Into the Superverse: Trio Triads of Lois, Luthor, and the Legend!

Three brave heroes. Three diabolical villians. Three couragous heroines. There was a tale, when all three sets of these three legends came together, across three Earths amidst the Multiverse, and defined both similarities as well as difference between them. The younger couple, in love, yet pulled apart by their individual careers. The older couple, in love, bound together as partners in life. And the couple that never was, given choices in the lives of each. And the three opponents to the paragons of power, each as brilliant as their foes were mighty. There was the young genius seeking revenge upon his childhood nemesis, the older genius seeking revenge upon all humanity including his arch-enemy, and the middle-aged scientist motivated into fighting his new adversary based on love. For your consideration: three men from Krypton, three scientists of Earth, and three famed female reporters in Metropolis

Kal-El, Kal-L and Kal-Ll were rocketed from their respective Kryptons, making the Earth their new home. Kal-El as a young man learned his alien origin, met fellow survivors of his homeworld, and protected that planet's last surviving city. Kal-L as an adult learned his alien origin, only met one other survivor who was a bridge to his lost society, herself the one raised within that planet's virtual remnants. Kal-Ll was aware of the world he was exiled from, a world that still survived but shunned both his existence and that of his long-lost father. These experiences formed each of these men's life choices. Kal-El and Kal-L became a heroic Superman, Kal-Ll a villainous Ultraman. 

Kal-El always felt like an alien, caught between two worlds, and so didn't form the strongest of bonds with humans on Earth-One. Kal-L only knew of life on Earth-Two, and grew extremely close to humans who became his family. Kal-Ll experiences only ostracization from both the world of his birth and Earth-Three leading toward his criminal tendencies. When the three finally met, their divergent personalities would cause each to have an impact upon the others' lives.

Lex Luthor, Alexie Luthor and Alex Luthor each were their world's greatest scientist, and each would ultimately be caught up in perpetual conflict with the caped Kryptonians living on their planets. Lex allowed childhood tragedy to shape his disposition, seeking to strike back at Superboy whom he felt scarred him for life. Alexie sought ultimate power and proved successful, until he finally met defeat at the hands of Superman. Alex wanted only peace and tranquility, and reluctantly came into conflict with Ultraman in order to achieve these goals.

The one constant in these three relationships was the women at the center of them. Lois Lane, on each world, was fearless, sought the truth in her reporting, and became attracted to the noble champions of their worlds. The Lois of Earth-One could never get close enough to her Superman, because he allowed his mission to take priority over his relationships. The Lois of Earth-Two became not only the wife but also the partner-in-life to her Superman, proving invaluable to his blending their relationship with his mission. Lois of Earth-Three found nobility, first in a visiting Captain Comet of Earth-One, and later in Alex.

And it was Alex Luthor whom this Lois encouraged into becoming the first superhero of Earth-Three. Indeed, he would definitely be needed for the looming threat that came to his universe.

Lex utilized a hidden device to exchange himself with Alexie, from within their jail cells. When each Luthor tried to defeat the other world's Superman and failed, the pair next journeyed to Earth-Three. It was there that Alex revealed that he... like his counterpart... knew of the existence of this Earth. Months earlier, while Lex used a device to travel from Earth-One to Earth-S, home of Captain Marvel, Alexie traveled to Earth-Three to create a secret laboratory which included an ion tractor beam. With this device, he planned to merge Earths One and Two together, destroying both including his hated foe, resolved to instead conquer this third heroless Earth.

At first, Lex hesitated, at this point in his criminal career he wasn't as bloodthirsty, in addition to his familial bond with his sister Lena. Despite this, once the Luthors' and their new ally Ultraman were confronted by the Supermen as well as Alex, Lex joined Alexie in his mad scheme. Although the Supermen defeated the Luthors and saved their worlds, this was the catalyst that later set in motion events to follow 

This encounter undoubtedly led to Lex seeing his cold-hearted counterpart, and thus feeling nothing when Alexie was slain by Brainiac, as this rid Lex of a prime competitor. Meanwhile, Alex continued to act a his world's prime protector for years to come, battling both Ultraman and his allies in the Crime Syndicate.

The three Lois Lanes continued to be the moral compass in the lives of their one true love. The Lois of Earth-Two would continue to provide emotion support... not only for her husband Kal-L... but also by being a surrogate mother to his longlost cousin Kara, Power Girl. The Lois of Earth-Three eventually married Alex, and together they would have a son together before their world was destroyed during the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Perhaps a seed of nobility was planted in the mind of Kal-Ll after meeting his good counterparts, as he sacrificed his life in the end while trying to save his adopted world. Kal-El learned to open his heart to a long-lasting relationship, only as Clark Kent when he and Lana Lang became engaged. And Kal-L learned to cherish the love in his life, nurturing his wife during her advanced years in times of Crisis.

The February 1977 Invasion of Earth-One by the Injustice Society

February 1977 was a cold winter, and not just in the northern hemisphere of Earth-One. At the same time, an epic battle of the bands was occuring in a New York Colosseum, and an equally epic battle between Darkseid with the team of villains he sponsored!

These events stem from what had previously transpired on Earth-Two, a few months earlier (despite publishing dates of these tales on Earth-Prime). There, the Injustice Society reunited in order to finally defeat their old foes. Instead, their enemies in the Justice Society of America handed them a decisive defeat. Fiddler was captured in Tokyo Japan, followed by his allies Icicle and Thinker in Abu Dhabi, then Wizard and Brain Wave in Alaska. These villains allied with a race of subterranean being led by Underlord, seeking control of Earth's oil resources.

Yet despite being subdued, four of the members escaped prison to collaborate on  a new scheme involving the parallel planet most of them first visited back in the 1960's. That world, Earth-One had supervillains they could recruit to assist them against the superheroes of Earth-Two. They previously had success doing this as members of the Crime Champions.

The Shade unleashed shadow creatures from his Dark Dimension upon the Central City of Earth-One (including fellow fiend the Dark, in pursuit of the Ray), foiled by the Flash of Two Worlds. Vandal Savage attempted to revive his immortality and his physical form after having been thrust into Earth-One briefly, where he hatched a scheme to lure that world's Flash and Green Lantern into using their energies to restore his form for a return to Earth-Two.

