DC Just Canonized Everything in the Most Genius Way (& It Wasn’t Even Hard)

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DC Comics has a famously complicated past, often restarting its storylines and leaving fans to piece together their own versions of events, particularly in recent years. Now, DC is working to create a clearer, more accessible universe, especially with the launch of the DCU. The new miniseries, New History of the DC Universe, aims to do just that, finally establishing an official timeline for the DC Universe. The fourth and final issue clarifies everything that’s happened since the major 2011 reboot, known as the New 52.

DC Comics’ history has always been complicated, and the New History of the DC Universe series aimed to clarify it. The series surprisingly reintroduced elements fans thought were lost to history, like parts of the original DC Multiverse before the Crisis, and also blended in storylines from the New 52 era. The final issue specifically addresses the New 52 and what happened afterward, successfully weaving everything together into one consistent, easy-to-understand timeline.

DC Has Canonized Everything

Over the years, DC Comics has frequently revised its history. The story Crisis on Infinite Earths simplified everything by merging all alternate universes into one. Infinite Crisis then brought those alternate universes back, largely due to the actions of Alexander Luthor and Superboy-Prime. The series 52 reintroduced these worlds after a long absence, with Booster Gold and Mister Mind playing key roles. Later, the New 52 rebooted the DC universe, and it was eventually revealed that Doctor Manhattan from Watchmen was responsible for both altering and then restoring the original timeline, effectively undoing his changes.

When DC announced their new history project, I, like a lot of fans, was really curious to see what they’d do. We figured they’d undo a lot of the controversial stuff from the New 52, but it turned out to be way more complicated than that. Basically, almost everything that’s ever happened in a DC comic is still considered official canon now. Most of the changes were pretty minor – things like tweaking the details of John Byrne’s Man of Steel reboot to bring back the classic preCrisis Superman origin. But Byrne’s run still happened, and so did everything else that followed Crisis* – they kept that single, unified DC universe intact.

DC’s official storyline now primarily follows the events of the comic books, which is a shift from the past. For instance, the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline now matches the comic book version – previously, it played out differently within the DC Universe established after the Anti-Monitor was defeated. Similarly, the events of Flashpoint align with the original comics. While this might seem obvious, it’s a significant departure from how DC’s continuity worked before.

DC Comics continuity can be tricky because events in the comics don’t always stay consistent within the DC Universe. For example, the storyline Flashpoint in the New 52 was only remembered by Barry Allen because the reality it created no longer existed. While Flashpoint happened exactly as it was depicted, the characters now have a shared history that includes it, alongside other major events like Crisis on Infinite Earths and the older, more expansive DC multiverse that existed before Crisis. Essentially, everyone remembers all these different versions of reality happening to them.

DC Kept It Simple

DC Comics solved its complicated history in a surprisingly simple way. Instead of relying on a major event or powerful character to rewrite everything, they acknowledged that all previous storylines did happen – just in different universes. This means fans don’t have to question if a particular comic is ‘canon’ anymore. The heroes themselves are now aware of this multiverse, giving them a broader understanding of reality than they had after past reboots like Crisis on Infinite Earths or Flashpoint.

DC Comics frequently overcomplicates things, which is a major reason Marvel has been more successful in sales. Previously, people who only read Marvel heard about DC’s constant reboots of its history and were discouraged. However, DC has now found a clever solution: acknowledging that all past reboots and events actually happened. This straightforward approach addresses a long-standing issue that has hindered DC for years.

New History of the DC Universe #4 is on sale now.

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2025-10-25 00:40