoming Kid, Pow-Wow Smith, Golden Arrow, Ke-Woh-No-Tay (a.k.a. Scalphunter), Marilyn Moonlight, and the latest reincarnations of Ktar and Shrra, the vigilantes Nighthawk and Cinnamon, respectively. A temporarily time-lost Bruce Wayne briefly joins these ranks as a masked vigilante.

In Cairo, an English Sorceror known as Tannarak begins an unending quest to gain immortality.

Samuel Augustus Adams, a patriotic political cartoonist, is shot and killed by criminals working for Boss Tweed of the corrupt Tammany Hall. The elemental Spirit of America bonds with the dying Adams to form the first iteration of Uncle Sam.

Nighthawk kills the criminal Jim Craddock, who becomes the supernatural being known as the Gentleman Ghost.

Frankenstein's monster, sometimes referred to simply as Frankenstein, is lost for decades following a battle with Melmoth's Circus of Maggots.

Cyrus Gold, the man who will one day become known as the bestial monster Solomon Grundy, is murdered in Slaughter Swamp near Gotham City.

The 20th Century

During the First World War, the German Rittmeister Hans Von Hammer, commonly known as the Enemy Ace, stands out among his peers for his unimpeachable sense of honor and incredible skill.

Dream of the Endless, sometimes called the Sandman, is imprisoned by a wealthy occultist seeking immortality.

The Spirit of America bonds with a new human to form the second Uncle Sam.

In the aftermath of the Great War, former spy turned big game hunter earned fame as "Congo Bill" Glenmorgan in Africa.

In the hidden Valley of Ur, Sven Nelson is killed while investigating a hidden tumb as he accidentally awakens the slumbering Nabu. In penance, Nabu makes Sven's son, Kent Nelson, his disciple and apprentice.

Doctor Occult, born in 1899, begins a career as a supernatural invetigator in the 1930s. He briefly adopts a red suit with a cloak to face the Lord of Chaos known as Koth, unofficially making Doctor Occult the 20th century's first costumed super-hero.

The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane is formally founded in Somerset, on the northern edge of Gotham City, by Doctor Amadeus Arkham.

In 1936, engineer Alan Scott is drafted into the Army Corps of Engineers and assigned to a top-secret project to locate and harness the mystical Crimson Flame, believed to be beneath the North Pacific. During this period, he develops romantic feelings for fellow engineer John Michael Ladd, who reciprocates. Ladd is seemingly killed by the volatile Crimson Flame. Alan checks himself into Arkham Asylum in an attempt to cure himself of his homosexuality. Eventually, he flees, leading a breakout from the asylum's "Deviancy Wing". In Colorado, he becomes a train engineer, and falls in love with a conductor named Jimmy Henton.

Private eye Cyril "Speed" Saunders takes his first case.

On Halloween night, 1938, newspaper publisher Lee Travis becomes the first Crimson Avenger, aided by his chauffeur, Wing, an immigrant from China.

Haunted by cryptic visions of the Captain Dream, rich playboy Wesley Dodds becomes the Sandman in New York.

The New 52

The following events represent the original timeline of Prime Earth, which was born in the wake of Flashpoint and the temporal manipulations of Doctor Manhattan. After the unknotting of the timeline and the rebirth of Creation, these events were merged and adapted into the wider timeline.

Origins

In this newly made universe, costumed crime-fighters were a relatively new phenomenon, with Superman being the first super-powered hero to come to public knowledge. Since then, several other heroes came to the fore, with the formation of the Justice League after the evil New God Darkseid attempted an invasion of Earth. The success of the Justice League's activities inspired the United Nations to create the government-sponsored team Justice League International.

The Rebirth

The aftermath of the Darkseid War saw the return of Wally West, who was freed from the Speed Force by Barry Allen. Wally appeared, stating that this reality was not the fault of Barry's incident, but it was merely used as a tool by an unknown force to change New Earth into Prime Earth. He also revealed that Prime Earth had been robbed of an entire 10 years of experiences and memories by the unknown force, and that this was the reason that the universe did not revert to the way it was before Flashpoint and why everyone was 10 years younger.

