Time travel is a concept in the multiverse that involves physical and temporal teleportation within an Earth's history without directly affecting other universes. Time travel is not without consequences, resulting in multiple possible, or at least altered, timelines. The mechanics of time travel differ greatly between that of meta-human speedsters and technological timeships, as used by Time Masters and time pirates. A specific timeline is considered the "main" or "true" timeline, and is protected by the Legends, the Time Bureau, and formerly the Time Masters, from possible alterations, the results of which are described as aberrations.
Methods of travel
- Main Article : Timeship
Methods of travel
- Main Article : Time Courier
Real and mirage timelines
For the reasons not entirely explained there exists a distinction between which timelines are considered "true", and thus protected by the Time Masters, and which are disregarded as "possible", "fluctuating" or "mirage" timelines. The so-called "Flashpoint" timeline, created as the result of The Flash of 2016's actions in the year 2000, followed by traveling back to the future of 2016, was described by Eobard Thawne as "a mirage", which, however, started to cement in reality, removing Barry's memories and powers every time he used the Speed Force.
Array of timelines
When Barry Allen and Eobard Thawne changed the timeline in 2016, a notable change was the erasure of Sara Diggle from existence, and the addition of John Diggle, Jr. to the timeline. Very likely the future "Connor Hawke"/Green Arrow whom the Legends encountered in a potential future, his older self's existence can be explained by an array of timelines - with each timeline within the array being the past and future of the succeeding and preceding ones, respectively.
Multiverse and timelines
Different universes have different timelines, even if the "timeline" of one an into "contact" with that of another - for example, in the case of inhabitants of Earths One and Two crossing dimensions - the changes to the timeline of one Earth won't be reflected in that of another. When Barry Allen changed the timeline in 2016, creating a "Flashpoint", and then when Eobard Thawne subsequently created another timeline, closer to the pre-Flashpoint one - Harrison Wells and Jesse Quick weren't affected by the changes upon returning back to Earth One, being their pre-Flashpoint selves. This can be explained by Barry travelling through time after they returned to Earth Two (and its timeline).
Predestination and loops
Since, as said by Rip Hunter, "time wants to happen", a number of time travel attempts into the past to change effects of a future end up causing said future to happen in the first place. For example, finding his wife and son slain by Vandal Savage prompted Rip Hunter to travel back in time and attempt to kill Savage at the early period of his life, as Hath-Set. He failed, and was captured, making Hath-Set swear to hunt him down, and centuries later, after finding Rip's locket, to kill his family. Eobard Thawne's time remnants, would also be a part of ensuring a time loop exists, even if it is contradictory to the speedster's original life story, or to him being erased from existence.
Erasure from time
A dangerous effect related to both Time Master and speedster time travel is the possibility of people being erased from timeline. After losing his Speed Force connection and becoming stranded in the year 2000, Eobard Thawne killed Tess Morgan and Harrison Wells, the original creators of S.T.A.R. Labs in the timeline Eobard hailed from, bringing major changes to the "main" timeline. Thawne himself, or at least a version of him that stole Wells's identity, was erased when his ancestor Eddie Thawne killed himself to stop Eobard from killing Team Flash.
Time Vaults
Time Vaults are specific structures that allow their users to monitor the array of timelines and see how changes in the present can lead to the result, either different or same, as that of the other timeline. For example, the Time Vault used by Eobard Thawne, disguised as the director of S.T.A.R. Labs Harrison Wells, was used to compare his current timeline's future to that of the timeline he claimed to hail from: the changing structure of a newspaper indicated that both timelines would see the Flash disappearing during a crisis with red skies above in 2024.
Time fragmentations
Time fragmentations are specific points in space and time that are invisible to the Time Masters, even with the power of the Oculus. One such fragmentation is the town of Salvation in 1871, which the Legends used while on the run from the Time Masters. This allows people to hide out within these fragmentations which forces the Time Masters or their hired mercenaries to individually check each one. It is unknown whether these fragmentations have any effect on speedster-based time travel.
