Marvel, in recent years, has become very well-known for their multiverse, mostly thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. MCU fans seem to believe that Marvel’s multiverse has always been an important part of the House of Idea’s stories, but this isn’t exactly true. The publisher has had a multiverse since the early ’80s (most people don’t know that Alan Moore created it in Marvel UK Captain Britain comics), and it never really was that a big of a deal outside of the X-books. However, it began to spread across the publisher’s line, and since then some of the coolest alternate Earths have come from Marvel.
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Marvel alternate Earths usually fit one kind of story, dystopian superhero tales, and they’ve done this kind of story very well. These alternate Earths have given us some great new versions of characters we’ve loved, and some unforgettable stories. These are the ten best alternate Marvel Earths, giving readers new versions of great heroes and villains.
10) Avengers: Twilight Earth
Avengers: Twilight is a modern classic. The story by Chip Zdarksy and Daniel Acuna takes readers to a future where the deaths of the Avengers led to fascism taking over the United States. Captain America’s supersoldier serum was taken from him and he was returned to civilian life after the team’s failure on H-Day, but when he gets the chance to join the fight against fascism and bring back Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, he jumps up at it. This is classic Marvel dystopian future storytelling, with Zdarsky using current real world American politics to tell a perfect Avengers story.
9) Earth-1610
Earth-1610 was the first Ultimate Marvel Universe, and it changed the publisher, and pop culture, forever. This new version of the Marvel Universe began in 2000, modernizing the origins of the greatest heroes and villains, and putting them in a much edgier world. There are a lot of problems with a lot of original Ultimate books, especially once you get past 2006, but it gave readers some amazing stories and changed the way some characters were looked at. The MCU was heavily based on it in the beginning, showing how important it is to Marvel history.
8) Earth-6160
Earth-6160 is the home of Marvel’s second line of Ultimate comics. There are some negative things you could say about this second iteration of Ultimate Marvel, especially as the last two years have gone on, but it’s impossible to deny just how hyped fans were for it when it started, and the amount of amazing stories we got. This Earth was one that was controlled by the Maker, and the changes he made allowed readers to see their favorite heroes with every odd against them. It’s supposedly about to “end”, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing this Earth way more in the next few years.
7) “Sins of Sinister” Earth
The Krakoa Era was the X-Men’s most inventive, but the books did go back to the well numerous times, using old ideas in new ways. “Sins of Sinister” was basically “Days of Future Past” mixed with “Age of Apocalypse”, as Mister Sinister’s entire reason for joining Krakoa was revealed: to create a world that he could rule so he could become a Dominion, a godlike being outside of time and space. Readers got to watch the evolution of this Earth over a thousand years, with numerous amazing ideas taking the stories in all kinds of new directions.
6) The Squardon Supreme Earth
Marvel has always been kind of childish in the way they dealt with DC Comics, and in the Silver Age, the publisher created the Squadron Supreme. This team was a Justice League pastiche that was created so that the Avengers could beat up and boss around the distinguished competition’s greatest team. They had their own Earth, and readers got to go there numerous times over the years, especially in the classic Squadron Supreme (Vol. 1). We haven’t been back to that Earth in years, but it was full of amazing heroes and villains.
5) Fantastic Four: The End Earth
Fantastic Four: The End, by writer/artist Alan Davis, is one of the few alternate Marvel Earths that isn’t a complete wasteland ruled over by the most evil people imaginable. On this Earth, the Fantastic Four broke up, but the superheroes created a utopian society for humanity, with the race spreading across space and living much longer lives because of science. Since this is a superhero story, it isn’t a perfect Earth, but it’s one of the most fun, a world where retro-futurism worked out and the heroes fulfilled their promise, which is rare in the Marvel Multiverse.
4) The Wastelands
“Old Man Logan”, by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven is one of the most beloved Wolverine stories of them all, and introduced readers to a great dystopian future. On this Earth, Red Skull was able to bring the villains together (much like he did in “Acts of Vengeance” in the ’80s; Millar re-used a lot of other people’s ideas at Marvel) and have them attack heroes they didn’t usually fight, allowing them to win. They took over the United States, the surviving heroes doing anything to survive as the years went on. This world has been fleshed out numerous times with comics like Old Man Hawkeye and Old Man Quill, and has become a favorite of modern fans and creators.
3) Earth X
Earth X, by Jim Krueger, Alex Ross, and John Paul Leon, took readers to a future where everyone on Earth mysteriously gained superpowers. This completely changed the balance of power on the planet, with the heroes of the Age of Marvels falling from grace as they failed to figure out what happened. Over the course of three series — Earth X, Universe X, and Paradise X — readers got to learn the secrets of this Earth. It’s one of the wildest rides in Marvel history, using decades of superhero ephemora to inform its ideas and plots. Universe X and Paradise X aren’t as amazing as the first book, but it’s still a great alternate Earth.
2) “Age of Apocalypse” Earth
“Age of Apocalypse” is an X-Men classic, and one of the most popular and beloved alternate universes in comics. This world was created when Legion went back in time and accidentally killed Charles Xavier. Apocalypse decided to come out of hiding after the battle, and ended up taking over the Americas, with Magneto creating his own team of X-Men to battle him and his evil mutant empire. This universe gave us some of the coolest alternate versions of the X-Men, and has been home to some of Marvel’s best alternate universe stories.
1) “Days of Future Past” Earth
“Days of Future Past” is the ur-Marvel alternate Earth. This story by Chris Claremont and John Byrne brought the dystopian future idea to the Marvel Universe, and would birth numerous alternate dystopian Earths (including most of this list). This future saw the X-Men fail in stopping the proliferation of the Sentinels, leading to the end of the superhero community and human society as we know it. Creators have returned to this Earth many times over the years, and it’s become the inspiration for every Marvel superhero future.
What’s your favorite alternate Marvel Earth? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
