Earth-Two

     Reality names were reused several times. See also Earth-2, Earth 2, JLA: Earth-2.

History

Pre-Crisis

Earth-Two was the reality designation attributed to the planet Earth, and the Universe it inhabited, that existed prior to the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Earth-Two itself was populated by various individuals who resembled those of its primary Multiversal counterpart, Earth-One. Some were direct parallels to their predecessors (ex. Superman (Earth-One) and Superman (Earth-Two)), some less so (ex. Atom (Al Pratt) and Atom (Ray Palmer)). The two Earths were closely linked in terms of parallel development, although Earth-Two individuals usually predated their Earth-One counterparts by a few decades. For a complete list of Earth-Two inhabitants, see List of Earth-Two Characters.

Prior to the events of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the reality termed as Earth-Two was populated by heroes who emerged during the Golden Age, including the Justice Society of America and the native incarnations of Superman (Kal-L), Batman (Police Commissioner Bruce Wayne), Robin (Ambassador Richard "Dick" Grayson) and Wonder Woman (Princess Diana Trevor, wife of U.S Army General Steve Trevor) to this reality all emerged prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which led to the United States' involvement in World War II.

World War II

• In Earth-Two's version of the months leading up to WWII, the Axis Powers included: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Dukalia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Napkan, Nural, Oxnalia, Romania, Syronia, Toran, Twerpan, and others.
• In Earth-Two's version WWII, the neutral and overrun nations included: Bahdnisia, Boravia, Galonia, Kurtavia, Luthoria, Nestralia, Numark, San Monte, and others.
• After America's entry into WWII during December 1941, the fictional evil nations seemingly disappeared.

Forgotten Catastrophes

• Earth Two's history includes a number of catastrophic events, including terrorist attacks and world-takeover attempts, in addition to WWII and subsequent "real world" wars. Most of these events were never mentioned again in any subsequent story. These included:
  • Washington, D.C.:
    • In 1936 the Capitol Building was destroyed by a gang of gas-masked terrorists, using a large armored tank.
    • In 1939 the Capitol Building was destroyed again, as was the U.S. Treasury, by Prof. James Barton, using radio-controlled missiles.
  • New York City area:
    • New York City was flooded in 1939, due to polar icecap melting, caused by Berhener's heat ray.
    • New York City was attacked from the air by Dr. Carl Kruger and his Scarlet Horde, with zeppelins and death rays, killing hundreds, in 1939.
    • An unknown number of subway passengers were electrocuted by Doctor Hastor's electrical weapon in 1940..
    • Several large buildings in the downtown area got knocked down by Alexander the Great's gravity weapon in 1940.
    • A big suspension bridge in the New York City area was destroyed by Hugo Vreekill's metal-dissolving weapon in 1940.
    • The entire populations of two cities near Cliffland were found dead, in 1941.
    • Also in Cliffland in 1941, an entire section of the city was destroyed in a volcanic eruption, then giant icebergs knocked down several skyscrapers, and then the city was flooded to a depth of several stories, with thousands of casualties in all three events.
    • An airship-based attack using Jonathan Klegg's Fireball Launcher caused widespread destruction and panic, and an unknown casualty count, in mid-1941.
    • Another aerial attack using Ivan Borloff's metal-dissolving ray also caused widespread destruction and panic, and a terrible casualty count, in mid-1941.
  • Nation-Wide:
    • A series of artificial earthquakes spread destruction and panic across a variety of locations in the United States, by Captain Vurm's scientific machinery, in 1941.
  • Africa & Arabia
    • Ulonda, a little-known city in the Sahara, and a rich source of radium, was attacked by a renegade warlord, Zolar, with a fleet of radium-powered sky-ships, armed with the "meteor death" weapons, which rained deadly orbs onto the city, engulfing Ulonda in awful destruction, killing probably hundreds and perhaps thousands, of Ulondian civilians.
  • Latin America:
    • Mexico City: Amid a bloody, supernaturally-instigated, race war, an enormous Aztec-style step-pyramid emerged from the pavement in the center of town, creating massive destruction among surrounding streets and structures, to loom over the entire city. Afterward the participants had only confused and incomplete memories of this carnage, and many of their fellow citizens were dead. The chronicles make no mention of this hideous edifice ever being removed or dismantled.
  • World-Wide:
    • The Earth's rotation was halted by Adam Igorovich's scientific machinery, and then the Earth was drawn closer to the sun, in 1941.

