Fictional universe

A fictional universe is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may appear in novels, comics, films, television shows, video games, and other creative works.

The subject is most commonly addressed in reference to fictional universes that differ markedly from the real world, such as those that introduce entire fictional cities, countries, or even planets, or those that contradict commonly known facts about the world and its history, or those that feature fantasy or science fiction concepts such as magic or faster than light travel—and especially those in which the deliberate development of the setting is a substantial focus of the work. When a large franchise of related works has two or more somewhat different fictional universes that are each internally consistent but not consistent with each other (such as a distinct plotline and set of characters in a comics version versus a television adaptation), each universe is often referred to as a continuity, though the term continuity as a mass noun usually has a broader meaning in fiction.

The fictional universe featured best well known perhaps early era biggest greatest highest-grossing best-selling longest-running team-up media crossover which made respectively favorite adventures of the fictional universe, media franchise and multimedia franchise original team characters including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Captain Marvel (Shazam), Teen Titans, Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Avengers, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy, Fantastic Four, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Yoda, Ahsoka Tano, Rey, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Doctor (Doctor Who), Dalek, Harry Potter characters, Planet of the Apes characters, James Bond, Narnia characters, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, The Three Stooges, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, The Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Ariel, Mary Poppins, Elsa, Frozen characters, Aladdin, Jasmine, The Lion King, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, The Emperor's New Groove, Beauty and the Beast, Lizzie McGuire, Gravity Falls, Big City Greens, 101 Dalmatians, Lilo & Stitch, Tarzan, Phineas and Ferb, The Aristocats, Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney characters, Sheriff Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story characters, Lightning McQueen, Mater, Cars characters, Pixar characters, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Pikachu, Pokémon, King Kong, Godzilla, Archie Comics characters, Charlie Morningstar, Hazbin Hotel, Tom and Jerry, Tex Avery, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Captain Caveman, Jabberjaw, Wacky Races, Dick Dastardly and Muttley, Penelope Pitstop, Mario characters, Sonic the Hedgehog characters, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Donkey Kong, Thomas & Friends, The Simpsons, The Lord of the Rings characters, The Hobbit, Goku, Dragon Ball, Connie the Cow, SpongeBob SquarePants, Rugrats, Sam & Cat, The Loud House, Nickelodeon characters, Marx Brothers, Marilyn Monroe, Abbott and Costello, Frankenstein, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss, The Pink Panther, The Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10, Chowder, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed Edd n Eddy, Cartoon Network characters, Happy Tree Friends, Ronald McDonald, Crash Bandicoot, Banjo Kazooie, South Park, The Addams Family, Garfield, The Smurfs, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Peanuts, Santa Claus, Kermit the Frog, The Muppets, Kirby, Flash Gordon, Masters of the Universe, ThunderCats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Doraemon, Hello Kitty, Domo Kun, Asterix, The Beano, Blondie and Dagwood, Buster Keaton, Mr. Bean, Mr. Men and Little Miss, Captain Underpants, The Wizard of Oz, WWE, Angry Birds, Terminator, Selene, Wallace and Gromit, The Wiggles, Bananas in Pyjamas, Our Gang, Shrek characters, Madagascar characters, Kung Fu Panda characters, Robotan, M&M's, Suzy (Trio), Jingle All the Way, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Family Guy, Ice Age characters, Michael Jackson, The Burger King, Jack Box from Jack in the Box, Kool-Aid Man, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Maya the Bee, LazyTown, Beavis and Butt-Head, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Annoying Orange, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Cereal Mascots, Teletubbies, Astro Boy, Rick and Morty, Fireman Sam, ALF, Once Upon a Time Life (Il était une fois la Vie), Futurama, Adolf Hitler, Postman