Talk:Shared universe/Archive 1

Shared Universe Question
Should this be merged with Shared fictional universe? --Jim Henry 20:43, 20 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Definitely. "Shared universe" is more common usage, but 'fictional' might be more precise; as long as there's a redirect from the other, I have no preference on which of the two is kept. --Calair 00:42, 21 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Branding
Isn't this a form of branding? --AllanBz 06:05, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Subsections
The sections Shared-universe etiquette and Threaded time seem to be subsections of Amateur examples, (if so they should have another pair of =s in there) but could they be broadened to apply to "professional" examples as well? A lot of what's said seems to apply; cf. hypertime. -HKMARKS 04:27, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

Too broad?
I kind of feel like this list of examples include things that go beyond what this article is really talking about, especially the "posthumous" examples. Some other person wrote Oz stories after the original guy died - is that really a shared universe? If so, then every comic book, even ones that we would not normally say are in a 'shared universe', fall under this definition when the writer changes.

Also the "Trading Places" example really stretches things. Wouldn't that more properly be called a cameo appearance or something like that?

I'd like to hear some opinions before I take a machete to this article. ike9898 14:47, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

GA review

 * GA review (see here for criteria)


 * 1) It is reasonably well written.
 * a (prose): b (MoS):
 * 1) It is factually accurate and verifiable.
 * a (references): b (citations to reliable sources):  c (OR):
 * 1) It is broad in its coverage.
 * a (major aspects): b (focused):
 * 1) It follows the neutral point of view policy.
 * a (fair representation): b (all significant views):
 * 1) It is stable.
 * 2) It contains images, where possible, to illustrate the topic.
 * a (tagged and captioned): b (lack of images does not in itself exclude GA):  c (non-free images have fair use rationales):
 * 1) Overall:
 * a Pass/Fail:
 * a Pass/Fail:

This article is really good. I particularly enjoy the huge varieties of references. OhanaUnited Talk page  12:47, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Crossgen Chronicles promo poster.jpg
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BetacommandBot 10:34, 27 October 2007 (UTC)

Too broad title, too narrow coverage?
Nearly all this article seems to focus on subsequent work, much of it unauthorized fan fiction, set in the existing universes of films and games. I see nothing about deliberately created "shared universes" in print fiction, where one author or a group of authors establish the background and other authors are specifically invited to contribute their own stories with the same setting and characters. This would include the "Bordertown" series, the "Wild Cards" series, the "Merovingen" series, and quite a few others. Is there another page I'm not aware of? Because I see no reference to any such, and "shared universe" is indeed the term commonly in use among science fiction people for this sort of project. --Michael K Smith Talk 11:02, 17 March 2013 (UTC)

Live-action television universes
This material was all deleted recently. I agree that there were too many examples, but a few should probably remain, or be reincorporated within a prose paragraph. Possibly a remark on St Elsewhere could be included.

Just notes, for whoever wishes to attempt this, in the future. –Quiddity (talk) 16:29, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

The pixar universe
Why there is nothing about the pixar universe? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.98.167.114 (talk) 11:29, 22 December 2013 (UTC)


 * It isn't really a shared universe. It's all just fan speculation. Wikipedia requires reliable sources. If there were quotes from Pixar execs saying that all Pixar movies took place in the same universe, that would be one thing. But, there isn't. So it shouldn't be included. Nikki Lee 1999 (talk) 01:20, 21 January 2015 (UTC)

Cutdowns
Why did they cutdown their Films list? These aren't shared universes. View that here:
 * Trading Places and Coming to America (1983–1988)
 * Quentin Tarantino's fictional universe (1992–present)
 * Transformers (2007–present)
 * G.I. Joe, Micronauts, Visionaries, M.A.S.K. and Rom (2009–present)
 * Hanna-Barbera's shared cinematic universe (2018–present)

Big trim
This article finally got a badly needed trim. I do think it needs more examples, but we need reliable sources to demonstrate which universes are by definition "shared". I feel that the previous list contained a lot of original research, with minimal sources to back up its claims. I am inviting other editors (particularly the main recent editors Fusionem and Rocket1377) to find sources with which to rebuild the list of examples. Thank you. 2601:D:B482:CCE0:3141:B07F:DA29:1DD6 (talk) 11:17, 1 June 2015 (UTC)

What about Happy Days, Lavern & Shirley, Mork and Mindy, and I think there was "Jonie Loves Chachi" or some such?
What the title says ... ? 14.200.208.126 (talk) 14:01, 16 April 2016 (UTC)

