Earth-Three

Earth-Three
The Crime Society of America from 52 Week 52, art breakdowns by Keith Giffen.
First appearance	Justice League of America #29 August 10 1964
Created by	Gardner Fox Mike Sekowsky
In-universe information
Race(s)	Humans
Locations	Malevolent counterparts of the Justice League (Pre-Crisis / The New 52): Crime Syndicate of America Superwoman Ultraman Owlman Johnny Quick Power Ring Atomica Deathstorm The Grid Sea King Other counterpart characters from DC Universe Alexander Luthor In The New 52 he is the evil counterpart to Shazam !, called Mazahs! Alexander Luthor Jr. Justice Underground The Joker/Jokester Quizmaster Duela Dent Earth-Three (also referred to as Earth-3 and Earth 3) is a fictional alternate universe set in the DC Comics Multiverse.
Characters	Crime Syndicate of America Alexander Luthor Jr.
Publisher	DC Comics

Earth-Three, or simply Earth-3 or Earth 3, is a “partially-reversed” Earth, where supervillainous counterparts of the mainstream DC superheroes reside. It first appeared in Justice League of America #29 (August 1964), and the concept has been rebooted several times.

Publication history

1964–1985: Original concept

The Crime Syndicate of America from Justice League of America Vol. 1 #207, art breakdowns by George Pérez.

Earth-Three was introduced by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky in the August 1964 issue of Justice League of America. Earth-Three's history is depicted as a mirror image to that of the Earth we know. On Earth-Three, Christopher Columbus was American and discovered Europe; England (a colony of America) won freedom in a reversed form of the Revolutionary War (with George Washington surrendering his sword to Charles Cornwallis) in 1774; President John Wilkes Booth was assassinated by actor Abraham Lincoln. Crucially, Earth-Three was home to a villainous analogue to the Justice League, the Crime Syndicate of America.

The Crime Syndicate would recur as powerful enemies of the Justice League until DC's 1985 company-wide crossover, Crisis on Infinite Earths. Crisis revealed that Lex Luthor, here called Alexander Luthor, is the only superhero on an Earth otherwise occupied entirely by villains, most of whom are reversed analogues of heroes on other DC Earths. Earth-Three is destroyed by waves of antimatter in the opening scenes of the series. The sole survivor is the son of Alexander and Lois Lane Luthor, Alexander Luthor, Jr. At the conclusion of the series, all other worlds in the Multiverse were merged.

1992–2011: Anti-matter Earth, new Multiverse

DC used Crisis on Infinite Earths to simplify its complex continuity and multiverse into a single narrative set on a single universe, not counting the antimatter universe which was integral to the story of how the Green Lantern villain Sinestro acquired his powers. Editorial mandate initially meant stories featuring the Crime Syndicate were entirely unavailable to writers, but DC later attempted to reintroduce the Crime Syndicate without the setting of Earth-Three in 1992's Justice League Quarterly #8, which featured a group of aliens from the planet Qward (the antimatter counterpart of Oa) who functioned as "more powerful" Justice League analogues.

This first attempt at bringing back the Crime Syndicate did not stick, and the principle concept behind Earth-Three would be revisited in Grant Morrison's JLA: Earth 2. Morrison recast much of Earth-Three's history as that of the Antimatter Universe's own version of Earth, which is home to the Crime Syndicate of America. He makes notable departures to this formula however, by presenting this world as the product of an alternate history and by reimagining various Crime Syndicate members (for example, by recasting Owlman as Batman's brother Thomas Wayne, and by recasting Ultraman not as the alien Kal-El but a human astronaut who acquires Kryptonian abilities). At the end of JLA: Earth-2, Amerika had launched a nuclear strike on London, against Britain's independence movement.

In Superman/Batman Annual #1, three members of this Crime Syndicate of Amerika—Ultraman, Owlman, and Superwoman—appear on the main DC Earth, along with an unnamed antimatter doppelganger of Deathstroke (whose behavior, including humorous breaking of the fourth wall, and powers are the same as Marvel Comics' Deadpool) hired to protect Bruce Wayne. The story supposedly takes place as the first time Superman and Batman figure out each other's identities, and matches Batman, Superman, and Deathstroke against their respective antimatter selves. The story is told by Mr. Mxyzptlk and may therefore be completely untrue.