Pat, Pingu, EarthBound, The Andrews Sisters, Hi-5, Totally Spies, Dora the Explorer, Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder, Bobby's World, Power Rangers, Alien, Predator, The Shining, The Exorcist, Dream Street, BB3B, Princess Knight, Barney & Friends, Sesame Street, Police Academy, Popeye, Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, Woody Woodpecker, Heathcliff, Cubitus, Happy Feet, Shaun the Sheep, Mighty Mouse, Terrytoons, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Cuphead, Little Lulu, PaRappa the Rapper characters, Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Rupert Bear, Babar the Elephant, Where's Wally, She-Ra, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Inspector Gadget, H.R. Pufnstuf, Jollibee, Colonel Sanders from KFC, Farmer Alfalfa, The Katzenjammer Kids, Humphrey B. Bear, Fat Cat and Friends, Mr. Squiggle, Play School, Cats Don't Dance, Detective Bogey, Lucky Lotteries Cat, Monty Python, The Bill, Naruto, Paddle Pop Lion, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Robot Chicken, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rayman, Viz, Rabbids, Monster High, The NeverEnding Story, PJ Masks, Space Ace, Anastasia, Dragon's Lair, Q*bert, The Snowman, Kool-Aid Man, Roobarb, Walter Melon, Robotman, Crazy Frog, Gummibär, The Trap Door, Count Duckula, Danger Mouse, Alias the Jester, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Oggy and the Cockroaches, Henry's Cat, Penny Crayon, Family Ness, Jimbo and the Jet-Set, Puppydog Tales, Barney from British TV show, The Charmkins, Lego characters, Angry Video Game Nerd, Squidbillies, The Hive, Roger Rabbit, Glo Friends, Mr. Potato Head, Little Clowns of Happytown, Minecraft, Space Ace, Jigsaw from British TV show, Wilkins Coffee, The Wind in the Willows, Tugs, The Raggy Dolls, VeggieTales, Talking Tom, Tayo the Little Bus, Pororo the Little Penguin, Club Penguin, Bernard Bear, Super Why, Sid the Science Kid, Plonsters, Monster House, Jibber Jabber, Happy Feet, Molang, El Chavo del Ocho, Fun Song Factory, The Happy Elf, Ducobu, The Fat Slags, Surf's Up, The Herbs, Johnson and Friends, Play School, Dot from Yoram Gross, Blinky Bill, The Iron Giant, Lift Off, Ferry Boat Fred, Huxley Pig, Kalli, Flying Rhino Junior High, Zip Zip, Busy Buses, Spot the Dog, Horrid Henry, Bluey, Bob and Margaret, Hector the Tax Inspector, Tickety Toc, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Barnyard, Vicky the Viking, Noah and Nelly in Skylark, Muzzy, The Hooley Dooleys, The Secret of Isis, Beatrix Potter characters, George of the Jungle, The Ghost Busters, PG Tips Chimps, Tetley Tea Folk, League of Super Evil, Engie Benjy, Lunar Jim, Roary the Racing Car, Fifi and the Flowertots, The Magic Roundabout, Rolie Polie Olie, Bangers and Mash, Nick Jr. characters, Max & Ruby, Toybox, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Mighty Man and Yukk, Herself the Elf, Tofffsy, The Charmkins, Plants vs. Zombies, Angry Kid, Li'l Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers, Zdeněk Smetana characters, Abra Cadabra (Adams Packer Film Productions), Krtek, Rose Petal Place, Noddy, The PJs, Zig & Sharko, DreamWorks characters, Austin Powers, The X-Files, Mister Maker, Bod, Pocoyo, Valiant, Home Alone, Halo, Johan and Peewit, Anpanman, Ramsese Vembud, Kiteretsu Daihyakka, Baby Follies, Dr. Muto, RackaRacka, Albert the Fifth Musketeer, Moretsu Ataro, Bluey, Wyatt Cattaneo characters, Yogo Gorilla, All Channel 9 Community Service Announcements from the 70's-80's, Crayon Shin-chan, Junglies, Pinky and Perky, Peg + Cat, WordGirl, Dinosaur Train, Wonder Park, Rio (20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios), Van Beuren cartoon characters, Cossacks, Video game characters, Victor & Hugo, Tuckerbag, Color Classics, Hunky and Spunky, Pizza, Housos, American Dad!, The Cleveland Show, Bob's Burgers, Jackass, King of the Hill, Duckman, Bump, Mr. Magoo, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Foofur, Hugga Bunch, Avenger Penguins, Fiddley Foodle Bird, Lucky Luke, Diplodos, Universal Classic Monsters, The Land Before Time, The Brave Little Toaster, Sid and Marty Krofft characters, The Borrowers, The Legends of Treasure Island, Famous Studios characters, Ox Tales, Boohbah, Count Screwloose, Ub Iwerks cartoon characters, We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, Towser, Bunbury Tails, Rumble, Shantae, Crash Bandicoot, It (Stephen King), Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Saw, Michael Myers, Chucky (Child's Play), Pinhead, Ghostface (Scream), Meany, Miny and Moe (Walter Lantz), Spaceballs, FLCL, Yakari, Wayne's World, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Coraline and Ghostbusters.

