An Explanation for the Ending of DC's Convergence
Posted: 5/27/15
So Convergence #8, the last issue of the crossover, came out this week and you might have heard that it did something very interesting. Something that I don’t think anyone expected. Here is my explanation, in the form of a Q&A.
Warning: spoilers inside.
Q: So what happened?
A: The Multiverse was changed...
Q: Again? Isn’t that like the tenth time?
A: Sort of, but this was kind of different. The original Crisis on Infinite Earths was changed.
Q: Really? Did they retcon it out of existence?
A: No, it still happened, it just happened differently.
Q: How so?
A: Well, for one thing, the Multiverse wasn’t destroyed.
Q: WHAT?
A: Yep!
Q: But...how?
A: Well, I have to start at the beginning to explain that. So, okay, remember Brainiac?
Q: Big guy, sometimes a robot, sometimes a green alien, likes to miniaturize cities?
A: That’s him. Well, it turns out that the “real” Brainiac actually exists outside of space and time and was able to witness all of the reboots of the universe and remember prior versions. And he went to those planets who were about to be rebooted and took cities from them, because that’s how he rolls. And then he put those cities under domes on a big world that was also outside of time and space.
Q: So he’s responsible for all this Convergence mess?
A: Well, not quite. See, at the end of the weekly series The New 52: Futures End, Brainiac was trapped inside one of Mr. Terrific’s T-Spheres. This left his planet of domed cities under the care of Telos, his servant. Big mistake. Telos decided that in order to choose which city would survive, he would pit them against one another and have them duke it out. Last city standing and all that.
Q: So he’s the one responsible?
A: Kind of? He’s the one that kickstarted the crossover, certainly, but it turned out that Brainiac had lied to him. Brainiac had told him he was the robotic intelligence of the planet, but in actuality he was one of the previous inhabitants of the planet, which turned out to be Skartaris.
Q: That place from Mike Grell’s The Warlord? I thought that was in the center of the Earth?
A: Actually, it turned out to be another dimension that you could only get through by traveling...you know what, never mind. Basically, the villain of The Warlord, Deimos, takes over the planet when Telos leaves.
Q: So Deimos is the one responsible?
A: Actually, yes. It turns out that Deimos kidnapped a bunch of time travellers to extract their “time energy” (just go with it) in order to get infinite power. However, Hal Jordan-Parallax kills him and ends up releasing that “time energy” which starts causing reality to break.
Q: Goddamn Parallax.
A: You’re telling me. In any case, all that “time energy” had basically turned the planet into a bullet that would “shatter the Multiverse.” So the Time Masters have to free Brainiac, who realizes that it would actually suck if this happened, so he wants to use the “time energy” to send all the domed cities back to their own realities and planets.
Q: So how does this tie in Crisis on Infinite Earths?
A: Well, it turns out that even though Brainiac wants to do this, he can’t. The original Crisis is preventing him from sending back those characters, acting like a wall. So the pre-Crisis Flash and Supergirl must go back first and sacrifice themselves in the Crisis to prevent the destruction of the universe so that Brainiac can send the other cities back to prevent to the destruction of the Multiverse. (Whew.)
Q: Well, that’s tragic.
A: It is...until Hal Jordan-Parallax realizes how much he screwed up and says, “Wait, I want to go with you guys and help.”
Q: Wait, what?
A: Yeah, Parallax volunteers to go with the pre-Crisis Flash and Supergirl. And then a bunch of other heroes volunteer, including pre-Flashpoint Superman and Lois Lane, who has just had an adorable baby. And Brainiac says, “Okay, fine, everyone can go, are you happy.”
Q: So they also go back to the original Crisis?
A: Yep. And they manage to save the Multiverse, instead of just a single Earth (although we’re not sure how yet). And then Brainiac sends everyone home, except for the Earth-2 heroes (whose home was destroyed) who get the Convergence planet as their new home.
Q: So, wait, how many Earths are there in the Multiverse now?
A: I’m assuming it’s back to “infinite.” It’s probably one reason why DC stopped the “New 52” branding.
Q: So all the pre-Crisis worlds are back?
A: Well, sort of. Brainiac explains that they have “evolved” and are different, but that they still exist. We don’t exactly know what that means.
Q: ...is DC just fucking with us now?
A: I’d go with: yes. But, in any case, now they can tell stories on whatever Earth they like. For instance, the Harley Quinn and Power Girl mini-series appears to be using a pre-Flashpoint version of Power Girl.
Q: So is the main Earth changed? Did it reboot?
A: Nope, the main Earth-0 is pretty much the same. The other reboots still happened, it’s just the original Crisis that was changed.
Q: Is there anything else I need to know?
