Favorite part of being a shared universe

[sifighter]

It’s exactly as the title says, what is your favorite part of the dc universe being a shared universe.

For me it’s when character and story elements come together
-It’s when Scarecrow harnesses Yellow Lantern Power so Batman needs the Green Lanterns
-It’s when in Batman/Superman Gordon falls down his old Batman mech to help in a fight
-It’s when the Wonder Twins can intern at the hall of justice
-It’s when Hawkman travels through time and space to see his origin, including Krypton
-It’s when we see other heroes helping out in the background of Justice League.

That’s a short list but I think you get the idea.

So what’s your favorite part of having a shared universe. Feel free to give examples.

[phantom1592]

[j9ac9k]

I liked that the characters had an actual history that could be built upon and for all the interconnections between characters that any writer could potentially bring up at any time. It's all gone out the window now, with all the reboots, you never know which events between which characters or what is canon in terms of past experiences, etc.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

For me, it's the cumulative emotional weight of all the past experiences that these characters have shared together. Those past stories can't be a crutch, but they can certainly add an extra layer of depth and drama to an already good story.

[Vampire Savior]

Playing as Nick Fury in The Punisher arcade game:



Marvel Comics, but that's probably my favorite...

[Lightning Rider]

For me it's simply the relationships and feeling of family. Barry and Hal, Hal and Ollie, Ollie and Dinah, Bruce and Clark (and Diana), Kyle and Wally, Wally and Dick, Dick and the Titans, Ray and Carter, and the various smaller friendships and moments of camraderie. I love they're mythological aspects, but I also love the human attachments & relationship dynamics.

I like the other aspects too though. The DCU is a vast colorful world with so many interesting corners, it's exciting when they overlap or come together for a big confrontation (when done right, of course). And it definitely sucks that it isn't clear at all what kind of past these characters have with each other. Takes a lot of the fun out of it.

[DrNewGod]

For me, it's the cumulative emotional weight of all the past experiences that these characters have shared together. Those past stories can't be a crutch, but they can certainly add an extra layer of depth and drama to an already good story.

Yup. One of the few good things about the Millennium event was its grounding in the old JLA Manhunters arc. Granted the changes to Superman and Wonder Woman made a bit of mess of the backstory, but it had resonance.

I also like the idea that it allows for levels of threats and adventures. A street criminal can be just as horrible to his victim as a Cthulu or a Brainiac, so we need a Green Arrow just as much as a Dr. Fate or a Superman.

[sifighter]

You know what I think I found an image from a series I’m trade reading that gives a great idea of what I mean. It’s from Williamson’s Batman/Superman #3, and I like it because of you look sure it’s about Batman spying on people but you can also see a bunch of heroes together in the hall of justice. You can see the Justice League, Mera, Swamp Thing, Hawkman, the Titans, Phantom Girl of the Terrifics, and Avery from Flash/Justice League of China.

I like seeing a universe together.

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[Restingvoice]

The crossover is what attracted me to DC Comics in the first place. When I saw Infinite Crisis has Villains United, OMAC Project, and so on, my reaction was "Wow! This involve the whole universe! Awesome!" so I started tracking down back issues and making timelines, thinking every comic is like that. I have a word file with a timetable arranged chronologically.

Haha. Useless.

[ducklord]

For me, it's those little moments that tie two characters/concepts together in a way that's unobtrusive, but makes both concepts better in the telling. Things like:

- Morpheus's imprisonment causing the universe to seek out Wesley Dodds to replace him. (I have a similar theory about Destruction and Lobo).
- Woodrue being called upon to perform the autopsy of Swamp Thing.
- The entire line-up of Power Company being drawn from various corners of the DCU.

It's just plain fun.

Bonus: My headcanon of the day: The Cosmic Order of Space Cab Pilots (Space Cabby's group) was founded by Doiby Dickles, former Brooklyn cab driver, and later consort of Myrg.