Official characters

Virtually any company that has been around for a while has a original mascots. Some of those that come most readily to mind, perhaps, are:

• Darth Vader - Star Wars
• Star Trek characters - Star Trek
• Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger - Harry Potter
• Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple - Agatha Christie
• Satan or Devil - Hell
• Jesus - Heaven
• Indiana Jones (character) - Indiana Jones
• Mr. Bean (character) - Mr. Bean
• Jack Box - Jack in the Box
• James Bond - James Bond
• The Doctor and Dalek - Doctor Who
• Selene - Underworld
• Aslan - Narnia
• Captain Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Caribbean
• Adolf Hitler - Nazi and Germany
• Donald Trump - America, White House and President
• Charlie Chaplin - Charlie Chaplin
• Buster Keaton - Buster Keaton
• Michael Jackson - Michael Jackson
• Laurel and Hardy - Hal Roach Studios and Larry Harmon Pictures
• Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman - DC Comics
• Spider-Man, Hulk and Wolverine - Marvel Comics
• The Sandman - Vertigo
• Happy Tree Friends - Mondo Media
• Bozo the Clown - Larry Harmon Pictures
• Mario - Nintendo
• Sonic the Hedgehog - Sega
• Mega Man - Capcom
• Pac-Man - Namco
• Santa Claus - Christmas
• Kool-Aid Man - Kool-Aid
• Greg, Murray, Anthony and Jeff - The Wiggles
• Thomas the Tank Engine - The Railway Series, Britt Allcroft, Gullane, Mattel and Hit Entertainment
• Smurfs - Peyo
• Katniss - The Hunger Games
• Minions - Despicable Me
• Scrat - Blue Sky Studios
• Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown - Back to the Future
• HAL 9000 - 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Terminator - Terminator
• Alien - Alien
• King Kong - RKO Radio Pictures and Edgar Wallace
• Godzilla - Toho
• Frankenstein, Dracula and Universal Classic Monsters - Universal Classic Monsters
• Raggedy Ann and Andy - Raggedy Ann
• Noid - Domino's Pizza
• Jollibee - Jollibee
• Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup (The Powerpuff Girls) - Cartoon Network
• Alex, Clover and Sam - Totally Spies!
• Michelin Man - Michelin
• Charlie Morningstar - Hazbin Hotel
• Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste - Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir
• Mr. Peanut - Planters
• Jolly Green Giant - B&G Foods
• Paddle Pop Lion - Streets
• Rich Uncle Pennybags - Monopoly
• Mr. Clean - Procter & Gamble
• Poppin' Fresh - Pillsbury
• Quicky - Nesquik
• Coco the Monkey - Coco Pops
• Garfield - Jim Davis and Paws Inc.
• Charlie Brown and Snoopy - Peanuts
• He-Man - Masters of the Universe
• Lion-O - ThunderCats
