Before the Beginning

Events

• Doctor Who, Doctor Who (Expanded Universe): Before the beginning of all beginnings. Only two forces exist - Good and Evil. (Doctor Who: "The Curse of Fenric")

Prior Universes

• Cthulhu Mythos: Yog-Sothoth and some of his fellow beings existed before the current universe. ("Lujan's Trunk" by Donald Burleson)

• Doctor Who (Expanded Universe): In the universe that existed before the current one, the stars were toroids (doughnut-shaped) and the space between them was green. The mightiest beings in this universe- equivalent to the Time Lords- were masters of quantum mnemonics, a powerful science that enabled them to manipulate reality. (Millennial Rites)

• Marvel 3000: The Absolutes emerged trillions of years ago, an era older than the universe. (Galactic Guardians #4)

Decline of the Prior Universes

• Futurama: 17 BBB (Before Big Bang). The Nibblonians began to appear, before anything else existed. (Futurama: "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid")

• Marvel: As the previous universe begins to collapse, Galen of Taa is sent into space to find a way to save his world. Unsuccessful, Galen and his crew decide to end their lives spectacularly; they opt to hurl their ship into the heart of the "Cosmic Egg" at the center of the universal collapse. As the ship nears the Egg, powerful forces affect the ship, killing all aboard besides Galen. However, Galen is saved by the sentience embodying the dying universe, which tells Galen that they will be reborn in the next universe. The Cosmic Egg then absorbs Galen. (Super Villain Classics #1)

End of the Prior Universes

• DC (Post-Zero Hour), DC (Post-Infinite Crisis): The cosmic being known as Imperiex destroys the previous universe. (Our Worlds At War Secret Files)

• Doctor Who (Expanded Universe): As the previous universe ends, its equivalent of Time Lords shunt themselves into a parallel dimension a few seconds further away from ending. (Millennial Rites)

• Transformers (Marvel U.S.), Transformers (Marvel U.K.): Unicron destroys everything in the previous universe. Finally alone in existence (or so he thinks), Unicron enters a deep slumber. (Transformers (Marvel U.S.) #74)

The Time Between

• DC (Pre-Crisis), DC (Post-Crisis), DC (Post-Zero Hour), DC (Post-Infinite Crisis): The Anti-Monitor arrives at the Dawn of Time to prevent the birth of the positive matter universe and ensure the dominance of the anti-matter universe Qward. An army of heroes arrive to stop him, led by the Spectre. The Spectre, backed up by other mystics, thwarts the Anti-Monitor, allowing both the positive and anti-matter universes to be created. (Crisis on Infinite Earths #10)

• DC (Post-Crisis), DC (Post-Zero Hour), DC (Post-Infinite Crisis): c. 19,000,000,000 BC. The Source creates (and is created by) the universe. This era is called the "First World." (Jack Kirby's Fourth World #1, New Gods Secret Files #1)

• DC (Post-Crisis), DC (Post-Zero Hour), DC (Post-Infinite Crisis): c. 18,000,000,000 BC. GodWorld is formed. (New Gods Secret Files #1, JLA Secret Files #3, Fourth World #1)

• DC (Post-Crisis), DC (Post-Zero Hour), DC (Post-Infinite Crisis): c. 17,000,000,000 BC. Life begins to evolve on GodWorld, beginning the "Second World." (Source unidentified)

• DC (Post-Crisis), DC (Post-Zero Hour), DC (Post-Infinite Crisis): c. 15,000,000,000 BC. Humanoid beings, later known as the Old Gods, attain "godhood" on GodWorld. They fight titanic wars; one of their weapons, Mageddon, is imprisoned in a gravity sink on the outer curve of space-time. (JLA #36)

Forward to the Beginning >>