In the final issue of the 52-issue weekly series 52 in 2007, a new Multiverse is revealed, originally consisting of 52 parallel realities. Among the parallel realities shown is one designated "Earth-3". As a result of Mister Mind "eating" aspects of this reality, it takes on visual aspects of the pre-Crisis Earth-Three. The Earth-3 concept was not heavily explored after this, but does figure in a couple of issues of 52's follow-up weekly series, Countdown to Final Crisis (2007–8). The name of the new Earth-3 team is revealed to be the Crime Society of America. The Crime Society are considered to be evil versions of the heroes of Earth-2, acting as a new Golden Age counterpart to the Antimatter Earth. A hero known as the Jokester operates in this universe, as later do the Riddler, Three-Face (Evelyn Dent), and Duela Dent. In Countdown #31 the version of Zatanna (Annataz Arataz) from this world was used by Superman-Prime to keep Mister Mxyzptlk in check. Based on comments by Grant Morrison, this alternate universe is not the pre-Crisis Earth-Three. Despite the return of the DC Multiverse and the creation of a new Earth-3, the Antimatter Earth still exists in Qward, acting as an inverted microcosm of New Earth. The pre-established Crime Syndicate of Amerika from the Antimatter Universe were then featured heavily in Trinity, DC's third year-long weekly series.

2013–2016: The New 52

DC again rebooted its continuity in 2011 as part of The New 52. In 2013, the "Trinity War" crossover event reintroduces Earth 3. It is mentioned as the home of true evil and of the Crime Syndicate and that it was destroyed by an unknown entity. The Crime Syndicate is largely modeled after Morrison's, with the introduction of new characters, and by re-envisioning Ultraman once again as an alien with an origin story which more closely parallels Superman's. In the closing scenes of "Trinity War", Ultraman, Superwoman, Owlman, Johnny Quick, Power Ring, Deathstorm, Alfred Pennyworth and Atomica reveal themselves to the Justice League of New Earth. Sea King also inhabited Earth 3, but quickly died after passing through the gateway to New Earth. An Earth 3 version of Martian Manhunter is also revealed to exist. Alexander Luthor, who can become Mazahs, is also from Earth 3, and an enemy of the Crime Syndicate. The official site of DC Comics describes Earth-Three as a world where the values of "good" and "evil" are reversed, with "evil" being the way of the world.

2019–2021: DC Rebirth

At the end of Superman #8, it is revealed that Superman's son, Jon Kent, arrived on Earth 3 where he is confronted by the Crime Syndicate after leaving his grandfather Jor-El. In issue #9, Jon further expands on his time on Earth 3. He was sent into a volcano where Ultraman kept him prisoner and described Jon's predicament to him, being stuck on another Earth. From what was shown, it appears that Ultraman kept Jon prisoner for years until Jon formulated a plan to escape and eventually did so. He sought out the heroes of this universe and found the Earth 3 version of the Hall of Justice. But, it turned out to be the headquarters of the Crime Syndicate, and Jon is confronted by Superwoman, who is apparently the wife of Ultraman.

Later, Young Justice found themselves trapped on Earth 3 after traveling through several different Multiverse Earths. They were soon attacked by their evil counterparts from that world.

2021–present: Infinite Frontier

War for Earth-3

The Titans and The Flash arrived on Earth 3 to find a missing student. The crossover between Suicide Squad, Teen Titans Academy, and The Flash saw Amanda Waller who wants to claim the Earth 3 with new members of her Justice Squad team. It is a five-part miniseries with two core issues.