• Flash Gordon - Flash Gordon
• Oggy and the Cockroaches - Gaumont and Xilam
• Dennis the Menace and Gnasher - The Beano
• Sherlock Holmes - Sherlock Holmes
• Droopy, Wolf and Red - Tex Avery
• Bare-ass Girl - Coppertone Suntan Lotion
• Butler - Ask Jeeves
• WWE characters - WWE
• Peppa Pig - Peppa Pig
• Campbell Soup Kids - Campbell’s Soup
• Elsie the Cow - Borden’s
• Energizer Bunny - Energizer Batteries
• Hammy the Gobster - Gobster
• Jack in the Box - Harvey Comics
• Joe Camel - Camel Cigarettes
• Beavis and Butt-Head - MTV
• Elizabeth "Hetty" Spaghetti - Jollibee Spaghetti
• Josephine the Plumber - Comet Cleaners
• Leo the Lion - MGM
• Mickey Mouse - Disney
• Bugs Bunny - Warner Bros.
• Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny - South Park
• Marilyn Monroe - 20th Century Fox (20th Century Studios)
• Planet of the Apes characters - Planet of the Apes
• Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato - VeggieTales and Big Idea Entertainment
• Tom and Jerry - MGM, Hanna-Barbera and Turner
• Fred Flintstone - Hanna-Barbera
• Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie - The Simpsons
• Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry, Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy - Monster Cereals from General Mills
• Kermit the Frog - Jim Henson
• The Cat in the Hat - Dr. Seuss
• Morris the Cat - 9 Lives Cat Food
• Peacock - NBC-TV
• Pegasus - Tri Star
• Redskins - Washington Redpenises
• Sailor Jack and Bingo - Cracker Jack
• Spuds MacKensie - Budweiser
• Eye - CBS
• Blondie and Dagwood - Blondie
• Gummy Bear (Gummibär) - Gummibär
• Tony the Tiger - Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
• Torch Lady (or Lady Liberty) - Columbia Pictures
• Toucan Pusball - Kellogg's Fruit Loops
• Betty Crocker - Food products (baking)
• Aunt Jemima - Syrup
• Ronald McDonald - McDonald's
• SpongeBob SquarePants - Nickelodeon
• Rocky and Bullwinkle - Jay Ward
• Kool-Aid Man - Kool-Aid
• M&M's - Mars
• Woody and Buzz Lightyear - Pixar
• Shrek - DreamWorks
• Wallace and Gromit - Aardman Animations
• Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake - American Greetings
• Hello Kitty - Sanrio
• Goku - Dragon Ball
• Pikachu and Ash Ketchum - Pokémon
• Popeye - King Features
• The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit characters - The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
• The Burger King - Burger King
• Colonel Sanders - KFC
• Annoying Orange - DaneBoe and Annoying Orange
• Angry Birds - Rovio
• Rosie the Waitress - Bounty
• Barry Scott - Cillit Bang
• Useful Awe Girl - Morton Salt

and many more.

