WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Justice League #8 from Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Jim Cheung, Stephen Segovia, Mark Morales, Tomeu Morey, Wil Quintana and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
For decades, we've watched the DC multiverse come under attack, laid to waste and end up on the brink of destruction only to be stitched back together time and time again, sometimes with minor changes, other times with massive ones. But no matter what, whether it's the New 52, DC Rebirth, or The Multiversity, however this web of universes is reshaped or detailed, we've never found out just who created it.
Well, in Justice League #15, we finally have a definitive answer as to who gave birth to this multiverse. What's more, the mere discovery of their name threatens all of existence -- again.
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It's an intriguing time for fans obsessed with all the realities in the DC multiverse. Doomsday Clock has been indicating that Doctor Manhattan is responsible for the DCU's current altered reality. In fact, several fan theories have posited that it may be revealed that the Watchmen character might be named as the DC Universe's very creator. And while this may end up being the case, it turns out the previous DC multiverse was created by someone we're already familiar with, albeit vaguely: Perpetua.
Justice League #15 finds the Martian Manhunter infiltrating the vaults of Thanagar Prime, aka Hawkman's home world, and finding the Martian Keep (a member of his race who knows the deep, dark secrets of the galaxy) imprisoned. The Hawk-planet and a cosmic coalition including Oa's Guardians have been keeping the elder against her will, using her knowledge to convert the planet into a cosmic stronghold. Knowledge is power, after all, and with the information held within the Keep's mind, let's just say accessing it makes Thanagar Prime a weapon of mass destruction.
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The Keep reveals to the Leaguer that there was a multiverse before the current one we know, and its creator was Perpetua. J'onn is told that she's coming back in a conversation that is juxtaposed with Starman revealing to Superman and Wonder Woman back on Earth that they should all be afraid of her return. Starman tells them the story of Perpetua could destroy all life as they know it, which leaves us with way more questions than answers.
First, if she created the previous multiverse, was that the first one that ever existed? There's also the question of why it was nixed, and who created this current one. It stands to reason that this is the reason she was imprisoned within the Totality, which itself is a battery for creation. It would appear that her power was used to create this multiverse we now know, and once she gets out (Issue #8 did show her trapped inside the Totality), she most likely will be seeking revenge, as the multiverse she created was either destroyed, sacrificed or hidden away somewhere else.
Given that the Totality's energy granted Starman his powers, it makes sense that he'd be tuned into Perpetua's current status and knows her history, which could make him the key in defeating her. Issue #8 saw the Batman Who Laughs reveal Perpetua as the epitome of chaos, and when asked by Lex Luthor (who now possesses the Totality) where she is, the evil Batman made it clear -- the question isn't where, but when.
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In upcoming issues, the League will travel to the Sixth Dimension, searching out answers on why the breach in the Source Wall has kicked off a chain of events that seems to be leading to all of reality's destruction. The Source Wall was a prison, designed to keep something locked away, and when its energy seeped out, it reactivated Perpetua within the Totality. Now, it looks like she's going to be engulfed by hatred when she finds freedom, so hopefully Starman or the Keep has a solution on how to appease or defeat Perpetua -- because anyone who could create a multiverse should be able to end one.
Sounds like the League's current trajectory has them headed for another crisis.