From 1965 through 1967, Hal “Green Lantern” Jordan of Earth-One and Alan “Green Lantern” of Earth-Two each encounter villains from their counterparts world, invading their own. This began with Krona coming to Earth-Two to siphon Scott’s emerald energy to free him from his celestrial prison. Then Prince Peril pursued Princess Ramia and her future husband Doiby Dickles to Earth-One where he faced Hal in battle. 

In 1966, three felons in Crazy Quilt, Captain Challenge and Gentleman Ghost were pulled over to Earth-One from Earth-Two during the invasion of the Anti-Matter Man on both worlds… while Blockbuster of Earth-One and Solomon Grundy of their world temporarily traded places.

A year later in 1967, three criminals recruited by Sinestro ventured from Earth-One to Earth-Two, where they were transformed into his clones. Two other cunning crooks from Earth-One who attacked Earth-Two’s Atlantis were the Penguin and Blockbuster… the second of three times the latter visited that planet. Around the time, Grundy visited Earth-One’s Metropolis, while months earlier Shade invaded Earth-One’s Central City. 

Of course, there were earlier examples of crisscrossing criminals between the two Earths. Other Injustice Society members had sought a reversal of fortune on a new world, unhindered by their former foes, yet still found further frustrations. This included the Thinker, who with his new improved helmet and costume briefly plundered Ivy Town on Earth-One, before that world's Atom along with his counterpart cornered him on Earth-Two’s Calvin City. Then there was the occasion when King Kull recruited Penguin and Blockbuster of Earth-One to invade Earth-Two’s Atlantis, while Earth-Two’s Solomon Grundy sought out his counterpart in  Earth-One’s Metropolis!

The first of the Injustice Society's 1970's incarnation to travel to Earth-One was the Wizard (although technically, Thinker preceded them during his encounter with the Atoms). There, he joined the newly formed Secret Society of Super-Villains. However, he needed time to obtain both weapons and supervillains from their midst to aid him back in his native universe.

While this was transpiring, Icicle and Fiddler also journeyed to Earth-One. There, Icicle teamed up with his counterpart Captain Cold and that world's version of Minister Blizzard while working for the Shadow-Thief, trying to start a new Ice Age starting in Equador. The Justice League of America defeated this frightful four, and saved the planet.

Simultaneously, the Fiddler began a crime spree involving a series of concerts, which drew the attention of the Teen Titans. This seemed to include kidnapping Peter McCarthy (an Earth-One Beatle?). The Teen Titans overcame the Fiddler. Around this time, Psycho Pirate hid out on Earth-One until the Justice Society tracked him down, returning him to Earth-Two!

Months later, the Wizard* finally amassed enough power and pawns to travel back to Earth-Two, and battle individual members of the Justice Society. However, despite a few victories, his Secret Society of Super-Villians (consisting of the Wizard, Star Sapphire, Floronic Man, Professor Zoom, and Blockbuster) were chased off world back to Earth-One.

As for the Brain Wave, he departed for Earth-One several months after his former teammates. Building a secret base outside Metropolis, Brain Wave brought Killer Frost, Floronic Man, Signalman and Cheetah back with him through a portal to Earth-Two, where they met the latest Secret Society of Super-Villians. Their teammate Psycho-Pirate had earlier retreated to his temporary Earth-One headquarters followed by the Justice Society.

Contemporaneous with these events, independent villains traversed the dimension divide, where these entire encounter individual heroes. These characters included the Earth-One rogues such as Angle Man, Bat-Mite and Mister Mxyzptlk, and Jroyy and the Earth-Two rogues such as Red Panzer, Captain Hawkins and Muchacho, and Atoman. These malcontents menaced the Wonder Woman, Supermen, Batmen and Flashes.

Prior to this, individual megalomaniacs each had separate yet consecutive incursions into the others universe, with Spirit King invading Earth-One while Darkseid invaded Earth-Two. While Darkseid pulled Shade, Fiddler and Icicle to his reality temporarily… these three remained on Earth-One for later capers (invading the Crime Champions, except for the Shade whose place was taken by the Wizard)… which mirrored when the Earth-One Crime Champions had a second engagement on Earth-Two years earlier. 

This last scheme of the Ultra-Humanite’s was the closest that the Injustice Society members came to triumph, however despite beating and capturing members of the Justice Society and Justice League, it was the Earth-One Super-Villians who attacked the Earth-Two Secret Society for their betrayal. And so, because these evildoers had no loyalty between themselves, they never had a lasting victory.

* The Wizard's reappearance back on Earth-One for a further Secret Society caper was offset by his counterpart Abra Kadabra's accidental journey to Earth-Two, where he battled both Flashes.

Migrants of Multiple Earths: Emerald Energies

The year was 1978, a significant period in the Multiverse as there was numerous incursions into adjacent universes by superheroes and villains alike. For example, Earth-Two's Wizard drew four of his cronies in the Secret Society of Supervillains (and his new foe Captain Comet) first to Earth-Three before finally arriving at the world of his birth. In order to get there, he had to purloin items of power possessed by the  Crime Syndicate of America, which led the Society and Comet in direct confrontation versus CSA. After discovering the cause of a mutant plague afflicting Earth-Three, originating from Power Ring's own battery, the Captain used Power Ring's power battery to transport him to Earth-Two where he would "destroy it". Whether that was done or not, this green lantern given to Power Ring by the evil Volthoom was transferred to Earth-Two's universe.

Wizard and his Secret Society also on this occasion stole Power Ring's ring of power, Superwoman's lasso and Johnny Quick's speed helmet... which he used to transport himself and his team to Earth-Two from Earth-Three. When they arrived on Earth-Two, these devices had disappeared from Earth-Three but had not reappeared there. These three items were replicated on Earth-One by the adversarial android Amazo, a foe of the Justice League! The Syndicators apparently retrieved them on Earth-Two after they’d been freed from their Limbo prison by Per Degaton during his “Crisis on Earth-Prime” caper.

As for Earth-Three's power battery containing its former owner Volthoom‘s consciousness, this correlated in Earth-Two's universe with the dimensional deviant from the Limbo dimension known as Antithesis. This energy entity resided within the Justice League’s computer. How it was pulled from into the Earth-One universe from the same Limbo realm which the Volthoom battery and his possessor traversed is unknown. What is known is that both these sinister sentiments fed on the evil wills of those whom they controlled.

