Buffyverse

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) is a televisual artifact that contains apocalyptic rhetoric in most episodes—apocalyptic in the sense that something is about to end in the Buffyverse, and rhetorical in the sense that something is going to change in the Buffyverse.

2009, Kylo-Patrick R. Hart, Annette Holba, Media and the Apocalypse, page 77:

2009, Kevin K. Durand, It's All about Power, in Kevin K. Durand (editor), Buffy Meets the Academy: Essays on the Episodes and Scripts as Text, Part I: Power and the Buffy Canon, page 46,
In the Buffyverse, we encounter a true representation of shared power, of partnered power. Further, the “bad guys” are not the only paradigms of patriarchy in the Buffyverse that are overcome.

We can hardly be surprised when Buffy and Satsu find what warmth they can, as Willow does with her demon lover, in an intercut sex scene of the kind which typically precedes an apocalypse in the Buffyverse (#15, p. 26). Scenes like this confirm Em McAvan's point that the Buffyverse associates bisexuality with kink (paragraph 15).

2010, Lewis Call, “Slaying the Heteronormative: Representations of Alternative Sexuality in Buffy Season Eight Comics”, in Erin B. Waggoner, editor, Sexual Rhetoric in the Works of Joss Whedon: New Essays, page 115:

(fandom slang) The fictional world, or universe, which serves as the setting for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.


omniverse

(science fiction) The entire set of co-existing universes, multiverses, etc.


movieverse

(fandom slang) The fictional universe of a work as presented in its movie version, as opposed to, e.g. a television series or a novel.


comicverse

(fandom slang) The fictional universe of a work as presented in its comics version, as opposed to, e.g. the TV series or the movie.


Potterverse

From Potter + -verse. Named after fictional character Harry Potter, the main character of the original property created by J.K. Rowling.

(fandom slang) The setting of the Harry Potter series.


gameverse

(fandom slang) A universe depicted in one or more video games.


Xenaverse

Guess things are different in the Xenaverse. Maybe Ares and the other gods don't like competition?

1998, Greg Cox, Battle On!: An Unauthorized, Irreverent Look at Xena: Warrior Princess, page 88:

The show is an amazing foray into women's expressions of rage — there's a lot of other women in the Xenaverse with a penchant for feats of arms […]

2005, "Doris", quoted in Sue Austin, Women's Aggressive Fantasies: A Post-Jungian Exploration of Self-hatred, Love and Agency, page 22

Gender was not relevant in the Xenaverse. There, a girl or a boy could be a warlord or a farmer, a bard or a sad sack needing protection.

2013 September 9, Jennifer Sky, “My Life as a Warrior Princess”, in The New York Times:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe depicted in the Xena: Warrior Princess series.

Many wonderful people and events have come into our lives from being part of the Xenaverse.

2002, Jo Marriott, Carly Bramwell, “Maid Marion, Meet Xena”, in Nikki Stafford, editor, How Xena Changed Our Lives: True Stories by Fans for Fans, page 72:

The task of mapping the online Xenaverse is, of course, an impossible one. The Xenaverse is too expansive, too unstructured, too fluid and fast moving to be charted; […]

2003, Sara Gwellian-Jones, “Histories, Fictions and Xena: Warrior Princess”, in Will Brooker, Deborah Jermyn, editors, The Audience Studies Reader, page 188:

For instance, when I lived in Italy a couple of years ago, I stumbled across the Italian Xenaverse.

2005, Anik LaChev, "Fan Fiction: A Genre And Its (Final?) Frontiers", Spectator, Volume 25, Number 1, Spring 2005, page 91

(fandom slang) The fandom of Xena: Warrior Princess.


'verse

How has the landscape of the 'verse changed? Was there a toppling of the Alliance government?

2006 August 22, “Life in the 'verse AFTER the BDM”, in alt.tv.firefly (Usenet):

In the dystopian Firefly ‘verse, the government itself is “antisocial.”

2007, Joy Davidson, The Psychology of Joss Whedon: An Unauthorized Exploration of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, page 51:

Happily, it's a fun ‘verse for a journey. It's no accident that Joss Whedon built Firefly with the elements of a great MMOG.

2007, Corey Bridges, “The Virtual ‘Verse”, in Jane Espenson, editor, Serenity Found: More Unauthorized Essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe:

In the Firefly/Serenity ‘verse (as in ours), unstable teenage girls are not supposed to be able to kill three men with three shots.

2008, K. Dale Koontz, Faith and Choice in the Works of Joss Whedon, page 160:

(fandom slang) The (fictional) universe in which the TV series Firefly is set.


Angelverse

This suggests that free will has its place in the Angelverse: the choice to fight matters to the end, even if it cannot stop a prophesied event from occurring.

2005, Stacey Abbott, Reading Angel: The TV Spin-off with a Soul, page 142:

To the degree that my universe intersects with the Angelverse, I view Angel as far more than a creature tormented by blood cravings, past horrors, and mystical forces.

2007, Joy Davidson, The Psychology of Joss Whedon: An Unauthorized Exploration of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, page 197:

At times Lorne challenges the culture of the Angelverse by bringing together disparate points of view and causing the crew at Angel Investigations to see situations and characters in an unconventional way, demonstrating a unique and significant adaptation of bardic form.

2010, Jennifer Hamilton, “Pylean Idol: L.A.'s De(con)struction of a Postmodern Bard”, in Amijo Comeford, Tamy Burnett, editors, The Literary Angel: Essays on Influences and Traditions Reflected in the Joss Whedon Series, page 45:

(fandom slang) The fictional world, or universe, which serves as the setting for the television series Angel.

Angel (TV series)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer


X-Verse

2009, Rebecca Housel, Jeremy Wisnewski, editors, X-Men and Philosophy: Astonishing Insight and Uncanny Argument in the Mutant X-Verse, John Wiley & Sons.:

First and most common is the charge that numerous characters in Heroes have powers of preexisting comic book characters, especially from the X-Men.[…]Even Isaac Mendez's power to paint the future predates him in a character from the X-verse—Nemesio from District X.

