Misplaced Pages

#764235

165-488: Other counterpart characters from DC Universe Justice Underground Earth-Three , or simply Earth-3 or Earth 3 , is a “partially-reversed” Earth, where supervillainous counterparts of the mainstream DC superheroes reside. It first appeared in Justice League of America #29 (August 1964), and the concept has been rebooted several times. Earth-Three was introduced by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky in

330-640: A "DCU logo on them" in addition to corner boxes with icons of the characters to help identify the family of titles; titles outside the DCU, such as Injustice: Gods Among Us and DC Bombshells would simply have the DC logo on them. DiDio also added that the Young Animal imprint would continue as a separate line of titles. In 2021, DC announced a line-wide relaunch of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. A number of miniseries and one-shots were also announced. It

495-412: A book that tells him of this world. Originally, Mxyztplk has designs on conquering the planet for himself but soon settles for tormenting Superman whenever he gets the opportunity. His only weaknesses are that he cannot stand being ridiculed and if he says or spells his name backward, he is involuntarily sent back to his home dimension for a minimum of 90 days. He first gets fooled when Superman asks what

660-515: A couple of other things". He is killed when Superman sends him to the Phantom Zone at the same time that Mister Mxyzptlk begins an escape to the fifth dimension by saying his name backwards voluntarily, tearing him in two. Despite having recognized that his foe was too dangerous to be stopped any other way, remorse over the killing prompts Superman to drain himself of his powers using gold kryptonite . Another final appearance of Mister Mxyzptlk

825-695: A drug) and is weakened by sunlight. After being defeated by the Justice League, Ultraman is in the custody of the authorities. Following 52 , another version of the character appeared. In The Search for Ray Palmer: Crime Society battling the Jokester, a heroic doppleganger of the Joker . A young new Owlman with a different costume and helmet later appears in the same book battling the Jokester. This Owlman appears again in Countdown #31, assisted by

990-675: A few examples. These 'beings' are most often created by individuals who possess vast intellects, like scientists Professor T.O. Morrow (maker of the Red Tornado), Dr. Will Magnus (who constructed the Metal Men) and Professor Ivo (who fabricated Amazo and other advanced androids using a form of Nano-technology developed by Lexcorp). Brainiac also emulates this technology as well as technology from other worlds. Similarly, some characters use technology to enhance their armor or modify cybernetic functions, for example Steel , Cyborg and

1155-754: A human being who was orphaned at three months old and subsequently adopted by the Kents. Pre- 52 Lois investigates the new Clark more after getting her job back at the Daily Planet . Clark asks Lois out on a date which she accepts, but on the date, Lois finds that Clark rented the whole place out for the night and proposed to her, scaring her out of the date. He follows Lois to her secret home and finds out about her marriage to Superman and their son, Jonathan . The next day, after spotting Clark, Superman and Lois's house and Jonathan suddenly disappear. They track Clark down to his apartment, where he reveals himself to be

1320-553: A kind of Valhalla for deceased speedsters. The Flash: Rebirth reveals that Barry Allen is a living generator of the Speed Force ever since the accident that transformed him into the Flash. It is possible to travel in time in this universe by several means, including moving faster than the speed of light. The Legion of Super-Heroes from 1,000 years into the future in particular have access to time-travel technology (although

1485-481: A large number of them are humanoid, even human-like, in form (such as Kryptonians, who outwardly appear identical to Earth-born humans); some can even interbreed with Terrans. Some of these races have natural superpowers, but they are usually the same for all individuals of the same race, unlike Earth's metahumans. This was explained by the fact that in Earth's distant past Martians experimented on humanity, severely culling

1650-472: A master criminal and ally to Boss Gordon . While Ultraman is the leader of the Syndicate, Owlman is the brains behind the group. Further complicating issues is that Owlman has carried on a longtime affair with Ultraman's wife Superwoman. Ultraman is aware of the affair, but due to Owlman having undisclosed photographic blackmail material against the villain, he is unable to seek retribution against Owlman for

1815-474: A missing student. The crossover between Suicide Squad, Teen Titans Academy, and The Flash saw Amanda Waller who wants to claim the Earth 3 with new members of her Justice Squad team. It is a five-part miniseries with two core issues. Following 52 , another version of the character appeared, apparently being killed by quantum energy unleashed from Monarch, in the Earth-51 dimension, along with his entire team,

SECTION 10

#1732782604765

1980-595: A more wary approach, however. Back during World War II they started "Project M" to create experimental soldiers to fight in the war, such as the Creature Commandos . Most of these experiments remain a secret to the public. Currently, the government deals with metahumans and similar beings through its Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO), and more recently A.R.G.U.S. Covertly, they use an organization of costumed (but non-superhuman) agents known as " Checkmate ". The government also formed Task Force X (known as

2145-564: A multi-issue story throughout the Superman titles, Mxyzptlk has his powers temporarily stolen by the Joker , who then remakes the Earth in his own image, due to tricking Mxyzptlk into giving him 99.99% of his power, when Mxyzptlk only intended to give Joker 1% of his power. The imp is unable to remember what to do to break the chain of events that daily culminates with Superman being dragged back to Arkham Asylum by Bizarro . Fortunately, Mxyzptlk

2310-487: A new timeline where the essence of the Post- Flashpoint Lois and Clark are fused with their pre- Flashpoint selves, so that the history of both worlds can co-exist. Mister Mxyzptlk possesses the ability to warp reality, which has been described alternatively as the product of fifth dimensional magic or advanced technology that appears to be magical to third dimensional beings. Attendant with his abilities

2475-828: A plague. Even the Almeracian Empire was victim to impending destruction by Imperiex . Order is kept around the galaxy by the Guardians of the Universe and their agents, the Green Lantern Corps . Rival peacekeeping organizations include the Darkstars (created by the Guardians' rivals, the Controllers ) and the interplanetary mercenary organization L.E.G.I.O.N. Criminal organizations include

2640-547: A portal to Earth-3 from which the Crime Syndicate emerges. The Syndicate proceeds to attack the fallen Justice League members and claims Prime Earth now belongs to them. The line-up consists of the five founding members as well as Deathstorm, Sea King (who does not survive the trip to Prime Earth), Atomica (who had posed as Atom while working as a mole for the Secret Society), and Grid(a sentient computer virus in

2805-543: A radically different interpretation of the character in the 1986 two-issue story Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? , a possible end of the adventures of the Earth-One Superman. Mister Mxyzptlk (appearing in darker colors and looking more sinister than in the past) explains that the problem with immortality is finding ways to spend the time. He spent his first 2,000 years without moving or breathing,

2970-496: A result, almost once per decade since the 1980s, the DC Universe experiences a major crisis that allows any number of changes from new versions of characters to appear as a whole reboot of the universe, restarting nominally all the characters into a new and modernized version of their lives. Meanwhile, DC has published occasional stories called Elseworlds , which often presented alternate versions of its characters. One told

3135-429: A robot body made from Cyborg's old prosthetic parts). When heroes and villains unite to defeat the Syndicate, Outsider is killed by Black Manta and Power Ring is murdered by Sinestro. Johnny Quick and Deathstorm are killed when the Syndicate's enemy Mazahs is freed, while Lex kills Atomica by stepping on her. In the aftermath, Ultraman and Superwoman are captured with Owlman still on the loose. The other former members of

3300-478: A significant part of Greg Rucka 's "Ruin" storyline in Adventures of Superman . His appearance here is similar to his Golden Age look, with the addition of a single lock of hair, resembling Superman's S-shaped forelock. This version of Mxyzptlk is less abrasive than he had been previously, and is portrayed as basically on Superman's side. The metafictional aspects of the character were also played up, as he visits

3465-582: A single unnamed universe with a single history. However, not all the books rebooted post-Crisis. For example, the Legion of Superheroes book acted as if the Pre-Crisis Earth-1 history was still their past, a point driven home in the Cosmic Boy miniseries . It also removed the mechanism DC had been using to deal with continuity glitches or storylines that a later writer wanted to ignore (which

