Although it is not a common question among physicists, even the more serious ones, the issue of whether you actually live in any one of these alternate universes is up for debate. Multiverses are now dominant in fiction worlds. They have replaced the Marvel Cinematic Universe (which might need to be renamed), and most recently, with Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to this year’sEverything at once, in which infinite Michelle Yeohs grapple with life’s infinite tragedies.
This idea is attractive to both storytellers, and corporate patrons. What other way would you be able to get Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to play Spider-Man together in one movie? How else would you be able to cram Patrick Stewart’s Professor Xavier from 20th Century Fox’s X-MenMovies into the MCU The concept allows for more creative storytelling. On the other hand, it also opens up the possibility of endless iterations and painless reboots. There are always more Spider-Men. “Basically, it’s Diet Coke and original Coke,” says legendary comic-book writer Grant Morrison, who’s written more than their share of multiverse tales. “It’s the same thing, but just different enough that they can resell it to you.”
Since before scientists started exploring the many-worlds idea in earnest, it has been a staple of sci-fi. H.G. H.G. Men like GodsJose Luis Borges, a writer from Mexico, wrote in 1941 of parallel worlds. The Garden of Forking Paths. Michael Moorcock, a writer, was the first to use the term. “multiverse”To the construct, in his 1963 tale The Blood Red Game.
In comic books, parallel worlds were originally best known via Marvel’s rival DC, beginning with the landmark September 1961 FlashStory “Flash of Two Worlds,”The idea of Earth-1 and Earth-2 was introduced by DC editors. Each Earth has its own set of heroes. By 1985, DC editors became convinced that its many alternate worlds — including one where the Nazis won World War II, at least two where all of the superheroes were cartoon animals, and one where all the heroes were villains and Lex Luthor was the only good guy — were too confusing for new readers. DC downsized its cosmos with Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s apocalyptic miniseries Crisis on Infinite EarthsBut they just shrugged and decided to reintroduce multiverse later. (In 2019 and 2020 the Arrowverse DC shows on CW Network tried to merge their universes.Crisis on Infinite Earths, only to end up following the same path as the comics — their multiverse is already back, with the showrunners of that network’s Superman and LoisRecently, it was confirmed that it is a distinct reality.
Marvel ushered in its own multiverse concept back in 1971, and it’s become a larger part of its storytelling this century, including the original comic-book SpiderverseStoryline for 2014. This idea also appeared in other nerd-friendly venues throughout the years. Doctor WhoTo Star Trek (in the Mirror Universe, Spock is not only evil but also has an unflattering goatee, while J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies take place in yet another branched timeline) to the underrated 2000s TV series Fringe.
Multiverses have become so commonplace that TV and movies don’t even need to explain them anymore by 2022. It’s hard not to connect the concept’s spread with a prevailing sense in recent years that, here on this Earth, we’ve slipped into what CommunityCalled “the darkest timeline” — that, in the face of cascading calamities from Trump to Covid to climate change to Julia Fox, we are in the worst of all possible worlds. It creates a strong desire for better.
The trend isn’t slowing down. There have already been two separate multiversal Spider-Man movies: 2018’s In the Spider-Verse which got there first, and last year’s Spider-Man has no way home.A sequel to the original movie will be made next year. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse And over in Warner Bros.’ DC Comics cosmos, FlashThe 2023 release of the filmtic versions of DC characters is expected to be late. Ben Affleck as well as Michael Keaton (70 years old) will play the roles of Batman.
Warner Bros. has a deal with Flash star Ezra Miller’s endless series of arrests and scandals, the multiverse may be a salvation: Execs there are almost certainly at work scouring various realities for one where Flash can be played by a less problematic actor.
This piece appears in Rolling Stone’s annual Hot List, in the July-August issue of the magazine.