Multimedia franchises

Multimedia franchises usually develop through a character or fictional world becoming popular in one medium, and then expanding to others through licensing agreements, with respect to intellectual property in the franchise's characters and settings. As one author explains, "For the studios, a home-run is a film from which a multimedia franchise can be generated; the colossally expensive creation of cross-media conglomerates predicated on synergistic rewards provides an obvious imperative to develop such products." The trend later developed wherein franchises would be launched in multiple forms of media simultaneously for instance, the film The Matrix Reloaded and the video game Enter the Matrix were produced at the same time, using the same actors on the same sets, and released on the same day. The several other long-running early media franchises (Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Looney Tunes, Popeye, Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Star Wars, Thomas & Friends, The Simpsons, South Park, Garfield, The Smurfs, ALF, Peanuts, SpongeBob SquarePants, Toy Story, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Tom and Jerry, Laurel and Hardy, Power Rangers, Dragon Ball, Pokémon, Doraemon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Frozen, Mary Poppins, Aladdin, Sesame Street, The Muppets, Star Trek, King Kong, Charlie Chaplin, The Three Stooges, The Wiggles, Bananas in Pyjamas, The Dukes of Hazzard, Godzilla, Doctor Who, The Pink Panther, Disney Princess, et al.). Several other franchises had releases within each other, including King Kong, Star Wars, Harry Potter, DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Captain Marvel, Teen Titans, et al.), Marvel Comics (Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, et al.), Disney (Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Mary Poppins, Frozen, The Lion King, Lilo & Stitch, Pinocchio, Lizzie McGuire, Beauty and the Beast, Gravity Falls, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, et al.), Pixar (Toy Story, Cars, et al.), Warner Bros. (Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, The Dukes of Hazzard, Police Academy, et al.), Hanna-Barbera (The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Yogi Bear, et al.), Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. (SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Sam & Cat, Rugrats, The Loud House, Blue's Clues, et al.), Cartoon Network (Chowder, Ben 10, Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Powerpuff Girls, et al.), 20th Century Fox (Marilyn Monroe, The Simpsons, Anastasia, Ice Age, et al.), DreamWorks (Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, et al.), The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Transformers.

The fictional universe characters

• Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, from The Simpsons
• Darth Vader, from Star Wars
• Thomas the Tank Engine, from The Railway Series and Thomas & Friends
• Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny, from South Park
• Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, from DC Comics
• Spider-Man, Hulk and Wolverine, from Marvel Comics
• Mickey Mouse, from Disney
• Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, from Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies
• SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, Squidward Tentacles, Mr. Krabs and Sandy Cheeks, from SpongeBob SquarePants
• Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, from Harry Potter
• Selene, from Underworld
• Fry, Bender and Leela, from Futurama
• Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and Fred, from Scooby-Doo
• Fred Flintstone, from The Flintstones
• Dick Dastardly and Muttley, from Wacky Races
• Woody and Buzz Lightyear, from Toy Story and Pixar
• Goku, from Dragon Ball
• Pikachu and Ash Ketchum, from Pokémon
• Kermit the Frog, from The Muppets
• The Cat in the Hat, from Dr. Seuss
• Star Trek characters, from Star Trek
• The Doctor and Dalek, from Doctor Who
• Haruko Haruhara, from FLCL
• Mario the title character, from Mario
• Sonic the Hedgehog the title character, from Sonic the Hedgehog
• Pac-Man the title character, from Pac-Man
• Mega Man the title character, from Mega Man
• Charlie Morningstar, from Hazbin Hotel

etc.

Development to other forms

Fiction

File:Panorama of Burbank.jpg

Long-running franchises were common in the early studio era, when Hollywood studios had actors and directors under long-term contract. Examples include Andy Hardy, Ma and Pa Kettle, Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Marilyn Monroe, Bulldog Drummond, Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain America, Tarzan, and Batman. The longest-running modern film franchises include James Bond, Godzilla and King Kong, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Universal Monsters, and Star Trek. In such cases, even lead actors are often replaced as they age, lose interest, or their characters.

Definition

The term was first defined by comics historian Don Markstein, in a 1970 article in CAPA-alpha.

Markstein's criteria

1. If characters A and B have met, then they are in the same universe; if characters B and C have met, then, transitively, A and C are in the same universe.

1. Characters cannot be connected by real people—otherwise, it could be argued that Superman and the Fantastic Four were in the same universe, as Superman met John F. Kennedy, Kennedy met Neil Armstrong, and Armstrong met the Fantastic Four.

1. Characters cannot be connected by characters "that do not originate with the publisher"—otherwise it could be argued that Superman and the Fantastic Four were in the same universe, as both met Hercules.