Clarifications
I was wondering something, I was reading through the page and found a few things, mostly things I didnt know were connected to each other such as Alien, Predator, Blade Runner and Soldier or JAG, First Monday, NCIS, Hawaii Five-0 and Scorpion and I was wondering if some clarifications could be put on the ones with single shows or films like that (i.e. not the ones that are obvious or ones that have shared universe pages like the MCU or Universal Monsters). What I mean is like "Alien and Predator have a shared movie indicating a shared universe which connects to Blade Runner through..." something similar to that. I am aware that most of the pages for each seperate show or film likely have these clarifications listed on them, but I know that I dont want to go to each seperate page to read it for the clarifications, and I feel as though most others feel the same. I also feel that putting this info and clarifications and such on the page would better help with ease of access and keep the related info on one page rather than spread through multiple pages, I understand that it may cause problems with things like making the page or sections too long or not as pretty and organized, but I feel as though the benefits outweigh the risks, make the site better, and help provide information in a faster and possibly more efficient way. Please reply with thoughts concerns etc. So that I can know what is going on. Thank you for your time.

71.102.74.157 (talk) 23:16, 21 April 2016 (UTC)

Worlds that SHOULD DO crossover and co-exist!
This is my point of view because sometimes I can see patterns that open the theories about possible shared universes like these ones.


 * Worlds A: The worlds that officially share one same continuity.
 * Worlds B: Worlds can could potentially co-exist with the ones shown in "Worlds A".

NOTE: The initial date is added just in case.

What's your point of view? Fusionem (talk) 17:58, 31 August 2015 (UTC)
 * This page is for discussing how to improve the article by having it better reflect the reliable sources. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom  18:03, 31 August 2015 (UTC)

Gotham, iZombie, and Lucifer aren't confirmed as apart of the DC film and TV multiverse. Batman3095 (talk) 16:00, 23 September 2016 (UTC)

Norman Lear
Wasn't like every show Lear made existed in the same universe? And if they are, then wouldn't other shows like "Fresh Prince" would be in that universe too, due to crossovers? It would be a bit complicated due to crossovers with multiple franchises that are already in shared universes. This would probably be the biggest shared universe I know of. - Batman3095 (talk) 00:46, 25 September 2016 (UTC)

Cartoon Network
Why do you remove the list: from the Shared universe page? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:C8:C003:27D0:A94D:2E8A:9001:C314 (talk) 13:42, 24 September 2016 (UTC)
 * Secret Mountain Fort Awesome/Uncle Grandpa, Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack, Adventure Time, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, Steven Universe, Clarence, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, What a Cartoon!, Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?, Time Squad, Sym-Bionic Titan, Robotomy, The Problem Solverz, Sheep in the Big City, Mighty Magiswords, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Class of 3000, Chowder, Mike, Lu & Og, Squirrel Boy, Megas XLR, The Moxy Show, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Big Bag, Out of Jimmy's Head, all the shows on the CN Real block (BrainRush, Bobb'e Says, Destroy Build Destroy, The Othersiders, Dude, What Would Happen), Tower Prep, Level Up, Incredible Crew, Ben 10: Alien Force/Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Transformers: Animated, Star Wars: Clone Wars

Where's the proof that they're all related? - Batman3095 (talk) 00:44, 25 September 2016 (UTC)

So just looking. Why do you remove? Because Transformers: Animated and Star Wars: Clone Wars are licensed characters and made by Cartoon Network Studios and so... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:C8:C003:27D0:701A:2D81:E784:9E73 (talk) 18:15, 25 September 2016 (UTC)

Site protection request
I am sick and tired of seeing this site being defaced by trolls. I am requesting that this article be protected from trolls, because the most recent edits of this article are merely just to deface it and to harass the editors who are actually trying to improve the article. Superchunk22 Superchunk22 (talk) 12:27, 2 October 2016 (UTC)
 * Superchunk22, this isn't the place to ask for it; you want to go to Requests for page protection. 73.168.15.161 (talk) 05:18, 3 October 2016 (UTC)

Protected edit request on 5 October 2016
Requesting the addition of The Malazan Universe by Steven Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont to the list of Shared Universes in Literature.

My Sword May Drink Blood Yet | N. Gasieta 18:02, 5 October 2016 (UTC)
 * Pictogram voting question.svg Question: any opposition to this request? &mdash; Martin (MSGJ · talk) 18:22, 6 October 2016 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done &mdash; Martin (MSGJ · talk) 12:48, 7 October 2016 (UTC)

Shared Universe definition
Just out of curiosity, going by the definition stated in the article, that "A shared universe or shared world is a set of creative works where more than one writer (or other artist) independently contributes a work that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, characters, or world of the overall project", do Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere, J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World and Stephen King's "Stephen King Universe" qualify, seeing as they are works written by one author respectively? (Just looking at the list again, for that matter nearly half of them don't meet that requirement.)

