Post-Crisis: Difference between revisions

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The Post-Crisis universe has been rewritten many times since ''CoIE''. ''[[Zero Hour]]'', a [[Crisis Crossover]] from 1994, was meant to resolve the various inconsistences that had been introduced since ''CoIE''; it failed. Later, the concept of [[Hypertime]] was introduced to substitute for the lack of [[Alternate Universe|Alternate Universes]]; it failed. The latest [[Cosmic Retcon]] is ''[[Infinite Crisis]]'', bringing back some of the concepts jettisoned in the original.

** Superman's revised origin was told in the miniseries ''[[The Man of Steel (Comic Book)|The Man of Steel]]'', by [[John Byrne]]. Later, this origin was revised again, in ''Birthright'', by [[Mark Waid]]; and yet ''again'', in ''Secret Origin'', by [[Geoff Johns]].

** Superman's first appearance was not as [[Superboy]], but as an adult, when he first came to Metropolis. (Superboy was [[Retcon|retconned]] back into history by Geoff Johns in 2010). His powers developed gradually, with flight not coming along until his late teens.

** His power source was also tinkered with. For years, his powers had come from "the rays of Earth's yellow sun", but how this worked was never very well-defined. Post-Crisis, his body was essentially a living solar battery, charging up over the years since he was born on Earth (thus accounting for his slowly-developing powers as a child). Nowadays, before doing a real super feat, Superman will sometimes take a moment to charge up with extra solar radiation beforehand. There were also hints that some of his powers might be [[Psychic Powers|psionic]] in nature, such as his observation that it was much easier for him to lift large, heavy objects (like cargo ships) while flying than while standing. (These hints would pan out with the appearance of the Post-Crisis Superboy, a clone with telekinetic powers.)

*** The major types were reintroduced properly late in the Post Crisis era with the arrival of Superman's cousin Supergirl. The only major change is gold kryptonite which now only causes temporary power loss instead of being permanent.

** Prior to the Crisis, Superman had been the character's "real" identity and Clark Kent, uberwimp, was just a convenient disguise. Post-Crisis, this was reversed. Both the glasses and the cape were covers for the "real" Clark Kent, the super-powered Midwestern farmer's son that only his parents were privy to. Both personas grew on Clark since his Man Of Steel origin story (where he had insisted Superman was nothing but a fancy costume), with Kent being a competent, sharp-witted journalist (a far cry from the Pre-Crisis loser) with his own life and friends, and Superman developing important personal friendships with other superheroes, most notably [[Batman]], with whom he had a very different relationship than the pre-Crisis best buds. Likewise, no one suspected that Superman had an alter ego (after all, without a mask, who's to assume he's hiding something?), and Lois Lane was no longer obsessed with discovering his [[Secret Identity]]. In fact she was often much more interested in Clark as he was the only person who ever managed to scoop her. She also was no longer in love with Superman, and instead slowly developed an attraction to Clark during the early '90s.

 

* [[Supergirl]]

 

* [[Wonder Woman]]

 

* Wonder Girl

 

* [[Batman (Comic Book)|Batman]]

** In ''Zero Hour'', it was stated that the murderer of Bruce Wayne's parents was never caught. Dialogue in ''Infinite Crisis'' indicates that this has been [[Retcon|retconned]] out with the murderer, Joe Chill, arrested on the same night for the crime.

*** Also in ''Zero Hour'', the idea of Batman being an "urban legend" was introduced, stating that most people didn't think he actually existed. How true this is held to be has fluctuated. This urban legend part was undone by the 2004 story arc, "War Games".

** Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman had no longer been in the JLA (though each eventually joined after Crisis). Black Canary was [[Retcon|retconned]] into having been a founding member. With ''Infinite Crisis'', all three were re-introduced to the team's history.

*** Additionally, [[Hawkman]] and Hawkwoman were members, but Hawkman was ultimately three different people. At once. Without any clarity. BEFORE his continuity [[Continuity Snarl|got really strange]].

 

* The [[Flash]]

** The "action heroes" created by Charlton Comics, acquired by DC a few years earlier, were introduced into [[The DCU]], including [[Captain Atom]], [[The Question]], and the [[Blue Beetle]]. Captain Atom in particular was altered to the point that he was practically an entirely different character, with his original series [[Retcon|retconned]] in as a cover story for his superhero identity.

 

 

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