Incomplete
There's something missing here. This section of the article is incomplete, and contains information, but requires more before it can be considered complete. You can help DC Database by editing this page, providing additional information to bring this article to a higher standard of quality.

Post-Crisis

During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Earth-Two ceased to exist, though aspects, characters, and localities from it were effectively merged with aspects of Earth-One, Earth-Four, Earth-S, and Earth-X to form one composite universe. The most noted surviving aspect was many of the non-duplicate heroes (including members of the Justice Society such as Jay Garrick, Alan Scott and Ted Grant) were recreated to be native to the New Earth reality.

By some yet unexplained occurrence, both Kara Zor-L (known as Power Girl) and Per Degaton both survived the historical elimination of Earth-Two, and retain their original multiverse Earth-Two origin basis.

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the designation of "Earth-2" was given to New Earth by the Alexander Luthor of the antimatter Earth that was populated by the third incarnation of the Crime Syndicate. Due to the way the JLA: Syndicate Rules back cover reads some readers think "Earth-2" refers to the antimatter reality when it in fact referred to the DC Primary Earth.

Hypertime

Copies of some Earth-Two characters appeared as "ghosts" in the superhero-themed restaurant Planet Krypton which in reality was an arsenal. Among the weapons in the restaurant was Alan Scott's power ring (along with Power Ring's and a regular Green Lantern ring). An Earth-Two like Superman is shown trying to penetrate a barrier around his city and later realizes he has a door "even if he is not going to use it. Not today anyway."

Infinite Crisis

A copy of the Pre-Crisis Earth-Two was briefly made, along with other divergent realities, during an event called "Infinite Crisis". This incident saw the return of two Earth-Two's original denizens Kal-L (Superman) and his wife Lois Lane Kent, both of whom had disappeared into a paradise-like dimension following the events of the first Crisis. Accompanying them was Alexander Luthor - the sole survivor of Earth-Three and architect behind Earth-Two's re-creation and Superboy-Prime. This duplicate Earth-Two was barren and unpopulated and was ultimately recombined into New Earth at the end of Infinite Crisis.

In the Thy Kingdom Come storyline after the Earth-22 Superman appeared Wally West and Jay Garrick use the cosmic treadmill an attempt to visit Earth-Two and along the way they glimpse what looks like Earth-Two before arriving in the void that was Earth-Two. Later Power Girl is transported to that Earth which not only remembers "red skies" (a common reference to Crisis) but seems to be a carbon copy of the old Earth-Two; problem is it already has a Power Girl. Starman eventually reveals that Alexander Luthor's actions rebirthed the multiverse which is why the revived Earth-Two had its own Power-Girl (and why its Krytonite effected the New Earth Power Girl).

Convergence

The actions of Brainiac, Parallax and the Superman of New Earth undid the events of the original Crisis, restoring Earth-Two and the rest of the infinite Earths to the Multiverse.

Points of Interest

Unusual Geography, cities:

A significant number of American cities existed uniquely on Earth-Two, and many of these had no direct counterparts on "nearby" parallel worlds such as Earth-One or Earth-S. Examples include:

• Appleton City and Cosmos
• Calvin City
• Capitol City and Federal City
• Cliffland

Unusual Geography, nation-states:

A significant number of modern nations existed uniquely on Earth-Two, and many of these had no direct counterparts on "nearby" parallel worlds such as Earth-One or Earth-S. Examples include:

• Aculpec, in Central America
• Badhnisia, in South China Sea
• Bartilia
• Bolaria
• Boravia, in Europe
• Cabbagia, in Europe
• Dukalia, in Europe
• Emporia
• Frappe
• Galonia, in Europe, bordering Toran
• Gavonia, in Europe, bordering Resbia
• Kafoonistan, in Asia
• Kurtavia, in Europe, bordering Nural
• Latara, in South America
• Luthoria, bordering Twerpan
• Luxen, bordering Thoria
• Napkan, in Eastern Asia
• Nestralia, in Southern Europe
• Numark, in Europe, bordering Oxnalia
• Nural, in Europe, bordering Kurtavia
• Oxnalia, in Europe, bordering Numark
• Resbia, in Europe, bordering Gavonia
• San Monte, in South America
• Santa Flora, in Latin America
• Sung Wei, in China, on the East China Sea Coast
• Syronia, in Latin America
• Thoria, bordering Luxen
• Toran, in Europe, bordering Galonia
• Twerpan, bordering Luthoria
• Verdania, in South America
• and others.