Characters

Earth-Three (1964–1985, 2007–2011)	Anti-matter Earth (1992–2011)	Earth-3 The New 52 (2011–present)	Notes	New Earth / Prime Earth counterpart
Ultraman	Lieutenant Clark Kent/Ultraman	Kal-Il/Clark Kent/Ultraman	Ultraman is Superman's counterpart and the founder of the Crime Syndicate. He is empowered by Kryptonite rather than weakened. The antimatter Ultraman is a human astronaut who was recovered and experimented on by aliens after his ship exploded. He is later killed during Final Crisis. In The New 52, Ultraman comes from a version of Krypton whose people worship strength and despise weakness.	Superman
Owlman	Thomas Wayne Jr/Owlman		Owlman is Batman's counterpart, who is modeled after the owl. He is initially unnamed, but is later revealed to be the brother of his universe's Bruce Wayne.	Batman
Superwoman	Lois Lane/Superwoman		Superwoman is an evil Amazon and Wonder Woman's counterpart. In some versions, she is Lois Lane's counterpart as well.	Wonder Woman
Johnny Quick		Jonathan Allen/Johnny Quick	Johnny Quick is an evil speedster and the Flash's counterpart. The character's antimatter universe counterpart derives his powers from the "Speed Juice" drug and goes into massive physical withdrawal without it. In The New 52, Johnny Quick is a high-profile criminal and partner of Atomica. Lex Luthor later kills Quick and steals his powers.	The Flash
Power Ring	Joseph Harrolds/Power Ring	Harold Jordan/Power Ring	Power Ring is Green Lantern's counterpart, who gained his power ring from a mad monk. In the antimatter universe, original Power Ring Joseph Harrolds tricks an unnamed, cowardly slave marine (Kyle Rayner's counterpart) into accepting the ring and the power lamp that contains the mad god Volthoom. In The New 52, Volthoom's essence is contained in the power ring and can possess others.	Green Lantern
unnamed	mentioned only	unnamed	Following 52, a monstrous version of J'onn J'onzz is shown as a member of the Crime Society. In the antimatter universe, a White Martian is member of the Syndicate and is Ultraman's chief rival until he kills him. In The New 52, Martian Manhunter's counterpart is left on Earth-3 during its destruction.	Martian Manhunter
Alexander Luthor	Lex Luthor	Alexander Luthor/Mazahs	Alexander Luthor is a scientist and the heroic counterpart of Lex Luthor who opposes the Crime Syndicate of America. Luthor is killed during Crisis on Infinite Earths and transports his son Alexander Luthor Jr. to Earth-One. In The New 52, Alexander Luthor is Mazahs, the Earth-3 version of Shazam. He is later killed by the main universe Luthor.	Lex Luthor
Lois Lane-Luthor	see Superwoman*		In the parallel reality known as Earth-Three, Lois Lane married Earth's greatest champion, Alexander Luthor. Shortly before the event known as the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Luthors gave birth to a baby boy, Alex, Jr. When the Anti-Monitor, released a wave of Antimatter energy that swept across the Multiverse, Lois and Alex placed their son inside of a specially designed module and launched him away from the beleaguered planet. Alex, Sr. and Lois Lane died in each other's arms as the Antimatter swept across their world.	Lois Lane
Jur-Li/The Crime-Lord	—	Jor-Il	He was trapped in the Phantom Zone for his crimes. One day, he was able to flee from the Zone and reached Earth-One's Kandor on the exact day that Brainiac shrank and stole Kandor. In diminutive size, he became a crime boss there. Decades later, Jur-Ll battled Kandor's costumed crimefighters Nightwing and Flamebird. The people of Krypton of Earth 3 had gained great power from the radiation of their world, but through the machinations of Jor-Il, a mysterious being came to their planet and began a process that would lead to the planet's destruction. Thanks to a shooting spree, Jor-Il is able to secure a lifepod for his son, who he regarded as his best chance of revenge.	Jor-El