Earth-Three Tour de Force: Krypton... and Kryptonite

A curious statement expressed by the dim-witted Ultraman of Earth-Three when he, alongside his fellow Crime Syndicators, encounted Earth-Two's Per Degaon in interdimensional limbo. He said "I'm from a Krypton which didn't explode as it did in some other universes". And yet, this is the element that gave him additional abilities!

It was on this occasion wherein Ultraman revealed to Degaton that he also had been freed from their bubble-prison in limbo as had Superwoman, Johnny Quick and Power Ring (poor Owlman, he never had his opportunity to return to his homeworld until just prior to the Crisis on Infinite Earths, which had destroyed it!).  Bathed in Kryptonite radiation from Lex Luthor's power-glove, Ultraman was strengthened, and it was this same residual radiation that weakened both the golden and silver age Supermen who were visiting his world and engaged him in battle.  So the obvious question we need to ask is this: If Ultraman's homeworld of Krypton-Three hadn't blown up, why has he encountered Kryptonite since it is formed from fragments of the exploding planet itself! A supplemental question might well be how it was he ended up on Earth-Three, leaving behind his fellow residents of Krypton-Three? The latter question is easily answered... he is a malcontent and criminal... and their form of punishment was exiling such individuals in space as had been on the other two known Kryptons.

Evidently, we have to surmise one of two hypothesis. The first is that the Kryptonite that ended up in Earth-Three's universe is originally from either Krypton-One and Two, somehow crossing the dimensional gulf and ending up where Ultraman could siphon its energy. This is highly enlikely given the amount of such substance necessary to empower Ultraman for years would necessitate a large quantity of this element, not to mention to drastic cosmic imbalance that that loss of such mass in one universe would have without some compensatory mass in exchange. The second hypothesis, which is more likely, is that it was synthesized much like that in laboratories on Earths One and Two. Since Ultraman himself did not posses the shear intellect to create such an anomaly, as evidenced by his demeanor versus the Supermen and Luthors, evidently a scientist on either his adopted world or Krypton-Three had created this. And since Synthetic Kryptonite was based on the original substance that could come only from the mass of a planet Krypton, this scientist would have had to have been a resident of Krypton-Three (logically, this would have been Ultraman's father Jur-Ll whom we'll consider next). This would indicate that there were potentially millions of superhuman beings, just like there had been on Krypton-Two although able to do more than simply leap tall buildings as had those Kryptonians... albeit not on Earth-Three but Krypton-Three!

Migrants of Multiple Earths Thesis: Part 8 Crisis Conundrem

During the height of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Lex Luthor and Brainiac assembled a large number of supervillains from the five surviving Earths in order to conquer three of them and ultimately subdue all of them. As a result, the Dastardly Duo sent legions of these costumed crooks to accomplish this task in the so-called Villain War, while the superheroes were divided up in teams to tackle this treat and protect these worlds that were under represented by champions like Earths One and Two were. As an unintended side effect of this, a number of these individuals moved permanently to new worlds in universes they were not born in and seemingly remained there through the end of Crisis.

Among the armies that arrive on Earth-Four were Black Manta, Black Spider, the new Cheetah, Evil Star, Kobra, and Lady Lunar who originated on Earth-One, and Dragon King, Gambler and Solomon Grundy of Earth-Two (while prior to this, Alexei Luthor of Earth-Two was slain before he could be disparched to this world). This was the last documented sighting of each of these individuals, hence after their collective defeat they remained there. But they were not alone. Another misguided immortal like Evil Star took his place on Earth-One, that being the immortal sole survivor of Earth-Omega, Pariah! And Lady Lunar’s departure from Earth-One was replaced by Lady Quark, last survivor of Earth-Six!

Aquagirl aka Tula of Earth-One... a native the Atlantean city of Poseidonis... was among the contingent that traveled to Earth-Four to protect it, and was asphyxiated by Chemo. Such an eventuality would not transpire with her Earth-Two twin, Princess Lanya who lived out her life in the underwater city of Venturia in that Atlantis.

The next world to be assaulted by villains and assisted by heroes was Earth-S. Among the former, were Earth-One's Clock King, Eclipso, Queen Bee and Starro alongside Earth-Two's Cheetah. Those who remained with these miscreants on Captain Marvel's home world were the six Metal Men: Gold, Lead, Iron, Tin, Mercury and Platinum.

Concurrent with these events, the she-robot Mekanique of Earth-Two ended her temporary stay on Earth-One under Commander Steel's employee, then disappearing from before the combined might of the Justice Society and Justice League. She has been proceeded by two other mechanized marvels in Robotman and Commander Steel himself (a fourth self-aware automaton Goitrude the Taxi had also been sent from Earth-Two to Earth-One previously)!

The last of the terra-firma triad, Earth-X, was itself home to a large number of migrants from Earth-Two decades earlier. This included Doll Man*, Firebrand*, Human Bomb, Phantom Lady, as well as others who have since left that world behind in Jester, Manhunter* with his dog Thor, Plastic Man, Quicksilver and the Spider. While this left a vacancy of 15 living entities who left Earth-Two during the peak of the Crisis, this same event precipitated the removal of 15 protectors from Earth-One’s universe, who either perished in Earth-Four, the Anti-Matter Universe or waves emanating from it into their reality.  

 

That world only had three from this conflict who arrived during the Villain War that remained on Earth-X... Fastball of Earth-One, aa well as the Silver Ghost and the Mist of Earth-Two.

Another individual displaced was Earth-One's Justice League of Wonder Woman, shortly after she'd been tasked with protecting Earth-S. Her time-displaced younger self Wonder Tot was removed simultaneously from Earth-One continuity by Jonni DC, who deposited the Tot into Limbo between universes. This ultimately erased Wonder Woman from existence later during the conclusion of the Crisis, with her presence on Earth-One then being filled with Jonni who had migrated from Earth-Two.

Indeed, an equal number of persons from both Earths One and Two left these behind for new universes. But there were other notable departures during this Multiverse scale conflict.

Nighthawk of the 18th century Earth-One along with a pair of lasses also perished due to an anti-matter wave along with his horse, while the four Losers during Earth-Two's World War II also perished from "shadow demons", enhanced soldiers from the Anti-Matter Universe. Interestingly, the Earth-One Losers perished shortly thereafter as casualties of the War itself.