At the same time, a mysterious button fell into the Batcave and was discovered by Batman.

Mysteriously, Imra Ardeen, a.k.a. Saturn Girl, appeared on Prime Earth, but she was put in Arkham Asylum as a patient with mental disorders, as she showed knowledge of events to come and had an unknown agenda.

Merging with New Earth

 Main article: Superman: Reborn

According to Mister Mxyzptlk, Superman had been split into two beings (the New Earth and Prime Earth Supermen) by a power beyond even his own. At the end of the battle with Mxyzptlk, his son Jonathan re-merged his father and mother with their Prime Earth counterparts. Mister Oz revealed that this action caused the two realities to merge into a new universe that is a mixture of both New Earth and Prime Earth's history.

In the aftermath of his battle with Mxyzptlk, Superman reviewed the records of his life at the Fortress of Solitude, but could not shake the feeling that something was definitely wrong. Superman later confided to Batman and Wonder Woman that he believed that his history had been twisted, shaped and reshaped. He also expressed concern that this had happened not just to him, but to everyone.

The Rise of Perpetua

The Race for the Totality

 Main article: Justice League Vol 4

The Undoing of Doctor Manhattan's Experiment

 Main article: Doomsday Clock

Ozymandias, the cleverest man of all in an alternate reality, came to Earth 0 in order to bring Doctor Manhattan out into the open, letting him fight the most powerful team on Earth, and make him return to their own reality in order to save it again, as it was on the brink of annihilation for the second time. After defeating this reality's heroes, Manhattan focused on Superman, having had a vision about a future deadly clash between them.

Doctor Manhattan faced the Kryptonian hero, who was stopping a metahuman rebellion, revealing to him the truth about Earth 0's missing events. In fact, after the New York disaster, the almighty godlike being left his universe for the Multiverse, discovering Earth 0 and its most important hero, Superman, in the process, so he desired to know everything about him.

He had gone back in time and prevented Alan Scott from becoming Green Lantern and forming the Justice Society: this caused a domino effect that erased both Clark's years as Superboy and the death of his parents and furthermore, because Superboy never came into existence, this prevented the creation of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th Century.

These revelations shocked Superman, but they did not stop him from saving Manhattan from being hit by an attacking metahuman, asking him to push the darkness in his heart away and let him become the hero that he was meant to be. The event and his enemy's words enlightened the omnipotent being, who understood Superman's value and purity, and he decided to end his experiment, going again back in time to let Alan Scott become Green Lantern once again, thus putting Earth 0's history back on track.

Doctor Manhattan then revealed that Earth 0 was a sentient universe, a sort of Metaverse whose history shaped itself according to the presence of Superman, shifting forward every time that he appeared on Earth as far back as prehistoric times. He discovered that the Multiverse even shaped itself around the Metaverse and expanded itself, creating new realities to preserve every era of Superman. When Superman appeared in 1938, the reality shifted forward, creating Earth-Two. After the first Crisis Earth divided again, changing Earth-One into Earth-1985. After Doctor Manhattan's intervention, Flashpoint, and the Rebirth, it became Earth 52.

He also looked beyond the present time, revealing that Superman will always be born and that Earth 0 will always change until the timeline converges in the Legion of Super-Heroes' era: on July 2nd, 2025, the Time Masters Crisis will erupt and, later, its end will cause the birth of Earth-5G; on July 10th, 2030, an alternate universe will invade Earth 0, starting the Secret Crisis whose end will again shift the timeline forward; in 2038, Superman will appear for the first time, having arrived on Earth 22 years later; the timeline will then again shift forward so that Superman will arrive on Earth in 2038 and will be found by the Kents and their baby son, Colin; another shift in the timeline will cause Superman's appearance in 2045, still found by the Kents; in 2162, after another shift in the timeline, Superman will be found by the Kents and their daughter, Clara; in 2945, Superman will appear for the first time in Metropolis.

Reality returned to its original state while Doctor Manhattan left Earth 0 for the Multiverse, where he tried to heal its scars which were caused by the previous crises before he chose to return to his home reality, leaving behind connective energy which was harvested by the Quintessence of Earth 0 some time later.

Year of the Villain

Due to the actions of Hunter Zolomon, Wally West and Barry Allen, the force barrier was broken and it affected Prime Earth in currently unknown ways. Also, Barry's grandson, Bart, escaped the Speed Force.

The Last Metal War

The "Metalverse"

After the defeat of the Justice League at the hands of Perpetua, the original creator of the Multiverse, the Batman Who Laughs was rewarded for helping her with absolute rule over Prime Earth. He invaded Prime Earth with his Dark Knights, who defeated all of the super-heroes around the world before using everyone who did not side with Perpetua during the Justice/Doom War to give her energy from the Crisis Antennae. He then went about reshaping it into his own twisted vision. Places were either merged, split apart or turned into their own continents in the nightmarish new world which came to be known as the Metalverse.

The Reboot of the Universe

 Main article: Infinite Frontier

After The Hands restored the Multiverse after its destruction in the aftermath of the battle between the Darkest Knight and Wonder Woman, Earth 0 was restored to its Pre-Metalverse state, but it was no longer at the center of the Multiverse. In the process, its history was "unknotted" and almost all of its Pre-Flashpoint history was brought back into its continuity.

Dawn of DC

 Main article: Dawn of DC

Notes

• Prime Earth was the result of the merging of four realities: New Earth, the Wildstorm Universe (also known as Earth-50), the Vertigo Universe, and the Dakotaverse. This convergence supposedly occurred due to the intervention of Pandora, immediately after the Flash undid the Flashpoint Timeline. Doctor Manhattan then removed 10 years from the resulting universe, leading to the birth of The New 52 timeline.
  • The Dakotaverse being merged into Prime Earth was just hinted at during the latter's creation. Renewed versions of Dakotaverse characters resurfaced later in the new continuity.
  • Although both the old and new Milestone continuities were eventually shown to exist within the Post-Flashpoint Multiverse, Prime Earth versions of Dakotaverse characters still exist, even after several cosmic upheavals.
• Before it was eventually designated as Earth 0 within the Multiverse, "Prime Earth" was the official name that Dan DiDio used for this new continuity.
  • The Prime Earth designation has been often used in-universe to refer to this new reality.
  • Despite the similarity in name and being often referred to as "Earth-Prime", this universe bears no relation to the Pre-Crisis universe of Earth-Prime.
• Prime Earth has undergone several reboots over the years, often being first destroyed and then subsequently reborn:
  • The Rebirth– a self-defense mechanism that the Metaverse activated as a response to Doctor Manhattan's manipulations– reintroduced several Pre-Flashpoint events into the timeline;
  • The merging of New Earth and Prime Earth united Superman's Pre-Flashpoint and Post-Flashpoint histories into a more coherent continuity. This was confirmed by Superman's memories in Action Comics #978 and by the Cyborg Superman's in Action Comics #980;
  • During the climax of the Milk Wars, Prime Earth was destroyed and subsequently restored by Flex Mentallo using his Muscle Mystery powers. Minor reality changes — mainly involving the Doom Patrol and their allies — resulted;
  • When Doctor Manhattan reversed his "experiment", the Justice Society of America was restored, along with Superman's history as Superboy and his adventures with the original Legion. However, these changes left significant scars in the fabric of space-time;
  • Following the unknotting of the timeline by Wonder Woman, and the destruction and rebirth of Creation by The Hands, Prime Earth's new timeline encompassed all of DC Comics history, restructured into a unified continuity.
    • In the new version of the timeline, the Wildstorm Universe is no more merged with Prime Earth, as many Wildstorm original characters now hail from an alternate reality. Like during the Rebirth era, an unclear number of Vertigo Universe storylines has occurred in the "reborn" Prime Earth.
    • Also, the "new" version of the Flashpoint only replaced the universe with an alternate timeline for a brief time, before the Rebirth;
  • As a consequence of the Infinite Frontier being annihilated by Jakita Wagner using the Multiversal Cannon's End bullet, Prime Earth was destroyed as well. After the Frontier was restored by the Outsiders, Prime Earth was brought back into existence without any alterations to its timeline.
• Prime Earth is at least 10 billion years old. This makes it far older than the 4.5 billion years that our Earth has existed in real life.
  • It was eventually revealed that it is actually 20 billion years old.
• According to the Green Lantern Power Rings of 10 billion years ago, Prime Earth was the center of the universe at one time.
• The history of the Green Lanterns remains mostly unchanged in the passage from New Earth to Prime Earth. Similarly, Booster Gold's origins seem to be about the same as his Pre-Flashpoint counterpart.
• During the Rebirth era, certain events, such as The Killing Joke and Blackest Night, still happened on Prime Earth.

New 52 Retcons and Continuity

As the New 52 relaunch did not constitute a full reboot, several characters went on with their storylines with very little changes; however, there were some notable changes, including:

• Batgirl is said to have only been crippled for several years after Batman: The Killing Joke and returned to her position as a street-fighting vigilante, having recuperated from her condition. She is also the biological daughter of Jim Gordon instead of being his niece as she once was, and his firstborn child.
• The Green Arrow is shown to be a much more corporate figure, running Queen Industries by day and fighting crime using its inventions by night. Also, neither of Oliver's parents died on their safari. Moira Queen became a villain and Robert Queen became the first Green Arrow. He also has a half-sister named Emiko.
• Wonder Woman is now the daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta; the "molded from clay" story is now described as a false story that was intended to protect her from the wrath of Hera. She also has a twin brother named Jason. After the events of Doomsday Clock, her debut is changed so she debuted in World War II and fought alongside the Justice Society of America. Later on, her origin was reverted back to being clay molded into a baby and blessed by the Goddessess. This reversion make much of her familial origins moot, and it is currently unknown if Jason still exists.
• The Justice League's origin story was initially completely rewritten to involve Batman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman and Superman meeting in one night to fight the minions of Darkseid. Also, Cyborg is a founding member instead of the Martian Manhunter. Eventually, however, the Pre-Flashpoint origin involving an Appellaxian invasion was restored, as was the Martian Manhunter's status as a founding member.
• Justice League International was put together for the first time. They were later disbanded. It was later revealed that there were previous versions of Justice League International, as there were in previous continuities.
• Superman's origin story was drastically changed. He visited Metropolis at a much younger age. After the events of Doomsday Clock, his origins changed so that he was Superboy as a child.
• Barry Allen and Iris West are no longer married. In fact, Barry dated his co-worker Patty Spivot for a while. He later dated Meena Dhawan, but ultimately ended up dating Iris. Eventually, both their past relationship and their children (if not their marriage) were restored to the timeline.
• The West family was heavily affected by the new timeline. Ira West was replaced with William West, who is far darker than Ira ever was. He also has another son named Daniel and a second Wally West. Iris West does not seem to be an adoptive child from the far future anymore, but a blood relative of the West family.
• Kara Zor-El recently arrived on Earth at the start of The New 52. Also, her rocket crashed in Kansas this time, not Gotham, and it pierced through the planet until reaching the Siberian steppes. After Dark Nights: Death Metal, it was revealed that she had arrived much earlier in current continuity, chronologically aligning with her arrival on Earth-One.
• Superboy was now cloned by an organization named N.O.W.H.E.R.E. He also got his human genes from Lois Lane instead of Lex Luthor. In the Superman: Reborn continuity, the true Superboy, who has his human and Kryptonian genes come from Lex Luthor, Clark Kent, and Sammy Stryker, was stuck in Gemworld during a reality warp until he was freed, while the New 52 version took his place as a separate being.
• Dick Grayson is said to have been taken in and adopted by Bruce Wayne at age 16. This appears to have been changed by the Rebirth.
• Jason Todd was introduced to Batman by the Joker.