Alexander "Alex" Luthor Jr	—	unnamed	The son of Alexander Luthor, Sr. and his wife Lois Lane-Luthor. Alex was the last survivor of his world, as his parents placed him in an experimental device which carried the infant to the relative safety of Earth-One. His passage through the anti-matter storm grants him power over both matter and anti-matter, dramatically accelerating his aging process. He drastically transforms from a hero into a villain. In The New 52, Lois Lane (Superwoman) is pregnant with Alexander's child. The child is prophesied to bring an end to the world.
Jackie/The Jokester	—	The Joker	Bullied and abused for much of his life, Jackie found happiness with the beautiful, loving Evelyn Dent, only to lose her when her split personalities developed. He became a struggling comedian at the Last Laugh comedy club, but witnessed the club's owner being murdered by the vicious Owlman. Sick of being bullied, Jackie redesigned his act, focusing all his jokes on Owlman. Aided by manager Harleen Quinzel, he became a kind of hero to the frustrated Gotham populace for boldly ridiculing every aspect of the thuggish villain. Owlman's retribution, however, was deadly. Harleen was murdered and Jackie's mouth was sliced open, leaving him with an unusually wide grin. Whatever sanity he had possessed vanished in that moment as he became the Jokester, dedicating his life to ruining and humiliating Owlman and his sidekick Talon. It is revealed that Duela Dent, who has escaped to New Earth, is his daughter. Jackie later discovers that she was killed at the hands of a Monitor, and he commits suicide by jumping in front of the blast, presumably to try to stop the Monitor from killing anyone else. The New 52 introduces a different take on the character. After killing Talon and assaulting Alfred Pennyworth, the Joker is killed by Owlman. He blamed Owlman for his unstable state.	Joker
Quizmaster	Riddler	—	Riddler is married to Three-Face (Evelyn Dent) and is the stepfather to the Jokester's daughter Duela Dent. He was killed by Ultraman. In the antimatter universe, Edward Nashton was fascinated by puzzles and games from an early age. He was considered one of the smartest men on his Earth and naturally inclined to altruism. He operated as a crimefighter under the moniker "the Quizmaster", eventually becoming a founding member of the Justice Underground. Quizmaster was a thorn in the side of Owlman and the Crime Syndicate of Amerika for many years. He later has the right half of his face burned by Ultraman, leading him to don a half-face and temporarily take on the name "Enigma".	Riddler
Talon	—	Richard "Dick" Grayson/Talon	Talon had been an apprentice to Owlman. He was in a relationship with the Jokester's daughter, Duela Dent, which led to him leaving Owlman's service for a time. Unfortunately, the truth caused Jokester to disown Duela. Somehow, Duela and Talon ended up on New Earth, where both spent time as temporary members of the Teen Titans. It is unknown what has happened to Talon beyond that. His real name is unknown. It has been indicated that there have been more than one Talons and this specific iteration is the second one. In The New 52, Talon is the Dick Grayson of Earth-3. His parents were acrobats and money launderers who ran a corrupt circus, obtaining it after murdering the previous owner a clown. Dick also had a sister named Rachel. After his family was murdered, Owlman took Dick under his wing and he eventually became his sidekick. Their relationship fell apart when Dick learned that Thomas Wayne, Jr. was responsible for the Graysons' deaths. Dick is later killed by the Jokester.	Robin