2009, David Kyle Johnson, Heroes and Philosophy: Buy the Book, Save the World, page 50:

And if Parfit is right, it should make you think twice about how quickly you judge all of the characters in the X-Verse (and the real world).[…] In the X-Verse we should be less dubious of Emma Frost working with the X-Men; […].

2010, William Irwin, David Kyle Johnson, Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture: From Socrates to South Park, page 88:

(fandom slang) The fictional world, or universe, which serves as the setting for the Marvel Comics and film series featuring the characters the X-Men.


Whedonverse

In the Whedonverse (among other places) institutions are dangerous; communities can be life-giving.

2005, Rhonda Wilcox, Why Buffy Matters: the Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, page 159:

Neither Joss Whedon nor any other writer in the Whedonverse harbors the misogyny that drove and characterized texts like the Hammer of Witches.

2009, AmiJo Comeford, “Cordelia Chase as Failed Feminist Gesture”, in Kevin K. Durand, editor, Buffy Meets the Academy: Essays on the Episodes and Scripts as Text, page 159:

In the Whedonverse, who is willing and able to become a hero often defies two-dimensional thinking or traditional expectations.

2010, Lynnette Porter, Tarnished Heroes, Charming Villains, and Modern Monsters: Science Fiction in Shades of Gray in 21st Century Television, page 133:

Buffyspeak has also rhizomatically traversed into other shows, both within and beyond the Whedonverse; for example, the similar use of language by Topher in Dollhouse (2009–2010) and the teenagers of Caprica (2009–2010).

2019, Juliette C. Kitchens, Julie L. Hawk, Transmediating the Whedonverse(s), page 152:

(fandom slang) The loosely-defined fictional universe encompassing the worlds forming the setting for the television and film works of Joss Whedon — notably the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly, and the film Serenity.


paracosmos

Day dreaming and fantasies which are flights into the paracosmos, are an antithesis of creativity which is the most intense land of action.

1961, The American Journal of Psychiatry, volume 117, page 96:

More simply stated, the paracosmos reflects a writer's interest in examining a (generally) rather small number of persons, or types of persons, in a variety of circumstances and relationships: he has marked out a portion of the world as his own and works upon it to make it his.

1975, Roger Johnson, Editha S. Neumann, Guy T. Trail, editors, Molière and the Commonwealth of Letters: Patrimony and Posterity, University Press of Mississippi, page 421:

Such artists tend to create an imaginary world, a paracosmos where good and evil are starkly represented, where evil powers always challenge the good ones and need to be vanquished time and again.

2011, Claire Golomb, The Creation of Imaginary Worlds: The Role of Art, Magic and Dreams in Child Development, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 80:

(rare) The realm of imagination; an imaginary world.


paracosm

From English para- (prefix meaning ‘alongside, beside’) (from Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, prefix meaning ‘beside’)) + English cosm(os) (“universe”) (from Ancient Greek κόσμος (kósmos, “the earth, world; universe”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱems-, *ḱens- (“to put in order”)).

der

Imaginary playmates and paracosms may chiefly represent the vast creative potential of inherently talented people, but in less elaborated forms, they may also represent what childhood imagination can offer to the growing person. Humanity has already benefited from the paracosmic visions of Plato, Thomas More, Aldous Huxley, Thomas Hobbes, Arthur Tappan Wright^([sic – meaning Austin Tappan Wright]) (Islandia), and J. R. R. Tolkien.

1990, Dorothy G. Singer, Jerome L. Singer, “Imaginary Playmates and Imaginary Worlds”, in The House of Make-Believe: Children’s Play and the Developing Imagination, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, →ISBN; paperback edition, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1992, →ISBN, page 116:

Occasionally the fantasies of older childhood go well beyond the invention of a pretend friend. In fact, some children, typically at about 9 or 10 years of age, create "paracosms"—entire societies or worlds for the imaginary people to inhabit. [...] How common is it for children to create such elaborate fantasies, and what does the invention of a paracosm say about its creator?

1999, Marjorie Taylor, “Do Older Children and Adults Create Imaginary Companions?”, in Imaginary Companions and the Children Who Create Them, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 136:

As Emily [Brontë] turned in on herself for resources, she created a new paracosm, the Kingdom of Gondal, which she shared with Anne [Brontë]. The paracosm of Gondal became a way of life for the sisters; they shared its secrets for the rest of their lives.

2005, Delmont C. Morrison, Shirley Linden Morrison, Memories of Loss and Dreams of Perfection: Unsuccessful Childhood Grieving and Adult Creativity (Imagery and Human Development Series), Amityville, N.Y.: Baywood Publishing, →ISBN, page 72:

One paracosm in their study was a country called Branmail consisting totally of cats — except for its creator, a six-year-old girl named Holly who had access to the world by scaling a height called Bumpety Banks.

2007, Thomas Armstrong, “Middle Childhood: Entering the Civilized World”, in The Human Odyssey: Navigating the Twelve Stages of Life, New York, N.Y.: Sterling Publishing, →ISBN, page 93:

The children created these inner worlds for a number of reasons, though each paracosm tends to be a long-lasting, heavily structured, and internally consistent.

2010, Sarah Lynne Bowman, “Role-playing as Alteration of Identity”, in The Functions of Role-playing Games: How Participants Create Community, Solve Problems and Explore Identity, Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 130:

A detailed imaginary world, especially one created by a child.

exocosm

outside the cosmos, for example parallel universe


DCU

Desert Camouflage Uniform
w:Desert Camouflage Uniform

(military, US) Initialism of Desert Camouflage Uniform.