SECTION 20

#1732782604765

3630-519: A sister named Rachel. After his family was murdered, Owlman took Dick under his wing and he eventually became his sidekick. Their relationship fell apart when Dick learned that Thomas Wayne, Jr. was responsible for the Graysons' deaths. Dick is later killed by the Jokester. The Crime Syndicate is reintroduced in the graphic novel JLA: Earth 2 . Unlike the previous incarnations, this Crime Syndicate of Amerika rules their world, collecting kickbacks from

3795-410: A small bald man in a purple suit, green bow tie, and purple derby hat . This was changed to a futuristic looking orange outfit with purple trim and white hair on the sides of his head in the mid-1950s, although the bowler hat remains adapted to the new color scheme. In Superman #131 (1959), the spelling of Mxyztplk's name changed (by some accounts through a mistake) to "Mxyzptlk". It was explained in

3960-595: A team referred to as the Crime Society. He was apparently killed by quantum energy unleashed from Monarch, in the Earth-51 dimension, along with the rest of his teammates. In the antimatter universe, Thomas Wayne, Jr. is the older brother of that reality's Bruce Wayne. Young Bruce is killed along with his mother by a policeman when Thomas, Sr. , the Commissioner of GCPD, refused to accompany him for questioning. Thomas, Jr., escapes and grows up to become Owlman,

4125-480: A thorn in the side of Owlman and the Crime Syndicate of Amerika for many years. He later has the right half of his face burned by Ultraman, leading him to don a half-face and temporarily take on the name " Enigma ". In The New 52 , Talon is the Dick Grayson of Earth-3. His parents were acrobats and money launderers who ran a corrupt circus, obtaining it after murdering the previous owner a clown . Dick also had

4290-684: A twice-monthly release schedule, a number of existing titles relaunching with new #1s, and the release of several new titles. DC has used the Green Lantern: Rebirth and The Flash: Rebirth miniseries as examples of the basis for the initiative, which has been described as a rebirth of the DC Universe. The DC Rebirth initiative will reintroduce concepts from pre- Flashpoint continuity, such as legacy, that have been lost with The New 52 and build "on everything that's been published since Action Comics #1 up thru The New 52." In October 2017, DC revealed that they would be discontinuing

4455-462: A way to explain apparent inconsistencies in stories written, editors at DC came to consider the varied continuity of multiple Earths too difficult to keep track of, and feared that it was an obstacle to accessibility for new readers. To address this, they published the cross-universe miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985, which merged universes and characters, reducing the Multiverse to

4620-482: A young abusive couple of drug addicts . When he turns seven, he murders them and burns down their farm. As Clark Kent and later on Ultraman, he went on to found the Crime Syndicate and take over the world. After Earth-3 is devastated by the same being that destroyed Krypton, Ultraman leads the Crime Syndicate to the main DC Earth to conquer it. This version of Ultraman is empowered by Kryptonite (and even snorts it like

4785-520: Is a character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics . He is usually presented as a trickster in the classical mythological sense. Mxyzptlk possesses reality-warping powers with which he enjoys tormenting Superman or making life difficult. His portrayal has varied, with him being an outright supervillain in some media, and an antihero in others. Mr. Mxyzptlk was created to appear in Superman #30 (September / October 1944), in

4950-432: Is able to reveal the truth to Superman, who manages to find the power to break the cycle and defeat the Joker. As the Joker prepares to end existence, Superman realizes that, for all his power, the Joker still cannot erase Batman (as the Joker defines his very existence by fighting Batman, erasing him would also mean erasing himself), allowing Superman to shatter the Joker's control of reality. However, Mxyzptlk saves some of

5115-767: Is also collectively known as the Dominion. Other aliens in the outlying galaxies control armadas like the Khunds, Gordanians, Thanagarians, Spider Guild and, most recently, the Reach. Even though the majority of the DC Universe is policed by the Green Lantern Corps, and later the United Planets , most rogue races strive to conquer the known universe. One oddity is the Vegan star system. Due to an arrangement with

Earth-Three - Misplaced Pages Continue

5280-484: Is also revealed that Superwoman is in a relationship with Alexander and is responsible for tricking her teammates into bringing him with them. She also reveals she is carrying his child, who is prophesied to bring an end to the world. Exploiting his ability to use the powers of those he has killed, Mazahs easily takes down both the Syndicate and Luthor's team where he killed Johnny Quick, Deathstorm, and Bizarro while absorbing their powers. The Lex Luthor of Prime Earth, having

5445-453: Is an unexpected Mxyzptlk theme park, the only change to the world. However, it appears that Mxyzptlk has forgotten this incident as the years have passed. When confronted by Superboy later on, the imp declares that he had no knowledge of his adventure with Young Justice. Whether or not this is true, or Mxyzptlk was merely playing a trick on the Boy of Steel, is never revealed. In "Emperor Joker",

5610-400: Is apparently killed by quantum energy unleashed from Monarch, in the Earth-51 dimension, along with the rest of her teammates. In The New 52 , Superwoman/Lois Lane along with the remaining Syndicate members arrive on Prime Earth to conquer it. Her true past and identity are still a mystery. She carries the lasso of submission, which compels the tied individual to obey and love the wielder. She

5775-460: Is available - but it is usually very expensive, and usually only rich or powerful individuals and organizations (or the scientific geniuses who create them) have access to them. S.T.A.R. Labs is an independent research outfit that often develops these devices, while Lexcorp is the main company selling them. The government also runs the secret Project Cadmus (located in the mountains near Metropolis) to develop clones and genetic manipulation without

5940-426: Is destroyed by waves of antimatter in the opening scenes of the series. The sole survivor is the son of Alexander and Lois Lane Luthor, Alexander Luthor, Jr. At the conclusion of the series, all other worlds in the Multiverse were merged. DC used Crisis on Infinite Earths to simplify its complex continuity and multiverse into a single narrative set on a single universe, not counting the antimatter universe which

6105-491: Is drawn. As well, certain dimensions function as crossover opportunities for heroes from different comic book companies to interact, either from competing companies, or from companies absorbed by competitors. The most notable example of the first kind of crossover has been between DC Comics and Marvel Comics , and the latter with Wildstorm Comics . An example of the latter kind of crossover would be DC's acquisition of Fawcett Comics , Quality Comics , and Charlton Comics and

6270-433: Is freed, he kills Johnny Quick and steals his powers. Following 52 , another version of the character appeared, as a member of the Crime Society. He was apparently killed by quantum energy unleashed from Monarch, in the Earth-51 dimension, along with the rest of his teammates. In the antimatter universe, original Power Ring Joseph Harrolds tricks an unnamed, cowardly slave marine ( Kyle Rayner 's counterpart) into accepting

6435-513: Is how Earths B and E came into existence) resulting in a convoluted explanation for characters like Hawkman. The Zero Hour limited series (1994) gave them an opportunity to revise timelines and rewrite the DC Universe history. However this failed right out of the gate as the writers had Waverider state all alternate histories had been wiped and yet have the Armageddon 2001 saga in the timeline which required multiple timelines to work. As

6600-529: Is killed by Owlman. He blamed Owlman for his unstable state. In the antimatter universe, Edward Nashton was fascinated by puzzles and games from an early age. He was considered one of the smartest men on his Earth and naturally inclined to altruism. He operated as a crimefighter under the moniker "the Quizmaster", eventually becoming a founding member of the Justice Underground. Quizmaster was

6765-466: Is left on Earth-3 during its destruction. In the antimatter universe, Lex is the only known hero at the time. It is revealed the Luthor is allowed to live because Ultraman likes the challenge of hunting down Luthor when the hero makes one of his inevitable escapes from custody. During one such break-out Luthor jumps dimensions, landing on New Earth. In The New 52 , Alexander Luthor is revealed as Mazahs,

Earth-Three - Misplaced Pages Continue

6930-532: Is more, he destroys Superman's worldview of himself. Mxyztplk jumps out a window, fooling Superman into thinking he is committing suicide. When he appears unharmed, an astonished Superman exclaims, "I-I thought I was the only man who could fly!!" He gives the Mayor the voice of a donkey, and then blows papers over the town. Mxyztplk soon tells Superman that he is a jester in his home dimension, explaining why he uses his powers to play practical jokes, but one day he finds