1. Specific fictionalized versions of real people—for instance, the version of Jerry Lewis from DC Comics' The Adventures of Jerry Lewis, who was distinct from the real Jerry Lewis in that he had a housekeeper with magical powers—can be used as connections; this also applies to specific versions of public-domain fictional characters, such as Marvel Comics' version of Hercules or DC Comics' version of Robin Hood.

1. Characters are only considered to have met if they appeared together in a story; therefore, characters who simply appeared on the same front cover are not necessarily in the same universe.

Universe vs setting

What distinguishes a fictional universe from a simple setting is the level of detail and internal consistency. A fictional universe has an established continuity and internal logic that must be adhered to throughout the work and even across separate works. So, for instance, many books may be set in conflicting fictional versions of Victorian London, but all the stories of Sherlock Holmes are set in the same Victorian London. However, the various film series based on Sherlock Holmes follow their own separate continuities, thus not taking place in the same fictional universe.

The history and geography of a fictional universe are well defined, and maps and timelines are often included in works set within them. Even new languages may be constructed. When subsequent works are written within the same universe, care is usually taken to ensure that established facts of the canon are not violated. Even if the fictional universe involves concepts such as elements of magic that don't exist in the real world, these must adhere to a set of rules established by the author.

A famous example of a detailed fictional universe is Arda (more popularly known as Middle-earth), of J. R. R. Tolkien's books The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. He created first its languages and then the world itself, which he states was "primarily linguistic in inspiration and was begun in order to provide the necessary 'history' for the Elvish tongues."

A modern example of a fictional universe is that of the Avatar film series, as James Cameron invented an entire ecosystem, with a team of scientists to test whether it was viable. Additionally, he commissioned a linguistics expert to invent the Na'vi language.

Virtually every successful fictional TV series or comic book develops its own "universe" to keep track of the various episodes or issues. Writers for that series must follow its story bible, which often becomes the series canon.

Frequently, when a series is perceived by its creators as too complicated or too self-inconsistent (because of, for example, too many writers), the producers or publishers may introduce retroactive continuity (retcon) to make future editions easier to write and more consistent. This creates an alternate universe that future authors can write about. These stories about the universe or universes that existed before the retcon are usually not canonical, unless the franchise-holder gives permission. Crisis on Infinite Earths was an especially sweeping example.

Some writers choose to introduce elements or characters from one work into another, to present the idea that both works are set in the same universe. For example, the character of Ursula Buffay from American sitcom Mad About You was also a recurring guest star in Friends, despite the two series having little else in common. Fellow NBC series Seinfeld also contained crossover references to Mad About You. L. Frank Baum introduced the characters of Cap'n Bill and Trot (from The Sea Fairies) into the Oz series in The Scarecrow of Oz, and they made a number of appearances in later Oz books. In science fiction, A. Bertram Chandler introduced into his future Galactic civilization the character Dominic Flandry from Poul Anderson's quite different Galactic future (he had Anderson's consent)—on the assumption that these were two alternate history timelines and that people could on some occasions cross from one to the other.

The feature full length special edition motion picture media franchises of Disney, Pixar, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., DC, Marvel, Hanna-Barbera, King Features, Fleischer Studios, Grim Natwick, Pat Sullivan, Jay Ward, Peyo, Paws Inc., Alien Productions, MGM, Charles M. Schulz, Sesame Workshop, Comedy Central, Sega, Namco, Capcom, Nintendo, Enid Blyton, Jim Henson, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Rev W. Awdry, Britt Allcroft, Waldemar Bonsels and Lucasfilm introducing Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Frozen, Aladdin, Mary Poppins, The Lion King, Lilo & Stitch, Toy Story, Looney Tunes, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Simpsons, SpongeBob SquarePants, Rugrats, Sam & Cat, The Loud House, Dora the Explorer, Blue's Clues, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Captain Marvel (Shazam), Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Fantastic Four, The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Popeye, Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Smurfs, Garfield, ALF, The Pink Panther, Peanuts, Sesame Street, South Park, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Mario, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Pokémon, Noddy, The Muppets, The Wiggles, Bananas in Pyjamas, Thomas & Friends, Maya the Bee and Star Wars.