Unusual Geography, secret kingdoms and lost civilizations:

A significant number of alien outposts, secret kingdoms, and lost civilizations, some populated and some not, existed uniquely on Earth-Two, and many of these had no direct counterparts on "nearby" parallel worlds such as Earth-One or Earth-S. Examples include:

• African city of Ophir, ruled by Queen Setap, destroyed by Zatara, in 1939.
• African mines of Ophir, near the Red Cliffs, unconfirmed location scouted by Professor Kent and Congo Bill, in 1941.
• African hidden city of ape-men, found by Professor Gladstone and Slam Bradley in 1938.
• African isolated, ancient, walled-in city of "Link Men," found by Raoul D'Armand and Zatara in 1940. The city is set amid a vast grassy savannah, atop a steep mesa-like plateau, and is now populated only by stone statues of apelike men or manlike apes.
• Anglonia, in an uncharted mountain range near Palestine, isolated for 600 years, home of medieval European peasants and armored knights, as discovered by Steven Trevor and Wonder Woman in 1947. Anglonia changed from a feudal fiefdom to a democracy in the late 1940s.
• Antarctic Bitterland, home of the evil Seal Men, enemies of Eveland.
• Antarctic Eveland, a hidden land near the South Pole, a Venusian colony, led by Eve, the daughter of Queen Desira of Venus, as discovered by Wonder Woman in the mid-1940s.
• Antarctic Mayala, an underground valley in which live the mingled remnants of the ancient Mayan and Aztec empires, as discovered by Cotton Carver in 1939. Carver's career carried him onward to a series of underground kingdoms and civilizations, including the Land of Queen Kothe, and others.
• Atlantic undersea secret city of the evil race of Moon Men, gassed to death by Zatara in 1940.
• Atlantis, a lost city in an underwater cavern, found by Zatara in 1939.
• Atlantis, an uninhabited ancient sunken city, found by Aquaman's father in the 1920s. This famous ocean explorer built himself a watertight home within one of the palaces, and lived there, studying the records and devices of the ancient race, for decades.
• Atlantis, a populated city in an undergound cavern, in or near the Azores, found by the Three Aces in 1941. These people called themselves "Normen", and were jointly ruled by hereditary monarchial siblings Sasha and Hagad. Hagad married Ingrid Svenson, an old friend of the Three Aces. Atlantean Normen had radium-powered rocket ships, and a vast supply of radium. Their Goddess was called "Tanis".
• Brazilian Cave, in Matto Grosso, defended by a tribe of dwarf people, containing a large platinum idol and a man-sized platinum statue of the late Fred Hart.
• Dolorosa Island, home to several strange species of life, humanoid and otherwise.
• Egyptian Temple of Philae, beside the Nile River, original lair of the ancient wizard Amen-Hotep.
• Himalayan "Hidden Paradise", in Nephul territory, discovered by Professor Gladstone and Captain Desmo in 1939. This hidden tropical valley is home to Himalayan crocodiles and Himalayan giant cannibals.
• Himalayan realm of The Seven, Doctor Occult's secret masters.
• Himalayan Tibetan Monastery of mad Lama Jerbel, site of the 1939 world takeover plot.
• Lost Valley, said to be "ruled by reptiles", as visited by Green Arrow and Speedy in 1949.
• Mexican hidden city ruled by Herbert Handers the Gorilla King, and his army of human-brain-transplanted gorillas, as discovered and destroyed by Zatara in 1939.
• In the Mexican Sierra Madre mountains, remnants of an old Aztec city, with a large room filled with gold items, as discovered by Gunner Bill, Whistler Will, and Fog Fortune in 1940.
• In the Mexican Yucatan jungles, southeast of Merida, the "Lost Pyramid of Kukulkan," with sorcerous artifacts and texts, as discovered by an unnamed German archaeologist/occultist, who used these items, in December 1941, to attain supernatural super powers.
• In New York Bay, the undersea canyon home of the Kogat invaders, destroyed by Hawkman in 1940.
• The Pacific "Island that Time Forgot", a volcanic island populated by Neanderthals, with a monstrous Roc living in the volcano. An Imperial Japanese agent trained the male Neanderthals as soldiers, and issued them machine guns. The island was volcanically exploded in 1942.
• Paradise Island, home of Hippolyta's nation of Amazons, site of the Fountain of Youth.
• Sahara Desert City of Ulonda, half-destroyed in a "meteor death" attack by the renegade warlord Zolar in 1940.
• The Sealed City, ruled by the Gorrah, discovered by Tex Thomson in 1938.
• South American "Land Beyond the Clouds," Captain Vurm's final hideout.
• South American "Red City," a lost Inca colony, site of the Fountain of Youth.
• unnamed subterranean colony of green, hairy, speechless, all-male "sub-men", encountered and dominated by the Ultra-Humanite in 1942.
  