• Alan Scott of Earth 2 is now gay and had a boyfriend named Samuel. He is now an avatar of the Green (from which he gets his super-powers) and his ring is the focus of the Green Flame energy (the embodiment of the Green's power). Meanwhile, Prime Earth's Alan Scott never became Green Lantern; instead, he died in a train crash. This is later contradicted by a video showing Alan with his fellow Justice Society members. After the events of Doomsday Clock, Doctor Manhattan went back and allowed Alan to become Green Lantern. The Prime Earth's version of Alan Scott is also gay, just closeted until coming out to his fellow super-heroes long after the births of his children, Jade and Obsidian.
• Black Mask's death at the hands of Catwoman was erased from the timeline. In the current timeline, after being shot by Catwoman, he survived and staggered to Arkham Asylum where he willingly turned himself in, although Jeremiah Arkham still became the second Black Mask and also the Joker as well.
  • On a related note, Magdalene Kyle did not become Sister Zero and is in a mental hospital, dealing with the trauma of what Black Mask did to her. She later left the hospital.
• Ted Kord lived to meet his successor, Jaime Reyes, and acted as a mentor and field support to him.
• Harley Quinn did not fall for the Joker's lies; instead, she fell for him after he showed her the severed fingers of the drunk driver who had killed her father. In addition, she got her toxin immunity from a bath of chemicals instead of an injection from Poison Ivy. Said chemical bath, however, did not give her super-strength or the ability to breathe underwater.
• Aquaman and Mera were never married in the new timeline, but they wed later on and had a daughter. After Infinite Frontier, Aquababy was restored to the timeline, making him the first child of the duo, albeit still murdered at the hands of Black Manta.
• After the events of War of the Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan was removed as Green Lantern of Sector 2814 and his ring was passed to Sinestro. However, Hal eventually returned to his post and Sinestro went back to being a Yellow Lantern.
• Alec Holland was resurrected and changed back into being human after the events of Brightest Day, but he eventually went back to being the Swamp Thing again.
• The Legion of Super-Heroes is recovering from a major battle and several members have become lost in time. Saturn Girl was trapped in Arkham Asylum, but escaped during the events of Doomsday Clock. She appears to have been erased from existence due to the actions of Ozymandias, but was later seen again with the original Legion. After the events of Doomsday Clock, the actions of Ozymandias and Doctor Manhattan have allowed another Legion to thrive.
• The accident where Barry Allen became the Flash now has a witness, August Heart, who would later become the super-villain named Godspeed.
• The Crime Syndicate now has three new members, Deathstorm, the Martian and Atomica.
• The Question's origin has been given a supernatural touch. His origin is connected to the origins of the Phantom Stranger and Pandora. Also, the Question and Vic Sage are completely different characters in Prime Earth. However, Vic Sage seems to have become the Question again after the event of the Rebirth. Rene Montoya herself has also become the Question in the Rebirth.
• Garfield Lynns was never the Firefly in Prime Earth; instead, he was murdered by the man who would have been his successor, Ted Carson; however, in The War of Jokes and Riddles (set before the New 52), he is shown to be the Firefly, not Ted Carson, likely as a change brought about by the Rebirth.
• On Prime Earth, Jean-Paul Valley Sr. wanted his son to become Azrael, unlike his New Earth counterpart. Also, he is the leader of the Order of St. Dumas.
• Highfather and Darkseid are now brothers in Prime Earth. In later continuity changes, it seems ambiguous as if this alteration was undone or not.
• Sam and Lucy Lane never became super-villains in Prime Earth.

Trivia

• Prime Earth is opposite Earth 33 in the structure of the Multiverse and is directly connected to the Rock of Eternity.
• Prime Earth is at one end of the "Axis of Creation" in the local Multiverse, with the Earth at the other end being Earth 33.

See Also

• Characters from Prime Earth
• Other things related to Prime Earth
• Prime Earth's Comic Appearances
• Reality Gallery: Prime Earth