Scope

Sir Thomas More's Utopia is one of the earliest examples of a cohesive fictional world with its own rules and functional concepts, but it comprises only one small island. Later fictional universes, like Robert E. Howard's Conan the Cimmerian stories or Lev Grossman's Fillory, are global in scope and some, like Star Wars, Honorverse, BattleTech, or the Lensman series, are galactic or even intergalactic.

A fictional universe may even concern itself with more than one interconnected universe through fictional devices such as dreams, "time travel" or "parallel worlds". Such a series of interconnected universes is often called a multiverse. Such multiverses have been featured prominently in science fiction since at least the mid-20th century.

The Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror" introduced the Mirror Universe, in which the crew members of the Starship Enterprise were brutal rather than compassionate. The 2009 movie Star Trek created an "alternate reality" and freed the Star Trek franchise from continuity issues. In the mid-1980s, DC Comics Crisis on Infinite Earths streamlined its fictional continuity by destroying most of its alternate universes.

Disney, Warner Bros., King Features, Fleischer Studios, Grim Natwick, Pat Sullivan, Otto Messmer, Rudolph Dirks, Universal Pictures, Jay Ward, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Turner, Hanna-Barbera, 20th Century Studios and Nickelodeon cartoons and comics such as Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Popeye, Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, The Katzenjammer Kids, Woody Woodpecker, Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Pink Panther, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, The Simpsons and SpongeBob SquarePants, DC Comics and Marvel Comics superheroes comics such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man and Hulk, Lucasfilm franchises such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones, and video games such as Mario, Donkey Kong, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Kirby and Angry Birds.

Format

A fictional universe can be contained in a single work, as in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, or in serialized, series-based, open-ended or round robin-style fiction.

In most small-scale fictional universes, general properties and timeline events fit into a consistently organized continuity. However, in the case of universes that are rewritten or revised by different writers, editors, or producers, this continuity may be violated, by accident or by design.

The occasional publishing use of retroactive continuity (retcon) often occurs due to this kind of revision or oversight. Members of fandom often create a kind of fan-made canon (fanon) to patch up such errors; "fanon" that becomes generally accepted sometimes becomes actual canon. Other fan-made additions to a universe (fan fiction, alternate universe, pastiche, parody) are usually not considered canonical unless they get authorized.

Collaboration

Shared universes often come about when a fictional universe achieves great commercial success and attracts other media. For example, a successful movie may catch the attention of various book authors, who wish to write stories based on that movie. Under U.S. law, the copyright-holder retains control of all other derivative works, including those written by other authors, but they might not feel comfortable in those other mediums or may feel that other individuals will do a better job; therefore, they may open up the copyright on a shared-universe basis. The degree to which the copyright-holder or franchise retains control is often one of the points in the license agreement.

For example, the comic book Superman was so popular that it spawned over 30 different radio, television, and movie series and a similar number of video games, as well as theme park rides, books, and songs. In the other direction, both Star Trek and Star Wars are responsible for hundreds of books and games of varying levels of canonicity.

For was example, Disney, Warner Bros., King Features, Fleischer Studios, Grim Natwick, Pat Sullivan, Otto Messmer, Rudolph Dirks, Universal Pictures, Jay Ward, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Hanna-Barbera, 20th Century Studios and Nickelodeon original cartoons and comics characters including Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Popeye, Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, The Katzenjammer Kids, Woody Woodpecker, Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Pink Panther, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, Wacky Races, The Simpsons and SpongeBob SquarePants, and DC, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Rev W. Awdry and Britt Allcroft original superheroes, space opera, literature and TV series characters including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, The Mighty Thor, Star Wars and Thomas & Friends.