7095-454: Is one of the members of the Crime Syndicate to arrive on Prime Earth in order to conquer it. Harold works as a janitor at Ferris Air, where he spies on Carol Ferris' operations. Abin Sur's ring of Volthoom chooses Harold. Abin begs Harold to take the ring, which he does, freeing Abin Sur. The ring opens a pocket dimensional portal to charge itself, unleashing a creature that attacks Harold. Wielding

7260-483: Is only because most monsters play a less substantial role in the DC Universe. The plot-lines of Dinosaur Island and Skartaris are but a few examples of the experiments the DC universe contrives, yet its role in DC comics are played down when in comparison to other companies, therefore they are included as being a race from Earth. An easternized influence is more evident in most Marvel Comics literature, while DC Comics are exaggerated, under-influenced or sustained into

7425-530: Is part of a larger DC Universe and DC Multiverse . Originally created from the First Crisis , it was allegedly erased from existence because of the Flashpoint – Convergence effect, being replaced by " Prime Earth ". By the end of the storyline Superman Reborn , the timelines of New Earth and Prime Earth have realigned into one single reality. Many of the superhumans on Earth owe their powers to

7590-503: Is pregnant and engaging in a secret affair with Owlman, while being married to Ultraman. It is revealed that Superwoman is also in a relationship with the crazed Alexander Luthor, who is the father of her child. She betrays Ultraman and the Syndicate, revealing her child is prophesied to bring the world to an end. After being defeated by the Justice League, she is placed in captivity. Immune to Wonder Woman's lasso of truth, she does not reveal any information. Following 52 , another version of

7755-493: Is reinvented as fraternal twins with an intense hatred for Superman. Amongst other things, they claim responsibility for the creation of the present-day Persuader . A year later, in Superman Secret Files and Origins 2004 (2004), he returns to his usual self, following a fellow imp in the fifth dimension combining the twins with the classic Mxyzptlk, resulting in his normal form and personality. Mxyzptlk formed

7920-512: Is revealed as a traveling wizard in the fifth dimension who entertained the King-Thing Brpxz of Zrfff. He did so by making 333 different three-dimensional worlds, and by challenging heroes in each world, with everyone being entertained by the one hero who could win the challenges, Superman. This led to Mxyzptlk becoming the king's favorite entertainer, and winning the love of the king's daughter, Gsptlnz. However, it also caused jealousy in

8085-553: Is the Secret Society of Super Villains of which there have been several versions. Most villain teams are usually small, having been formed of individuals who know each other personally, such as the Central City Rogues , or have some other reason to work together (mercenary groups like the H.I.V.E. , fanatical cults such as Kobra , etc.). Technology more advanced than that which currently exists in real life

8250-456: Is the fact that Mxyzptlk himself is not limited by physical laws: he needs no sustenance such as air or water, can exist in any environment, can teleport anywhere, and is not susceptible to physical harm. His only apparent vulnerability is that whenever he speaks his name backwards, he is shunted back to the fifth dimension, and all effects of his magic vanish. This also has occurred with an indirect application of that rule; on one occasion, Mxyzptlk

8415-582: Is the follow-up to the DC Rebirth relaunch. In late 2022, DC announced a new line-wide initiative titled the Dawn Of DC. The Dawn of DC is a year long story telling initiative with various new, ongoing and limited series. The Dawn of DC titles received a new trade dress. The initiative meant to change the tone for the DC universe into something brighter and lighter, as well as creating more inter-connectivity between multiple series. The basic concept of

SECTION 50

#1732782604765

8580-432: Is too powerful in the physical world, where harnessing magic can distort and even destroy reality if not properly controlled (e.g., if a Lord of Order succumbs to certain events, so will a Lord of Chaos). There are several types of cosmic entities, such as: The DC Universe is composed of a number of different dimensional planes , most notably parallel Earths (see Multiverse ), but the latter were eliminated when reality

8745-780: The All-Star Squadron to protect the United States from the Axis powers . However, due to a magical spell cast by Adolf Hitler (using the Spear of Destiny and the Holy Grail ) the most powerful heroes were unable to enter Axis-held territories, leaving the offensive portion of the war to be fought mainly by normal humans such as Sgt. Rock while the superheroes participated in defensive activities in Allied territories. After

8910-571: The Cyborg Superman . There are a few intelligent races living on Earth that the public at large did not know about until recent times. Among these are the Amazons of Themyscira and Bana-Mighdall and the last survivors of Atlantis, who changed themselves into water-breathing forms, including the human-like Poseidonians and the mermaid-like Tritonians. Other species, such as Warworlders , were brief test subjects of Project Cadmus who fled to

9075-530: The DC Multiverse encompasses all alternate realities within DC Comics. The primary universe has been known by various names over time, with recent designations including "Prime Earth" or "Earth 0" (distinct from " Earth Prime "). The DC Universe and its alternate realities have been adapted across multiple media, including film serials , radio dramas , and modern films, with ongoing efforts to address

9240-617: The Flash actually having museums dedicated to them—by the general public, though some individuals have decided that "the metahumans" must be dealt with less passively. Thus, an organization called "the Dome" was formed to help superheroes who needed to fight crime across international borders; the superhero group called the Global Guardians were their main agents. However the Dome eventually lost out, as its United Nations backing went to

9405-556: The Legion of Super-Heroes until Superboy tricks him into falling victim to the same "Kltpzyxm" weakness, reversing the effects of his magic. However, in another story from Adventure Comics #355 (April 1967) featuring the 30th-century Adult Legion , the brother of the cruel Mxyzptlk teams up with a descendant of Lex Luthor to save the Legionnaires from the Legion of Super-Villains and join the Legion themselves. Alan Moore offered

9570-514: The New 52 Superman died and Pre- 52 Superman took his place by the time of the DC Rebirth reboot, a mysterious Clark Kent appeared claiming to be the real one. Despite everyone's hesitations and the previous event that outed Clark as Superman, the new Clark had the medical records to match, and when Superman questioned Clark with a telepathic probe, Clark presented a clear history of Clark Kent as

9735-729: The Psions , the Guardians did not intervene in that system, allowing a cruel empire called "the Citadel" to govern there, until it was overthrown by the Omega Men . The Presence is the God of the DC Universe; he created all reality. He is also among the most powerful beings in Creation. There are several lesser beings in the DC universe that possess god-like powers, through energy manipulation, magic ability, or technological advancement. Magic and

9900-496: The Silver Age Superman comics that Mister Mxyzptlk could affect Superman because Superman is susceptible to magic , which was established as a major weakness for the superhero. When a Mxyzptlk jaunt causes a special appearance by Superman to be cancelled and children, who had done nothing to Mxyzptlk, to be disappointed, Superman himself decides to turn the tables and visit the fifth dimension, making trouble for

10065-761: The Teen Titans ) have either belonged to the League at some point, or have connections to it. As a general rule, being a superhero does not require powers anywhere near omnipotence . Furthermore, even major heroes and cosmic entities have distinct vulnerabilities, such as: Superman 's weaknesses to magic, kryptonite, and red sunlight ; Green Lantern 's initial problems with wood or the color yellow (which have since been largely overcome); or Batman 's lack of superhuman powers, which he supplements with keen intellect, constant training, and specialized technology. Superheroes are generally accepted or even praised—Superman and

SECTION 60

#1732782604765

10230-417: The fifth dimension and keep him there for a minimum of 90 days. This limitation of the character was modified in the 1986 Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot , upon which Mxyzptlk changes his condition to leave to a new requirement each story, such as having Superman succeed in getting him to paint his own face blue. Mxyzptlk has appeared in various television adaptations of Superman. He first appeared in

10395-478: The threeboot Legion lacks time travel technology) while Rip Hunter is the present day authority of the technology. Originally, it was impossible to change the past, or to exist in two places at the same time (a time traveler appearing in an era where they already existed would become an ineffectual, invisible phantom while there). However that was all changed after the Anti-Monitor tried to change history at

10560-535: The " Suicide Squad ") for " black ops ". Most members have been captured supervillains (and thus expendable and deniable assets), and were strongly "encouraged" to join (often with offerings of clemency if they survived their extremely dangerous missions). Outcast personalities are often relegated to the world of DCU supervillainry. They are then usually well versed in heists, kidnappings and robberies. Villains with meek powers contrive schemes of extraordinary complexity, yet—because of their simple talents—they only call

