History ComicBook / New52

* '''''ComicBook/{{Aquaman|New52}}''''' - Aquaman is rebooted entirely: he is younger, was never married to Mera, and starts off without the throne of Atlantis.[[note]]Much of the work in substantially rebooting his backstory had already been done the previous year in ''ComicBook/BrightestDay''.[[/note]]

** A short crossover, "ComicBook/LightsOut", happened in October 2013. It started in ''Green Lantern'', ran through ''Green Lantern Corps'', ''Green Lantern: New Guardians'', and ''ComicBook/RedLanterns'' before concluding in the second ''Green Lantern'' annual. It involves the Lantern corps to come together to stop an ancient being named Relic. Shortly after this came "Uprising", a civil war amongst the Green Lanterns against the shapeshifting Durlans, followed afterwards by the Lantern-line wide "Godhead" pitting the New Guardians, Green Lantern Corps, Red Lanterns, and Yellow Lantern Corps against the ComicBook/NewGods of New Genesis. By this point, it has become clear that the Lantern books are in a near-constant state of this, especially "Green Lantern" and "Green Lantern Corps".

All three Super-characters were scaled back to earlier versions and had their alien-ness highlighted: Clark Kent was not married to ComicBook/LoisLane and both Ma and Pa Kent passed away before Clark came to Metropolis, Superboy is a lab experiment created by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. as a "living weapon", and Supergirl has only recently arrived from Krypton[[note]]this was also the case prior to New 52 but the New 52 used it to give Supergirl a more 'alien' perspective compared to that of the Earth-raised Superman[[/note]]. ''Action Comics'' was set five years in the past, detailing the early years of Superman's career, while ''Superman'' was set in the present day. The other main change was that, like in MediaNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}, the ''Daily Planet'' had been bought by Galaxy Broadcasting; this time, however, it was Lois who moved to TV and Clark who stayed with print journalism. Also, their classic costumes were replaced with ceremonial Kryptonian battle armor with similar design elements.

The Bat-books picked up more-or-less where they left off, with [[ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison Bruce Wayne appointing Batmen worldwide]] (including Batwing, who operated in a fictionalized version of the Democratic Republic of Congo). However Dick Grayson gave up the mantle of being the Batman of Gotham and returned to being Nightwing. Meanwhile, Barbara Gordon had recovered from her paralysis and become Batgirl again – replacing Stephanie Brown, who was apparently erased from continuity along with former Batgirl Cassandra Cain[[note]]both were reintroduced years later with new origin stories[[/note]]. Red Hood was finally shifted into the role of an antihero, albeit at first estranged from the rest of the Batfamily. The books also introduced the Court of Owls, an AncientConspiracy that has run Gotham for generations and has ties to Wayne's and Grayson's pasts. Later on, it was revealed that Tim Drake had never been Robin, only Red Robin, and that his parents were still alive and in witness protection.

The ''Green Lantern'' books picked up exactly where they left off pre-reboot. Hal Jordan has been dismissed from the Corps due to the "War of the Green Lanterns" and replaced by Sinestro of all people, though he soon takes Hal on as a sidekick. Kyle Rayner, meanwhile, has defied the Guardians and joined an alliance of Lanterns of other colors, and Atrocitus has begun reorganizing his Red Lanterns with a new sense of purpose. In "Zero Month", a new human Lantern, Simon Baz, is introduced.

[[folder:The New 52]]

! January/February 2013

! April/May 2013

! April 2014

! May 2014

! June/July 2014

! October 2014

!Non-specific changes
* Prime Earth: The main Earth most of the events take place gains a new name in Prime Earth, also known by the post-Crisis New Earth and Earth-0. It is unrelated to Earth-Prime (now Earth-33, according to Grant Morrison's upcoming ''The Multiversity''), the pre-New 52 "real world" where DC's writers lived and [[ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis Superboy-Prime]] originated from.
* ComicBook/TheQuestion: In a drastic departure from his previous incarnation as a masked investigator, he was now punished alongside the Phantom Stranger and Pandora for unknown crimes by having his face and name erased. His quest is to find the question that, when answered, will return his identity to him.
* Silver Banshee: Like ComicBook/TheQuestion, she has been changed fairly dramatically. She is now Siobhan Smythe, a good-natured [[RaceLift Irish]] punk girl and recurring supporting character in the ''Supergirl'' book. She hasn't used her powers much (except for being able to speak any language) and seems understandably afraid of them since they come from her supervillain father. She's also Kara's BFF.