Duela Dent/Harlequin	—	—	Even though the character was created in 1976, her origin story and true parentage were not revealed until Countdown Presents The Search for Ray Palmer: Crime Society (2007). Before that she claimed to be the daughter of various villains, such as the Joker, Catwoman, the Scarecrow, the Penguin, Doomsday, Doctor Light, and Punch and Jewelee. Through the years, she has assumed many aliases, with most of them indicating her "true" parentage. In Countdown it is revealed she is from Earth-3 and is the daughter of the Jokester and Evelyn Dent. She was raised by her mother and her stepfather, the Riddler, and together the three formed the Riddler Family. When she was finally introduced to her birth father, she dropped cryptic hints implying that she or her consciousness shifts unknowingly from Earth to Earth, which is the source of her parental confusion. When the Jokester joined the Riddler Family, Duela revealed that she had been in a relationship with Talon. The Jokester renounced her as his daughter and Duela left with Talon moments before the Crime Society stormed their apartment.	The Joker's Daughter
—	—	Alfred Pennyworth/The Outsider	Alfred, also known as the Outsider, is the butler to Owlman. He helped Thomas kill his parents, ultimately firing the shots that killed them, and he continued to serve the boy as he grew into the crime lord known as Owlman. At some point, Pennyworth was dosed with Joker venom, turning his skin grey-white and making him laugh at inopportune moments. He is transported on Prime Earth along with Atomica, preparing the world for the arrival of his master and the rest of the Syndicate. He is killed by Black Manta when the Injustice League breaks into the Watchtower.	Alfred Pennyworth
Ray Palmer (mentioned only)	—	Ray Palmer/Atomico (mentioned only) Rhonda Pineda/Atomica	Introduced in The New 52 version of the Crime Syndicate. She is in a relationship with Johnny Quick. One night after killing two cops, "Johnny and Rhonnie", as they are known, end up cornered on the roof of S.T.A.R. Labs during a storm. Lightning hits a satellite, electrocuting Johnny, causing him to gain his powers, while Rhonda falls into the labs and lands near Ray Palmer's Atomico work, gaining her powers. During the final battle with the Crime Syndicate, a shrunken Atomica is killed when Lex Luthor steps on her.	Atom
—	—	Deathstorm	Introduced in The New 52 version of the Crime Syndicate. Professor Martin Stein experimented on humans to unlock the secret of life through death. He is recruited by one of the Crime Syndicate's enemy's to determine what the Syndicate's individual weaknesses are. He used the new lab he was in to continue his human experimentation on himself, eventually fusing his body with a corpse and becoming Deathstorm. He is killed when Mazahs steals his powers.	Martin Stein / Firestorm
—	—	Sea King	Introduced in The New 52 version of the Crime Syndicate who resembled Aquaman's design from the 1990s. He died shortly after exiting the gateway from Earth-3 to Prime Earth. The design of Sea King resembles that of Aquaman in the 1990s. However, when his body is placed at the bottom of the ocean, it is revealed that during the Crime Syndicate's initial attack, Deadman entered the lifeless Sea King's body for protection. John Constantine was able to break Sea King's conscious hold on Deadman so that Sea King's body can be used to help defeat the Crime Syndicate. His real name is unknown.	Aquaman
—	—	Drake	The counterpart of Tim Drake, he calls himself "Drake" because he considers them one of the most dangerous types of birds. He has red hair instead of black.	Tim Drake
—	—	Luthor-El	The counterpart of Superboy. He has a mohawk and wears a T-shirt somewhat resembling Conner's "T-shirt and jeans" costume.	Superboy (Kon-El)
—	—	Speed Zone	A black teenager who more resembles Wallace West, but who wears an Impulse-styled costume.	Bart Allen
—	—	Amaxon Thunder	The counterpart of Cassie Sandsmark, she looks more like a classic Wonder Girl design, with long black hair and a costume that closely resembles Wonder Woman's, but with black stars on her pants.	Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark)
—	—	Hex	The counterpart of Jinny Hex.	Jinny Hex
—	—	Hack	The counterpart of Teen Lantern, she has blond hair.	Teen Lantern
—	—	Batwoman	A rare case of a character who is a hero on both Earth-0 and Earth-3, Stephanie Brown has taken on the mantle of Batwoman and fights against the Earth-3 counterparts of Young Justice.	Stephanie Brown