10725-626: The " Trinity War " crossover event reintroduces Earth 3. It is mentioned as the home of true evil and of the Crime Syndicate and that it was destroyed by an unknown entity . The Crime Syndicate is largely modeled after Morrison's, with the introduction of new characters, and by re-envisioning Ultraman once again as an alien with an origin story which more closely parallels Superman's. In the closing scenes of "Trinity War", Ultraman, Superwoman, Owlman, Johnny Quick , Power Ring , Deathstorm , Alfred Pennyworth and Atomica reveal themselves to

10890-611: The " metagene ", a genetic feature of unknown origin, which causes some people to develop superpowers when exposed to dangerous substances and forces. Others owe their powers to magic , genetic manipulation (or mutation) or bionics ( see below ). A large power gap resides between most superheroes and civilians. Still others owe their powers to not being human at all ( see races, below ). There are also superheroes and supervillains who possess no superhuman powers at all (for example Batman , Robin , Green Arrow or Speedy ), but rival their effectiveness with specialized equipment or "to

11055-525: The "condition" that would send him back to the fifth dimension would be anything he stated it to be for the occasion, and the act itself would not banish him, but instead be Mxyzptlk abiding by his own terms. After his first encounter with Lex Luthor taught him how to lie, Mxyzptlk began rigging his contests with false or misleading aspects to make his challenges greater. Ultimately, the stories reverted to Mxyzptlk having to say his name backwards to get him to leave. One of Mxyzptlk's most prominent storylines in

11220-691: The 1940s could not easily be reconciled with stories featuring a still-youthful man in the 1960s. To explain this, they introduced the idea of the Multiverse in Flash #123 (1961) where the Silver Age Flash met his Golden Age counterpart . In addition to allowing the conflicting stories to "co-exist", it allowed the differing versions of characters to meet, and even team up to combat cross-universe threats. The writers gave designations such as " Earth-One ", " Earth-Two ", and so forth, to certain universes, designations which at times were also used by

11385-530: The 1966 animated series The New Adventures of Superman , voiced by Gilbert Mack, and later appeared in Hanna-Barbera 's Superfriends franchise, voiced by Frank Welker , the 1988-1992 television series Superboy , portrayed by Michael J. Pollard , the 1993 television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman , portrayed by Howie Mandel , and the 1996 Superman: The Animated Series , voiced by Gilbert Gottfried . He also appeared in

11550-534: The 1990s animated series of Superman , that his name is pronounced the same as saying the words "mix, yes, spit, lick", even transforming himself into the appropriate illustrations for the words. Clark had pronounced his name as Mix-ill-plick before Mxyzptlk popped out of the comic and proceeded to correct him. In his appearance in the Superman Returns video game, Mxyzptlk proudly refers to himself as "the one and only Mr. Mix-yiz-SPIT-Lik!, straight from

11715-468: The 2001 television series Smallville played by Trent Ford , and in the Arrowverse television series Supergirl played by Peter Gadiot in the second season , and by Thomas Lennon in the fifth and sixth seasons . The late comedian Gilbert Gottfried would continue to play the character in several other voice-acting-related projects until his death. Mister Mxyztplk (the original spelling)

11880-501: The 52-issue weekly series 52 in 2007, a new Multiverse is revealed, originally consisting of 52 parallel realities. Among the parallel realities shown is one designated "Earth-3". As a result of Mister Mind "eating" aspects of this reality, it takes on visual aspects of the pre-Crisis Earth-Three. The Earth-3 concept was not heavily explored after this, but does figure in a couple of issues of 52 ' s follow-up weekly series, Countdown to Final Crisis (2007–8). The name of

12045-402: The 5th dimension—by use of toys and games. Mxyzptlk retains the services of a version of Bizarro who calls him Greg, and pads the story out by writing and drawing 27 off-beat stories using the DC superheroes, taking 160 pages. Bizarro is in two of them. Also of note is the depiction of Bahdnesian thunderbolts and Zook 's species as native to the fifth dimension. In Countdown to Final Crisis ,

12210-540: The August 1964 issue of Justice League of America . Earth-Three's history is depicted as a mirror image to that of the Earth we know. On Earth-Three, Christopher Columbus was American and discovered Europe ; England (a colony of America) won freedom in a reversed form of the Revolutionary War (with George Washington surrendering his sword to Charles Cornwallis ) in 1774; President John Wilkes Booth

12375-415: The Crime Society. The antimatter Ultraman was a human astronaut, whose ship was imploded into hyperspace and an unknown alien race reconstructed Kent in an attempt to repair the damaged astronaut, which ended up altering the human both mentally and physically, giving him ultrapowers. The process also twisted his mind. Ultraman's power relies on his proximity and exposure to a substance called Anti-Kryptonite;

12540-703: The Crime Syndicate did not stick, and the principle concept behind Earth-Three would be revisited in Grant Morrison 's JLA: Earth 2 . Morrison recast much of Earth-Three's history as that of the Antimatter Universe's own version of Earth, which is home to the Crime Syndicate of America . He makes notable departures to this formula however, by presenting this world as the product of an alternate history and by reimagining various Crime Syndicate members (for example, by recasting Owlman as Batman's brother Thomas Wayne, and by recasting Ultraman not as

12705-548: The DC Comics offices in the real world, presented as fumetti . At the same time, Mxyzptlk appeared in Superman/Batman #23, trying to prepare Batman and Superman for the upcoming Infinite Crisis . The incident features alternate universe versions of Superman, Batman, and Deathstroke the Terminator and implies much chaos that was not shown, such as the planet Mogo visiting Earth to reclaim an old land mass. At

12870-605: The DC Universe is that it is just like the real world, but with superheroes and supervillains existing in it. However, there are other corollary differences resulting from the justifications implied by that main concept. Many fictional countries, such as Qurac , Vlatava , and Zandia , exist in it. Though stories are often set in the United States of America , they are as often as not set in fictional cities, such as Gotham City or Metropolis . These cities are effectively archetypes of cities, with Gotham City embodying more of

13035-629: The Earth-3 version of Shazam . He operated as a "hero" who killed Will Batson and Hawkwing while absorbing their powers. The Crime Syndicate brings Alexander as their prisoner to Prime Earth. Lex Luthor and his team sneak in to the Justice League Watchtower where the Syndicate has Alexander hostage, and remove the duct tape holding his mouth closed. As soon as this is done, Alexander speaks the word, 'Mazahs', transforming himself into an evil version of Shazam, and kills Johnny Quick. It

13200-478: The Joker's creations and transfers them into the 'real' world, including Scorch , Gorgeous Gilly, the new Bizarro and "Ignition", a black-armored villain who first appeared in the "Emperor Joker" story, but was created by someone else (exactly who has never been revealed). It has also been implied that Mxyzptlk sees himself as serving an important purpose, in teaching Superman not to take everything too seriously. In Adventures of Superman #617 (2003), Mxyzptlk

13365-435: The Justice League of New Earth. Sea King also inhabited Earth 3, but quickly died after passing through the gateway to New Earth. An Earth 3 version Martian Manhunter is also revealed to exist. Alexander Luthor, who can become Mazahs , is also from Earth 3, and an enemy of the Crime Syndicate. The official site of DC Comics describes Earth-Three as a world where the values of "good" and "evil" are reversed, with "evil" being

13530-803: The Manhunters, the Spider Guild and the Dark Circle . Most aliens are from different planets, who have a source of origin near the Solar System and in the Milky Way Galaxy, although, unlike the Marvel Universe , alien colonies are common within the Solar System. The Dominators are an imperialistic race of terrorist aliens who control most of the unknown cosmos in order to extract genetic resources from planets. The caste

13695-560: The Mobius Chair from Batman and downloads Grid into the chair, leaving the battle. In the epilogue, he is seen conversing with Metron on the Moon. As he is about to ask the chair the secrets of the Universe, himself and Metron are obliterated by an unknown entity. Following 52 , another version of the character appeared as a member of the Crime Society. This Superwoman is Lois Lane and Ultraman's wife, like her antimatter counterpart. She