The original early feature full length special edition motion picture blockbuster series media franchises including Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Frozen, Mary Poppins, The Lion King, Lilo & Stitch, Tarzan, Pinocchio, Toy Story, Cars, Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, Despicable Me, Ice Age, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Popeye, Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, The Katzenjammer Kids, Woody Woodpecker, Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Pink Panther, The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Wacky Races, Tom and Jerry, Star Wars, Thomas & Friends, The Simpsons, South Park, SpongeBob SquarePants, Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Frankenstein, Dracula, Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, King Kong, Godzilla, The Three Stooges, The Wiggles, Bananas in Pyjamas, Sesame Street, The Muppets, Maya the Bee, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Rupert Bear, Inspector Gadget, Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, Transformers, Ultraman, Super Sentai, Power Rangers, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Fantastic Four, Dragon Ball, Pokémon, Doraemon, Astro Boy, Princess Knight, FLCL, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Garfield, The Smurfs, ALF, Peanuts and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Fictional universes are sometimes shared by multiple prose authors, with each author's works in that universe being granted approximately equal canonical status. For example, Larry Niven's fictional universe Known Space has an approximately 135-year period in which Niven allows other authors to write stories about the Man-Kzin Wars. Other fictional universes, like the Ring of Fire series, actively court canonical stimulus from fans, but gate and control the changes through a formalized process and the final say of the editor and universe creator.

Other universes are created by one or several authors but are intended to be used non-canonically by others, such as the fictional settings for games, particularly role-playing games and video games. Settings for the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons are called campaign settings; other games have also incorporated this term on occasion. Virtual worlds are fictional worlds in which online computer games, notably MMORPGs and MUDs, take place. A fictional crossover occurs when two or more fictional characters, series or universes cross over with one another, usually in the context of a character created by one author or owned by one company meeting a character created or owned by another. In the case where two fictional universes covering entire actual universes cross over, physical travel from one universe to another may actually occur in the course of the story. Such crossovers are usually, but not always, considered non-canonical by their creators or by those in charge of the properties involved.

• Dragon Ball - classic manga by Akira Toriyama adapted for TV, cinema and video games
• Disney universe - since 1923, the world has continuously expanding around media franchises about Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King, Frozen, Toy Story, etc., or similar, characterized worlds
• Marvel universe – since 1939, the comic world has been continuously expanding around stories about Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor, etc., or similar.
• DC universe - since 1934, the comic world has continuously expanding around stories about Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, etc., or similar, characterized by a variety of reboots and parallel worlds
• Syldavia and Bordurien - Tintin series by Hergé

Lists of fictional universes and franchises

• DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Captain Marvel and the Teen Titans)
• Marvel Comics (Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, Iron Man, Captain America, the Mighty Thor and the Fantastic Four)
• DC Extended Universe
• Marvel Cinematic Universe
• Disney (Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Aladdin, Frozen, The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lilo & Stitch, Tarzan, Pinocchio, Lizzie McGuire, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Gravity Falls, Phineas and Ferb, The Ghost and Molly McGee, Big City Greens and 101 Dalmatians)
• Disney and Pixar (Toy Story and Cars)
• Hanna-Barbera (The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo)
• Warner Bros. (Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Animaniacs, Police Academy and The Dukes of Hazzard)
• Star Wars
• Star Trek
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. (SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Sam & Cat, The Loud House, Blue's Clues and Rugrats)
• Harry Potter
• 20th Century Fox (Marilyn Monroe, The Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy, Anastasia and Ice Age)
• Asterix
• The Beano
• The Railway Series and Thomas & Friends
• BBC (Doctor Who, Teletubbies and Fawlty Towers)

For lists of fictional universes see:

• List of fictional shared universes in film and television
• List of fictional universes in animation and comics
• List of fictional universes in literature
• List of science fiction universes