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.
* 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.
4 comments:
The Phantom Lady/Shadow Lass thing DOESN'T WORK as Shadow Lass/Woman was in the 30th Century and Phantom Lady is in the 20th.
How can a future person who dies in the future not yet born balance out someone from the present.
I think they just got sloppy with the balancing the worlds thing in the 1970's and 1980s.
Hey Barnum, thanks for your input I really appreciate it. Actually, in a way it actually can work when you consider some of the common counterparts. For instance, Superman of Earth-Two existed for several decades before his Earth-One counterpart arrived on the scene. Now given there is that "twenty year" lag time due to vibrations, however it just shows that existing at the exact same time isn't necessary. The Multiverse rights itself eventually.
Also, the Legion...including Shadow Lass...visited the 20th century several times including when she was hiding from Mordru and lived with Lana Lang for a time.
That reference to a "Twenty Year" lag-time was in one JLA/JSA story in the late 1960's and was convenently forgotten - The same year on Both Earths (and most likely the rest of 'em).
There are refences in the 1970's JLA/JSA and Solo Stories of it being present day on Both worlds. Helena Wayne's age and when she became the Huntress is in the right place. Born in 1957,Graduated High School at 16 and Law School at 18,and Became the Huntress at 19 in 1977. (I'm sure even if Her Mother wasn't killed she'd have eventually take up crime-fighting with Her "Big Brother" perhaps spured on by Karen Becoming Power Girl)
To Make Matters worse, Roy Thomas has Jay Garrick mention in "America vs.The JSA" that it "might have been later" on The Other Earth when refering to his first Meeting with Barry Allen. In The Text footnotes, he said something to the effect of "Let Someone else worry about this, (I'm) focusing on The JSA/Earth-Two"
This reminds me - Over on Earth-S ,how can Billy,Mary and Freddy be young teen-agers in 1953 when they were young teen-agers in 1941! Sliding time-line or are there an extra "Earth Fawcett" much like the (theorized) "Earth Quality" where the post-WWII Quality Stories (pre-crisis) stories took place.
But getting back to the topic at hand. While the several decades apart parallel works, having a counterpart a century apart (Even if they spent time in "present day") is a bit of a reach.
So there could be another Earth-One Counterpart to Phantom Lady in the "present day".
Indeed there could be another counterpart, however the evidence collaborated in a future post (and not just relating to her but to SEVERAL Earth-Two heroes that are remarkably similar to Legionnaires) seems tin indicate that they are counterparts. For a time, I thought the Batman foe Nocturna was the counterpart as both were "Knights", she has more in common with another women of the night turned heroic girlfriend. Soon to come...
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