13860-540: The Pre- Crisis infinite Multiverse, the collapsed Earth, and the Pre- New 52 52 worlds Multiverse. The Infinite Crisis event (2005–2006) remade the DC Universe yet again, with new changes . The limited series 52 (2006–2007) established that a new multiverse now existed, with Earth-0 as the primary Earth. The 2011 reboot of the DC Universe coincided with DC's publishing event The New 52 , during which

14025-690: The Rebirth branding and logo from their titles in December 2017, releasing everything under a single umbrella title as the DC Universe. Coincided with the release of the New Age of Heroes imprint, DiDio explained, "We want to make it clear that this is all the DC Universe... Rebirth pretty much is the DCU now; while we're taking Rebirth off the books, we'll be following the direction that Rebirth established." Titles also received new trade dress , with those "that tie in clearly to our larger DC Universe" having

14190-604: The Silver Age, the Justice Society was reimagined as the Justice League of America, which was founded with Major League Baseball's National League and American League as inspiration for the name. The comic book that introduced the Justice League was titled The Brave and the Bold . However, the majority of National/DC's publications continued to be written with little regard of maintaining continuity with each other for

14355-476: The Syndicate, along with the rest of Earth 3, are killed when that universe is destroyed. Notes : Earth-3 appears in the animated film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths . Earth-3 is mentioned in Lego DC Super-Villains . It is the reality that the Crime Syndicate and the game's primary customizable character the "Rookie" came from. DC Universe Beyond the main continuity,

14520-463: The Tribute the world's leaders pay the Crime Syndicate, they supply Quick with this drug. His real name is unknown. Johnny had a predecessor ( Barry Allen 's counterpart), whom he killed and whose blood was used to create the drug. In Justice League of America #51, Jesse Chambers says "This Johnny Quick has my father's face", implying that the name is more than coincidence and that her father and

14685-577: The Underworld below Metropolis. There is also a tribe of highly intelligent, telepathic gorillas living in Gorilla City, an invisible city hidden in Africa; this is the home of Gorilla Grodd . Certain creatures created such as angelic beings, timeline driven entities, experimental deformities and dimension creatures are not considered hidden races because it is simply not included. However, it

14850-594: The United States in 2000, and entire cities and countries being destroyed. There are other minor variations, such as the Earth being slightly larger than ours (to accommodate the extra countries), and the planet Saturn having 18 moons rather than 19 because Superman destroyed one. "New Earth" is the Earth-like home planet to the main storybook characters of the DC Universe - the one with Smallville where Superman grows up, and Gotham City where Bruce Wayne avenges his parents by becoming Batman . This New Earth

15015-559: The absolute limit of human potential" training in special skills, such as martial arts. The humans first began using costumed identities to fight or commit crime during the 1930s. The first superheroes included characters like the Crimson Avenger and The Sandman . In November 1940, the first superhero team, the Justice Society of America , was formed. During World War II , all of America's heroes were banded together as

15180-579: The absorption into the DC continuity of the original Captain Marvel , Plastic Man and Captain Atom . In this way, heroes originally published by different companies are now part of the same fictional universe, and interactions between such characters are no longer considered intercompany crossovers. Additionally, the Marvel Comics Universe is also said to exist in the DC Universe as one of

15345-458: The alien Kal-El but a human astronaut who acquires Kryptonian abilities). At the end of JLA: Earth-2 , Amerika had launched a nuclear strike on London , against Britain's independence movement. In Superman/Batman Annual #1, three members of this Crime Syndicate of Amerika—Ultraman, Owlman, and Superwoman —appear on the main DC Earth, along with an unnamed antimatter doppelganger of Deathstroke (whose behavior, including humorous breaking of

15510-440: The attention of powerless superheroes like Batman , or lesser superheroes like Booster Gold . When caught, any prison sufficient to contain these villains is suitable. More powerful villains strive to contest for greater goals like world domination and/or universal acclaim (from the public and their villainous peers). Usually more powerful enemies are imprisoned in maximum-level facilities—such as Belle Reve Penitentiary (which also

15675-781: The beginning of time during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Also, a number of alternate realities -known as Hypertime -now exist. A group calling itself the Linear Men formed to prevent anyone from changing history. In addition, an enormously powerful being called the Time Trapper , an enemy of the Legion, has been known to manipulate the timestream, even creating " pocket universes ". Mr. Mxyzptlk Mister Mxyzptlk ( / ˌ m ɪ k s j ɛ z ˈ p ɪ t əl ɪ k / MIKS -yez- PIT -əl-ik or / ˈ m ɪ k s ɪ l p l ɪ k / MIK -sil-plik ), sometimes called Mxy ,

15840-478: The belief of comical parodies; e.g. the story-line of the alien, Monstergirl, and her affluent life-style as a teenage recluse who turns into a monster or the purpose of Asmodel, an angelic inter-dimensional being from a conceptual Heaven who comes to Earth. Therefore, these particular races are not considered hidden but alien and extra-dimensional (see the following sections below for reference). There are many intelligent extraterrestrial races as well. Curiously,

16005-452: The betrayal. In The New 52 , Thomas, Jr., with the aid of Alfred, murders his parents so he can inherit the Wayne fortune. He grows up to become Owlman and joins the Crime Syndicate. He had a secret affair with Ultraman's wife and teammate Superwoman. Thomas takes Richard Grayson under his wing and trains him to become his sidekick, Talon. He along with the rest of the Crime Syndicate moved to

16170-457: The building where the Halloween party is being held. This is because Mxyzptlk was not left to annoy Superman. To avoid this, Robin, Superboy, and Impulse realize that they need to instill Mxyzptlk with his trademark wacky sense of humor. A Three Stooges film is uncovered and watched via an old projector. Mxyzptlk is entertained by the comedy in the film, and tries out a Stooge-style poke in

16335-415: The character appeared, as a member of the Crime Society. He is apparently killed by quantum energy unleashed from Monarch, in the Earth-51 dimension, along with the rest of his teammates. In the antimatter universe, Johnny ( Wally West 's counterpart) receives his powers by injecting himself with a drug called "Speed Juice". He is addicted to it and goes into massive physical withdrawal without it. As part of

16500-480: The characters themselves. Earth-One was the primary world of this publication era, as established in " Flash of Two Worlds " and "Crisis on Earth-One!". Over the years, as the number of titles published increased and the volume of past stories accumulated, it became increasingly difficult to maintain internal consistency. In the face of diminishing sales, maintaining the status quo of their most popular characters became attractive. Although retcons were used as

16665-543: The complex continuity through streamlined storylines and events. The fact that DC Comics characters coexisted in the same world was first established in All Star Comics #3 (1940) where several superheroes (who starred in separate stories in the series up to that point) met each other in a group dubbed the Justice Society of America . Earth-Two was the primary world of this publication era, as established in " Flash of Two Worlds " and "Crisis on Earth-Two!". In

16830-457: The end of this storyline, Mxyzptlk indicates he has erased the knowledge of Superman's identity from Lex Luthor's mind. After the fallout of the events of Day of Vengeance (and, while not mentioned, the corruption of the fifth dimension as seen in JSA ), the removal of magic from the Earth leaves Mxyzptlk nearly powerless, wandering the streets of Metropolis and unable to remember how to pronounce

16995-407: The eye on the projectionist Mick Gurk (an homage to the name "McGurk", the name used by Mxyztplk for a statue he animated in his first appearance), finding the slapstick humor to his liking. He promises that, when it is time, he will hassle Superman as he is supposed to, in honor of Superboy, Impulse, Robin, and even Mick Gurk. Time is restored to as how it should be...mostly. Outside the civic center

17160-408: The fictional world is similar to the real one (for instance, there was a Roman Empire , and World War II and 9/11 both occurred), but many fantastic additions exist, such as the known existence of Atlantis . In recent years, stories have increasingly described events which bring the DC Universe farther away from reality, such as World War III occurring, Lex Luthor being elected as President of

17325-743: The fifth dimension connected to Earth-One . The Earth-One version is also retconned into Superboy stories as the young red-haired Master Mxyzptlk , who bedevils Superboy during his youth in Smallville . He even appears as a deus ex machina to stop the Kryptonite Kid , who was killing a helpless Superboy, so that he could continue to bedevil Superboy and, later, Superman. A 30th-century descendant of Mxyzptlk appeared in Adventure Comics #310 (July 1963) with similar abilities. Much crueler than his ancestor, this version kills most of

