northernbook Chapter 538 Dr. Manhattan slowly uttered a question mark.
Chapter 538 Dr. Manhattan slowly uttered a question mark.
Chapter 538 Dr. Manhattan slowly uttered a question mark.
"But yes, I understand, Pharaoh. I will not forgive you, nor will I condemn you. Human affairs are not my concern. I will leave this galaxy and go to a less complicated place."
I am Dr. Manhattan. On November 2, 1985, I entered the multiverse.
I was drawn to the world of Superman, though I don't yet understand why.
A theoretical physicist named Blackdewey proposed a hypothesis that the universe is constantly splitting into equal timelines.
This is a typical example of the many-worlds theory, according to which the creation of parallel universes is endless, like branches sprouting endlessly. The heroes on this Earth call it the multiverse, and the world before them is located at the center.
On April 18, 1938, Superman made his first appearance. He was the first drag queen and the first person in this world of superheroes.
On April 18, 1938, news of Superman quickly spread throughout the United States. Also on April 18, 1938, the crowds, the cars, Superman—none of that existed. The world had changed.
What happened? Where did he go?
(Note: Readers who haven't read the comics can think of Doctor Manhattan as a powerful alien deity from the Watchmen universe. The most typical characteristic of the DC multiverse is that it is a constantly rebooting universe. It reboots every once in a while, changing the world by delaying Superman's arrival on Earth and creating a brand new timeline.)
Simply put, the DC universe is like a road that is constantly being dug up and re-paved. The road is the timeline, and the "past" of the old road is the upstream of the hypertime stream.
Dr. Manhattan, a country bumpkin from the Watchmen universe, is incredibly powerful, but he's never seen such a bizarre cosmic state. This cosmic state was designed by Perpetual Peperoa, the mother of the multiverse, when she created the DC universe, to continuously generate crisis forces to fuel her power growth.
I am Dr. Manhattan.
My mind is filled with doubt.
I truly don't understand this universe. I'm trying to cut through the fog to comprehend the simple concept of time between worlds.
In November 1940, Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern, had never heard of Superman, and nobody had.
In 1956, Superman first appeared in Metropolis. 25 years earlier, the wind shifted over a farm in Kansas, and Jonathan and Martha discovered a male orphan.
The original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, in 1940 had never heard of Superman because an external force moved his arrival time forward.
The repercussions of this change affected not only this world, but every world in the multiverse. Superman's first appearance was no longer in 1938, but in 1956.
No, it was October 1968; his arrival time on Earth was moved forward once again.
Then it changed again... I can't understand this universe.
In May 1949, young Clark Kent sat by his parents' bedside, keeping them company as they passed away.
In 1956, I watched Clark go to sweep his parents' graves.
In October 1986, while his parents were still alive, Jonathan Kent died in his son's arms a few years later.
(Note: Dr. Manhattan can see both the past and the future, but for the DC universe, the "past" is when the old road still exists, the "future" does not exist at all, and the "present" is the current road. However, on this current timeline that is like a road, there is still a "future" at the "end of the road".)
However, what this "future" at the end of the road is not the future of the time-transcending concept, because the time-transcending "future" is when the next new road will be paved. Dr. Manhattan didn't understand the difference between the time-transcending "future" and the "future" at the end of the road, hence his confusion.
I began to think I had misunderstood the nature of this universe. I looked to the future, following the trajectory of Superman's influence—how could one person have such an impact? Even 1000 years from now… his hope remains.
For many years, Clark Kent felt lonely until one day, three teenagers from the future found him and led him to the 31st century.
(Note: Manhattan thought he had seen a future beyond the current timeline, but he only saw the "end of the road" in the current timeline, which made him even more confused.)
Why is he the center of this universe?
The forces of the Antimonitor and the Murderers are the main cause of the Superman timeline deviation. These dark forces always seem to be trying to redefine Superman with the hope they symbolize... I'm curious.