Whoniverse

Special mention must also go to all the wonderful people I've met since becoming part of the ‘Whoniverse’: Joe Lidster, Stuart Manning, Scott Handcock, Tom Spilsbury, Gareth Roberts, Darren Scott, Kieron Grant, Neil Corry, […]

2010, Oli Smith, Doctor Who: Nuclear Time, →ISBN, page 245:

(possibly dated) The totality of all things connected to the series Doctor Who, including the fictional universe which is its setting, the real-world sets in which it is filmed, its actors and fandom, etc.


Trekverse

No, he [Picard] was French but his accent confuses anybody who doesn't know him…
Or maybe in the Trekverse, France is a part of the United Kingdom...

2002 March 22, machf [username], “Re: ENTERPRISE="AMERICANS IN SPACE"?”, in rec.arts.startrek.current (Usenet):

Most internet Trek role-plays have rules to prevent people from creating super-techs or acting like a superhero because it is not realistic in the Trekverse.

2003 January 4, Baggers [username], “Re: New Shielding......?”, in uk.media.tv.sf.startrek (Usenet):

This is Uhura's – and Uhura's fans' – big moment, the moment in which she blazingly comes alive as a member of the Trekverse.

2009, David Greven, Gender and Sexuality in Star Trek: Allegories of Desire in the Television Series and Films, McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 216:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe which serves as the setting for the Star Trek television series and films, as well as related novels, comics, etc.


Trekiverse

I was looking more for episodes like this, which deal with the repurcussions^([sic]) of a major war affecting every major civilisation known to the Trekiverse.

1999 March 5, Reverend Sean O'Hara, “[DS9] The Reverend's Review: Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges”, in rec.arts.startrek.current (Usenet):

Or have the dying redshirt of the week say goodbye to his male friend instead of his girl. That's all it would take to establish that it's okay to be out of the closet in the Trekiverse.

2000 October 26, Arlie, “Re: What a f*cking insensitive comment!!! (minor spoilage)”, in alt.tv.star-trek.voyager (Usenet):

IIRC, the official explanation is currently that human history in the Trekiverse diverged from our history in the mid-20th century, due to the cumulative effect of multiple visitations from the future.

2001 September 24, Paul David John Andinach, “Re: [I] ST: Generations (was:Live broadcast / weather)”, in alt.fan.pratchett (Usenet):


Bondverse

But he's _comparatively_ much better then^([sic]) the rest of the agents out there (which says a lot about the spy community in the Bondverse).

2002 April 24, Eric Tolle, “Re: Spycraft (full): d20 with spies just ain't spies?”, in rec.games.frp.misc (Usenet):

The only thing fantastic about the one in the Bondverse was that they didn't show you the specifics of how it was going to gather all that light in, and the amazing control and specificity of it.

2003 January 13, Sea Wasp [username], “Re: Babelicious Actresses (WAS Hairy Numenoreans)”, in rec.arts.sf.written (Usenet):

Completely perverse of me, but I adore Denise Richards in TWINE -- in the Bondverse, of course Denise Richards is a nuclear scientist.

2005 March 29, John Harkness, “Re: best bond girl?”, in rec.arts.movies.past-films (Usenet):

(fandom slang) The fictional universe which serves as the setting for the James Bond novels and films.


conworld

From constructed world; equivalent to con- (“constructed”) + world.

However, you will have created a pile of crossword puzzles you'll be proud to submit to Will Shortz, or a conworld that's so rich and real the inhabitants have actually attained sapience and now worship you as their god.

2007, Ron Hale-Evans, Marty Hale-Evans, Mindhacker: 60 Tips, Tricks, and Games to Take Your Mind to the Next Level, Wiley Publishing, published 2011, →ISBN:

The most respected languages in the conlang community often have years of work behind them, and may even be attached to whole "conworlds" or "concultures" that help give them coherence and a model "literature."

2009, Arika Okrent, In the Land of Invented Languages: Esperanto Rock Stars, Klingon Poets, Loglan Lovers, and the Mad Dreamers Who Tried to Build A Perfect Language, Spiegel & Grau, published 2009, →ISBN, page 287:

[…] in my conworld Almea the great navigators of southern Ereláe were the Jei, and undoubtedly Jei-based pidgins sprung up.

2012, Mark Rosenfelder, Advanced Language Construction, →ISBN, page 78:

An imaginary world, especially one with highly-detailed cultures, languages, and geography.


Duneverse

I got the impression it was more how the major powers in the Duneverse exerted power than a power source in itself (hence why Mohiam didn't mention it in her little talk).

2003 January 25, Michael Bruner, “Re: CHOAM”, in alt.fan.dune (Usenet):

And all the Fans of Dune (the Novel) I know in real life have always agreed with me that the mini-series was much better than the movie in portaying^([sic]) the Duneverse.

2003 November 12, Thirsty Viking [username], “Re: Dune Slave -- Life of the Party -- Spoilers”, in alt.tv.angel (Usenet):

Given that all other current-day religions have turned into something unrecognizable in the Duneverse, it does seem a bit odd to have a "Rabbi" running around. But I haven't read the later Frank Herbert books, so it's possible he explained it there.

2006 April 22, Andrew Wheeler, “Re: Hunters of Dune - everybody is back from the dead, links to Earth?”, in rec.arts.sf.written (Usenet):

(fandom slang) The fictional universe which serves as the setting for the Dune novels.


Batverse

In this hard-boiled version of the Batverse, the characters were gritty, tough and more realistic.

2011, Tyler Brown, "'Batman: Noel' a dark tale, reversion of old classic", Kansas State Collegian (Kansas State University), Volume 117, Number 64, 18 November 2011, page 5

So overall in my mind at least this is a great film, the best of the trilogy by far, and even though they say it is the end of this perticular storyline arc, I hope it isn't the end of Christopher Nolan's Batverse, as I would be one very sad person…

2012, Tim Knight, "The Dark Knight Rises", Amaze, 3 August 2012, Edition 5, page 117 (approx.)