17490-452: The fifth dimension!" Miks-il-piti-lik (with the i ' s pronounced only lightly) was used on Smallville , all while the original spelling of his name was pronounced mix-pit-tulk . This has created great confusion and even debate as to how his name is actually to be spoken. In Action Comics Annual #10 (2007), "Superman's Top 10 Most Wanted" describes Mister Mxyzptlk and provides the pronunciation as Mix-yez-pittle-ik , exactly like

17655-576: The fifth dimension, he proclaims to Gsptlsnz that he has escaped an encounter with "the Beast" (implying that the fifth dimension is aware of Superboy-Prime, who is referred to as a being of pure evil). Knowing that Superboy-Prime will kill every living soul in the fifth dimension to get revenge on him, Mxyzptlk proclaims that their dimension must be sealed off from outsiders and that he can never return to Earth. In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Mxyzptlk's history

17820-442: The fifth dimension, implying the dimension may be the origin for legends of djinn . This story also saw the first Post- Crisis appearance of Mxyzptlk's Earth-One girlfriend, Ms. Gsptlsnz (described as his "quinto-partner"; pronounced Giz-pit-lez-nez or "Gizbie" for short). In 2001, DC published Bizarro Comics in which Mister Mxyzptlk fought an all-powerful entity named A who is conquering and wrecking dimensional worlds—including

17985-400: The fifth dimension. Mxyzptlk ultimately loses the election, and, his mission accomplished, Superman returns to Earth by whispering "Le-Lak" (his Kryptonian birth name Kal-El backwards). After the establishment of DC Comics' Multiverse in the 1960s, it was later explained that the purple-suited Mxyztplk lives in the fifth dimension connected to Earth-Two , and the orange-costumed Mxyzptlk in

18150-451: The first few decades. In the 1950s and 1960s, DC has introduced different versions of its characters, sometimes presenting them as if the earlier version had never existed, including: Flash ( Barry Allen ), Green Lantern ( Hal Jordan ), and Hawkman ( Katar Hol ). These new versions of the characters had similar powers but different names and personal histories. Similarly, they had characters such as Batman whose early adventures set in

18315-527: The former Antimatter Johnny Quick (Barry Allen's counterpart) are genetically the same person. In The New 52 , Johnny Quick is one of the members of the Crime Syndicate to arrive on Prime Earth in order to conquer it. He is a high-profile criminal, on the run with his equally criminal girlfriend, Rhonda Pineda. Together they have committed several crimes, many of them against police officers like Detective Mardon , Sergeant Scudder and Officer Walker . "Johnny and Rhonnie", as they were known, ended up cornered on

18480-401: The fourth wall, and powers are the same as Marvel Comics ' Deadpool ) hired to protect Bruce Wayne . The story supposedly takes place as the first time Superman and Batman figure out each other's identities, and matches Batman, Superman, and Deathstroke against their respective antimatter selves. The story is told by Mr. Mxyzptlk and may therefore be completely untrue. In the final issue of

18645-739: The genre, etc. This was most obvious in Superman: The Man of Steel #75, a pastiche of Superman's death in Superman (vol. 2) #75, where Mxyzptlk creates a duplicate of Doomsday . The confrontation culminates with Mxyzptlk meeting the Supreme Being, who turns out to be Mike Carlin , the then-editor of the Superman titles, who promptly brings him back to life. Although Mxyzptlk does not appear in Grant Morrison 's JLA , Morrison took advantage of certain similarities to tie Johnny Thunder 's Thunderbolt and Aquaman 's nemesis Qwsp to

18810-519: The guise of "Ben deRoy", a reality-warping mystery man resembling the Beyonder (the former name is an anagram of the latter), who was threatening the Marvel Universe around the same time. He resumed his more familiar appearance when he was confronted by Superman. In his first Post- Crisis story, Mxyzptlk played the "Name Game" with Superman, with saying or writing his name backwards sending him home. However, in his next appearance, this has no effect;

18975-461: The imp, who is running for mayor. For example, when Mxyzptlk furnishes a huge supply of food for prospective voters, he says, "Eat up, folks, the food's on me!" Superman uses super-breath to blow the food all over the imp and then chortles to the voters, "Like he said, folks – the food is on him!" The imp tries to get the Man of Steel to say "Namrepus" ( Superman backwards) repeatedly, but when he finally succeeds, it does not work and Superman remains in

19140-460: The inverse of his name to return him home. Superman attempts to help him, but the two are attacked by the villain Ruin . Ruin attempts to assassinate Superman with kryptonite -based weaponry, but Mxyzptlk pushes Superman out of the way, taking a kryptonite spear to the heart and vanishing. Right before he vanishes, he seems to whisper 'kltpzyxm'. Action Comics Annual #10 states that Mister Mxyzptlk

19305-471: The longer and farther he is separated from it, the weaker he becomes. Ultraman is unhappily married to his Crime Syndicate teammate Superwoman. He later died in Final Crisis . In The New 52 , Ultraman comes from a version of Krypton whose people worship strength and despise weakness. When he arrives on Earth, he decides to blend into society until he is ready to conquer the planet, and puts into slavery

19470-533: The main DC Earth to conquer it. After being defeated by the Justice League, Owlman is mentioned to still be at large. During the Darkseid War, he recruits the remaining members of the Crime Syndicate to help the Justice League in their fight against the Anti-Monitor. He is also present at the birth of Superwoman's child, who is later used by Darkseid's daughter, Grail, to resurrect her father. He then takes

19635-621: The many alternative universes. The reverse may also be said with respect to the Marvel Universe. This is one method of explaining the various crossover stories co-published by the two companies. Heaven and Hell exist in the DC Universe but may not exist in the same continuum. Versions vary from the Vertigo and DC Universe series with writers of the Vertigo Universe depicting them in relation to religion and mythology while

19800-530: The metahuman potential; this means that a species that was meant to have a wide range of powers, like Tamaranians or Kryptonians, ended up "just...human". However, there are also plenty of nonhumanoid races. The DC Universe has had many natural and cosmic disasters happen to their alien civilizations. The Martians were destroyed by war, the Kryptonians by a dying planet that exploded, and the Czarnians by

19965-492: The modern Mxyzptlk claims to have always felt the need for a "public" in the third dimension and that Superman was not his first victim. In Young Justice #3, Peter David showed Mxyzptlk's origins as a serious-minded researcher, who travels through time, summoned by computer-based occultists. He takes the opportunity to conduct some scholarly studies. He chooses to examine a Halloween party in Happy Harbor , focusing on

20130-655: The more famous Justice League. In general, DC Comics has led a parody of its own teams and organizations after the Watchmen storyline and the Batman run from a dark humor style which began during the 1980s and ended in the early 90s. Superhero teams such as the Doom Patrol and Justice League International led the writers to have a more subtle approach of semiotic dark humor with its own version of over-powered egos dominating personalities. The American government has had

20295-418: The name "Mxyzptlk" at this point, regarding it as sounding like something somebody randomly typed (which is, indeed, how the character chose his name in his first Post- Crisis appearance). Upon discovering the chaotic future that awaits him, Mxyzptlk declares that he would dedicate his life to learning and knowledge. However, those words led to a shift in time, creating an apocalyptic world everywhere but outside

20460-662: The negative aspects of life in a large city, and Metropolis reflecting more of the positive aspects. Sentient alien species (such as Kryptonians and Thanagarians) and even functioning interstellar societies are generally known to exist, and the arrival of alien spacecraft is not uncommon. Technologies which are only theoretical in the real world, such as artificial intelligence or are outright impossible according to modern science, such as faster-than-light travel, are functional and reproducible, though they are often portrayed as highly experimental and difficult to achieve. Demonstrable magic exists and can be learned. The general history of

20625-608: The new Earth-3 team is revealed to be the Crime Society of America . The Crime Society are considered to be evil versions of the heroes of Earth-2, acting as a new Golden Age counterpart to the Antimatter Earth. A hero known as the Jokester operates in this universe, as later do the Riddler , Three-Face (Evelyn Dent) , and Duela Dent . In Countdown #31 the version of Zatanna ( Annataz Arataz ) from this world