Prince Gavyn aka the cosmic powered Starman perished while protecting his planet-less people due to an anti-matter wave, leaving behind his home realm within the the Earth-One universe.

Another cosmic powered hero who was a former occupant of Earth-Two, after he lived for a brief period of time on Earth-One, was the Immortal Man. In his most current form, he used his abilities to protect others while at risk to his own life. Due to the Crisis, he never returned to his native universe.

Instances of Crisis-level events precipitating the transfer of inhabitants from one universe to another had occurred in the years proceeding these monumental event. For example, the Earth-One Champion family... all four of them... left for Earth-Two after indirect interference with one of the Monitors responsible for the Crisis.. Another quartet, the Newsboy Legion, had come from Earth-Two and moved to the Champion's former world during a crisis of their own.

Then there were the instances of "Crisis on Earth-One" or "Crisis on Earth-Two", etc. Such as when  the Justice Society met Earth-One's Legion of Super-Heroes and the Justice League met Earth-Two's Law's Legionnaires. Or when allies of the Justice League who were (at that time) non-members such as Elongated Man, Metamorpho and Zatanna joined them on a case to save Earth-Two, while villains such as the Shade, Thinker and the Fiddler tormented Earth-One's Flash, Atom and Teen Titans. While not permanent migrants, these individuals had prominent and often significant effects on these alternate earths thanks to their influence on these occasions.

* Some heroes moving to Earth-X during Crisis such as Doll Man and Manhunter returned to Earth-Two years later, while other Earth-Two characters such as Firebrand and Silver Ghost left Earth-Two for Earth-X and took their place.

Mysteriously Missing Mighty Meteor

The errant emerald energy exiled by the Guardians of the Earth-One Universe was contained within the Starheart. This sentient power within a celestial body transferred a portion of its power into a massive meteor, which was sent to a planet in its new universe, that world being Earth-Two. Crash-landing in China centuries ago, legendary lampmaker Chang crafted a small amount of this space-rock into a green lantern, which he then misplaced when some residents in his town attempted to steal it. While he still possessed another piece of the meteorite, which sustained his life through the late 20th century, both the lantern and the remaining meteorite were claimed by a group of monks who safeguarded these for centuries.

Eventually, Chang’s lantern was claimed by engineer Alan Scott, who used its energy to charge his handcrafted power ring. As the Green Lantern, Scott was able to perform a wide range of feats, just as long as he charged his ring with the Chang’s power battery every 24 hours. During one accidental trip to Earth-S with his All-Star Squadron teammates Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle, he soon ran out of power as his ring’s charge lapsed.

However, Scott correctly surmised that a green meteor would be found in the same location on Earth-S as was that which Chang harvested on Earth-Two. But how could this be, since the Guardians only willed the Starheart’s emerald energy into Earth-Two’s dimension,  not Earth-S?

The Green Flame of Life, which is what the Starheart meteor called itself, had apparently sent a portion of the meteor into the Earth-Three universe. We know this die to the existence of the villainous Power Ring of Earth-Three’s Crime Syndicate. This Syndicator was given his power battery by a mad monk named Volthoom, the counterpart of the Chinese Monk who bequeathed Alan Scott his own battery*. And Power Ring’s emerald jewel has the same weakness as Alan’s, that being all wooden substances. Eventually even Power Ring, although a greedy criminal, still attempted to protect innocents from harm during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. 

The meteor’s correlating energy repository of emerald energy in Earth-One's universe, the planet Oa’s Central Power Battery, was briefly transported to Earth-Two by Sinestro when he attempted to create a Sinestro Corps with his clones. This massive battery took the place of the missing meteor.

After the timely intervention of Alan Scott and his Earth-One counterpart Hal Jordan, the Green Lanterns defeated Sinestro, the Central Power Battery was transported back to Oa, where it would remain. However, a few years later the rogue Malthusian named Krona attacked his brothers in the Guardians of the Universe and their Corps, destroying this main Battery. Another centralized battery was built as a replacement. 

The remnants of the Earth-Three meteor contained within Power Ring’s power battery was later claimed by the visiting Captain Comet of Earth-One. The Captain used it to transport himself to Earth-Two, in pursuit of the Secret Society of Super-Villians. This Earth-Three battery with its concentrated emerald energies took the place of the missing Earth-Two meteorite (which had initially been replaced by the Earth-One central power battery from Oa).

* Alan met his world’s Volthoom during a time travel adventure, when he was inadvertent transported to ancient Camelot. Volthoom was one of a delegation of Chinese ambassadors who were also monks and guardians of the green lantern battery through the centuries.

Migrants of Multiple Earths Thesis: Part 3

In the previous chapters of our Migrants of Multiple Earths Thesis here and there we considered the loss of heroes from Earth-Two that migrated to Earth-One. It would seem that this golden age Earth became a provider for metahumans throughout the Multiverse, as we'll learn in this and future chapters, other Earths experienced this as well in later years. Let's now focus on the Freedom Fighters of three Earths!

We already learned how Uncle Sam, the Ray and Black Condor remained on Earth-X to offset the presence of Baron Blitzkrieg's three Nazi troops from that world. Similarly, Doll Man, the Human Bomb, Phantom Lady and the original Firebrand (not pictured but whom we previously considered) also left their home world of Earth-Two for that hero-less Earth. They were followed to Earth-One in late 1970's by the resident Earth-X bad guy the Silver Ghost.  In the course of their brief but memorable stay on this silver age world, they ended up running from the law for being framed by both foe and bad circumstances, yet did their part to protect another world though not their own.

Interestingly, it was later revealed in the so-called "Diary of Batman" that the Freedom Fighters had at some point during the 1970's journeyed back to the world of their birth, as Batman had said that the Freedom Fighters "have been seen back on this earth in recent years". When would this have occured... before or after their appearances on Earth-One in the mid to late 1970s? 

Well, Batman had delivered his diary to long-time friend Doctor Carter Nichols "months before he died", and it had been tainted with insanity due to mind control inflicted upon Batman's alter ego Commissoner Bruce Wayne by the Psycho Pirate. During that period of time, when Wayne manipulated retired members of the Justice Society into fighting its active members, the Freedom Fighters had left Earth-One following a battle with the Secret Society of Super-Villains. The only way Wayne would know that the Freedom Fighters were back on his Earth is if they visited the Justice Society.