It's a ballsy move to reject fan-favourite and mainstream recognisable elements of the Batverse such as Robin and The Joker, but fingers crossed Beware the Batman will finally return Bruce Wayne's animated shenanigans to the heights of the early 1990s.

2013 April, “A Midsummer's Dark Knight”, in Cult TV Times, number 00, page 3:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe which serves as the setting for the Batman comics, films, and television series.


secondary world

en-noun

secondary world (plural secondary worlds)

Coined by J. R. R. Tolkien in his 1947 essay "On Fairy-Stories".

What really happens is that the story-maker proves a successful 'sub-creator'. He makes a Secondary World which your mind can enter. Inside it, what he relates is 'true': it accords with the laws of that world. You therefore believe it, while you are, as it were, inside. The moment disbelief arises, the spell is broken; the magic, or rather art, has failed. You are then out in the Primary World again, looking at the little abortive Secondary World from outside.

1947, J.R.R. Tolkien, “On Fairy-Stories”, in Essays Presented to Charles Williams, page 60:

From beginning to end of the fiction we are in the secondary world.

1982, Frederick M. Burelbach, “An Introduction to Naming in the Literature of Fantasy”, in Literary Onomastics Studies, volume 9, number 11, archived from the original on 2021-05-16, page 133:

The girls stress the internal logic of the Secondary World as the crucial point for fantasy pleasure. Mastering the elaborate structure of the Secondary World is part and parcel of the reader's quest to experience a text such as Harry Potter, although the central hero would identify the text as masculine.

2004, Holly Virginia Blackford, “It's Like a Fantasy World”, in Out of this World: Why Literature Matters to Girls, Teachers College Press, →ISBN, page 48:

The world to which the protagonist belongs is the 'primary' or 'domestic' world. The secondary world is often a binary opposite of the primary world; an inverse, or mirror-image of the consensual reality of the text.

2012, Jane Suzanne Carroll, “The Sanctuary Topos”, in Landscape in Children's Literature, Routledge, →ISBN, page 26:

(fantasy) An internally consistent, fictional, fantasy world or setting that is different from the real "primary world".


MCU

It [Ant-Man] will, of course, be firmly planted in the MCU but a different corner than we've seen before.

2013, Kevin Feige, quoted in Laura Ciarolla, "Marvel announces third 'Avengers' film", The Daily Athenaueum (West Virginia University), Volume 125, Issue 86, 30 January 2013, page 3

[…] Hydra is a sprawling global organization with highly advanced technology that has opposed S.H.I.E.L.D, the Avengers, and nearly every major superhero group in the MCU.1

2015, Dan Casey, 100 Things Avengers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, Triumph Books, published 2015, →ISBN, page 128:

It is interesting to note that, while Coulson is used to suture the various MCU films together and latterly to tie the Agents of SHIELD television show into the MCU, this has not occurred at other points in the franchise.

2015, Colin Harvey, Fantastic Transmedia: Narrative, Play and Memory Across Science Fiction and Fantasy Storyworlds, Palgrave Macmillan, →ISBN, pages 84–85:

Being Letterboxd-pilled is essentially shorthand for saying that you’re into movies more than your typical MCU buff, kind of like what MUBI is to Amazon Prime.

2024 February 29, Jack King, “Why everyone you know is suddenly a Letterboxd head”, in GQ:

Marvel Cinematic Universe
w:Marvel Cinematic Universe

Initialism of Marvel Cinematic Universe (“a shared universe and franchise of films and other media based on Marvel Comics, introduced in 2008”).

M-She-U

Marvel Cinematic Universe seen as too focused on feminism over well-written storylines

DCU

DC Universe; fictional universe for DC Comics comic books

DCEU

DC Extended Universe; shared universe for the DC Comics-based Warner Bros. theatrical films extended from 2013's Man of Steel

DCAU

DC Animated Universe; shared universe for the 1990s and early 2000s DC Comics-based Warner Bros. animated television films and series


Marvelverse

From Marvel + -verse. From Marvel Comics, from marvel.

In the Marvelverse, mutants are potential victims of hate crimes and of state-sponsored pogroms, and of the sort of bureaucratic prying that is often a prelude to the latter.

2008, Roz Kaveney, Superheroes!: Capes and Crusaders in Comics and Films, I. B. Tauris Co. Ltd, →ISBN, page 7:

Marvelverse characters Araña Corazon and Elektra Natchios were raised by single fathers after the deaths of their mothers.

2010, Jennifer K. Stuller, Ink-stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors: Superwomen in Modern Mythology, I. B. Tauris & Co. Ltd, →ISBN:

Licensed crossovers often appear between characters in the Marvelverse or the Buffyverse.

2015, “Glossary”, in Valerie Estelle Frankel, editor, The Comics of Joss Whedon: Critical Essays, McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 224:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe depicted in the Marvel comics, films, and television series.


DCAU

DC Animated Universe
w:en:DC Animated Universe

(fandom slang) Initialism of DC Animated Universe (“a shared universe centered on DC Comics-based TV animation beginning in the 1990s”).


Buffyology

The academic study of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.


Shatnerverse

(fandom slang) The alternate fictional Star Trek universe described in a series of novels co-written by William Shatner, based on the premise that Captain Kirk was brought back to life after the events of the film Star Trek Generations.


Abramsverse

From Abrams + -verse, after the American film director J. J. Abrams, involved in the reboot franchise's creation.

The "triumvirate" of Kirk-Spock-McCoy, often represented as central to the appeal of ST: TOS, is also seen as diminished by the Abramsverse in favor of emphasizing the Kirk-Spock relationship, […]

2015, Matt Hills, “From 'Multiverse' to 'Abramsverse': Blade Runner, Star Trek, Multiplicity, and the Authorizing of Cult/SF Worlds”, in J. P. Telotte, Gerald Duchovnay, editors, Science Fiction Double Feature: The Science Fiction Film as Cult Text, page 32:

Partly as a result of this division in intellectual property ownership, and the fact that Paramount had reimagined Star Trek via its differentiated 'Abramsverse,' it was actually not necessarily in Paramount's commercial interest to link Beyond to the anniversary of The Original Series.