20790-502: The new continuity was the "Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite" storyline, when he provided Lex Luthor with a sample of red kryptonite that took away Superman's powers so long as Luthor never revealed to Superman that Mxyzptlk was involved. Despite Superman's lack of powers, he still risked his life to battle Mammoth and the mad scientist Thaddeus Killgrave. Eventually, the spell was lifted when Luthor told "Clark Kent" where

20955-463: The next 2,000 years doing only good deeds, and the following 2,000 years being the mischievous character that he is normally portrayed as. He has now decided to try being evil, and is responsible for all of the nightmarish events in the story (also musing that after 2,000 years of evil, he may spend the next 2,000 years feeling guilty). Before attacking Superman, he reveals his true form, which is described by Lois Lane as having "height, width, depth, and

21120-561: The now-deposed original court magician, Vyndktvx. Vyndktvx eventually went mad and tried to kill Mxyzptlk, only to kill the king instead. The instant of the murder of the king, committed with the Multispear - a hyper-weapon - reflected in the three-dimensional universe Superman inhabits as a lifelong struggle with the five-dimensional being. Mxyzptlk and his beloved wife descended to the three-dimensional universe to aid Superman in his struggle; their mortal forms perished in due time, still in

21285-405: The planet's destruction. Thanks to a shooting spree, Jor-Il is able to secure a lifepod for his son, who he regarded as his best chance of revenge. In The New 52 , Lois Lane (Superwoman) is pregnant with Alexander's child. The child is prophesied to bring an end to the world. The New 52 introduces a different take on the character. After killing Talon and assaulting Alfred Pennyworth, the Joker

21450-426: The pre-52 Mister Mxyzptlk, who was absent from the New 52 universe because he was held captive by Mister Oz and used his powers to transform and brainwash himself into believing he was Clark Kent to avoid getting recaptured after escaping. His attacks on Superman are revenge for failing to notice he has been missing and he proceeds to make Lois forget about her own son. As even Lois forgets that Clark and Superman were

21615-524: The public's knowledge. Technology can also come from outer space or different timelines. Apokolips weaponry is often sold in Metropolis to the criminal organization known as Intergang . Robots and similar creations, including cyborgs, can have superior intelligence when they are created as sentient beings. The Manhunters , the Metal Men , Red Tornado , Robotman , Hourman , and Metallo are but

21780-689: The publisher cancelled its ongoing titles and relaunched 52 new books, including a number of new books, set within a revised continuity. This follows the conclusion of the Flashpoint crossover storyline, which provided a jumping-off point for the existing continuity. A number of in-universe changes are intended to make characters more modern and accessible, though the scope of the changes varies from character to character. Some like Batman have their histories left largely intact, though compressed, while others were given wildly different histories and looks. DC stopped putting 'The New 52' logo on its publications in

21945-679: The red kryptonite had come from, believing that he would not be breaking Mxyzptlk's rule about not letting Superman know the truth if he told Kent and Kent told Superman (in a one-page aside in this story, Mister Mxyzptlk is implied to also be the Impossible Man , spending his off-time badgering the Fantastic Four of the Marvel Universe). Many of Mxyzptlk's later stories have a postmodern feel to them, similar to Ambush Bug , as he comments on editorial decisions, clichés of

22110-400: The results of aging a portion of the teens and causing some of the others to frantically dance out of control. What Mxyzptlk does not know was that Robin , Superboy , and Impulse were hired by the town's adults to chaperone the party. When the boys confront Mxyzptlk, they realize that this was not the same Mxyzptlk whom Superman had regularly faced; indeed, he appears to not have even assumed

22275-399: The ring and the power lamp that contains the mad god Volthoom. The unnamed individual are changed, and the second Power Ring's physical appearance is changed from a white blonde man to an African-American bald man . His origin and anonymity remain the same. In his later appearances, Power Ring once again resembles his original version (Hal Jordan's counterpart). In The New 52 , Power Ring

22440-442: The ring causes Harold Jordan great pain and the cursed weapon often acts on its own accord. On Prime Earth, Power Ring battles Sinestro, but Sinestro cuts off his right arm, releasing him from the ring's control. The ownerless ring then flies off to find a new host. In the antimatter universe, a White Martian is member of the Syndicate and is Ultraman's chief rival until he kills him. In The New 52 , Martian Manhunter's counterpart

22605-534: The roof of S.T.A.R. Labs during a storm, after being chased by two police officers, Snart and Rory . Lightning hit a satellite, electrocuting Johnny, causing him to gain his powers. After that he and his now also empowered girlfriend joined the Syndicate. On Prime Earth, when Lex Luthor's team infiltrates the fallen Watchtower, Johnny Quick joins in the fight. Captain Cold uses his freeze gun to freeze Johnny Quick's leg and break it off. When Alexander Luthor from Earth-3

22770-470: The same instant in the time of their home world. There, even as he was defeated in the three-dimensional universe, Vndyktvx was arrested and imprisoned for the murder. Mxyzptlk became king and lived happily with his wife, the beautiful princess-now-queen, only to grieve as she died giving birth to their children. And so, he became the sad king that one day, the jester Mxyzptlk would come to entertain, and who would be slain by Vndyktvx in an eternal cycle. After

22935-403: The same person, Superman agrees to play Mister Mxyzptlk's game to try and win back the 'right' to see his son again, but although Mister Mxyzptlk attempts to change the rules and ensure his victory, Jonathan is able to fight through his Mister Mxyzptlk-created prison with the aid of unspecified spirits that are revealed to be the New 52 versions of Superman and Lois, culminating in the creation of

23100-403: The same voice as Mazahs, manages to call down the lightning and transform Mazahs into his human form. Sealing Alexander's mouth, Lex stabs him with a knife, killing him and avenging Bizarro. The people of Krypton of Earth 3 had gained great power from the radiation of their world, but through the machinations of Jor-Il, a mysterious being came to their planet and began a process that would lead to

23265-429: The scope of Mxyzptlk's true potential is limited by his personality. His gullible nature makes it easy for Superman or other individuals to trick him into saying his name backwards, and he is overall a fun-loving prankster who prefers to use his power for childish mischief and light-hearted harassment rather than malicious destruction or torment. Thus, he is more of an annoyance than a true threat. In 2009, Mister Mxyzptlk

23430-443: The story "The Mysterious Mr. Mxyztplk" (the original spelling), by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Ira Yarborough. Due to publishing lag time, the character saw print first in the Superman daily comic strip by writer Whitney Ellsworth and artist Wayne Boring . In most of Mxyzptlk's appearances in DC Comics, he can be stopped only by tricking him into saying or spelling his own name backwards, which will return him to his home in

23595-420: The story of Bruce Wayne as a Green Lantern. In another tale, Superman: Speeding Bullets , the rocket ship that brought the infant Superman to Earth was discovered by the Wayne family of Gotham City rather than the Kents. In 1999, The Kingdom reintroduced a variant of the old Multiverse concept called Hypertime which essentially allows for alternate versions of characters and worlds again. The entire process

23760-712: The summer of 2015, coinciding with the Convergence anniversary crossover event which celebrated the history of the DC Multiverse and its various incarnations. In February 2016, DC announced its DC Rebirth initiative, a line-wide relaunch of its titles, to begin in June 2016. Beginning with an 80-page one-shot which was released on May 25, 2016, DC Rebirth also sees Action Comics and Detective Comics return to their previous numbering (#957 and #934 respectively), all books releasing at US$ 2.99 , multiple books shifting to

23925-491: The supernatural are often depicted as being real in the DC Universe, though some skeptics, such as Mister Terrific , maintain that there are scientific explanations to all such events. The narration of the mystic and harsh dark reality is more common in DC's Vertigo Comics because its stories lurk outside of superhero fantasy; the Vertigo series have beings that relate better to civilian life, although both universes are subject to fantastical realms and unworldly dimensions. Magic

24090-487: The time, furnished to the show's writers through DC Comics editor/writer E. Nelson Bridwell . During the 1980s, on the Super Friends cartoon, produced by Hanna-Barbera , it was approximated as Mix-ill-plick . Miks-yez-pit-lik is actually a general translation and other variations have included Mix-yez-PIT-lek , Mix-yez-PIT-ul-ick , and Mix-yez-pittle-ik . To further complicate matters, Mxyzptlk says himself in

