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The idea of parallel universes, where realities are an alternative to our own existence, is mind-blowing. Nevertheless, they are a common concept in science-fiction movies and tv shows. In The CW’s Supergirl, in fact, parallel universes are simply a part of the multiverse, which is made up of multiple Earths (like the ones from Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow) that are all similar in some senses but vastly different in others.
Within this multiverse, the character Supergirl lives on Earth-38 where aliens are widely known to exist and where cities such as National City are home to millions of people. Just looking at these aliens with their super strength and their blue-colored skin and their scales, we — the viewers — may feel that Earth-38 is completely unrelated to our own. But when watching the series, we find we can relate deeply to the characters. Why?
Because at the end of the day, the people in Supergirl’s parallel universe share the same emotions that we experience, which means that on a grander scale, there is always something by which every being is connected.
The Idea Behind Parallel Universes And The Multiverse
To start, I should probably explain the idea of the multiverse, which is not unique to the fictional worlds of The CW. The theory Supergirl, The Flash, and Arrow promote is that an infinite number of universes exist in the same space, vibrating at different frequencies so that they are unaware of each other. Each of these universes is effectively separated by decisions because the basic idea is that if I, say, decide to drop out of school on my Earth, there exists a parallel universe where I decide to stay in school; for every decision a person makes on one Earth, there exists an alternate reality where a different decision was made.
Immediately after my decision, these two universes will have a lot in common since they are only separated by one thing. But, they may become incredibly different over time if, say, my decision to drop out of school in one universe leads me to become poor, whereas my decision to stay in school leads me to become rich in the other. This idea is why parallel universes have many similarities and many differences; the two start in the same place but go on different tracks after some point. So if you may have an example of two actual parallel universes from the show, let’s quickly take a look at Supergirl’s Earth-38 and The Flash/The Green Arrow’s Earth-1.
Similarities And Differences Between Earth-38 And Earth-1
Identifying the similarities and differences between Earth-38 and Earth-1 will make the evidence of them being parallel universes more obvious. So, that is what we will do. For starters, Earth-38 has Central City, just like Earth-1 does. Second, Earth-38’s James Olsen, who is one of Supergirl’s closest friends, has an Earth-1 doppelgänger named Jimmy.
As The Flash mentions in Supergirl season 1, episode 18, both worlds also have Mariah Carey. All this to say, Earth-38 and Earth-1 share multiple similarities when it comes to people and places. Earth-38 and Earth-1 also have their differences. Whereas Earth-1 has Star Labs — and therefore, The Flash, Zoom, and Cisco Ramon — Earth-38 does not. Whereas Earth-38 is accustomed to aliens, including Supergirl herself, Earth-1 lacks them but is filled with meta-humans who have powers ranging from super-speed to weather control.
What If Earth-38 Was Parallel To Our Own?
Technically, Earth-38 is not parallel to our Earth because, as far as we know, Earth-38 does not truly exist and our Earth has no parallel universes. But, in the name of curiosity and inquiry, let us pretend that Earth-38 is a world that carries out an alternate reality to our own world. For the sake of clarity, let’s call our world Earth-0.
So, at the moment, Earth-38 is just Earth-0 with a large presence of aliens and superheroes. Now, let us further pretend that we got the opportunity to travel to Earth-38, or maybe they figured out how to come visit us. In that event, would we be able to understand each other? Would we have enough in common to establish friendship and trust and love?
The Impossible Task Of Understanding Those From Parallel Universes
The answer to that question seems to be a “no” at first. I cannot deny that people such as myself from Earth-0 would be amazed by the sight of aliens integrated with humans and by the sight of Supergirl, for example, flying before our eyes. At the same time, though, being interested in Earth-38’s aliens and the workings of its world does not automatically mean Earth-0 people would relate to Earth-38 people/aliens.
In other words, although the idea of shape-shifting is fascinating to me from Earth-0, I would not be able to understand the experiences of a Green Martian from Supergirl’s parallel universe because I cannot shape shift. Furthermore, I would not even be able to fully understand a regular person from Earth-38 because those from that Earth are used to living with aliens, whereas aliens are a novelty for me.
As a result, it might seem like an impossible task to understand those from Earth-38 because they are used to a life fundamentally different than mine. Nevertheless, while those from Earth-38 may seem too different to understand deeply, their differences are only visible ones. Beyond the surface, we are all quite similar because of our shared emotions.
Sharing Fears
As beings, people are born with a natural ability to fear, which is a response to potential danger. Like those of us from Earth-0, the humans and aliens alike from Earth-38 also experience fear. Take the episode “Triggers” from Supergirl: the villain Psi forces Supergirl to face her greatest fears, which include the idea that her beloved Mon-El is dead. Just like Supergirl fears losing the ones she loves, many of us can relate to the fear of losing those closest to us.
The point? Even aliens from parallel universes experience fear, just like we experience fear, which means in the case of fear, people from all worlds are bound together.
Sharing Emotions
Those of us from Earth-0 are not just related to those from Earth-38 through fear, however. We also share other emotions. Let’s start with sadness, particularly the one from losing a job. On Earth-0, there is a large correlation between job loss and depression. In fact, 20% of jobless people (( Screenrant )) — who have been doing so for a year or more — experience depression. When Supergirl loses her job in “Homecoming,” she too gets extremely upset, indicating that sadness is a multi-universal emotion.
Furthermore, when Supergirl loses her job, her then-boyfriend Mon-El comforts her by holding her in his arms. On Earth-0, hugs (( Psychology Today )) are scientifically proven to make people feel better. Since the effects are similar on Earth-38, it suggests the warmth and security felt from a hug are two more multi-universal emotions.
On the topic of Supergirl’s boyfriend, love is another emotion present on both Earth-0 and Earth-38. Love (( Psychology Today )) is an extremely powerful emotion on our Earth, but it is also crucial to Earth-38. This is especially apparent in “Nevertheless, She Persisted,” when Supergirl must send Mon-El away from her Earth to protect him. Both are heartbroken and in tears because they love each other more than anything. From one parallel universe to another, love is always powerful. There are definitely more emotions (including jealousy, anger, and guilt) that are shared between these universes, but the point is that emotions are something that every being shares.
What Does This Mean?
The point is this: another’s life, appearance, and/or beliefs can be entirely different from your own, but you guys will always be connected by emotions. This means that you should never give up on a relationship or fail to seek one out because you are afraid that you might not relate to the other person. And, if we ever do discover a parallel universe and meet those people, remember that you and the alien with green skin are connected on some personal level.