Warner Brothers is stepping up its game with new original series’ based on DC films, according to Comicbook. The DC universe is based around a complex theory that was coined by psychologist William James in 1895, this theory is known as the multiverse. In theory, the multiverse comprises several different realities where the individuals living within these separate realities make alternative choices.
CW’s The Flash covers this theory with several changes to timelines and characters. On earth one, the character Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh, Ed Stevens) turns out to be a treacherous time traveling speedster named Eobard Thawne. On earth two, he is a professional scientist who tries to help Barry fight injustice.
The idea behind the multiverse is that there are several different versions of the same character and it’s all based around separate choices and variant consequences that occur based on how the character reacts. This concept will be the backbone of the new original series that HBO Max will produce.
These new series will spinoff of upcoming DC films such as Mat Reeves’ The Batman, and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. “Television spinoffs from “The Batman” and “The Suicide Squad” are headed to HBO Max,” according to The New York Times. In addition, HBO Max will be hosting another new series called Superman and Lois, a spinoff of The CW’s Supergirl starring Tyler Hoechlin (Abe, Palm Springs) and Bitsie Tulloch (Juliette Silverton, Grimm) that will center around the relationship of Lois Lane and Clark Kent.
The hope is that with the multiverse theory DC will be able to keep the best parts of their shared universe, both cinematic and television based, and compensate for the other narratives that didn’t quite grab the audience the way they imagined. “The answer is the multiverse. Boiled down, it means that some characters (Wonder Woman as portrayed by Ms. Gadot, for instance) will continue their adventures on Earth 1, while new incarnations (Mr. Pattinson as “The Batman”) will populate Earth 2,” according to The New York Times.
With their new original shows DC will be able to explain certain events that take place and why audiences are seeing new actors take the role of their favorite heroes. Embracing the DC multiverse will give creators more freedom and usher in a new age of storytelling where the audience can see two different actors play the same role simultaneously like when Grant Gustin’s (Sebastian Smythe, Glee) Barry Allen met Ezra Miller’s (Patrick, Perks of Being A Wallflower) Barry Allen in The Flash. Watch the scene below to see both versions of Flash meet in person.