DC Officially Canonizes 10 New Universes In Movies, TV & Books

By Gillian Blum Updated:
DC Multiverse superhero

In a new one-shot comic Dark Crisis: The Big Bang, DC outlined official multiverse designations for various fan-favorite movies, shows, and books.

The Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths event has been going on since late spring 2022 and will conclude in early 2023. The event has explored various universes across DC's vast Multiverse as young heroes grapple with the presumed deaths of their mentors.

Prior to the event, certain DC properties not canon to the DC comics universe had been given numerical universe designations so fans could keep the different dimensions straight. Earth-12, for instance, is where the events of Batman Beyond take place. Earth-66, for another, is where the Batman television show and movie from the 1960s take place.

And now, DC has called out even more of these universes, giving fans a broader picture of where their favorite properties sit within the Multiverse. 

DC Reveals 10 Universe Designations

Through Barry Allen (Flash)'s records of the many universes he has seen as he raced through the Multiverse in Dark Crisis: The Big Bang, DC gave 10 properties non-canon to the main DC universe official designations.

1.) Earth-55 (DCeased)

Batman, Zombie Nightwing, Zombie Batgirl, DCeased
DC

Earth-55 is now the official setting of the events of DCeased (2019) and its sequels, DCeased: Dead Planet (2020-2021) and DCeased: War of the Undead Gods (2022-present), by Tom Taylor and Trevor Hairsine. On Earth-55, the anti-life equation mixing with Cyborg's body led to a zombie-like virus infecting the DC superheroes fans know and love.

2.) Earth-63 (DC vs. Vampires)

Batman, Green Arrow, DC vs. Vampires
DC

Earth-63 is now the universe in which DC vs. Vampires (2021-present) by James Tynion IV, Matthew Rosenberg, and Otto Schmidt takes place. This fan-favorite series, as the name suggests, sees DC characters facing off against an invasion of vampires among them, slowly turning the heroes into bloodthirsty creatures.

3.) Earth-93 (The Dakotaverse)

Dakotaverse, Milestone Comics characters
DC

Earth-93 has been named the official home of Dwayne McDuffie's Milestone Media comics characters, now a subcategory of DC comics. This universe is the birthplace of beloved characters like Static, Icon, and Rocket. Presumably, it is given the designation of Earth-93 because of Milestone Media's 1993 founding.

4.) Earth-96 (DC Super Hero Girls)

DC Super Hero Girls
DC

Earth-96 is the universe of the Netflix animated series DC Super Hero Girls and its various tie-in comics and stories. On Earth-96, Zatanna, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Jessica Cruz), Supergirl, Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), and Bumblebee all navigate going to high school, super-heroics, and trying to maintain their secret identities.

5.) Earth-98 (Green Lantern: Legacy)

Tai Pham, Green Lantern
DC

Earth-98 is the newly-named setting of Green Lantern: Legacy (2020), a graphic novel by Minh Le and Andie Tong. The book follows Tai Pham, a teenager who ends up in possession of a Green Lantern ring.

6.) Earth-100 (Kami Garcia/Gabriel Picolo Universe)

Beast Boy Loves Raven cover
DC

Earth-100 is the new designation for the world of the Teen Titans stories by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo. This duo is the team behind Teen Titans: Raven (2019), Teen Titans: Beast Boy (2020), Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven (2021), and the upcoming Teen Titans: Robin (2023). These stories are a fresh, modern take on the classic Teen Titans team, all of which now take place on Earth-100.

7.) Earth-118 (Dark Knights of Steel)

Dark Knights of Steel
DC

Earth-118 is home to another Tom Taylor alternate take on classic DC superheroes, but this time they are in a fantasy world. Dark Knights of Steel (2021-present) is a series by Taylor and Yasmine Putri that puts Superman, Batman, all of the Robins (yes, all of them — including Stephanie Brown and Duke Thomas), and more into the world of knights, lords, and other similar wonders.

8.) Earth-789 (Superman ’78, Batman ’89)

Christopher Reeve Superman, Michael Keaton Batman, DC logo
DC

Earth-789 is the setting for two live-action takes on DC staples. Both Superman ’78 (2021-2022) by Robert Venditti and Wilfredo Torres, and Batman ’89 (2021-2022) by Sam Hamm and Joe Quinones are comic adaptations of the Richard Donner Superman film and the Tim Burton Batman films respectively, both having premiered in the year of the comic book title. Earth-789 — presumably a reference to "78" and "89" — is home to both Donner's Superman and Burton's Batman, officially placing the two stories in the same universe as each other.

9.) Earth-1956 (The Adventures of Superboy/Super Friends)

DC's Super Friends
DC

Earth-1956 is where two old-school DC cartoons now take place: The Adventures of Superboy (1966-1969) and Super Friends (1973-1985). Despite the name, the 1966 show is not about Conner Kent or Jonathan Kent — the Superboys modern fans are familiar with — but actually follows Clark Kent as a teenager. Super Friends focuses on the DC trinity (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman), along with Robin (Dick Grayson) and Aquaman. These two shows now co-exist on Earth-1956.

10.) Earth-1996 (Mysterious Amalgamated Heroes)

The Direct Image
Marvel

Earth-1996 is, so far, not explicitly attributed to any specific DC property or group of characters, but it was introduced for the first time in the Dark Crisis: The Big Bang one shot. Barry writes, "Earth-1996 — Mysterious "amalgamated" (?) heroes; requires further investigation?"

It's very likely that this is referring to the 1996 Amalgam Comics crossover event with Marvel and DC. This event featured characters that mixed elements from both Marvel and DC properties. Some such amalgamations include Spiderboy (a character with Spider-Man's powers and Superboy (Conner Kent)'s clone origin story), Moonwing (a character with Moon Knight's costume and Nightwing's civilian name), and Clinton Archer (Clint Barton in a Green Arrow costume).

Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths has officially released its final main story issue, and all past issues and tie-in comics are available for purchase at local comic book shops.

- About The Author: Gillian Blum
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.