2018, Derek Johnson, “Spin-offs, Crossovers, and World-building 'Energies'”, in Paola Brembilla, Ilaria A. De Pascalis, editors, Reading Contemporary Serial Television Universes: A Narrative Ecosystem Framework, unnumbered page:

By comparison, the Abramsverse is a smaller and less interesting place, and it tends to be far more violent, frequently using the threat of genocide itself as entertainment, […]

2019, Ace G. Pilkington, “Science Fiction and the New Trek Timeline”, in Matthew Wilhelm Kapell, Ace G. Pilkington, editors, The Kelvin Timeline of Star Trek: Essays on J.J. Abrams' Final Frontier, page 124:


Amalgamverse

From amalgam + -verse, after Amalgam Comics.

Understandably, as both Cyborg and Deathlok were by and large good guys for most of their appearances. But, I guess the answer could be much like the Age of Apocalypse (where some formerly very good X-men were awfully mean) -- some events in the Amalgamverse were so different from regular continuity that a few of the good guys were warped (and some of the bad guys were un-warped, too, I think, though no examples come to mind).

1997 April 16, shawn h, “Re: Magnetic Men amalgams, part 2”, in rec.arts.comics.dc.universe (Usenet), message-ID <5j1aks$mo0$1@news.fas.harvard.edu>:

Not to mention the fact that bringing Access into continuity emphasizes the existence of at least two alternate Universes, the Marvelverse and the Amalgamverse.

1997 November 23, Bala Menon, “Re: return to glory”, in rec.arts.comics.dc.universe (Usenet), message-ID <658hj5$krl@bgtnsc03.worldnet.att.net>:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe of the Amalgam Comics, which is populated by alternate versions of characters merged from Marvel Comics and DC Comics.


Nolanverse

From Nolan + -verse, after Christopher Nolan, the director of the films.

(fandom slang) The fictional universe of the Batman film trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan: Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012).


Arrowverse

From arrow (“projectile that is shot from a bow”) + -verse, after Arrow (TV series), from Green Arrow (a fictional archer and superhero, the protagonist of the TV series).

af

(fandom slang) The fictional shared universe that serves as the setting of various live action series based on DC Comics superheroes: Arrow (2012), The Flash (2014), Legends of Tomorrow (2016), etc.

Arrow (TV series)
Arrowverse
Green Arrow


Timmverse

From Timm + -verse, after Bruce Timm, one of the creators of this universe.

I think the Batcave came from Batman's radio show. Renee Montoya, Harley Quinn from the animated series. Hey, before the Adam West show did anybody know Alfred was British? (maybe.) And a lot of the recent redesigns across the DCU have come from the Timmverse, including Robin's spiffy new duds.

2007 September 29, Denny Colt, “Re: JLA Movie: You Knew It Would Suck But This Badly?”, in rec.arts.comics.dc.universe (Usenet), message-ID <1191098202.149049.200890@w3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com>:

(fandom slang) The DC Animated Universe (DCAU).


Batmanverse

Not exactly, because in the Batmanverse, Robin's love is reciprocated by the super hero, so his leaving would be a romantic betrayal. >:-)

2003 February 27, Rose, “Re: ME vs The Fans (Storyteller spoilers)”, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer (Usenet), message-ID <20030227110035.23170.00000150@mb-mk.aol.com>:

I think it is too soon for talking about the details of the story, but I can't wait to have the chance to work again with Jeph Loeb, the man who has stated the pillars of the modern Superverse and Batmanverse.

2003 December 1, Briker, “Loeb es la rehostia, Pacheco dixit”, in es.rec.comics (Usenet), message-ID <bqfts0$2339c3$1@ID-112383.news.uni-berlin.de>:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe depicted in the Batman comics, films, television series and video games.


DCverse

From DC (ellipsis of DC Comics, originally initialism for Detective Comics) + -verse.

That said, I think the poster meant JUST AFTER the 9/11 attacks in 2001, no one woulda freaked out about them in the DCverse or Marvelverse since they would be par for the course from various supervillains, extradimensional gods and outer space aliens.

2013, Ken from Chicago, “Re: CW's Wonder Woman project gets new writer”, in rec.arts.sf.tv (Usenet):

(fandom slang) The fictional universe created by DC Comics.


Watchmenverse

I don't have the issues here with me, but I remember reading it at the time and saying "yup,he saved the world just about a month before the big Wall o' Energy (tm) comes plowin' through."
Okay, you can say Crisis never affected the Watchmenverse, but I prefer it this way. Adds to the tragic futility of it all...

1994 April 22, kristoff, “Re: Ozymandias- Got away with it?”, in rec.arts.comics.misc (Usenet), message-ID <2p8ib5$cvk@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>:

Hmmm ... 3 more universes + the Watchmenverse (because miracles can happen) we can expect to be folded in after the NEXT Final Crisis in 20 years! :-)

2007 June 7, CleV, “Re: The 52 Earths”, in rec.arts.comics.dc.universe (Usenet), message-ID <4ing63145rjbakol2atrjnv9lrcq1hf5un@4ax.com>:

Nixon won in 1960 in the Watchmenverse, no?

2008 April 9, Michael Alan Chary, “Re: When Benderism Goes Bad”, in rec.arts.sf.written (Usenet), message-ID <ftj1tg$dm7$1@reader2.panix.com>:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe of Watchmen, a DC Comics miniseries published in 1986, which also includes other related comics and media.


Smallvilleverse

From Smallville + -verse, after the TV show Smallville, named after a fictional rural American town of the same name, from Superman comics.

Now that doesn't mean that Smallville or the US in the Smallvilleverse hasn't banned human cloning, it is a TV show after all. Regardless, and something I should've mentioned in my original response, Clark and Lana likely told the sheriff about the little girls in the "incubators."