Like others, I set out to reshape the universe to see how the world around Superman would change. I altered the past to try and challenge the future.
But then, as reality took a sharp turn for the worse, I realized that this universe is not, as people think, part of the multiverse.
It is the multiverse responding to this world, countless parallel worlds, no, 52, and the Dark Multiverse, all born because of the changes in this world.
(Note: The Primordial Universe is what we commonly refer to as the Main Universe.)
This universe is different from the rest of the multiverse; it is the primordial universe, perpetually in flux. Because I removed the core members of the Justice League of America, I took away the Green Lantern from the first Green Lantern, Alan Scott, causing his death in the very accident that made him Green Lantern. I have once again altered Superman.
I watched as my views on the world came to fruition.
(Note: This refers to Dr. Manhattan manipulating the Flash, Barry Allen, to reboot the timeline, causing the New 52 reboot event. Then, when the Flash restored the timeline, he secretly stole ten years from the DC universe.)
Superman was sent to Earth as a child.
Then, on the eve of Clark Kent High School's prom, Jonathan and Martha died in a car accident.
(Note: This is also why the new 52 Superman has neither a father nor a mother.)
Having lost his parents and the army of 31st-century superheroes, Clark became increasingly alienated from humanity. I understood him better and felt closer to him.
(Note: This is also why the new 52 Supermen don't have the "future friends" of the original Supermen.)
Four years ago, I felt the power that changed Superman.
It's intoxicating.
I changed the primordial universe, and in turn, I changed the multiverse.
A few hours ago, the Primordial Universe sensed my arrogance.
He was trying to fight back, sending Wally West, the third Flash who should have been erased from the timeline, to roar in front of me. I began to realize that the Primordial Universe would not sit idly by.
Like an organ struggling to survive, I underestimated certain aspects of this world. This innate hope keeps fighting back, wanting to see the light of day again.
Socrates once told me that all actions will bring both joy and cost.
I have figured out the true meaning of this multiverse, and I will inevitably face its backlash.
I thought the mysteries of this universe had ended there, and I had even begun to prepare for the counterattack of the primordial universe and what would happen when I faced it head-on.
But just now, I discovered something even more baffling.
"Where have I arrived?"
The Supreme Superman stared in astonishment at everything before him.
He appeared in some unknown, bright multiverse, perhaps a parallel universe, but he wasn't quite sure where he was. He was simply surprised to find himself in the universe, unlike when the Anti-Monitor teleported him and he was thrown into a crevice outside the universe.
However, Superman quickly put this question out of his mind.
He looked down at himself. The abundant yellow solar energy had activated every cell in his body, turning him almost golden.
However, at this moment, due to crossing the boundary between the Light Multiverse and the Dark Multiverse, the gold color dimmed considerably.
He looked up and saw that in the distant outer space, countless strands of blue light were weaving together to form a blue, transparent light figure that he did not recognize, appearing before him.
This strange creature was completely naked, glowing blue, with a bullseye-like circle on its forehead, and not a single hair on its head.
Oh, he doesn't have male genitalia yet, so he's probably an armed helicopter.
Dr. Manhattan was also watching the little superhero in front of him.
In an instant, the world exploded before him like a kaleidoscope, with endless parallel universes. He searched through the entire timeline, but he still couldn't figure out where the Supreme Little Superman had come from.
A question mark slowly emerged in his blue head.
?
Superman looked at Dr. Manhattan.
He tilted his head slightly, and a question mark slowly appeared in his mind.
?
Okay, Superman the Younger quickly shifted his attention; he had no intention of caring who this bald, blue-haired naked man was. His only thought was to get back and kill the Anti-Monitor and Batman.
He raised his hand, intending to use the purple lamp ring on his hand to return to the anti-monitor in the same way once again.
After being repeatedly thrown far from the battlefield by the opponent using teleportation, Superman had gradually become familiar with this series of maneuvers.
He should have been able to...
As Superman Supreme worked hard, the purple light ring on his hand suddenly lit up. Just when Superman Supreme thought he would guide him again as before...