* ''ComicBook/Team7New52'' - Based on a Wildstorm title and set five years ago, with the team being a countermeasure to emerging superhumans. It has a mixed cast of DC and Wildstorm characters, including several who are also appearing in titles set in the present day.

* ''[[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica2013 Justice League of America]]'' - "The World's Most Dangerous Heroes" A rebooted [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]'', in this incarnation a separate entity from the Justice League under the command of the United States government. Led by Steve Trevor, the announced team members are Stargirl, ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}, ComicBook/GreenArrow, new ComicBook/GreenLantern Simon Baz, ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}, Katana, ComicBook/MartianManhunter, and Vibe.

* ''ComicBook/{{Threshold}}'' - a new sci-fi book featuring reimagined versions of old RayGunGothic characters: the Star Rovers, Star Hawkins, Space Cabbie, Tom Tomorrow, Captain K'Rot, and Star Ranger. It also has ties to fellow space books ''Green Lantern'' and newly-canceled ''Blue Beetle'', including backup stories about Orange Lantern Larfleeze.

* ''[[ComicBook/AquamanAndTheOthers Aquaman & The Others]]'': Featuring Aquaman's time with his first SuperTeam, the Others.

* ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil2013'': A seven issue miniseries that takes place after the conclusion of ''ComicBook/TrinityWar'' and focuses on the villains.

* ''ComicBook/TeenTitansNew52'' - The first and only team of Teen Titans to exist in the DCU's new history, brought together to defend themselves from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., an organization with an interest in superpowered teens and the creators of Superboy; half the team are the classic junior versions of Justice League members (Red Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash), and half are all-new characters (Solstice[[note]]who was actually introduced shortly before the reboot[[/note]], Skitter, and Bunker). The classic characters each had their personal histories substantially rewritten, such as Kid Flash now having no ties to the Flash family and being an amnesiac from a BadFuture.

* '''''ComicBook/{{Green Arrow|JeffLemire}}''''' - Oliver Queen was rebooted entirely as well: now younger and clean-shaven, unattached to Black Canary, and with all his pre-reboot supporting cast erased apart from estranged former sidekick Roy Harper.

* '''''ComicBook/TheFlash''''' - Barry Allen is also rebooted entirely, now younger and unmarried, dating Patty Spivot with Iris West only as a friend. However, the biggest change was that Wally West had been erased from continuity entirely. (A new version of Wally was introduced years later, now de-aged to early teens and [[RaceLift half-black]].

* '''''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'''''

* '''''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'''''

* ''Batman Incorporated'' - The conclusion of the ''ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison'' saga.

* ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}''

* '''''ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}''''' - Aquaman is rebooted entirely: he is younger, was never married to Mera, and starts off without the throne of Atlantis.[[note]]Much of the work in substantially rebooting his backstory had already been done the previous year in ''ComicBook/BrightestDay''.[[/note]]

* '''''ComicBook/HarleyQuinn''''': Featuring the Clown Princess of Crime and her adventures in Coney Island after she inherits an apartment complex there.

* ''Nightwing''

All three Super-characters were scaled back to earlier versions and had their alien-ness highlighted: Clark Kent was not married to ComicBook/LoisLane and both Ma and Pa Kent passed away before Clark came to Metropolis, Superboy is a lab experiment created by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. as a "living weapon", and Supergirl has only recently arrived from Krypton[[note]]this was also the case prior to New 52 but the New 52 used it to give Supergirl a more 'alien' perspective compared to that of the Earth-raised Superman[[/note]]. ''Action Comics'' was set five years in the past, detailing the early years of Superman's career, while ''Superman'' was set in the present day. The other main change was that, like in UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}, the ''Daily Planet'' had been bought by Galaxy Broadcasting; this time, however, it was Lois who moved to TV and Clark who stayed with print journalism. Also, their classic costumes were replaced with ceremonial Kryptonian battle armor with similar design elements.

* ''ComicBook/Earth2'' - A reinvention of UsefulNotes/{{The Golden Age|OfComicBooks}} parallel universe (once again separate from the main continuity), featuring new versions of the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica characters (albeit not in a team). As part of this, everyone is YoungerAndHipper instead of elder veteran heroes, including things like making ComicBook/GreenLantern Alan Scott [[AdaptationalSexuality a gay man]] (a character trait [[CompositeCharacter inherited]] from his son Obsidian, who is now {{retgone}}, though a version of Obsidian [[UnrelatedInTheAdaptation who is no longer Alan Scott's son]] would later show up during the ''World's End'' era).