2003 May 8, Jedi Tyro, “Re: Why a police matter? (spoils 5/6/03)”, in alt.tv.smallville (Usenet), message-ID <1ayoo3ccaxb3r$.148xdxfv9ugcx.dlg@40tude.net>:

I'm also assuming that, given the age her mother died at and that she wasn't in the photos, that Lucy Lane, Lois' little sister, doesn't exist in the Smallvilleverse.

2004 October 8, ANIM8Rfsk, “Re: Sam Lane (Lois Lane's father)”, in rec.arts.tv (Usenet), message-ID <20041002185844.08240.00001474@mb-m18.aol.com>:

In the Smallvilleverse, Kryptonite also gives humans superpowers, so I would imagine it will as closely controlled as U 235 is, as soon as someone reveals to the public what meteor rocks do.

2006 August 27, James Nicoll, “Re: hero right on the boundary of the possible”, in rec.arts.sf.written (Usenet), message-ID <ecssc3$bkm$1@reader2.panix.com>:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe of the TV show Smallville.

Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville (comics)
Smallville (place)
Superman


Ultimateverse

From ultimate + -verse, after Ultimate Marvel, an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Since Ultimate Power now takes place before Ultimates 3, instead of after it, I guess the secret character switch between Squadron Supreme and Ultimateverse is not happening now (since there are now a LOT of stories taking place in the Ultimateverse after the switch was supposed to have happen).

2007 July 15, Wayne S Garmil, “Squadron Supreme and Ultimate Power question”, in rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe (Usenet), message-ID <f7bq57$9b1$1@pcls6.std.com>:

There's nothing to stop any of the comic companies producing realistic comic. Even the big two have gioven^([sic]) it a go. Ultimateverse nods in the general direction but doesn't really do anything more. Supreme Power was better but has since become more superheroey and is about to join the Ultimateverse officially.

2006 April 6, Fallen, “Re: Chucking Conventions (was Re: So Has The Hulk Finally Killed Someone?)”, in rec.arts.comics.dc.universe (Usenet), message-ID <5HbZf.1556$QP1.794@newsfe6-gui.ntli.net>:

My only minor complaint is I'm not terribly fond of Ultimate Pyro. I have a bit of a conservative streak in me - I'm fine with radical reinterpretations of 616 characters in the Ultimateverse, but when the original character is dead (or depowered or otherwise unrecognizeable from their original state), my feelings change.

2007 March 28, Peter Dimitriadis, “Unreachable Star Reviews March 28th, 2007 (SPOILERS)”, in rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks (Usenet), message-ID <1175113872.697206.68560@p15g2000hsd.googlegroups.com>:

Totleben is handling the art on an upcoming issue of Marvel's "Ultimate Marvel Team-Up" book written by Brian Bendis and featuring the continuity-streamlined Ultimate Spider-Man teaming up with other characters from Marvel's Ultimateverse ...

2001 February 1, Beau Yarbrough, “The Comic Wire for February 1, 2001”, in alt.comics.batman (Usenet), message-ID <95b636$2u0$1@nnrp1.deja.com>:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe of Ultimate Marvel.


Glorithverse

According to the Bierbaum's sourcebook (I don't remember if this particular nugget was presented clearly in the comic itself...), the Glorithverse actually came in two pieces. The first iteration of the Glorithverse resulted from the events of v4 #5, and did not include the pocket universe, Superboy, et al. in any way, shape, or form. However, about ten issues later things changed again, […]

2003 July 25, Sean Daugherty, “Re: Return of Superboy to Legion”, in rec.arts.comics.dc.lsh (Usenet), message-ID <e8789e16.0307242029.48bf3415@posting.google.com>:

(fandom slang) A fictional alternate universe created by DC Comics character Glorith, a foe of the Legion of Super-Heroes.


Vertigoverse

From vertigo + -verse, after Vertigo, a DC Comics imprint created in 1993.

Mordru is just being reintroduced in the LSH reboot. Universo and Time Trapper have not been reintorduced^([sic]) yet so they're unlikely. Phantom Stranger and Destiny maybe be trapped in the Vertigoverse which may make them unavailable. Dr. Fate isn't around any more. Brainwave and Ultra-Humanite are JSA villains so DC will deny they ever existed. Shazam will probably wind up being an Ally if he's used. Same with the Chief.

1997 January 20, Christopher L. Tumber, “Re: [OverPower] Which skill will now Dominate Tournaments?”, in rec.games.trading-cards.misc (Usenet), message-ID <5c04oc$soh@freenet-news.carleton.ca>:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe of Vertigo, the DC Comics imprint.


Disneyverse

(fandom slang) The fictional universe of Disney films, TV series, comics, video games, etc.


From 52 + -verse, after 52, a DC Comics limited series released in 2006. The "52" refers to fifty-two fictional parallel universes in the multiverse.

A second question, once again, haven't read the new stuff, but I saw a reference somewhere to The Authority moving to a "Low Energy Earth" with no heroes... could this be part of the 52verse... a possible Earth-Prime?

2007 July 16, Duggy, “52verse/Wildstorm”, in rec.arts.comics.dc.universe (Usenet), message-ID <1184642670.175317.11580@i13g2000prf.googlegroups.com>:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe of DC Comics after the conclusion of Infinite Crisis, as shown in the 52 comic book series.


Stargateverse

From star + gate + -verse, after Stargate.

(fandom slang) The fictional universe of Stargate films, TV series, video games, etc.


Dakotaverse

(fandom slang) The fictional universe of the city of Dakota, the home of the superheroes Static Shock, Icon, etc., in comics published by Milestone Media/DC Comics.


Throneverse

AND FINALLY, we get to the best current pairing in the Throneverse — Arya and the Hound.

2014, David Malitz, "‘Game of Thrones’ recap: ‘The Lannisters aren’t the only ones who pay their debts.’", Washington Post, 6 April 2014 (image caption)

Unless he's not on her side any more, in which case she's screwed: loyalties do tend to shift a bit in the Throneverse.

