Warning: Spoilers for Infinite Frontier #6!
In the world of comics, DC and Marvel are two powerhouse creative forces that are as unique to one another as they are oftentimes similar, but DC's Infinite Frontier initiative has just revealed the biggest difference between their respective sprawling multiverses: cosmic awareness. Considering the multiverse is an unfathomably vast and confusing place, the idea that DC’s general population knows full well their place in the multiverse is a big difference in common knowledge that the heroes of Marvel’s universe are usually only privy to.
Touched on in Infinite Frontier #6, by Joshua Williamson and Xermanico, as well as hinted at in previous issues throughout DC’s line-wide Infinite Frontier initiative, the normal citizens of the DC Universe becoming aware of the multiverse they’re a part of is something that Marvel’s citizens can’t exactly say the same about. Brought to readers’ attention as the dust settles after this series’ climax which saw a new and even more omnipotent Darkseid give the multiversal team known as Justice Incarnate the business, regular people hanging around in public talking about parallel universes is a cool wrinkle in DC’s growing cosmic lore that fans should take note of.
Following the events of last year’s Dark Nights: Death Metal storyline as well as this Infinite Frontier mini-series, the DC multiverse has experienced a sort of reset that has sent reverberations not only through the superhero community that usually deals with this kind of thing but through the general populace's collective knowledge of how their universe works as well. Made up of an infinite amount of parallel worlds, DC has opened the floodgates in terms of how characters — and citizens of all realities — see and interact with an idea so cosmic that it’s a wonder how normal people’s brains don’t explode just at the thought of it.
Subtle in its implementation, but essential now that “everything matters" in DC Comics, seeing regular folk talk about the multiverse like it’s a water cooler moment is a wild and unusual sight to behold. Specifically discussed at the end of this issue, a few civilians are enjoying some beer that uses “hops from different worlds in the multiverse,” and are blatantly talking about the idea of the multiverse by saying, “The multiverse is so cool,” “Makes everything feel bigger and connected,” and even the brutally honest comment of, “It still scares the crap out of me,” three observations that Marvel civvies aren’t even close to understanding.
But that’s not to say that Marvel isn’t open about some things that go on in their universe. While it’s common knowledge that superheroes and their wild antics are a thing (especially in the always under attack New York City), Marvel’s populace is generally unaware of the grand cosmic tapestry that truly makes up their reality. Knowing about Doctor Strange and his magic, the idea of aliens from other worlds, and even literal demons running amok, their cosmic understanding more or less ends there, with only a small group of people close to the superhero community knowing anything of greater significance.
So while both multiverses have their own unique quirks and rules, DC letting your everyday person in on a cosmic secret that’s usually kept out of the public eye is a fun addition to DC’s ever-growing multiversal mythology. Marvel might only keep this info known to the superhero community and their close relations by default, but DC has successfully found a way to make the idea of their multiverse something unique to their little corner of the comic book world.