The multiverse is not pure science fiction. Its existence is of course not proven, but it has a theoretical basis in real quantum physics. A wave function (the mathematical expression of a quantum system, which can provide the probability of where a particle will be) is said to “collapse” after a definitive measurement has been made. The “many worlds” interpretation, conceived by physicist Hugh Everett, instead proposes that when a quantum system is measured, all possible measurements take place in many universes.
Compare the Schrödinger’s cat thought experimentitself derived from the idea of quantum measurement; if you put a cat in a closed box, there’s no way of knowing if the animal is alive or dead, so technically it’s both and neither.
Experts noted how seeing the world this way creates frightening philosophical implications; as individuals and as a whole of humanity, we cherish our uniqueness. If every permutation of “we” exists on a plane of existence, this uniqueness is eliminated. This is the root of Owlman’s nihilism, although he defines reality as an offshoot based on people’s choices, rather than particle behavior (that East a character-driven story).
“Every decision we make is meaningless because somewhere, on a parallel Earth, we have already made the opposite choice. We are nothing. Less than nothing,” Owlman explains. His analysis is not wrong in itself; it’s coldly rational from a certain angle. But you’d have to be immensely amoral to conclude that this makes humans’ lives “meaningless” – which Owlman is, so he wants to destroy the original “Earth Prime”, thinking it would cause all others to collapse. realities. “The only action one could take that would have a purpose,” he calls it, because destroying all reality is the only decision that cannot happen in reverse on another world.
Woods gives a chilling performance as Owlman; quiet and sinister, the opposite of his most famous voice role as the talkative Hades in “Hercules.” On the other hand, “Crisis On Two Earths” would have benefited from having Kevin Conroy once again as Batman, rather than Billy Baldwin’s stunt double, as it would give an extra boost to the already fantastic battle from Batman and Owlman.
I hear Conroy convey Batman’s lines to Owlman so clearly, especially his farewell: “There’s a difference between you and me. We both stared into the abyss, but when he looked back at us… You blinked.” Both men faced despair, but only one surrendered.
Owlman’s character East an evil Batman, yes, but it’s deeper than the simple novelty of having the Dark Knight as a villain; he is a foil to Batman’s philosophy of will and determination, that one person can make a difference. Owlman would rather destroy everything than live with the “illusion of free will”, while Batman sees the world as it is, the dark and the light, and strives to make it better with faith that d Others, even his enemies, can do it. be better. If there’s anything that “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” teaches us, after all, we are all the sum of our own distinct choices.