2015 May 24, Bob Pobjie, “What's on TV Monday: Game of Thrones”, in The Sydney Morning Herald:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe which serves as the setting for the television series Game of Thrones.


Martinverse

From Martin + -verse, from the surname of author George R. R. Martin.

Wargs in the Martinverse uniquely involve the act of “warging,” in which a human links to a particular animal, sees through its eyes and sometimes controls its body.

2015, T. A. Leederman, "A Thousand Westerosi Plateaus: Wargs, Wolves and Ways of Being", in Mastering the Game of Thrones: Essays on George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire (eds. Jes Battis & Susan Johnston), page 190

Words from the Martinverse start creeping into your normal conversations, like “smallclothes,” “jape,” and “mummer’s farce.”

2015 November 25, Dana Ryals, Kelley Minica, “Winter is Here: A Game of Thrones Reading Group”, in The Clarion, Madison Area Technical College, page 2:

One of the few truly honourable warriors in the Martinverse, Brienne of Tarth, the lady knight, concludes resignedly that “the good lords are dead and the rest of them are monsters” (GoT 5.1).

2018, Stefanie Lethbridge, “Entangled Agency: Heroic Dragons and Direwolves in Game of Thrones”, in helden. heroes. héros., number 3, page 8:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe which serves as the setting for the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and its television adaptation Game of Thrones.


Thronesverse

This is The Empire Strikes Back of the Thrones'''-verse — except on this show, the Empire always seems like it’s striking back.

2013 April 1, James Hibberd, “Game of Thrones season premiere recap: 'Valar Dohaeris'”, in Entertainment Weekly:

Graeme of Thrones broadly follows that template with the drama shifting between the hysterically bad renditions of key moments of the Thronesverse […]

2017 October, “Graeme of Thrones”, in KCW Today, page 45:

So, over the last couple of years, we've had a gradual dribble of information about a slew of potential spin-offs set in the Thronesverse.

2018 June 11, Tom Nicholson, “Everything We Know About The 'Game Of Thrones' Prequel 'House Of The Dragon'”, in Esquire:


Thronesiverse

Blend of thrones + universe or thrones + -i- + -verse.

(Here's a brief primer on the religions of the Thronesiverse, if you're curious.)

2015 April 26, Jeremy Egner, “‘Game of Thrones’ Recap: The Faith and the Crown”, in New York Times:

The good news is, it looks like George R.R. Martin is into the idea of another series set in the Thrones'''-iverse.

2016 September 30, Laura Bradley, “Is HBO Mulling a Game of Thrones Spin-Off or Not?”, in Vanity Fair:

The mock heraldic strains of the Game of Thrones theme, borrowed straight from Monty Python’s Holy Grail, accompany a nifty dragon’s eye view of a beautifully wrought clockwork Thronesiverse.

2017 November 25, Patrick Freyne, “The TV theme songs that make you drool with pleasure”, in The Irish Times:


Buffydom

Is Tara the only human character in Buffydom who isn't an only child (not counting the special case of Dawn)?

2000 December 16, Jerry McLaughlin, “Family”, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer (Usenet):

If there is one thing that has been consistant^([sic]) in Buffydom, it is that revenge is not a good thing.

2003 March 26, Dan Armato, “Re: 7th Season Buffy - Lies My Parents Told Me - 5 star poll - SPOILERS AHOY”, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer (Usenet):

Dawn and the others, much like ants, are oblivious to reality and live in the miniscule^([sic]) world of Buffy'''dom (the kingdom of the Slayer), just as we might find ourselves marching like ants through our own lives in mindless routine.

2014, Lori M. Butler, “'The Ants Go Marching': Effective Lyrics in Buffy Episodes”, in Sally Emmons-Featherston, Jim Ford, editors, The Truth of Buffy: Essays on Fiction Illuminating Reality, page 121:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe which serves as the setting for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.


Hercverse

Joxer, Xena, Gabrielle etc. were not at all in ancient mythology. If the Hercverse was loyal to the original Grecian myth, then they wouldn't be around.

1998 September 22, Andy00, “Re: Why I don't like Joxer.”, in alt.tv.xena (Usenet):

But in the middle of an ep that was otherwise functioning normally in the Hercverse version of ancient Greece, it just seemed too wierd...^([sic]) feeble lutes turning into electric guitars... and it wasn't even done consistently with Herc's character... and the music was bad... and it wasn't really funny...

1999 February 13, Xorys, “Maunderings re <>”, in alt.tv.xena (Usenet):

No, it's not necessarily a plot hole. The show's history doesn't have to exactly match the show's 20th century background. (For example, Strife is still around in the 20th c. Hercverse, even though he died in the show.)

2000 October 12, Daryle Walker, “Re: Spoilers: Coming Home”, in alt.tv.xena (Usenet):

(fandom slang) The fictional universe depicted in the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its spin-offs (including Xena: Warrior Princess).


Fringeverse

Now: “Neither Here Nor There,” last night’s season premiere of Fringe, synthesized key elements of past premieres to launch a rebooted Fringe'''verse, one where many of the archetypes and events (surprisingly) remain much the same, with one profound exception: Peter Bishop has been scrubbed from history, apparently from the point of his childhood death.

2011 September 24, Jeff Jensen, “Fringe season premiere recap: Get On Your (Re)Boots!”, in Entertainment Weekly:

The Fringeverse, as fans called the Universe created around Fringe, is richer with the comic books since they provide new insights on who William Bell and Walter Bishop really are and how they are related to the Fringe events.

2013 August, Mélanie Bourdaa, “‘Following the Pattern’: The Creation of an Encyclopaedic Universe with Transmedia Storytelling”, in Adaptation, volume 6, number 2, page 209:

2016, Mar Guerrero-Pico, "Dimensional Expansions And Shiftings: Fan Fiction And Transmedia Storytelling The Fringeverse", in Series: The International Journal of TV Serial Narratives, Volume 11, Number 2, Winter 2016

(fandom slang) The fictional universe which serves as the setting for the television series Fringe.