A: Nope, that’s it.
So Convergence #8, the last issue of the crossover, came out this week and you might have heard that it did something very interesting. Something that I don’t think anyone expected. Here is my explanation, in the form of a Q&A.
Warning: spoilers inside.
Q: So what happened?
A: The Multiverse was changed...
Q: Again? Isn’t that like the tenth time?
A: Sort of, but this was kind of different. The original Crisis on Infinite Earths was changed.
Q: Really? Did they retcon it out of existence?
A: No, it still happened, it just happened differently.
Q: How so?
A: Well, for one thing, the Multiverse wasn’t destroyed.
Q: WHAT?
A: Yep!
Q: But...how?
A: Well, I have to start at the beginning to explain that. So, okay, remember Brainiac?
Q: Big guy, sometimes a robot, sometimes a green alien, likes to miniaturize cities?
A: That’s him. Well, it turns out that the “real” Brainiac actually exists outside of space and time and was able to witness all of the reboots of the universe and remember prior versions. And he went to those planets who were about to be rebooted and took cities from them, because that’s how he rolls. And then he put those cities under domes on a big world that was also outside of time and space.
Q: So he’s responsible for all this Convergence mess?
A: Well, not quite. See, at the end of the weekly series The New 52: Futures End, Brainiac was trapped inside one of Mr. Terrific’s T-Spheres. This left his planet of domed cities under the care of Telos, his servant. Big mistake. Telos decided that in order to choose which city would survive, he would pit them against one another and have them duke it out. Last city standing and all that.
Q: So he’s the one responsible?
A: Kind of? He’s the one that kickstarted the crossover, certainly, but it turned out that Brainiac had lied to him. Brainiac had told him he was the robotic intelligence of the planet, but in actuality he was one of the previous inhabitants of the planet, which turned out to be Skartaris.
Q: That place from Mike Grell’s The Warlord? I thought that was in the center of the Earth?
A: Actually, it turned out to be another dimension that you could only get through by traveling...you know what, never mind. Basically, the villain of The Warlord, Deimos, takes over the planet when Telos leaves.
Q: So Deimos is the one responsible?
A: Actually, yes. It turns out that Deimos kidnapped a bunch of time travellers to extract their “time energy” (just go with it) in order to get infinite power. However, Hal Jordan-Parallax kills him and ends up releasing that “time energy” which starts causing reality to break.
Q: Goddamn Parallax.
A: You’re telling me. In any case, all that “time energy” had basically turned the planet into a bullet that would “shatter the Multiverse.” So the Time Masters have to free Brainiac, who realizes that it would actually suck if this happened, so he wants to use the “time energy” to send all the domed cities back to their own realities and planets.
Q: So how does this tie in Crisis on Infinite Earths?
A: Well, it turns out that even though Brainiac wants to do this, he can’t. The original Crisis is preventing him from sending back those characters, acting like a wall. So the pre-Crisis Flash and Supergirl must go back first and sacrifice themselves in the Crisis to prevent the destruction of the universe so that Brainiac can send the other cities back to prevent to the destruction of the Multiverse. (Whew.)
Q: Well, that’s tragic.
A: It is...until Hal Jordan-Parallax realizes how much he screwed up and says, “Wait, I want to go with you guys and help.”
Q: Wait, what?
A: Yeah, Parallax volunteers to go with the pre-Crisis Flash and Supergirl. And then a bunch of other heroes volunteer, including pre-Flashpoint Superman and Lois Lane, who has just had an adorable baby. And Brainiac says, “Okay, fine, everyone can go, are you happy.”
Q: So they also go back to the original Crisis?
A: Yep. And they manage to save the Multiverse, instead of just a single Earth (although we’re not sure how yet). And then Brainiac sends everyone home, except for the Earth-2 heroes (whose home was destroyed) who get the Convergence planet as their new home.
Q: So, wait, how many Earths are there in the Multiverse now?
A: I’m assuming it’s back to “infinite.” It’s probably one reason why DC stopped the “New 52” branding.
Q: So all the pre-Crisis worlds are back?
A: Well, sort of. Brainiac explains that they have “evolved” and are different, but that they still exist. We don’t exactly know what that means.
Q: ...is DC just fucking with us now?
A: I’d go with: yes. But, in any case, now they can tell stories on whatever Earth they like. For instance, the Harley Quinn and Power Girl mini-series appears to be using a pre-Flashpoint version of Power Girl.
Q: So is the main Earth changed? Did it reboot?
A: Nope, the main Earth-0 is pretty much the same. The other reboots still happened, it’s just the original Crisis that was changed.
Q: Is there anything else I need to know?
A: Nope, that’s it.
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