Contest: ENTER SF&F Avatar Contest: McAvoy or Stewart? These timelines are so confusing.

[Kai "the spy"]

Alright, different timelines, parallel universes, scifi and fantasy is full of instances where we got to meet variant versions of established characters. The biggest movie out in theaters right now is dealing with all that, including a montage full with a bunch of different versions of the same character. So, this contest is all about these versions that are different to what we've known before. You may take from genre movies, TV shows and comic books.

Every user may enter up to three avatars.

Also, as per usual, entries must not be larger than 200x200 pixels and/or 1 Mb data, and they must be safe for work.

 

[theenglish]

Just a clarification, please. By what criteria do you determine the "original" version? Is Lou Ferrigno the original Hulk, for example? Is nuBSG a variant universe?

 

[Kai "the spy"]

There must be a connection between the different versions inside the narrative. For example TOS BSG and nuBSG don't count, one is simply a reboot of the other, and they never crossed over. Kelvin-Trek would count, on the other hand, as it is established as a different timeline from what came before inside the narrative, with the original Spock as the bridge between them.
I'm making exceptions for comic books where it's clearly alternate versions, like DC's Elseworlds or Marvel's What If comics, even if those versions never crossed over with the proper main versions.

 

[the G-man]

No. 1. The grandaddy of them all:

 

[the G-man]

No. 2. Fittingly, the introduction of Earth 2

(Flash of Two Worlds)

 

[Kai "the spy"]

#1

The Planet Express crew from the Cowboy Universe; Futurama: "I Dated a Robot"

 

[theenglish]

Here are my first two entries--and I did find a BSG connection:

#1

Flash Variants from CW's The Flash series

#2

BSG vs BSG from Dynamite Comics

 

[Avro Arrow]

So I'm kinda struggling with this topic. I've got some thoughts about alternate universe versions of characters, but I'm getting hung up on the parts where it refers to "established characters" and "different to what we've known before". The ones that I'm thinking of are really only established in the same narrative where the alternates are shown, so I really don't know if they count. (The only ones that are coming to mind where they are pre-established characters are from Star Trek, and I don't want to enter three Star Trek avatars.)

So I'm going to post my first idea, and you can let me know if it counts or not. All my other ideas are in a similar vein, so if this one doesn't count, they're probably all out too. Please let me know.

Evelyn Wang, Everything Everywhere All at Once

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Okay, gonna out myself here as still not having seen Everything Everywhere All at Once, even though a copy of the film has been sitting on my shelf for over a year, but I'm pretty confident your entry still counts, because:

By "established" I mean "introduced to the audience first". I do make an exception for mere reboots and adaptations to other media, so the Henry Cavill Superman wouldn't count just because there were other movie versions of Superman before, or in comic terms the John Byrne Superman wouldn't count just because it was a reboot of the Superman comics. In those cases, there needs to be a narrative connection like the aforementioned Spock example, or a crossover.

So, that was what I was referring to with the "established" clarification, to rule out these reboots without narrative connections. A narrative introducing different versions of the same character definitely counts.

 

[theenglish]

Thanks for that. Gives me an idea for my final entry. Two ideas actually. But, here's my official one from The Umbrella Academy.

#3

Ben Hargreaves of The Sparrow Academy

EDIT: This is a really interesting theme. There are all kinds of options out there, but I didn't want to go with Star Trek or the MCU. I'm hoping that some get out there because there are some great possibilities once people start posting from those franchises.

 

[the G-man]

Okay, gonna out myself here as still not having seen Everything Everywhere All at Once, even though a copy of the film has been sitting on my shelf for over a year, but I'm pretty confident your entry still counts, because:

By "established" I mean "introduced to the audience first". I do make an exception for mere reboots and adaptations to other media, so the Henry Cavill Superman wouldn't count just because there were other movie versions of Superman before, or in comic terms the John Byrne Superman wouldn't count just because it was a reboot of the Superman comics. In those cases, there needs to be a narrative connection like the aforementioned Spock example, or a crossover.

So, that was what I was referring to with the "established" clarification, to rule out these reboots without narrative connections. A narrative introducing different versions of the same character definitely counts.

Based on the above, here's my No. 3

Run, Lola, Run (1998)
(Similar scenario to EEAAO)

 

[Nerys Myk]

Superman meets the Earth 2 Superman

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Not gonna lie, feels weird doing this entry in August:

#2

Mary the "old maid"; It's a Wonderful Life!

 

[Avro Arrow]

Alice Ericsson-Taylor, Constellation

And I did actually end up thinking of one where it was an alternate version of a pre-established character, so I decided to make it my third entry.

Ned Flanders, Unquestioned Lord and Master of the World, The Simpsons: "Treehouse of Horror V" segment "Time and Punishment"

Okay, gonna out myself here as still not having seen Everything Everywhere All at Once, even though a copy of the film has been sitting on my shelf for over a year

Quick, get that disc off the shelf and pop it in the player! We'll wait.

 

[Orac]

Babylon 5: The Road Home:

Star Trek The Next Generation: Yesterday's Enterprise:

 

[tharpdevenport]

Wonder Woman and Superman from their alternate universe Justice Lords on "Justice League".

 

[Orac]

Doctor Who: Inferno:

 

[Kai "the spy"]

#3

Jackie meets alternate Pete; Doctor Who: Doomsday


LAST CALL! I'll hopefully put up the poll in a day or two.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Somewhere out there must be a parallel universe where I manage to put the polls up on time.