Definitive DC Universe Timeline Revealed at NYCC

Definitive DC Universe Timeline Revealed at NYCC..

Conventions are always full of surprise reveals that fans go crazy over and this year at NYCC DC fans were treated to more of the same.

At the DC Nation panel, DC Comics publisher Dan DiDio revealed the first, major details on a Ultimate DC Universe Timeline.  Attendees of the DC Nation panel were also shown a chart depicting the timeline.

Ultimate DC Universe Timeline

DiDio had this to say about the big reveal:

“We’re trying to organize our stories in a comprehensive way.  This will be the basis of all DC Comics for the future.  We don’t know what the future is, but what’s happening right now is a high level of planning.  What we’ve done is identified the generations of DC Comics.  We’re reintroducing aspects of our history back into it.  What you see right now is a story that will be consistent.”

Unlike Marvel, DC has always been more fluid with continuity inside their universe.  Even events that alter the DC characters (Crisis on Infinite Earths, Flashpoint and the New 52) have largely been incorporated into the main DC timeline and have been incorporated into different realities inside the DC Multiverse. Yet debate over continuity inside DC has always been a source of debate amongst fans.

During the NYCC panel, Dan DiDio explained that DC history has been broken down into four, as DiDio called it, “generations”.

Generation One now shows Wonder Woman as the original hero in the DC Universe.  Generation One also shows the birth of the Justice Society of America and its heroes inside the World War II era.

Generation One: Wonder Woman

Generation Two then begins with the arrival of Superman and the beginning of Batman.  It also features the beginning of the Justice League of America and the “birth” of groups like the Teen Titans.

Generation Two: Superman and Batman

Generation Three begins with Crisis on Infinite Earths.  This generation shows the formation of the Justice League International, the death of Jason Todd (second Robin) and Superman’s death during his battle with Doomsday.  Events like Blackest Night also remain in-tact during Generation Three as well.

Generation Three: Death of Jason Todd

Generation Four begins with the DC Rebirth and brings us through current DC events like Dark Nights: Metal and Year of the Villain.

Generation Four: Year of the Villain

Wile a lot of the Rebirth Era rains in place, some have ben erased from the DC timeline.  While Greg Rucka’s Wonder Woman relaunch set her origin in the modern era, DiDio’s new timeline places her as the original DC superhero and thus erases everything Rucka built during Rebirth.

It’s no secret that DC’s continuity has been a bit of confusion amongst fans.  DiDio’s new timeline will hopefully put the DC Universe, multiverse, into one singular continuity and hopefully puts a lot of debates among DC and comic book fans as to “what happened when” to rest.

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