It had been "two years" since the Freedom Fighters, with help from the Justice League and Justice Society, defeated the Nazi Regime on Earth-X. After this, a professor friend of theirs had developed an interdimensional teleporter, which the Fighters first  used to immediately travel from Earth-X to Earth-One. Thus, after a months long stay on Earth-One, Sam used his natural abilities to bring them to Earth-Two. In fact, at that point it seems Doll Man traveled back in time to the late 1940s (no doubt using the Flash’s recently invented time vortex device) to reunite with his first love Martha shortly before she had gained her Doll Girl abilities.

During this period of time, the Secret Society of Super-Villains had been battling individual members of the Justice Society on Earth-Two... while also battling the Freedom Fighters as directed by Silver Ghost. Five members of the Secret Society of Super Villains consisting of the Wizard, Blockbuster, Reverse Flash, Floronic Man, and Star Sapphire were being pursued by the hero known as Captain Comet. Note in the accompanying box the words of their leader the Earth-Two Wizard had spent "several profitable months on Earth-2".*

Meanwhile, on Earth-One, Mirror Master and Copperhead led another faction of the Secret Society into battle with the Freedom Fighters at the direction of Silver Ghost. After this conflict concluded with the Fighters proved victorious, they left Earth-One behind, and soon afterwards Phantom Lady was shown to be operating in the Paris France of Earth-X. Months later, the male members of the Freedom Fighters travel one last time to Earth-One to aid Superman on a case.

After their foray on Earth-Two, the Wizard reviews what became of he and his colleagues, as they were trapped for months in limbo between universes. This no doubt sounds similar to what transpired in the near future, wherein other members of the Secret Society also found themselves trapped in the same netherworld between parallel realities. For the Wizard's team there were five beings of Earth-One (Reverse Flash, Star Sapphire, Floronic Man, and Blockbuster) and Wizard of Earth-Two, while the Ultra-Humanite's team would lead seven beings of Earth-Two (Ultra, Psycho-Pirate, Brain Wave, Rag Doll, the Mist, Monocle... and a seventh in the form of Vulcan who arrived in Limbo through a different manner) and five different beings of Earth-One (Gorilla Grodd, Killer Frost, Cheetah II, Signalman). Of course, Floronic Man of Earth-One and Brain Wave of Earth-Two resided in Limbo twice!

That's eight villains of Earth-One and eight of Earth-Two removed from their native worlds at various times, once more showing how the cosmos offset itself repeatedly despite the best of intentions of these puny mortals. Not to mention the five members of Earth-Three's Crime Syndicate of America, who had been kept in prison there within an emerald bubble for several years!

Interestingly, the first known reference to this inbetween Limbo dimension was when the Crime Champions of Earths One and Two created a base of operations there, in order to escape detection from their foes. Years later, after their defeat, the Champions' enemies.... the Justice League and Justice Society... would co-op these headquarters to team-up with a third heroic group known as the Squadron of Justice from Earth-S.

By the time of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, all members of the Secret Society of Super-Villains, the Crime Syndicate, and all Leaguers, Socialites and Squadroners were back on their native homeworlds. However, several of these malevolent metahumans would resurface during the "Villain War" at the height of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, and under the leadership of Lex Luthor and Brainiac attempt to usurp control over Earths Four, X and S.

* During the several month sojourn of the Secret Society on Earth-Two, the Wizard led his five Earth-One minions into several successful victories versus individual members of the Justice Society. These included the Atom, Doctor Mid-Nite, Mister Terrific, and apparently Starman... the latter of whom had along with his teammates been captured by the Super-Villains. At some point, the active members of the Justice Society became aware of this, and tracked down the Secret Society where they eventually overpowered  the costumed criminals. While the Secret Society fled Earth-Two, the Justice Society successfully freed their colleagues soon after.

Untold Teamup Tales of the Justice League & Justice Society

As evidenced by the existence of an unaffected future for the Legion of Super-Heroes, Brane "Batman" Taylor, Bilbat"Captain Marv", and a Kamandi... there were multiple 30th century timelines set apart from one another. These heroes' realities remained separate and distinct from one another. Their realities... Earth-One, Earth-Two, Earth-S and Earth-A.D... where each their own unique location within the Mulitverse. As previously ascerted, this proves that a future timeline existed and was thus spared from the cross-contamination of a merged post Crisis on Infinite Earths singular universe, which itself would repeatedly reboot and readjust itself.

With this in mind, we can hypothesize additional untold tales of those 20th century heroes, including several annual teamups between the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America. These involved additional teams, on both their own worlds and alternate Earths. This harmonizes with the pattern they set for decades, when the JLA and JSA encountered the Crime Syndicate of Earth-Three, the Lawless League of Earth-A, the Seven Soldiers of Victory of Earth-Two, the Freedom Fighters of Earth-X (and formerly of Earth-Two), the Squadron of Justice of Earth-S, the Legion of Super-Heroes of Earth-One, the New Gods of an adjacent Earth-One reality, and the All-Star Squadron of Earth-Two.

What were some of these teamups? Thanks to the inventive mind of Multiverse historian David Stepp, we get a glimpse into some of these amazing adventures:

• The League and Society teamup with Sentinels of Justice of Earth-Four to defend that world against an incursion by the Crime Champions, a gang of villains originally consisting of Earth-One's Chronos, Felix Faust and Doctor Alchemy and Earth-Two's Icicle, Wizard and Gambler. Evidentally, this sinister six expanded their roster to include Sentinal adversaries the Ghost, Doctor Spectro, Punch and Jewelee. To combat this, JLAers Batman, Green Arrow, and Red Tornado as well as JSAers Atom, Hourman and Starman are joined in the fight by Sentinal members Captain Atom, Nightshade and Blue Beetle as well as their ally the Son of Vulcan. The result of this confrontation undoubtedly proved better for Earth-Four than had the Crisis' "Villain War", which left portions of that world in environmental chaos unleashed by the costumed criminals and their mammoth sentient toxic weapon of war, Chemo.

• The Justice Society journeyed to Earth-One to assist the Justice League and the League's next generation protégées, the New Teen Titans, versus the malevolent Brother Blood and his Church of Blood from the nation of Zandia. Sebastian Blood possibly snatched the Powerstone, prompting the intervention of the JSA. Thanks to the intervention of these three titanic teams, led by New Teen Titans' leader Dick "Robin" Grayson and Justice Society member Dick "Nightwing" Grayson (although why the younger Dick reverted to his Robin alias rather than remain as Nightwing is unknown).