24255-633: The war, under pressure from the paranoid Committee on Un-American Activities , the JSA disbanded. While many types of heroes were active afterwards (mainly non-costumed, such as the Challengers of the Unknown or Detective Chimp ), it was not until Superman's public debut that a new generation of costumed heroes became active. Soon after, the Justice League of America was formed, and they have remained Earth's preeminent superhero team; most DC heroes (such as

24420-403: The way of the world. At the end of Superman #8, it is revealed that Superman's son, Jon Kent , arrived on Earth 3 where he is confronted by the Crime Syndicate after leaving his grandfather, Jor-El . In issue #9, Jon further expands on his time on Earth 3. He was sent into a volcano where Ultraman kept him prisoner and described Jon's predicament to him, being stuck on another Earth. From what

24585-620: The word is and the imp says he can't believe Superman would have thought him stupid enough to say "Klptzyxm"--before realizing what he has just said and being transported home. Mxyztplk often looks for ways to counter the latter weakness, but he always proves gullible enough for Superman to trick him time and time again. In the Golden Age, saying "Klptzyxm" will not only send Mxyztplk back to the fifth dimension but also anyone else who said it. To return to his/her home dimension, one has to say one's own name backward. Mxyztplk originally appeared as

24750-483: The world governments. The antimatter Crime Syndicate's motto is "Cui bono?" ("Who profits?"). The team's roster consists mainly of the five founding members. The Crime Syndicate later reappears, where they lay waste to the planet Qward out of boredom. In The New 52 , the leader of the Secret Society , previously known as "the Outsider", is actually working for the Syndicate. He gains possession of Pandora's Box to open

24915-435: The writers in the DCU have a tendency to narrate fantasy. The Speed Force is an extradimensional energy source which provides the speedsters of the DC Universe with their powers. Accessing the Speed Force makes it possible to run at incredible speeds, even faster than light, and even to jump in and out of the timestream, thereby travelling - albeit with a limited degree of control - through time. The Speed Force also acts as

25080-570: Was abducted by Superboy-Prime and imprisoned in the Source Wall . Prime has been apparently torturing the imp into helping him bring back his "perfect Earth", i.e. Earth Prime . Mxyzptlk mentions that he has been coming to Earth for centuries, and has been referred to by many names ( Loki , Coyote , and Anansi ). He is later sent back to his home by Annataz Arataz, the Earth-3 counterpart of Zatanna , whom Prime had also captured. Arriving in

25245-835: Was altered by the Anti-Monitor (although stories featuring parallel Earths have continued to crop up with various rationalizations in the following years). Other types of dimensions still exist, however, including the Antimatter Universe of Qward , the Pax dimension , the Fifth Dimension and the Bleed . Prison dimensions, such as the Phantom Zone , are meant to house superpowered criminals who are too powerful for any conventional means of containment. Dimensions make up many universes, of which some are created and destroyed with help from supernatural forces and elements from which power

25410-530: Was assassinated by actor Abraham Lincoln . Crucially, Earth-Three was home to a villainous analogue to the Justice League , the Crime Syndicate of America . The Crime Syndicate would recur as powerful enemies of the Justice League until DC's 1985 company-wide crossover, Crisis on Infinite Earths . Crisis revealed that Lex Luthor , here called Alexander Luthor, is the only superhero on an Earth otherwise occupied entirely by villains, most of whom are reversed analogues of heroes on other DC Earths. Earth-Three

25575-449: Was banished by a backward-played tape recording of his own voice saying his name. However, such a banishment is a temporary deterrent. After 90 days, Mxyzptlk can again visit the third dimension at will. His reality-warping powers exist in the fifth dimension, but he exerts less control compared to the third dimension, due to the presence of other imps with the same powers. Though arguably the most powerful of Superman's recurring enemies,

25740-632: Was his last jest, that he will never be able to top it, and so says farewell to Superman. Mxyzptlk made it through the Crisis on Infinite Earths relatively unchanged, although the unpleasant nature of his pranks and the psychological effects they have on others is played up more, such as when he animated the Daily Planet building heedless of the occupants inside who were being violently thrown around with its movements. He also began smoking cigars, symbolic of his newer, more antagonistic nature. His first appearance in this new continuity saw him initially adopting

25905-685: Was in the final issue of DC Comics Presents , which shows Jor-El 's discovery of the Phantom Zone. By the end of the story, the Phantom Zone, the fifth dimension and the Bizarro World are all destroyed, and Mister Mxyzptlk, infilled by power endowed by a hideously disfigured wizard who was a denizen in the Phantom Zone, is transformed into an entity not even remotely human. He then throws the dead Argo City into Metropolis , littering it with tons of kryptonite and dead Kryptonians, and announces to an exasperated and horrified Superman that this

26070-643: Was integral to the story of how the Green Lantern villain Sinestro acquired his powers. Editorial mandate initially meant stories featuring the Crime Syndicate were entirely unavailable to writers, but DC later attempted to reintroduce the Crime Syndicate without the setting of Earth-Three in 1992's Justice League Quarterly #8, which featured a group of aliens from the planet Qward (the antimatter counterpart of Oa ) who functioned as "more powerful" Justice League analogues. This first attempt at bringing back

26235-466: Was introduced in the Golden Age as an imp from the "fifth dimension". Not being bound by physical laws, he can do things that seem to be magical. In his first appearance, Mxyztplk wreaks havoc across Metropolis by using his powers to pull all manner of pranks, first pretending he got hit by a truck and killed, then increasing his weight when the ambulance gets there and waking up to shock them. What

26400-482: Was last seen 190 days ago and that his name is pronounced "Mix-Yez-Pittle-Ick" (as it was in the 1960s Superman CBS-TV cartoon show, mentioned previously). Mister Mxyzptlk makes a one-page appearance in Countdown #31. On a walk in the fifth dimension with Gsptlsnz and his goldfish Superman, he is grabbed by someone or something unknown, who then disappears with Mxy. It is later revealed in Countdown #23, Mxyzptlk

26565-536: Was possibly inspired by Alan Moore 's meta-comic, Supreme: Story of the Year (1997). The Convergence (2015) crossover officially retconned the events of Crisis after heroes in that series went back in time to prevent the collapse of the Multiverse. However, Brainiac states "Each world has evolved but they all still exist". It has been confirmed that all previous worlds and timelines now exist, and that there are even multiple Multiverses now in existence, such as

26730-414: Was ranked as IGN 's 76th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time. Due to the phonetic difficulties in pronouncing a name spelled without vowels such as Mxyzptlk, it has been pronounced in various ways by various sources over the past four decades. On the 1967 Filmation CBS Superman animated series, it was pronounced as Mix-yez-PITTLE-ik ; sources indicate that was the official DC Comics version of

26895-419: Was secretly Task Force X's headquarters) and even alternate dimensions or outer space —because they cannot simply be killed by a bullet, electricity, or poison. Supervillains sometimes also form their own groups, but these tend to be short-lived because most villains simply do not trust each other. Most such teams are formed by a charismatic and/or fearsome criminal mastermind for specific purposes; an example

27060-658: Was shown, it appears that Ultraman kept Jon prisoner for years until Jon formulated a plan to escape and eventually did so. He sought out the heroes of this universe and found the Earth 3 version of the Hall of Justice. But, it turned out to be the headquarters of the Crime Syndicate, and Jon is confronted by Superwoman, who is apparently the wife of Ultraman. Later, Young Justice found themselves trapped on Earth 3 after traveling through several different Multiverse Earths. They were soon attacked by their evil counterparts from that world. The Titans and The Flash arrived on Earth 3 to find

27225-561: Was used by Superman-Prime to keep Mister Mxyzptlk in check. Based on comments by Grant Morrison , this alternate universe is not the pre-Crisis Earth-Three. Despite the return of the DC Multiverse and the creation of a new Earth-3, the Antimatter Earth still exists in Qward, acting as an inverted microcosm of New Earth. The pre-established Crime Syndicate of Amerika from the Antimatter Universe were then featured heavily in Trinity , DC's third year-long weekly series. DC again rebooted its continuity in 2011 as part of The New 52 . In 2013,

#764235