Dark Forces of the Multiverse

The Dark Forces of the Multiverse, also known as the "Hidden Forces of Creation" and more correctly known as "Crisis Energy" or "Direct-Crisis Energy", are the opposing energies to the Seven Forces of the Universe and regroup all powers that disrupt and that take instead of giving — Anti-Life, Chaos Magic, the Forces of Doom — and are based in selfishness, greed, predation, inviting people to change the past to give importance only to the present. The rogue Super Celestial, Perpetua, used these dark energies to create the first iteration of the Multiverse before being restarted and reconfigured with the Seven Forces of the Universe by The Hands.

History

Not much is known about the origins of the Dark Forces of the Multiverse, except that they were used by the rogue Hand, Perpetua, to create the first Multiverse before the current one.^[2] When Perpetua's children, the Brothers Three, learned of their mother's plans to twist the Multiverse into a self-sustaining weapon to challenge The Source with her transformed army of Apex Predators, they alerted The Hands whose response was to sent the Cosmic Raptor to imprison Perpetua, her Great Army and the Totality of the power she had selfishly hoarded in the Source Wall. Perpetua's Multiverse was then restarted, but this time with the brighter Seven Forces of the Universe as the underlying energies that governed it,^[3] with Perpetua forced to watch the Multiverse grow without her taints.^[4]

The Hands hoped that by watching the Multiverse grow, Perpetua could learn to love it and return to The Source as she was originally meant to do, but instead she raged inside her cage, whispering to anyone who could hear, stirring them up with desires, greed and instigating Crises in her plans to break free from the Source Wall.^[5][6] The Anti-Monitor was the first to hear the whispers, setting him on a path that collapsed the Infinite Earths of the Multiverse into a singular universe and, unbeknownst to all, a crack formed in the Source Wall and Perpetua whispered to through the Multiverse to the ears of those powerful enough to shake the foundations of reality. Each time the heroes of the Multiverse pushed back against a Crisis, they were changed again and again, but their core essence remained, although unbeknownst to them, each time reality took its new form, a new crack formed in the Source Wall.^[7]

When the Justice League used Element X to seal Barbatos and the Dark Multiverse's forces, the Source Wall shattered and Perpetua was finally free. However, Perpetua was not entirely free as she needed to restore her corporeal form and past power. In doing so, she sent pieces of the Totality through time for Vandal Savage and the Luthor family to find, ultimately setting Lex Luthor and his Legion of Doom on a path to unlock the Seven Hidden Energies of Creation to restore the Totality's true form: the cosmic giant Perpetua.^[8][9] With Luthor's help and the Year of the Villain, Perpetua regained her full power and, as the multiversal psychic balance tipped in her favor, she was able to restore the Dark Forces of the Multiverse as the dominant energies in the Multiverse.^[10] In an effort to stop Perpetua in her desire to reshape the Multiverse in her image, the Justice League established a telepathic contact with the inhabitants of Earth to tip the psychic balance in their favor and create a Totality from their connection to each of the seven positive forces of the Multiverse to rival Perpetua, an action which was in vain as Perpetua's machinations divided the Multiverse by evil, and with such division came fear, anger, and loss of faith, allowing Perpetua to win.^[11] At some point, before the events of Death Metal, the Justice League harnessed all Connective Energy forces to challenge Perpetua again in a clash that burned out the Sun and exhausted both forces.

Still Force

The true opposite force of the Speed Force and the cosmic essence of stasis based around inertia. It is described as the drive towards stasis and death. With it the user can slow down and/or stop motion , create barriers and constructs as well as absorb life force from its victims and stop aging. It is the first force to be unlocked with the breaking of the source wall and it was keeping the other energies from bleeding in the universe.

Invisible Spectrum

The power of unseen light and hidden emotion. While the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum is controlled by its conduits the Invisible Spectrum controls them or at least those who resist. Its Emotional Entity is Umbrax, a sentient Black Sun that assimilates planets to its Phantom Galaxy to add to its immense army. It was the second force to be unlocked when Sinestro released Umbrax and using its light to create the biggest Lantern Corps in eternity dwarfing the collective sum of all the other Corps combined.

Tear of Extinction

The dark side of the Life Force. It acts as the inversion of life's connection. Described as the drive towards isolation and solipsism and anything coated by the Tear can kill easily any mortal or immortal ripping life from anyone hit by it.

Void Wind

The dark counterpart to the Sphere of the Gods which can snuff out magic and gods. It is the Tear's twin and its name is derived from the harsh winds that blow from the Graveyard of Gods. In addition to snuffing out magic and the lives of the gods, it has shown the ability to subjugate them as well as seen with Cheetah controlling the god Poseidon. It was unlocked when the key to the Graveyard of Gods was destroyed.