• Sinestro uses his ability to mentally manipulate others (which he has formerly used in a Brave and Bold tale when he controlled the Oan Guardians of Earth-One’s Universe while disguised as one of their own... and later when he exerted mind-control over his fellow Korugarians) to coerce select members of the Green Lantern Corps into becoming his second Sinestro Corps. Apparently, he sought to succeed where he had years earlier failed, when cloning himself a dozen time into the first incarnation of the Sinestro Corp when he and his minions invaded Earth-Two. The Justice Society's involvment in this tale indicates that Sinestro brought over these Corps men and women to Earth-Two for a repeat incursion into that world, one thwarted by the JLA and JSA led by Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Alan Scott of those respective teams.

• In a two-part crossover, the Time Trapper recruits fellow temporal thieves the Lord of Time of Earth-One and Per Degaton of Earth-Two to ensnare the majority of the Justice League and Justice Society in a time trap in the 30th century of Earth-Two. In part two, the remaining Leaguers and Socialites journey to the 30th century of Earth-One to recruit the aid of the Legion of Super-Heroes from that era in helping them battle their old foe Trapper and his cronies, but end up settling for the Legion of Substitute Heroes who help them after defeating the Legion of Super-Villains sent by the Time Trio to thwart them.

• Finally, the Justice Society individually face off against the Crime Society, a version of the Crime Syndicate but from a different world than that of Earth-Three. This Crime Society is modeled off the Justice Lords, a team of renegade superheroes who took the law into their own hand, administering their perverted form of authoritarian justice upon President Lex Luthor and his criminal minions on their world. This Crime Society would undoubtedly have invaded Earth-Two, just as the Crime Syndicate had invaded that world and Earth-One several years earlier. Perhaps the Justice League later became involved, aiding the Society as they had versus the Syndicate.

• These are just a few examples of potential probable plotlines involving the Greatest Heroes of Earths One and Two in a future unobstructed by the calamity that fell upon the Multiverse during the Crisis on Infinite Earths!

Earth-Three Tour de Force: Malevolent Mutants

There has been a long held belief that the pre-Crisis Earth-Three had only six costumed crusaders and/or criminals.. the five Crime Syndicate members known as Ultraman, Superwoman, Owlman, Johnny Quick and Power Rig as well as their arch-foe Alex Luthor. And that would be correct. However, there were other metahumans who menaced that world's population, albeit only briefly.

During his brief freedom from their limbo dimension prison, the Syndicator Power Ring's power battery infected various humans with a radiation plague granting them incredible power. Only the timely intervention and treatment administered by Earth-One's Captain Comet* saved this planet from further chaos at the hands of malevolent malcontents!

Curiously, while the infected power battery gifted him by his former master Volthoom was removed by Comet from Earth-Three, lingering affects remained within Power Ring's... power ring! This is evident when the time traveling tyrant known as Per Degaton of Earth-Two recruited the Crime Syndicate, bringing them to Earth-Prime in 1962 to abscond with intercontinental ballistic missiles from Cuba. While the resulting Cuban Missile Crisis played out differently than in normal history, with most of Earth-Prime left devastated, those few exposed to radiation from Power Ring's ring caused a similar superhuman mutation. With the intervention of the Justice Society, Justice League and All-Star Squadron, the heroes were able to change history back to normal, resulting in these mutants no longer existing in the restored timeline.

Back on Earth-Three, it was thought that Captain Comet reversed the mutation process on those effect in Metropolis using the radioactive power battery, although given the sheer number of those affected this seems unlikely. What became of these creatures is unknown, although they as with all humanity in that universe found an untimely end during the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

* Oh, and that woman in the first panel is Earth-Three's Lois Lane, who would quickly become smitten with her globe's first record superhero, the Captain himself. It would be his inspiration that led to the creation of that Earth's first native-born champion of justice, Alex Luthor, in a few years.

Earth-Three Tour de Force: Similar yet Different

A veritable treasure trove of information was gleaned about Earth-Three, from the latter two appearances of the Crime Syndicate, when they battled the Secret Society of Super-Villains and later as they encountered the Justice League, Justice Society and All-Star Squadron (these Syndicators weren't modest in the appraisal of their powers, given the number of foes they encountered at any one time!) For instance, when five felons of the Secret Society arrived on the Syndicator's world, they quickly learned that while Power Ring had the appearance of Earth-One's Green Lantern aka Hal Jordan, he had the weakness of Earth-Two's Green Lantern aka Alan Scott. Specifically, a vulernability to wood, as illustsrated by the Floronic Man's tree shield which the emerald beam should've been able to cut through. Could Power Ring's power battery, originating in Asia like Scott's, have originated from that universe's Green Flame of Life in the form a a green meteorite? 

Remember, Earth-S had its own version of the meteorite originating from the Starheart just like that found on Earth-Two. Given the similar nature of the energy, defying scientific laws like Alan's ring and the same weakness, it seems likely that this is in fact true. That Power Ring used his alien energy for evil which was not permitted on Earth-Two can be explained away given the reverse logistics of good and evil found in Earth-Three's universe, a trait it shared with the Anti-Matter Universe wherein evil reigned supreme instead of good as in other positive matter universes.

Additional facts revealed from the heroic Captain Comets visit to Earth-Three, in pursuit of the Society, was how this planet's history was dramatically reversed from that of his own (and our's). With America as the dominant imperial power of this world instead of Great Britain and a President John Wilkes Booth instead of Abraham Lincoln, it seemed that each counterpart on this world had a dyametrically different view on world affairs from that of their cosmic twin on Earths One and Two. With the except being the aforementioned (in an earlier post) Lois Lane, who was a heroic reporter on Earth-Three as she was elsewhere.  The curious factoid is that no heroes, prior to Luthor, appeared on this world. Such individuals would have corresponded with the Secret Society of Super-Villains and other devious despots.

Syndicate Superheroes: Criminals No More

The Crime Syndicate were the prominent team of super-humans on Earth-Three, there world's version of the Justice League, Justice Society, Squadron of Justice and Sentinels of Justice. However, unlike those mightiest heroes of Earths One, Two, S and Four... the Syndicate weren't heroes. At least, that's not how they began, nor how they portrayed themselves throughout most of their existence on Earth-Three. They were a highly successful quintet of supervillains who plundered their planet, successfully defeating every threat who opposed them from their world. The Rogue Hunters, and perhaps other similarly stylized high-tech bounty hunters, provided them a challenge throughout the years. Still, only the League and Society were able to vanquish these felons, exiling them for years within interdimensional limbo.

