The Marvel X Universe

Earth X is the collective name for a series of comic book series published by Marvel Comics and based on Alex Ross's re-imaginings of a dystopian future for the Marvel Universe. It was one of Marvel's best-selling projects in recent years. The Earth X comics, written primarily by Jim Krueger based on Ross's notes, included Earth X, Universe X, and Paradise X (fourteen issues each - 1-12, plus X; Earth and Universe also have an issue 0, while Paradise has an issue A), Heralds X (three issues), Ragnarok (two issues), and Xen, Beasts, Devils, Spidey, Iron Men, 4, and Cap (one issue each). Each issue featured a fully-painted cover by Ross; the covers of Earth X and Universe X each combine to make up one large image.

Note: The deductions X-51 and Kyle Richmond made about time travel and the nature of the Multiverse must be considered suspect, as their information, respectively, came from equipment supplied by the corrupt Watcher and eyes provided by Mephisto, lord of lies. Paradise X #11 strongly suggests that the Earth X reality is the original Marvel Universe. All the subsequent events of the Marvel Universe still happened in precisely the same order as we know them, they’ve just all started in 1961 and progressed in real time since then. It further suggests that stories that are set later (i.e., the Punisher’s first appearance in 1974, or Heroes Reborn occurring in 1996) were all set in alternate timelines that mirrored the original Marvel Universe, but kicked off at a later time. The implication is that any time you’re reading a Marvel comic, it’s set in one of these alternate realities. Meanwhile the original Marvel Universe continued on its merry way. Where exactly the history we’re familiar with ended isn’t clear; as a rule of thumb, the starting point of the Marvel Universe is always assumed to be ten years prior to whenever the reader is reading. 

The Multiverse