Groups

Earth-Three (1964–1985, 2007–2011)	Anti-matter Earth (1992–2011)	Earth-3 The New 52 (2011–present)	Notes	New Earth / Prime Earth counterpart
Crime Syndicate of America/Crime Society of America	Crime Syndicate		In their first appearance, the Crime Syndicate (CSA), bored with the ease with which they were able to commit crimes on their Earth, discover the existence of parallel worlds. Intrigued by the existence of super-heroes, they cross the dimensional void and attack the JLA and JSA. They are ultimately defeated and imprisoned. Over the ensuing years, the Syndicate or one of its members escape and attempt to wreak havoc on Earth-One and/or Earth-Two. Earth-Three and the original Crime Syndicate are destroyed along with the rest of DC's parallel worlds in the 1985 twelve-issue maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths. As shown in the first issue, Earth-Three and all of its inhabitants were obliterated by an anti-matter wave that was the catalyst for the story. The five founding members (Ultraman, Owlman, Superwoman, Johnny Quick and Power Ring) of CSA have appeared in all additional iterations of the team. A new version of the team was eventually introduced in Justice League Quarterly #8. This version was composed of Qwardians and they were a JLI equivalent to the old Crime Syndicate. They are shown to be different from the Earth-Three incarnation by their enlarged eyes, resembling the Weaponers of Qward. They acted as Claire Montgomery's second Conglomerate team and its roster consisted of Deadeye (Green Arrow's counterpart), Elasti-Man (Elongated Man's counterpart), Fiero (Fire's counterpart), Frostbite (Ice's counterpart), Scarab (Blue Beetle's counterpart), Element Man (Metamorpho's counterpart) and Slipstream (Kid Flash's counterpart). Following 52, a new version of the team is introduced. In Countdown #31, the name of this team is revealed to be the Crime Society of America, evil doppelgangers of the heroes of Earth-2, and make their first solo appearance in Countdown Presents The Search for Ray Palmer: Crime Society #1. In addition to the five known members, this version of the CSA includes unnamed counterparts of Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Wildcat, Hawkgirl, Stargirl, and the Spectre. Later issues introduce Annataz Arataz (Zatanna's counterpart), White Cat (Black Canary's counterpart) and Ultragirl (Supergirl's counterpart). Shortly after the Crime Society's introduction, they are offered a place among Monarch's army. All of the Crime Society members who are present in the Earth-51 dimension at the end battle with Superman-Prime and the Monarch are killed, as the entire dimension is completely destroyed with only Superman-Prime and a single plant surviving the cataclysm. The Crime Syndicate is reintroduced in the graphic novel JLA: Earth 2. Unlike the previous incarnations, this Crime Syndicate of Amerika rules their world, collecting kickbacks from the world governments. The antimatter Crime Syndicate's motto is "Cui bono?" ("Who profits?"). The team's roster consists mainly of the five founding members. The Crime Syndicate later reappears, where they lay waste to the planet Qward out of boredom. In The New 52, the leader of the Secret Society, previously known as "the Outsider", is working for the Syndicate. He gains possession of Pandora's Box to open a portal to Earth-3 from which the Crime Syndicate emerges. The Syndicate proceeds to attack the fallen Justice League members and claims Prime Earth now belongs to them. The line-up consists of the five founding members as well as Deathstorm, Sea King, Atomica, and Grid. When heroes and villains unite to defeat the Syndicate, Outsider is killed by Black Manta and Power Ring is murdered by Sinestro. Johnny Quick and Deathstorm are killed when the Syndicate's enemy Mazahs is freed, while Lex kills Atomica by stepping on her. In the aftermath, Ultraman and Superwoman are captured with Owlman still on the loose. The other former members of the Syndicate, along with the rest of Earth 3, are killed when that universe is destroyed.	Justice League
—	Justice Underground	—	The Justice Underground is a heroic superpowered group from the Anti-matter Universe. One by one the Justice Underground members are all defeated, captured or killed. The captured members are placed into cryogenic storage, ready to be reanimated in a zombified state if the Syndicate decides it necessary. The Justice Underground is eventually released by J'onn J'onzz as a team of associate JLA members reversed back into the Matter Universe. The team's roster consists of Quizmaster, Solomon Grundy, General Grodd, Lady Sonar, Star Sapphire, and Q Ranger.	Legion of Doom
see Crime Society *	Crime Lodge	—	Another criminal organization in the Anti-matter Earth.	Justice Society
—	Metal Marauders	—	They are listed amongst the opponents of the Crime Syndicate of Amerika.	Metal Men
—	Young Offenders	—	Mentioned in JLA #109 by Owlman to work for the Crime Syndicate.	Teen Titans

Notes:

In other media

Television

• Earth-Three appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Deep Cover for Batman!".
• A variation of Earth-3 appears in media set in the Arrowverse. Introduced in The Flash, this version is home to Jay Garrick before it is destroyed by the Anti-Monitor in "Crisis on Infinite Earths". Additionally, elements of the comics' version of Earth-3 are used for Earth-2.

Film

Earth-3 appears in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.