Warning: SPOILERS for Dark season 3.
Dark season 3 sent Jonas to an entirely new world, one that is very different from his home in Winden. Before its final episode, Dark introduced another twist: characters could not only time travel but jump to another reality, creating an even bigger loop that encompassed not only the original cast of characters, but new versions of the citizens of Winden. This new world is crucial to Dark's ending because Eva originates from it, and she’s Adam’s main opponent in the battle to break the cycle.
The disappearance of a young boy named Mikkel starts off the plot of Dark’s first season, but the answers to the town’s mysteries go beyond a missing child. As a young Jonas looks for Mikkel, he discovers, in a cave, a tunnel that allows him to time travel. This changes the course of his family’s history in ways he cannot predict and opens the door for a complex tangle of paradoxes and timelines. Jonas eventually discovers there will be a massive accident at the town’s nuclear plant that will cause an apocalypse. Throughout Dark season 2, he tries to stop the destruction. Unfortunately, because he’s stuck in a time loop, his actions are destined to ensure the accident, not prevent it. This is because he’s being manipulated by an older version of himself: Adam.
But the apocalypse is not the end of the cycle. As the entire town of Winden is being engulfed by an explosion, Jonas is holding the body of the woman he loves: Martha. After revealing himself as Adam, the older version of Jonas shot her to ensure his plans would be successful. However, Adam did not predict one thing: the arrival of a Martha from a new world. At the end of Dark season 2, she jumps just in time to rescue Jonas from the explosion and transport him to her reality. This second Martha abandons Jonas in the Winden caves, so he can guide her past self and warn her about the upcoming apocalypse, which is also fated to happen in her world. Slowly, Jonas realizes this new world is not the same as his own. Here’s everything different in season 3’s new world.
Jonas Doesn’t Exist
The biggest difference between Dark's two worlds is Jonas’ existence. This major factor changes the lives of most of the characters. As he walks into their school, Martha, Magnus, and Bartosz have no idea who Jonas is and have no memory of his existence. Not even his mother, Hannah, knows him. Initially, this shocks Jonas, but once he realizes he never existed in this world, he focuses on explaining the loop and the apocalypse to Martha. Although this version of Martha never knew him, they still feel a pull between them and she eventually falls in love with him.
Mikkel Didn’t Disappear
Since Jonas never existed in this reality, he couldn’t time travel or take Mikkel to a new timeline. This means Mikkel never time traveled, didn't grow up in the 1980s, and didn't marry Hannah (also ensuring Jonas didn’t exist in another loop). Instead, this version of the kid doesn’t follow his brother and sister into the woods at night as they sneak to see the Winden caves. Thus, he escaped his fate. Meanwhile, his other version grew up to be Micheal Kahnwald, a man haunted by his past and memories.
Martha Is Dating Killian Obendorf
At the start of Dark season 1, Martha is dating Bartosz. Although she and Jonas have feelings for each other, before they could start anything, he left Winden for a time due to his father’s suicide. In Dark's second world, Martha is dating Killian Obendorf instead. Killian is the older brother of Erik, a young boy who disappeared in both worlds before the events of the show. It’s unclear if Killian exists in Jonas’ world, but it seems unlikely as he never officially appeared in the previous season. As the events of Dark season 3 progress, Martha breaks up with him and follows her heart toward Jonas, just like her original version did.
Hannah And Ulric Are Together
Another ripple effect of Mikkel never time traveling and Jonas never existing is Hannah’s marriage. While in the first world she married a grown Mikkel, now named Micheal Kahnwald, and had Jonas, this version of Hannah never met Mikkel. As she never married, Hannah’s schoolgirl crush on Ulrich continued strong and led to their affair. They indeed kissed in Jonas’ world as well, and Hannah thought it would lead to something more, but they never had the time or opportunity to become an official couple like their counterparts. In Martha’s world, they are living together and Hannah is pregnant with his child.
The Nielsen family lives in Jonas’ house
Because of the affair between Ulrich and Hannah, Katharina and the kids moved to a new home. Since Mikkel was never adopted by Ines, the Kahnwald house in Jonas’ world was probably sold to Katharina instead. Now a single mother, Katharina takes care of all three Nielsen children alone. In this world, Martha is staying in Jonas’ bedroom and, fittingly, also has a yellow raincoat. In many ways, their existences parallel each other.
Regina Is Dead
A crucial plot point in Dark that many might’ve missed is Regina’s health. In Jonas’ world, Regina has breast cancer and is in treatment. But in Martha’s world, she has already died of the same condition a year earlier. Regina’s fate appears sealed no matter which world she is in, but her mother, Claudia Tiedemann, is determined to change this.
Charlotte Is Having An Affair With Ulrich
While in both worlds Ulrich and Charlotte work together as police officers, it’s only in Martha’s world that they are having an affair. Despite already ruining his first marriage due to infidelity, this version of Ulrich is still cheating on his new wife, Hannah. There is little doubt that Ulrich has serious commitment issues in any reality. It’s interesting to note that Charlotte’s marriage with Peter is strained in both realities. But, in Jonas’ world, Peter is the one having an affair.
Peter Doppler Is A Pastor
In Jonas’ version of Winden, Peter Doppler is a psychotherapist. However, in Martha’s world, he’s a pastor. What the two versions have in common is they are likely having an affair with Woller’s sister/brother. In both worlds, Peter seems to be hiding this from his wife, Charlotte. Also, in this new world, Bernadette, Woller’s sister, doesn’t seem to have transitioned yet as the official website lists her as Benjamin.
Franziska Is Deaf
In Dark's second world, Franziska is deaf instead of her younger sister, Elisabeth. She’s also already dating Magnus. The two seem to have been together longer than their counterparts in Jonas’ world. The original Magnus and Franziska only got together after Mikkel’s disappearance. Like Martha and Jonas, these two seem to be destined to find each other. Their relationship lasts a long time in both worlds as the show reveals they are still together as adults.
Woller Has A Missing Arm Instead Of An Eye
In Dark seasons 1 and 2, Woller is missing an eye for unknown reasons. In season 3’s new world, he’s still a police officer, but instead of an eye, he’s missing an entire arm. What happened to Woller’s arm is as much of a mystery as what happened to his eye in Jonas’ world. The show does not explain his injuries, and the secret has become a running gag among viewers.