In Marvel it the writers made it so that if you went back in time it was actually an alternate timeline (or created one?) and any changes you did didn't mean anything in your own timeline, and so paradoxes were avoided and you couldn't change history.
If you went into the future it could be one of many possible futures, so any contradictions they showed didn't really matter.
But some stories crept in that seemed to contradict the alternate timelines stuff. I think Legion killing Xavier was one that was specifically stated on panel to be 'real' time travel and therefore screwing with history. Were there some New Warriors stories where history was changed as well? I can't remember. And in a recent FF annual they implied they could change history to get rid of Johnny's baby, without the alternate timeline problem.
So how does time travel work in the Marvel and DC these days? Which do you think are the best rules for stories - being able to actually change and mess with history or not being able to because of the alternate timeline catch? What are some of the best or recent time travel stories?
And a specific conundrum regarding true time travel: what happens if someone dies and say their soul goes to Marvel or DC heaven, then another character goes back in time and saves them before they die? Is heaven affected by this and the soul never went there? Does this annoy the OAA/Presence/Angels or are they also unaware that history was changed?
A different take: someone sells their soul to Mephisto, but then they die and Mephisto gets the soul. Then someone travels back in time and stops the deal taking place so the soul is never taken. Is Mephisto aware of this rort, or are his memories and awareness also altered by the change, basically mindwiping him?
For the rest, I'll reply more throughly, but the real rule is "whatever the story needs". Normaly it means alternate futures and time-travel rules are retconned each few months.
KMC Community Forums
Aug 13th, 2010 04:44 PM