The ring went out.
It dimmed again.
"What happened?"
Superman stared blankly at the ring.
He was tortured by Batman for a long time, trapped on the Source Wall, repeatedly teleported like a fool by the Anti-Monitor, fooled by the Monkey Personality, injured by Darkseid using the Black Runner, manipulated and played by Blood Bull, and Batman used illusions to play his most painful past: personally murdering his most respected mentor, the elderly Superman from Earth-2.
Superman had gone through so much, and these experiences had completely and gradually eroded the last vestiges of kindness, humanity, and goodness in his heart, even...
Even when Batman repeatedly thrust his monkey personality into his spine like a spinal sword, Superman the Supreme actually knelt down to negotiate with Batman, and his pride was extinguished at that moment.
He lost everything, and could almost be called a hero. After fully regaining his powerful abilities, the once kind-hearted Superman has completely transformed into a heartless monster.
"What on earth is going on???"
Superman launched an attack on Dr. Manhattan without warning, even though he knew perfectly well that the damage to the ring was not the fault of the blue monster who appeared in front of him.
But he took his anger out on the other party. At this moment, whether Superman the Supreme admits it or not, he has completely and thoroughly become a pure supervillain, and there is no longer any room for him to argue that he is an "anti-hero".
However, Superman the Supreme never intended to resort to such sophistry; he always believed that he was the hero of the Golden Age...
He used to be.
In an instant, an immense force erupted in the universe, and Dr. Manhattan was instantly engulfed in the massive explosion and then vanished into nothingness.
Superman the Youngster punched the blue-skinned monster blocking his way to death, then tore through space and continued his search for the Anti-Monitor and Batman.
Their battle took place near Earth... Wait, why didn't I see Earth when he was fighting the Anti-Monitor? Could the aftershocks he caused have destroyed Earth? Oh well, it doesn't matter, let's get back to the solar system first.
He needs some time to find the right path... This broken path in the universe is completely different from the ones he has walked before.
???
Superman left, and five minutes later, first his skeleton and blood vessels, then his muscles, the blue Dr. Manhattan quickly rebuilt his body on the spot.
He pondered silently.
He appears to be here, but he also exists in the past, five minutes earlier.
Therefore, he can still stand here and look at the grotesque and twisted face of the Superman Supreme when he punched him five minutes ago.
And this grotesque, twisted face, as Dr. Manhattan continued his search, gradually overlapped with a face covered in a beard and draped in a tattered robe.
"Those trapped in time..."
(Note: For details about the Time Trapped, this corrupted version of the future Superman, please refer to Chapter 401.)
"interesting."
Dr. Manhattan's gaze followed Superman Supreme's projection into the Dark Multiverse. He intended to scan directly there to find out what was happening, but he immediately sensed Barbatos and the Anti-Monitor from the upper reaches of the Hypertime Stream working together to block his view.
Dr. Manhattan knew he could break through this barrier, but he chose not to.
He wasn't in a hurry to know about Superman's past; he planned to see what the future held first—the uncertain future of this current timeline.
He has read the future of the current universe.
It's hard to say what he saw...
He...he saw a Batman laughing maniacally.
The opponent had bat wings, a dragon-like body, and was surrounded by numerous nanobots imbued with metallic spirits. Various bizarre Batman physical characteristics appeared on his body: the Destroyer, the Red Death, the Drowned Ghost, Bat-Lyniak… He wielded endless light and heat as if swinging a hammer weighing a thousand pounds, and then—
Boom! ! !
The deafening roar echoed in Dr. Manhattan's ears, its reverberations reverberating and shaking the entire Dark Multiverse.
As the heavy hammer fell, history and the past were altered, as if an invisible force was pushing things forward.
And what's in front of us... is just one of the most ingenious gears.
What... what's going on here?
Dr. Manhattan didn't understand.
He couldn't see the future.
He decided to take another look.
(End of this chapter)