  

Residents

 Main article: Earth-Two Characters

Notes

• Earth-Two superheroes appeared on Earth-One beginning with Flash #123. The concept of Earth-Two was developed by writer Gardner Fox after an initial concept by Julius Schwartz.

• However, Schwartz's initial idea was that the original Golden Age characters existed in "Earth 1" and the current Silver Age characters in "Earth 2". This concept was mixed up, resulting in the current universe designation.

• The existence of the Pre-Crisis Earth-Two Universe was known to the superhuman (both heroic and villainous) populace of Earth-One and several other Earths including Earth-X and Earth-Three. . However the general populace of these other Earths were ignorant of the existence of Pre-Crisis Earth-Two.
• Many, though not all, Golden Age stories have been retroactively attributed to Earth-Two continuity. The original Earth-Two history was based on much of the mainstream DC Comics stories published between 1935 and 1955 and were considered to be part of the greater Earth-Two environment, though some aspects of the original stories of the primary heroes including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman of Earth-Two were later retconned heavily to be different from the actual books of that era such as Earth-Two Superman marrying Lois Lane in the early 1950s and becoming editor-in-chief of the Daily Star and Batman marrying a reformed Catwoman in 1955.

Many readers today usually denote the Golden Age Characters to mean the actual characters who actually appear in the books of this era. Though some still call the Earth-Two characters as the Golden Age version, despite the Earth-Two characters being very different from the actual characters in the books of that era.

To address some of these differences an "Alternate Earth-Two" (Earth-Two-A) was suggested by E. Nelson Bridwell in the Superman Family letters page and formally canonized in The Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Index (March 1986).

The Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium lists an "Earth-B2" which refers the reader back to an nonexistent Earth-Forty-Six listing. What this reality was and how it differed from Earth-Two is unknown.

• "Golden Age" Earth-Two was retroactively wiped out of existence (as with the rest of the Pre-Crisis Multiverse due to events in Crisis on Infinite Earths with a close (if not exact copy) copy created at the end of 52. Flash: Flashpoint saw a very different Earth 2 and according to Jeff King "Post-Convergence, every character that ever existed, in either Continuity or Canon, is now available to us as storytellers." which means that Earth-Two, Earth-2, and Earth 2 now all exist.

Lois Lane of Earth-One meeting Kal-L of Earth-Two and learning of multiple Earths and some differences between the two Supermen

Trivia

• Bob Rozakis listed the issues where the transfer from Earth-Two to Earth-One characters happened in the Daily Planet promotional page Vol 76 #5 week of Feb 5, 1979:

• Batman: Batman #126 and Detective Comics #327.
• Superman: definitely before Action Comics #252 and Rozakis vaguely remembered someone presenting Superman #127 as the last Earth-Two Superman adventure.

• The term "Earth-2" has been used to refer to other Earths:

• The DC Primary Earth was named "Earth-2" by the Anti-Matter Lex Luthor in JLA: Earth-2.
• Marvel's Earth-616 in JLA/Avengers #3 is called "Earth-2" by Hal Jordan.

See Also

• Characters from Earth-Two
• Other things related to Earth-Two
• Earth-Two's Comic Appearances
• Reality Gallery: Earth-Two

Links and References

• Earth-Two based on the article "Comments on a Finite Number of Earths" in The Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover Index by Lou Mougin and Mark Waid.
• Earth-Two Timeline from Blaklion
• Earth-Two timeline from the Five Earths Project (Note: contains some data from fan fiction)
• Earth-Two Chronology from Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics