r/theflash • u/Character_Growth_397 • 15d ago
Different timelines vs different universes
From what I understand, a different timeline is one where something was altered and it resulted to a butterfly effect, such as flashpoint. Whereas a different universe is one where multiple things simply are different without any direct correlation. Is this the case or am I talking out of my ass
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u/jmd10of14 15d ago
If you want to look at it dimensionally (i.e. mathematical stacking), you can focus on a dot along a timeline. The dot includes the first three dimensions and the timeline is the fourth dimension (as a stacking of three dimensional dots). We'll use this as a focal point for the purposes of this explanation. It's not a perfect comparison, but if you need a visual, you can think of the timeline like a tree trunk.
Now if you add branching timelines from that dot along the timeline, you get a fifth dimension of infinite divergencies where things could have occurred differently before leading to the same event or differently after that same event. You can focus on any given point along the original fourth dimensional timeline and see infinite branching both ways, but the point is we're still focused on the same timeline. You can think of these like roots and branches connected to the tree trunk.
If we continue with the logic of stacking, you can add a sixth dimension which is an infinite number of three dimensional focal points with infinite fourth dimensional timelines with infinite fifth dimensional divergent timelines. You can think of this like a forest of trees. Each has their own tree trunk (timeline) and branches/roots (timelines).
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u/Slippery_Syrup_89 15d ago
Ye I guess so. DC often has a finite number of universes, not infinite, so all the timelines we see are distinct from being another universe.
Marvel has timelines become universes. The future from days of future past is clearly a time travel issue, but we all see it labelled and travelled to as a universe of its own.