Guide Note
The DC Universe is the setting for all of the comic book stories published by DC Comics. The milieu consists of a multiverse of 52 distinctly different parallel realities, with the setting most closely resembling real-world reality designated New Earth. New Earth, formerly referred to as Earth-1, is also the primary setting for most comics published by DC.
Fast Facts
- Concept of a Shared Setting Established: All Star Comics #3 (1940)
- Concept of Multiverse Established: Flash #123 (1961)
- Major American Cities:
- Metropolis
- Gotham City
- Central City
- Star City
- Technological Research
- Starr Labs
- Lexcorp
Super-powers
The presence of individuals with super-human abilities, or "powers," is the most obvious factor that separates the DC Universe from the real subjective reality of the reader. The presence of a metagene enables baseline human beings to develop super-powers after exposure to chemicals, radiation, or traumatic events.
Other super-powered individuals received their abilities through magic, boons from gods, technological means such as bionics, or being born on other planets or dimensions. Most super-powered people are so much more powerful than baseline humans they are nearly godlike themselves.
Cosmology
Loops in time and paradoxes abound in the DC Universe. Superheroes from the modern era are responsible for the Big Bang and subsequent creation of the universe itself.
Gods, including the Judeo-Christian God and Devil, are considered real entities stemming from the dissipated energy emanating from the death of primodial ur-gods.
Magic, interdimensional and cross-dimensional interaction, and reality-warping cosmic forces have been responsible for the complete re-shaping of the DC universe multiple times. A handful of super-heroes maintain knowledge of previous versions of reality each time a catastrophic reality "crisis" occurs.
More Information
For information about the DC company, see our DC Comics page. See our pages for Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman for specific links and information.
