Search for:

—

Welcome to the official REBIRTH ERA TIMELINE (aka “Post-Superman Reborn Timeline”). The Rebirth Era timeline is home to the Batman of REBIRTH ERA EARTH-0. This full Rebirth Era history comprises Batman and Batman-related DC publications ranging primarily from 2017 onward. It also includes soft-reboot alterations made from the conclusion of Doomsday Clock and Flash Forward. Be aware that, in terms of nomenclature, the Rebirth Era, like the New 52 before it, is still a part of what is alternately known as the “New Age,” “Current Age,” “New Golden Age,” the “Second Golden Age,” or the “Prismatic Age.”

In July 2016, DC published DC Universe: Rebirth #1, the start of their “Rebirth” initiative, a precursor to a reboot that would officially occur less than a year later. Let me repeat that with added emphasis: The Rebirth Era aka Post-“Superman Reborn” reboot did not actually start with the publication of “Rebirth” branded stories in July 2016. Despite nine months’ worth of “Rebirth” branded titles, complete with line-wide blue curtain “Rebirth” trade dressing, the rebooted Rebirth Era didn’t technically begin until spring of 2017 with the multiverse-shattering conclusion to “Superman Reborn” (in Action Comics #976). This issue gave us the out-and-out full reboot that ended the New 52 timeline. While some argue that “Superman Reborn” is merely a soft-reboot that extends the New 52, this viewpoint is incorrect. Subsequent “Superman Reborn Aftermath” issues, “The Button” crossover, Action Comics #978, Doomsday Clock, Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen, Death Metal, and many other issues re-confirm the details surrounding the reboot as well. Narratively, in “Superman Reborn,” the meddling of Mr. Mxyzptlk and the undefined seemingly-cosmic powers of Superboy cause the spirits of New 52 Superman and New 52 Lois Lane to merge with Modern Age Superman and Modern Age Lois Lane.

With this unholy merger of radically different pairs of characters, not only is Superman reborn, but the entire DCU is as well. A new timeline, which combines both Modern and New 52 histories of these characters, is created. As “Superman Reborn” clearly shows, the New 52 Superman and Lois are from a wholly different timeline than the Rebirth Superman and Lois, thus helping us differentiate between realities and giving us full confirmation of a reboot. Whereas the New 52 timeline started out as a six-year-timeline (and was at Year Ten by 2017), the Rebirth timeline stretched things out and added an extra five years of in-story time (specifically accommodating a new Kent family history), placing the DCU at Year Fifteen by 2017. When the New 52 dies (or, rather, is “archived”) in 2017, just like in prior reboots, the big occurrences of the dead-and-replaced timeline (in this case, the New 52) get folded-into our new timeline. This is akin to how the major occurrences of the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Ages got folded-into the Modern Age after the original Crisis. In fact, Geoff Johns’ creative intention when mapping out the Rebirth Era was to build a brand new timeline by synthesizing New 52 continuity with Modern Age continuity. (After all, Johns had been dead set against rebooting the Modern Age with Flashpoint in the first place, but Dan DiDio forced the issue.) Some other major differences between the New 52 and Rebirth Era are that the former features the “yearlong Robin internship program” and Superman dating Wonder Woman. The Rebirth Era erases those things. Also, the Rebirth Era significantly condenses Scott Snyder’s “Zero Year” and mashes it up with Frank Miller’s “Year One” and a few Golden Age re-imaginings, which is a radical departure from the New 52.

In 2020, Doomsday Clock rebooted the DCU, but the majority of its massive narrative changes were immediately neutered by DC publishers, relegating the overall effect to that of a partial or soft relaunch. DC chief Dan DiDio had been planning his own “Generations” reboot at the time, thus axing Geoff Johns’ Doomsday Clock reboot in favor of his own. Shortly thereafter, DiDio was fired. “Generations” was officially cancelled, but it was too late to simply re-validate Doomsday Clock‘s ending because DiDio’s plans had already been set into motion. This obviously led to great continuity chaos for the DCU. (This flip-flop-flip was explained in-story by having the Batman Who Laughs nullify Dr. Manhattan and Wally West’s attempted continuity resets at the end of Doomsday Clock and Flash Forward, respectively.) As confirmed by Teen Titans Vol. 6 #39-40, Young Justice Vol. 3 #18, Flash #750-761, Justice League Vol. 4 #51-52, Wonder Woman #750 Part 9, Dark Nights: Death Metal, and several other titles, the Doomsday Clock/Flash Forward soft reboot does the following: It undoes the deaths of Ma and Pa Kent. It restores the Justice Society of America’s 20th century history, which includes an active Wonder Woman, but blocks said history from everyone’s memories in the present day and future. It restores Kal-El’s time as Superboy with the Legion of Super-Heroes, but blocks said history from everyone’s memories in present day and future. It re-adds Barry Allen’s death in the original Crisis and his resurrection in Final Crisis. And it re-adds Stephanie Brown’s brief time as a Robin. Our Rebirth timeline reflects these changes.

__________________________________________________________________

||| >>> Rebirth Era Salad Days >>> |||

__________________________________________________________________