When they eventually escaped their prison and returned home, they each met Earth-Three's first native born superhero, Alex Luthor. The genius inventor, armed with his technologically advanced suit of armor, was able to temporarily stave off the plans of the individual Syndicators. Nevertheless, the five villains were able to repeatedly build upon their ill-gotten gains. Yet something had seemingly changed.

Perhaps it was years of reflection, as to the admiration the League and Society earned by their Earth's inhabitants for their heroic exploits. Perhaps it was due to Alex Luthor's timeless persistent had opposing them. Or perhaps, it was the threat of their world ending during during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Regardless, by the time the anti-matter waves of destructive energy threated Earth-Three during the Crisis, it was the Syndicate who attempted to save as many lives as possible. As the Monitor mentioned, these five were now heroes which he planned to recruit in his strategy to defeat his arch-enemy, the Anti-Monitor... and save the Multiverse.

However, as each Syndicators as well as Alex and Lois Luthor perished with their universe, Monitor recruited replacements to take their place in his mission. Instead of Ultraman, it was his counterpart Superman of Earth-Two. In place of Power Ring, it was another emerald gladiator in the Green Lantern named John Stewart of Earth-One. Rather than the dark knight mental manipulator Owlman, it was the the emotional shadowcast Obsidan of Earth-Three. And substituting for Amazonian Super Woman and super-speedster Johnny Quick was Outsider Geo-Force and Teen Titan Cyborg.

Fascinating Factoids from Earth-Two aka Earth-2

As Thom Kallor aka Star Boy revealed to the assembled heroes of two worlds, the Earth-2 created after the Infinite Crisis was in fact the reconstituted Earth-Two made in its image. As such, life carried on there several years after the original Crisis on Infinite Earths had concluded. Within the Batcave, while interrogating an alternate Power Girl, her counterpart asked if she was a traitor like Judomaster, or a plant of Lex Luthor, or a member of the Crime Society.

These interesting elements of Earth-2 reveal that Sonia Sato existed on that world, assuming the alter ego of Judomaster while gaining the trust... and possible membership... of the Justice Society of America.

On the composite Earth spawned after the first Crisis, Lex Luthor had the foresight to create a clone to house his  malevolent mind... and no doubt Alexie Luthor of Earth-2 would have hatched a similar escape plan should he face his own mortality, which he eventually did aboad Brainiac's spaceship. Hence this second incarnation, known by the abbreviated "Lex" carried on his crusade against his former foe's allies (and this would be the adult counterpart of the son of Earth-Three's Alex Luthor, who migrated to Earth-One after the Crisis).

One wonders who such "plants" were within the Justice Society, perhaps some of the second generation heroes such as had appeared on the post-Crisis Earth's Society? Meanwhile Power Girl flew into space for years seeking a Superman in a limbo pocket realm's replica of his world's Metropolis... alongside his wife Lois, Earth-Prime's Superboy and Earth-Three's Alex Luthor. A realm attached to but inaccessible from Earth-2, whose presence is blocked and/or misdirected by Earth-2's Spectre, who returned after the Crisis.

As for the Crime Society, they were a variation of Earth-Three's Crime Syndicate only they mimic the Justice Society just as the Syndicate replicated the Justice League.... certainly not a far-fetched possibility of such a team existing within the Multiverse of infinite variations of Earth. Apparently, the JSA had occasion to clash with their Crime counterparts, apparently without their League allies joining them on that adventure. In fact, this was probably during the occasion when the Cary Bates of Earth-Prime ended up on Earth-Two and most of the Justice Society were "off Earth", as Bates would have shunted them to the Crime Society's world rather than face the entire assemblage of the JSA.

Transmatter Team Travelling Tales: The Final Two Times

Throughout their history, not only have the combined Justice League and Justice Society used the Transmatter Cubes for their annual gatherings, but individual members have as well. Sometimes, this has led to disasterous results, such as when the Supermen used a damaged Cube to save Earth-One from the alien Krogg and to save the Earth-Two Jimmy Olsen's life. And soon after, when Green Arrow and Black Canary used that same League Cube to travel to Earth-Two, and helped undo an alternate past created by Mark Ronsom the Ravager during World War II. Then there was the time Black Canary returned to Earth-Two to warn the Society about the Adjudicator. Each time, the Cube played a part.

Back in the present, once more the League hosted the Society for that year's gathering, only this time the event was interrupted by Earth-One's criminal Johnny Thunder who used his counterpart's Thunderbolt to immobilize all superheroes on that world. Thankfully, this provided the loophole necessary for the visiting Earth-Two heroes to avoid this same attack, and the Society along with former members Black Canary and Red Tornado aided them in defeating both Thunder and his Crime Champions. On this occasion, Canary learned that the person she thought she was... the Canary of the Justice Society, was actually her now dead mother. Shortly before passing, that Canary asked that her memories be transplanted into the mind of her decades-long comatose daughter, to give her the life denied her due to tragedy.

Following the invasion of Martian forces upon Earth-One, the remaining Justice League members ventured onboard the now destroyed Satellite in order to use the Transmatter Cube one last time to travel to Earth-Two. There, they recruited the Justice Society in helping them defeat Commander Steel and Mekanique, who had taken over their headquarters and held League member Steel hostage. During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Satellite would finally be destroyed along with its Cube, although the Justice Society's Cube remained in good repair despite nearly being destroyed by Vulcan Son of Fire.

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In the history of the annual Justice League / Justice Society teamups, the first ten team-ups transpired during specific times each year when they could traverse to the others' Earth. During this period, at times they would visit one another such as versus the original Crime Champions, the Anti-Matter Man, and Solomon Grundy.

 

During their second meeting, the League visited Earth-Two to help the Society defeat Earth-Three's Crime Syndicate... in the third occasion, the Society returned the favor by travelling to an Earth-One transformed into Earth-A to battle the new Lawless League. Sometimes, such as versus T.O. Morrow* and Creator2, both teams worked on the same case without actually meeting.