Timeship time travel
Features of timeships
- Main Article : Timeship A.I. System
Rules of time travel
According to Rip Hunter, the Time Masters have created a number of rules to keep the timeline stable. The prime of these rules is that time travelers can't go back and change events in which they participated. According to the Time Masters' rules, in this case time would fold in on itself, creating a temporal vortex. To punish those who would ignore the rules, the Time Masters employed bounty hunters and assassins. However, only by ignoring the rules did the Legends manage to stop Vandal Savage's final plot to revert the timeline back to Ancient Egypt, and then remain in one piece.
Side-effects of time travel via timeship
Because the human body is accustomed to time unfolding lineally, when an individual travels through time using a timeship, this is known to cause physical discomfort including nausea and vomiting, temporary deafness, linguistic disorientation, and, on rare occasions, bleeding from the eyeballs.
Speedster time travel
Co-existing with the other self
Meta-human speedsters use the Speed Force to travel through time in two different ways. One way is similar to that of timeship time travel, allowing a past or future version of the speedster to exist in the same time and even interact with their other self. This way, time travel would not result in a new timeline, but bring alterations to the existing one. In Barry Allen's case, one of his time travel attempts led to Hartley Rathaway's reformation and the creation of weaponry that could be used against Time Wraiths.[24] Barry used a similar form of time travel when traveling to the year 2000, as multiple other versions were seen at his house.
Superseding one's other self
The other version of speedster time travel involves superseding their selves from another time period, "becoming" them, instead of coexisting alongside their other selves. Barry Allen used this variation of time travel when saving Central City from a tidal wave sent by the Weather Wizard, and later after Vandal Savage sent a destructive wave of energy using the Staff of Horus. In both cases, Barry became himself from a day ago, allowing him to change the course of events. After stopping Eobard Thawne from killing his mother, Barry traveled the same way to a changed version of 2016, dubbed "Flashpoint", and was later bought back to the "main" timeline by Eobard in a similar manner.
Dangers of speedster time travel
The speedsters' time travel is especially dangerous, due to its tendency to fundamentally change and substitute the main timeline, as what happened when a version of Eobard Thawne lost his Speed Force connection after killing Nora Allen and traumatizing Barry. The time traveler was now stranded in 2000 and shaped history, including the creation of the Flash, according to his plans. The resulting timeline, while further altered multiple times, was now considered the main one, with the others being merely "possible" or "mirage" timelines. As a result of Eobard's actions, Tess Morgan and Harrison Wells were dead, Wells's reputation tarnished.
Time Remnant
A time remnant is a side-effect of a speedster's time travel that appears out of the Speed Force to prevent further time paradoxes. Although Eobard Thawne originally fought the Flash created in 2020 and thus couldn't have a first encounter with him in 2016, after changing the main timeline by killing Tess Morgan and creating the Flash in 2013, before being erased from existence, Thawne inadvertently altered his own backstory as the Reverse-Flash, heavily depended on interactions with the Flash. This forced a time remnant to appear in 2016 and recreate Eobard's first encounter with the Flash
Possible other methods
After being captured and interrogated by Rip Hunter, Vandal Savage claimed that after witnessing a time travel attempt by Rip in 1975, he studied for 200 years to devise his own time travel ability, eventually figuring it out on his own, allowing him to move in and out of the timestream, letting him proceed undetected. However, Savage may have been lying, as he was seen provided with a timeship by the Time Masters, although the two methods may not be exclusive. Additionally, The Pilgrim had a device or an ability to control time around her, stopping her enemies from attacking her. Abra Kadabra also used an unknown way of time travel to get to the 21st century, but could not return to the 64th without a timeship.
Time Masters organization
Time Bureau
At an unknown point in time, the Time Masters organization was created to control and oversee the "correct" timeline from the Vanishing Point. Using the Oculus device to manipulate certain events in time, as well as a Time Fleet and bounty hunters to combat the occasional time pirate, the Time Masters held their hold over the main timeline before their device was destroyed by Rip Hunter's team, along with the Oculus Wellspring. It can be noted that the Time Masters' efforts to maintain a "true" timeline were opposed beforehand, with the timeline greatly changing in the year 2000.
