... well, there you have it.
Superhero movies take the pre-existing comic world and re-arrange it to make it more accessible to an uninitiated audience in the space of two hours. I never really thought about it at all until the other day, when someone on the Order of the Stick forums posted a topic about "Superman-Santa versus the Hitler Twins", then someone posted a link to the "Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" Wikipedia, which further linked to and began talking about alternate DC universes.
And that got me thinking.
Do the DC movies and animated series (referred to collectively as the DC Animated Universe, as I understand) take place in yet another alternate universe? are they subject to the events of the Infinite Crises and/or the Crisis on Infinite Earths? I distinctly remember reading about some superhero straying into an alternate Gotham patrolled by Terry from Batman Beyond, so I suppose it's possible.
How about Marvel? I understand that Marvel makes extensive use of multiple universes (including the DC ones, which brings up startling questions about the aforementioned Crisises as they pertain to Infinity), do the movies take place in their own special one? Or even a group of universes?
When you consider it, what does that mean about the various movie incarnations these people have had? Is there a universe where Bruce Wayne was a slightly pudgy balding man who stood no taller than 5'9 and had an air of comedy about him? Did he suddenly morph one day into a much taller, more physically fit Bruce Wayne with a squarer jaw and lighter hair (who was also a total jerk to his employees), or was that Bruce Wayne in yet another Universe? And of course, let's not forget that this particular Bruce further morphed into an even taller, yet less physically fit Bruce with an even more rigid jaw structure, darker hair, and a "purposeful gayness" who also happened to exist in the same Universe as Superman.
Let's not discuss Superman.
Seriously, is this how it works? I know there's gotta be some Comic sages out there who can explain if this is the case. Ironically, I was wondering because I was writing some comic book material recently (nothing professional, just for fun stuff, some parody of pre-existing characters) and it occurred to me that these characters would be, at the very least, amused to encounter an alternate universe in which every few months or years they would inexplicably change appearance, and they would encounter their villains only at this time. Possibly this discovery would be aided by the characters actually going to see a movie based on their adventures.
-So, Comic Book Nerds of the Internet, I ask you... Where do Superhero movies take place?
Superhero movies take the pre-existing comic world and re-arrange it to make it more accessible to an uninitiated audience in the space of two hours. I never really thought about it at all until the other day, when someone on the Order of the Stick forums posted a topic about "Superman-Santa versus the Hitler Twins", then someone posted a link to the "Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" Wikipedia, which further linked to and began talking about alternate DC universes.
And that got me thinking.
Do the DC movies and animated series (referred to collectively as the DC Animated Universe, as I understand) take place in yet another alternate universe? are they subject to the events of the Infinite Crises and/or the Crisis on Infinite Earths? I distinctly remember reading about some superhero straying into an alternate Gotham patrolled by Terry from Batman Beyond, so I suppose it's possible.
How about Marvel? I understand that Marvel makes extensive use of multiple universes (including the DC ones, which brings up startling questions about the aforementioned Crisises as they pertain to Infinity), do the movies take place in their own special one? Or even a group of universes?
When you consider it, what does that mean about the various movie incarnations these people have had? Is there a universe where Bruce Wayne was a slightly pudgy balding man who stood no taller than 5'9 and had an air of comedy about him? Did he suddenly morph one day into a much taller, more physically fit Bruce Wayne with a squarer jaw and lighter hair (who was also a total jerk to his employees), or was that Bruce Wayne in yet another Universe? And of course, let's not forget that this particular Bruce further morphed into an even taller, yet less physically fit Bruce with an even more rigid jaw structure, darker hair, and a "purposeful gayness" who also happened to exist in the same Universe as Superman.
Let's not discuss Superman.
Seriously, is this how it works? I know there's gotta be some Comic sages out there who can explain if this is the case. Ironically, I was wondering because I was writing some comic book material recently (nothing professional, just for fun stuff, some parody of pre-existing characters) and it occurred to me that these characters would be, at the very least, amused to encounter an alternate universe in which every few months or years they would inexplicably change appearance, and they would encounter their villains only at this time. Possibly this discovery would be aided by the characters actually going to see a movie based on their adventures.
-So, Comic Book Nerds of the Internet, I ask you... Where do Superhero movies take place?
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