Then there were three occasions when the Society enlisted the aid of the League on Earth-Two to assist them in defeating threats such as the Black Sphere villains, Aquarius and the Iron Hand.

Once they employed use of the Transmatter Cubes, the League and Society attempted trading members to the other's headquarters for two simultaneous gatherings on both Earths, only to have these interrupted by sidetrips to Earth-X and New Genesis.

On one occasion, the Society hosted the League at the mansion of Earth-Two's Sandman, during the case wherein they learned of the tragic tale involving Sandy the Golden Boy.  On another occasion, the League hosted the Society at a fancy restaurant in Earth-One's Gotham City, which was interrupted by the Lord of Time and his five time lost heroes-turned-minions.

The League took an unplanned trip to Earth-Two during a case involving Cary Bates and the Injustice Society, while the Society took an unplanned trip to Earth-One to track down Psycho-Pirate and help their friends defeat Mordru. Another tale, not involving the Cubes at all, resulted in both teams working alongside the Squadron of Justice from Earth-S to save all three Earths.

The remaining actual gatherings of the League and Society seemed to favor the two groups meeting onboard the Satellite orbiting Earth-One. Such as during the death of Mister Terrific, the attack of the Secret Society of Super-Villains, the invasion of the Crime Syndicate (although in an alternate timeline, the League traveled to the Society's earlier headquarters to thwart Degaton's scheme), and the aforementioned battle with an evil Johnny Thunder. The final meeting prior to the Crisis, involving Commander Steel, had both groups travel to the other's world briefly.

So in the final estimation, both with and without the Cubes, their creators equally ventured to Earth-One and Earth-Two... for the League to aid their friends, for the Society to party with their pals.

* Morrow used his Futurenergy to create energy duplicates of five friends (Steve Trevor, Jean Loring, Shayera "Hawkgirl" Hol, Midge and Mera Curry) and one foe (Doctor Light) of the League, while Per Degaton's time machine created six temporal duplicates of the Society's old foes (Per Degaton, Wotan, Professor Zodiak, King Bee, Monster and Sky Pirate) from 1948 in 1941. The original friends and foes of these heroes existed separate and simultaneous to their "chronal-clones" on these occasions.

Green Lantern Week: Alien Antagonists

Sinestro was once a prominent member of the Green Lantern Corps, until it was discovered that he ruled his native planet Korugar-One mercilessly. Stripped of his costume and power, he was exiled to the Anti-Matter Universe... to reappear later as an agent of that universe's Weaponers of Qward, the counterparts to Earth-One's Guardians of Oa.

Wielding a power ring that absorbed the green plasma from the Lantern rings and converting it into yellow energy, Sinestro quickly became the deadliest adversary of Earth's Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. These two would have a long running enmity which would culminate across several universes of existence

Sinestro had a long and storied history of conflicts wherein at one point, Sinestro as an energy form (a punishment that the Guardians inflicted upon him for his continued disobedience) traveled to Earth-Two after assuming the form of cab named Goitrude.

The cab was once owned by Doiby Dickles, partner of that world's resident Green Lantern... Alan Scott. Once regaining his natural form, Sinestro recruited three cons from Earth-One and brought them to Earth-Two, wherein he transformed and multiplied them into a Sinestro Corps to control that universe. Both Alan and Earth-One's Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern defeated the assemblage of evil! These gangsters turned clones labeled themselves the "Evil Green Lanterns", but were a short lived group, with imitation power rings.

These three crooks took the place on Earth-Two of three criminals of that world: Crazy Quilt, Captain Challenge and Gentleman Ghost. All three migrated to Earth-One shortly after the three gangsters left for Earth-Two during the Anti-Matter Man’s invasion of both Earths in 1966. Given their cloaking technology, three rogues were able to escape notice of the Justice League and Justice Society, as those teams sent the other trans-dimensional migrants accidentally transported to the alternate Earth back to their home Earth.

When the two true Green Lanterns brought the Central Power Battery back to Oa where Sinestro had stolen it, along with the villain himself, this left the Earth-Two Sinestro duplicates leaderless. What became of them on Earth-Two, or Korugar-Two, is unknown.

Twice-Told-Tales: Majestic Multiverse Myths

The Multiverse holds various Twice-Told-Tales, some chronicled, many left to the imagination. And all tied in to the nature of the cosmos in the DC Universe. This is only natural considering that they all originated from the Earth-One cosmos, when the Malthusian known as Krona unleashed cosmic forces while attempting to view the dawn of creation. As a result, his universe was cloned an infinite number of times to become with countless positive matter and one Anti-Matter Universe of Qward. Undoubtedly the main universe that mirror Krona's own was Earth-Two which seemed to be twenty years ahead of Earth-One due to exhibiting a slower vibratory rate. This may be due to the fact that Earth-One existed for untold eons prior to the other universes, and as such this is a way for all universes to stay in sync.

From Earth-One's universe was spawned the imperfect clones that would become the Bizarro race migrated to a world that Superman remodeled into a square planet at its inhabitants' decree. Several years after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, when the Multiverse was transformed into a single matter and anti-matter universe, another Crisis reignited the Multiverse due to the machinations of Alex Luthor from Earth-Three. Not only was his world recreated, but so was Earth-Zero which mirror the Bizarro Earth of Htrae, alluding to the possibility that the planet which the Bizarros migrated to was actually not in their own universe but a parallel one, accessed by a wormhole Superman used when he first ventured there. This world had a twisted nature, wherein the Bizarro League mirrored the evil sensibilities of the Lawless League from Earth-A and that of Earth-Three with its Crime Syndicate, with sinister counterparts of superheroes.

Then there were the seemingly peripheral planets that didn't seem to resemble Earth-One's Justice League of America and Earth-Two's Justice Society of America, yet had heroes of equal measure. There was, for example, Earth-S that like Earth-Two debuted superheroes in the golden age of the 1940's, and Earth-Four that for the most part had their superhero explosion in the modern age like Earth-One. Then there was the initially hero-less worlds such as Earth-Prime and Earth-X, although they eventually would have their own versions of costumed crusaders. And, lest we forget, just as their was a heroic Justice Alliance of America on Earth-D there was also a Freedom Brigade on Earth-Twelve that were also erstwhile imitators of the League and Society that were more well known. This doesn't even include Earth-666 where Marvel's mightiest reign, nor Earth-MLJ that are published elsewhere....