Black Apple

The dark counterpart to the Collective Unconscious, which is the force that grants telepaths their power. It is a dark force of forbidden knowledge unlocked by discovering the universes darkest secrets.

Sixth Note

The dark counterpart to the Dimensional Superstructure of the Multiverse, its powers are known to be beyond imagination. Unlocked when the impossible is glimpsed.

Faithlessness

Faith in the evil within peoples hearts and their selfish cruel nature. It is unlocked when one loses the faith one possesses of their loved ones. This was the final force to be unlocked to fully revive Perpetua and it is closely connected to the concept of Doom.

Anti-Life Equation

The transcendental mathematical formula originally said to allow those who knew it to dominate the will of any sentient race. Although not part of the Seven Hidden Energies of Creation or "Forces of Doom", the Anti-Life Equation is part of the Crisis Energy.

Chaos Magic

A rare form of magic practiced exclusively by the Lords of Chaos, who are the cosmic opposites and enemies of the Lords of Order. Unlike ordinary magic wielders, chaos magic does not have cost or require specific methods such as pentagrams, sigils, chants, or rules to initiate spells. Instead, it is cast solely based on the user's will. Although not part of the Seven Hidden Energies of Creation or "Forces of Doom", the Chaos Magic is part of the Crisis Energy.

Powers

The Dark Forces of the Multiverse are the dark, raging powers in the Multiverse and regroup all forces that disrupt and that take instead of giving.^[12] All forces are based in selfishness, greed, predation, so while Connective Energy unites through memory and history, Crisis Energy invites to change the past to give importance only to the present. In Wally West's words: "There is only now, there is only us, there is only me." According to Perpetua, the meaning of these Forces of Doom is that true power lies in looking within oneself and embracing one's real nature.^[13]

The Crisis Energy-powered Batman Who Laughs caused reality to quake in response to his might, and the last great powers of the Sphere of the Gods shuddered as the lights of Hypertime went out at his mere presence. He created the Last 52 Multiverse of these energies, all fifty-two nightmarish shaped by fear.^[14] Perpetua drew upon all these energies through fear and agony to destroy universe after universe.^[15] According to Cheetah, these counter-energies can remake the Multiverse in one's image, which Perpetua threatened to do using these Crisis forces. These dark energies can supposedly restore dead realities like Superboy-Prime's universe.^[16], and the Crisis Energy-powered Batman Who Laughs resurrected many Batmen of the Dark Multiverse previously killed.^[17] The Hidden Forces-imbued Lex Luthor with the power to travel through infinite realities. As Wally West and later Lex Luthor explained, all lives are "batteries" for Crisis Energy and its opposite, while Anti-Crisis Energy flourishes through universal bravery and unity through memory and history, Crisis Energy feeds on universal fear, anger, and desires for greatness.^[18]

Current Owners

• The Hands

Previous Owners

• Perpetua
• Lex Luthor (Formerly)
• Gorilla Grodd (Still Force)
• Turtle (Still Force)
• Sinestro (Invisible Spectrum)
• Ultraviolet Corps (Invisible Spectrum)
• Umbrax (Invisible Spectrum)
• Arion (Tear of Extinction) (Formerly)
• Black Manta (Tear of Extinction)
• Cheetah (Void Wind)

Notes

• Although most clearly expressed in Dark Nights: Death Metal, the name "Crisis Energy" was first introduced in The Flash Vol 1 751 as the temporal energy released whenever a change in time occurs.
• Each force is in some way rooted in the violent and predatory nature of humans. The Tear of Extinction, for example, has been described as a drive toward solipsism, the belief that the self is all that exists.
• Diana mistakenly believed that Crisis Energy was too powerful for Anti-Crisis Energy during her fight against Perpetua. Lex Luthor, however, told her that this was not the case, that during the fight, Perpetua told her that if Anti-Crisis Energy were to overcome Crisis Energy, everything would be brought to bear, all history would matter and time would unknot and many would die, which caused Diana to hesitate.
• It has not been confirmed whether the Anti-Death Equation wielded by the Gentry and the Empty Hand is part of the Crisis forces. However, it is very possible that this is the case since the Crisis Energies regroup all dark and raging powers in the Multiverse

Trivia

• The Batman Who Laughs referred to The Seven Forces of the Universe and the Seven Hidden Forces as Anti-Crisis and Direct-Crisis energies with the acronyms AC and DC. This is a reference to the Australian rock band AC/DC.^[1]

See Also

• Appearances of Dark Forces of the Multiverse
  
• Catalogued images related to Dark Forces of the Multiverse