Summary
Within the confines of the Marvel Universe, readers have been introduced to a myriad of realms, dimensions, and universes, all with their own unique versions of established heroes and villains. This is in large part thanks to the Multiverse that is made up of all these potential timelines, although the Marvel Universe extends even beyond this point.
Beyond the walls of the Multiverse is the Omniverse, which is an all-encompassing term for quite literally everything, real or fictional. Because it is so wide in scope and vague in principle, the Omniverse as a concept isn’t a particularly useful storytelling device. What is, however, are all the spaces in between the Multiverse and Omniverse that still fall neatly underneath Marvel’s umbrella, and each of them has something unique and different to offer.
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The Superflow is the Space Between Marvel Universes
Introduced in 2006’s NewUniversal #1 (by Warren Ellis and Salvador Larroca), which was set in the alternate reality of Earth-555, the Superflow is the space between realities in the known Multiverse. While the Superflow played a prominent role in the stories included in the NewUniversal line of comics, it has since come into play once more in the mainstream Marvel Universe. When the Incursions threatened to tear entire realities apart, the Superflow was one of the first locations to experience the disturbance.
The Superflow has also been seen more and more frequently thanks to the exploits of heroes such as America Chavez and teams including the Ultimates, especially during their war against the First Firmament. The Superflow returned more recently in 2022’s Avengers Forever (by Jason Aaron and Jim Towe), which saw the Goddesses of Thunder take to its uncharted territories.
Exo-Space – Marvel Comics’ Neutral Zone
Much like the Superflow, Exo-Space exists inside the Multiverse but between individual realities. Unlike its counterpart, Exo-Space is a place in which both positive and negative matter can exist without interfering or informing one another. As such, Exo-Space has also been dubbed the Neutral Zone, although neither name imparts anything about its true purpose in the grander scheme of things.
It was in 2016’s Ultimates #12 (by Al Ewing and Christian Ward) that the Neutral Zone was seen in the form of a map of sorts. As Connor Sims, aka Anti-Man, fell through the layers that make up the Multiverse, he breached the Neutral Zone and emerged in the Outside, the realm that contains all places completely disconnected from the known Multiverse. At its core, the Neutral Zone exists to act as a buffer between the Multiverse and the Outside, even though it has failed to do so on numerous occasions.
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The Far Shore – The Line Between Marvel’s Outside and Mystery
Introduced in 2016’s Ultimates #5 (by Al Ewing and Kenneth Rocafort), the Far Shore is a peculiar realm in which neither time nor space exist, but where the remnants of both can reside after being replaced by a new reality. When the First Firmament (the personification of the very first Marvel Universe) was replaced by its successors as the embodiment of everything, it embarked upon a brutal crusade that threatened to destroy all that could ever be.
In turn, the First Firmament was relegated to the Far Shore, where it could no longer pose a threat, and where it would be joined by the Ultimate Ultimates, who were made up of past incarnations seen in the Multiverse. In this way, the Far Shore is both a prison and a graveyard. Of course, it is still more complicated than that, as the Far Shore also acts as a buffer between Outside and what lies beyond it, just as the Neutral Zone does for the Outside and the Multiverse. This time, however, what lies beyond is a literal and figurative Mystery, and the first step into it is the Beyond.
Beyond – Formerly Marvel’s Second Cosmos
Although Beyond had been mentioned nearly two years prior, it wouldn’t make its official debut until 1990’s Fantastic Four Annual #23 in the story “Beyond and Back” (by Len Kaminski and Greg Capullo). This story followed the Beyonder, who remakes themselves into the form of Kosmos before meeting the sentient Cosmic Cube known as Kubik. Together, the two explore the Marvel Universe and its various realms, including taking a glimpse into Beyond, the remains of the Second Cosmos, which itself was the first Multiverse to ever exist.
From Beyond, the Celestials’ creations known as the Omegas carried out whatever tasks they had at hand, eventually coming into their own to be better known as the Beyonders. This status has placed the Beyond at the heart of several storylines, although that is hardly surprising considering the way in which the Beyonders continue to find themselves in the spotlight as villains. And, with Eddie Brock’s latest revelation regarding his place as the King in Black standing as anathema to the Beyonders as a whole, it likely won’t be long before readers are taking yet another trip into the Beyond.
The White Hot Room – Home to Marvel’s Phoenix Force
The White Hot Room might be one of the most convoluted locations in the Marvel Universe, but that hasn’t kept it from becoming one of the most important. When it first appeared in 1987’s “Phoenix” (by Chris Claremont and John Bolton, from Classic X-Men #8), the White Hot Room was effectively the home of the Phoenix Force and where it formed its deepest connection to its hosts. Since then, it has also taken on the role of something of an afterlife for those who have been connected to it as a host to the Phoenix, although it isn’t necessarily relegated just to them.
In spite of the fact that the White Hot Room does exist Outside the Multiverse and past the boundaries of Mystery, it also holds a place within the Nexus of All Realities that is the M’kraan Crystal. This has provided countless opportunities for the White Hot Room to be explored further, albeit while muddying where and how it actually exists as an independent location unto itself. This also lends to the ethereal, near unfathomable nature of the White Hot Room, which certainly doesn’t detract from its inherent intrigue.
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The Land of Couldn’t-Be-Shouldn’t-Be
The most recent addition to this list of places that exist in Mystery is the Land of Couldn’t-Be-Shouldn’t-Be, which was first seen in 2014’s Silver Surfer #3 (by Dan Slott and Michael Allred). Wielding the Edge of Reality, a sword capable of literally cutting through the fabric of reality, the villain known as the Incredulous Zed infiltrated the Land of Couldn’t-Be-Shouldn’t-Be. There, he stole away with the heart of the Queen of Nevers, the lover of Eternity and the living embodiment of the concept of possibilities.
While the Queen of Nevers was able to get her heart back, she continued appearing to play major roles in events such as 2015’s Secret Wars, which gave readers a chance to explore the ins and outs of what being a part of the Marvel Universe looks like on the grandest scale. Typically depicted as an empty void, the Land of Couldn’t-Be-Shouldn’t-Be appears to be an odd setting for any kind of epic adventures. On the other hand, the emptiness that represents the Land of Couldn’t-Be-Shouldn’t-Be is a perfect representation of exactly what it is – the place where all things that could be are born.
The House of Ideas
When the eponymous heroes of 2004’s Fantastic Four #511 stumbled into the House of Ideas, they effectively walked in the front door of Heaven. Presented as an idyllic home inhabited by an all seeing creator in the form of legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby, the House of Ideas was more of an afterlife than it was a place where endless mystery was to be explored. That all changed with the first full appearance of the House of Ideas in 2019’s Avengers: No Road Home #9 (by Jim Zub, Mark Waid, Al Ewing, and Paco Medina), which reimagined the House of Ideas on a much grander scale.
This story reintroduced the House of Ideas as a place that is in essence the One Above All’s own personal Land of Couldn’t-Be-Shouldn’t-Be. In the House of Ideas, all things are possible, even if they haven’t been given life yet. The Land of Couldn’t-Be-Shouldn’t-Be might be where concepts and characters are brought into form, but the House of Ideas is where all things arise on their most basic levels.
The Marvel Universe and Multiverse are already massive, but everything beyond them is even more astonishing than most fans can imagine. Read More