** In the finale of ''ComicBook/SupermanDoomed'', [[spoiler:Brainiac witnesses several past iterations of the DC Universe, such as [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age Earth]], [[ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}} Flashpoint Earth]] and ComicBook/PostCrisis Earth.]]

** New 52 version of ''Team 7'' (the Creator/{{Wildstorm}} military team that started everything) are a paramilitary group with only [[ComicBook/{{Grifter}} Cole Cash]], [[ComicBook/Gen13 John Lynch, Alex Fairchild]] and James Bronson (aka Mister Majestic) as the only Wildstorm members (with the exception of the latter, all were part of the original Team 7) and all the other are random DC heroes and [[ComicBook/AmandaWaller some]] [[ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} villains]] working together.

* TheMostWanted: The first arc of ''ComicBook/{{Grifter}}'' is about Cole Cash becoming the World's Most Wanted, this because his recent connections with the [[HumanDisguise Daemonites]] that can hear and see them in their true forms, making crash a plane full of Daemonites disguised as humans ready for an invasion. This was televised, showing him as a terrorist that killed everyone on the plane, being wanted by the cops, the army and even [[ComicBook/GreenArrow some]] [[ComicBook/{{Midnighter}} heroes]].

* TheFirstSuperheroes: In a way to streamline their decades-long continuity (since 1938!), DC Comics resorted to a full ContinuityReboot of their universe - for the most part -, in an attempt to reintroduce the characters as "first supers" for a new generation. For instance: Franchise/{{Superman}} heralds the dawn of superheroes, while the Franchise/{{Batman}}, the BadassNormal, is secretly already active for some time. More specific examples include:

* PlaceBeyondTime: Considering that Pandora hails from 8,000 BCE Macedonia, the Phantom Stranger is implied to be [[spoiler:Judas Iscariot]], thus marking him as born around the 1st century AD, and WordOfGod by Geoff Johns revealed the Question to be [[ClassicalMythology Narcissus]], the future members of the Trinity of Sin are gathered ''at the same moment in time'' to be sentenced by the Council of Eternity.

** The identity of the New 52 incarnation of the Question was never revealed, and will forever remain... ''a question''.

* AdaptationAmalgamation: The New 52 merged characters and concepts from disparate corners of the DC Universe into a common origin: the Wizard (from ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'') and the Council of Eternity were the ones responsible for the creation of ComicBook/ThePhantomStranger and ComicBook/TheQuestion (who was given a mystical origin, instead of being a urban vigilante) - two longstanding characters from the DC Universe -, and newcomer Pandora. Pandora is also established as the releaser of the Seven Deadly Sins into the world, who are ''Shazam'' villains (and they did appear in the ''Shazam'' backup stories).

* AdaptationAmalgamation: The New 52 merged characters and concepts from disparate corners of the DC Universe into a common origin: the Wizard (from ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'') and the Council of Eternity were the ones responsible for the creation of ComicBook/ThePhantomStranger and ComicBook/TheQuestion (who was given a mystical origin, instead of being a urban vigilante) - two longstanding characters from the DC Universe -, and newcomer Pandora. Pandora is also established as the releaser of the Seven Deadly Sins into the world, who are ''Shazam'' villains (and they did appear in a ''Shazam'' backup stories).

* BookEnds: The titled that ran consecutively since the New 52 started (''Detective Comics'', ''Green Arrow'', ''Green Lantern'', ''Action Comics'', ''Batman'', ''Catwoman'', ''Batgirl'', ''The Flash'', ''Aquaman'', ''Wonder Woman'', and ''Justice League'') ended their runs on issue... #''52''. Also, their 52nd issues sported variant covers with variations of the first covers done up with the characters today (for instance, Superman on ''Action''[='s=] cover would be wearing his current costume, Sinestro on the ''Green Lantern'' cover would be wearing his Sinestro Corps costume, etc.)

* BookEnds: The 52nd issues of the titles that ran consecutively since the New 52 started will end sporting variant covers with variations of the first covers done up with the characters today (for instance, Superman on ''Action''[='s=] cover would be wearing his current costume, Sinestro on the ''Green Lantern'' cover would be wearing his Sinestro Corps costume, etc.)

* UnrelatedInTheAdaptation: Subverted in ''Justice League United'', where this continuity's version of Adam Strange's wife Alanna initially appears to be a human woman with no relation to Sardath, but near the end of the series turns out to still be Sardath's daughter after all.