Time Masters
Time Masters were a council of individuals apparently tasked with protecting the timeline. They were also associates of Vandal Savage. Although the organization states that its goal to keep the timeline, it was ultimately nothing more than a facade, as they used a device called the Oculus that would give them a vision of the "true timeline", but the senior members used it to manipulate the timeline, something that most members of the group are not aware of.
Collectors
Collectors are a law enforcement agency from Earth Nineteen that enforce the world's ban on inter-dimensional travel. The Collectors are an organization from Earth Nineteen that are tasked with overseeing the ban on inter-dimensional travel. Ever since Earth Nineteen had been invaded by a neighboring and hostile Earth that nearly destroyed theirs a ban was placed on their citizens against traveling through the multiverse. Their job is to catch anyone from their Earth that violate the ban and return them to face trial and execution.
Interdimensional Travel (Smallville Version)
Time travel is the act of moving between different moments in time; either sending objects backwards in time to a moment before the present, or sending objects forward from the present to the future without the need to experience the intervening period.
- Lana's call is directed to the past with interference from water, electricity and kryptonite.
- When Lana Lang was killed in a car accident, Clark Kent asked Jor-El to do something. He offered Clark a crystal that could reset time to a point where Lana was still alive. Clark took the crystal, feeling he couldn't live without Lana and went back in time to the morning before Lana was killed. Clark's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent later died as a result of Lana not being killed but Jor-El told Clark that there was nothing he could do.
- When Brainiac managed to reboot himself and upgrade himself to Brainiac 2.0, he gave himself the ability to fly and managed to persuade Kara Kent to travel through time to Krypton in 1986 moments before the planet exploded. Clark believed that he couldn't get there and almost gave up hope, but Jor-El told Clark that he was on Earth for a reason and sent him back in time to Krypton to stop Brainiac from killing baby Kal-El, so that Clark would not exist. Clark and Kara managed to stop Brainiac from killing baby Kal-El but he disguised himself as Kara to return to Earth and avoid Krypton's destruction, placing Kara in the Phantom Zone.
- The Persuader traveled back in time from 3009 to destroy the crystal that could be used to defeat Brainiac. The Legion of Superheroes followed him to send him back to the future and then helped Clark defeat Brainiac, who had possessed Chloe. They left a Legion ring with Clark and offered him the chance to visit the future (Legion), although instead he used it to change the past when his identity was exposed due to Linda Lake. When he went back in time he defeated Linda Lake and kept his identity secret, after which he destroyed the ring.
- Rokk Krinn came back in time again to give Clark a Legion ring to send Doomsday into the future. Lois found the ring and was transported to the future.
- Three weeks later, Lois was transported back to Metropolis with virtually no memories of the future. Alia followed Lois, attacking her several times in an attempt to attract Clark's attention so that she could kill Clark.
- Lois and Clark attended their 5 year high school reunion, and just as Clark begins to feel uncomfortable, time appears to come to a stand-still and Brainiac 5 entered the room and revealed himself to be the re-programmed version of Brainiac, a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes and thus from the 31st century. Brainiac 5 took Clark's arms and they traveled back in time to 4 and a half years ago, where Clark witnessed Jonathan's funeral once more. They appeared to be invisible to the occupants of that time, suggesting that Brainiac 5 had improved time-travel. Clark then activated the Legion ring, accidentally sending himself to the Daily Planet in 2017. This time, the occupants of that time could see Clark, causing him great confusion.
- When Jor-El sends someone back in time, he sends the mind and memory of a future person into his or hers past body. For example, when Jor-El sent Clark back in time after Lana died, Clark was presumably sent back into his old body; there were not two Clarks around.
- When Clark used Rokk's Legion ring to travel back in time, he also presumably traveled back into his past body; there were not two Clarks that time either.
- However, when Brainiac 5 used his Legion ring to bring Clark into the future of 2017, there were two Clarks: a Clark from 2010, and a Clark from 2017. The Clark from 2017 was aware of everything that the Clark from 2010 knew and would do, suggesting that there was an element of destiny and pre-determined fate to the actions of the Clark from 2010.
- Main Article : Known Time Travelers