Wishverse

Even though the later episode 'Doppelgangland' (Buffy 3.16) suggests that the 'Wishverse' exists parallel to the Buffyverse and that characters can move from one parallel universe to another by magic, none of the characters except vengeance demon Anyaka can remember anything about the other world.

2005, Gaby Allrath, “Life in Doppelgangland: Innovative Character Conception and Alternate Worlds in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel”, in Gaby Allrath, Marion Gymnich, editors, Narrative Strategies in Television Series, pages 144–145:

In the Wishverse, many of the good characters have been turned bad or are dead.

2015, Pamela Achenbach, “A Tempting Narrative or a Temporal Gimmick: A Look at the Use of Time Travel in Unconventional Series”, in Gillian I. Leitch, Sherry Ginn, editors, Time-Travel Television: The Past from the Present, the Future from the Past, page 64:

Whedon couldn't resist the pull of the Wishverse either.

2015, Anne Jamison, Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World, page 132:

(fandom slang) The dark alternate universe featured in the episode "The Wish" of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.


Mirrorverse

I love the subtle beginning to the fic, so that you don't realize it's Mirrorverse until the start of the third paragraph, where everything goes a bit askew.

2004 March 18, ASC Awards - Stephen, “ASC Awards Comment Digest #132: DS9 Bashir Pairing”, in alt.startrek.creative (Usenet):

Does the alternate Star Trek timeline created by Nero have a Mirrorverse 2 in which a Mirror Nero went back in time after the destruction of Mirror Romulus to destroy Mirror Vulcan as Mirror Spock watched?

2009 May 18, Tim Bruening, “Re: Star Trek 11 Movie Spoilers”, in alt.tv.star-trek (Usenet):

Besides the Klingon desire for cultural purity, humanity in the Mirrorverse is also shown as a fascistic tyranny (the Terran Empire) centered on racial purity.

2020, Ina Batzke, “From Series to Seriality: Star Trek's Mirror Universe in the Post-Network Era”, in Mareike Spychala, Sabrina Mittermeier, editors, Fighting for the Future: Essays on Star Trek: Discovery, page 170:

(fandom slang) The Mirror Universe of Star Trek, a dark parallel universe to the main setting of the franchise, in which humans are brutal, despotic conquerors.


Vorkosiverse

Lois McMaster Bujold's science fiction series that takes place in the "Vorkosiverse" is excellent for many reasons.

2008, Tora K. Smulders-Srinivasan, "Biology in the Vorkosiverse and Today", in The Vorkosigan Companion (John Helfers & Lillian Stewart Carl), unnumbered page

The early Vorkosiverse novels were inter alia a late-Cold War product whose Barrayarans — green-uniformed and predominantly of Russian stock — are typically atheists given to ancestor-worship.

2013, John Lennard, “(Absent) Gods and Sharing Knives: The Purposes of Lois McMaster Bujold's Fantastic Ir/Religions”, in Janet Brennan Croft, editor, Lois McMaster Bujold: Essays on a Modern Master of Science Fiction and Fantasy, page 173:

Athos and Cetaganda are the two worlds of the Vorkosiverse most reliant on uterine replicator births.

2020, Ally Wolfe, “Womb with a View: Ectogenesis in Ethan of Athos and Brave New World”, in Regina Yung Lee, Una McCormack, editors, Biology and Manners: Essays on the Worlds and Works of Lois McMaster Bujold, page 201:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe which serves as the setting for the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold.


Kelvinverse

From Kelvin + -verse, referencing the attack on the USS Kelvin by time-travelling Romulans in the first film, the point of divergence that creates the alternate universe.

From H. G. Wells's radio play The War of the Worlds to the cinematic blockbuster Star Trek Kelvinverse movies, themes of invasion, conquest, and colonization are the bread and butter of science fiction.

2020, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games, page 30:

The show responded to fan pleas to return the series to the “Prime” timeline and explored a hitherto under-represented era of Star Trek history—roughly a decade before The Original Series, placing it roughly analogous to the same time zone the “Kelvinverse” films were exploring.

2021, A. J. Black, Star Trek, History and Us: Reflections of the Present and Past Throughout the Franchise, page 150:

In other words, the Kelvinverse versions of Kirk, Spock, Bones, Uhura, Sulu, Scotty, and so on, are not the same characters as their “Prime” counterparts (“whatever our lives might have been ... our destinies have changed”).

2022, William Proctor, “Star Trek (2009)”, in Leimar Garcia-Siino, Sabrina Mittermeier, Stefan Rabitsch, editors, The Routledge Handbook of Star Trek, unnumbered page:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe which serves as the setting for the reboot Star Trek film franchise launched in 2009 (an alternate timeline of the original Star Trek universe).


DCEU

DC Extended Universe
w:DC Extended Universe

(fandom slang) Initialism of DC Extended Universe (“a shared universe centered on DC Comics-based superhero films, introduced with the 2013 film Man of Steel”).


Schneiderverse

(fandom slang) The fictional universe that serves as the simultaneous setting of several television series created by Dan Schneider.


Grishaverse

From Grisha + -verse. Grisha is the name of a prominent group of magic-users within the universe, named for the in-universe character "Sankt Grigori of the Wood", so ultimately from the given name Grisha (“diminutive of Grigori”).

(fandom slang) A fictional shared universe of fantasy novels, short story collections, and a television adaptation created by American author Leigh Bardugo.


fantasy world

If she thinks she can become President, she's living in a fantasy world!

A person's unrealistic individual notions of the real world.


M-She-U

(fandom slang, derogatory, Internet slang) The Marvel Cinematic Universe, perceived by fans to be too feminist or left-wing.

Hollywoke

Hollywood films being perceived as overtly left-wing