My Sword May Drink Blood Yet | N. Gasieta 17:53, 11 October 2016 (UTC)
 * This article needs a huge trim, but whenever something gets removed, someone will just put it back in again. 65.126.152.254 (talk) 22:21, 11 October 2016 (UTC)
 * If I get the time, I think I will work on the article. Remove the unnecessary parts.
 *  AIZEN MEMORY • THOUGHT 20:47, 13 October 2016 (UTC)
 * Or maybe we need to broaden the definition of the term Shared Universe. For example: "A shared universe is a set of creative works where more than one writer (or other artist) independently contributes a work that can stand alone but fit into the joint development of the storyline, characters, or world of the overall project. The term also applies to (the term can also be used for) a set of different creative works set in the same universe, created by a single author."
 *  AIZEN MEMORY • THOUGHT 21:03, 13 October 2016 (UTC)
 * We need to find a source(s) which defines the term, rather than coming up with our own definitions. 73.168.15.161 (talk) 06:12, 14 October 2016 (UTC)
 * Yeah, but I don't think we'll be able to find anything. At least I didn't, and I've been doing a deep search for over a week. And besides, I think that the term has changed -- or evolved -- a bit too. I mean, writers like Brandon Sanderson have used the term to describe the backdrop for their work. Tarantino too used the word to suggest all his works are part of the same universe. I can name more, but the point is, seeing as it is being used like that, shouldn't we update the article to reflect the current understanding/definition of the word?
 *  AIZEN MEMORY • THOUGHT 18:56, 14 October 2016 (UTC)

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Dear fellow ediors, stop including every single crossover or spin-off ever
A shared universe is not just a spin-off or a product which has crossed over with another once or twice. Also please use sources and don't include rumors or fan speculation. Also, please use correct links, the link to "Xenoverse" has NOTHING to do with Alien or Predator but redirects to a Dragon Ball game.★Trekker (talk) 15:18, 6 April 2017 (UTC)


 * I've gone ahead and boldly addressed this by replacing the excessive examples with some prose paragraphs that actually explain some of the list items and what they illustrate. A single paragraph explaining a particular aspect of shared universe fiction citing one example is more use to the reader than ten unexplained examples. I kept what seemed to be the most significant examples - if I missed anything which illustrates an additional aspect of shared universes, feel free to add it back and to write about why it's interesting. --McGeddon (talk) 15:41, 6 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Ah, thank you.★Trekker (talk) 15:44, 6 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Thank you! This article has been crazy out of control for years. If we can't keep it relatively free of unsourced WP:OR, might as well cut the list of examples altogether. 73.168.15.161 (talk) 06:33, 7 April 2017 (UTC)

The sprawling list was re-added by User:Nurseline247. 73.168.15.161 (talk) 07:18, 8 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Trekker and McGeddon, I would also note that Fusionem suggested a split List of shared universes. I'm not too sure about that, even though there are a lot of users who seem to think we badly need this poorly-watched WP:OR factory somewhere. 73.168.15.161 (talk) 16:27, 8 April 2017 (UTC)
 * If we make a list we need to come up with some hard rules for what counts and what doesn't. Which I believe will be hard.★Trekker (talk) 16:30, 8 April 2017 (UTC)


 * The same edit also took out the paragraphs I'd added giving some context for James Bond, Tommy Westphall, etc, I'm not sure if that was intentional. Can we get some thoughts from User:Nurseline247 on why an article of lists is preferred here? --McGeddon (talk) 15:46, 9 April 2017 (UTC)
 * The editor who added the cruft back has not responded so I boldly removed it.★Trekker (talk) 20:35, 11 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Good plan, this is the kind of thing that should have a solid rationale for inclusion, not just "let's see how big I can make this list!" I'm sure someone else will restore it sooner or later without discussion, though, as this was far from the first time. 65.126.152.254 (talk) 22:13, 11 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Sometimes you just got to go bold or go homes. If they wanted it to be kept they could come with some sources at least.★Trekker (talk) 02:07, 12 April 2017 (UTC)

Retconning definition
"retconning, short for "retroactive continuity", which resolves errors in continuity that came about through previously-written conflicting material"

Peculiar definition. The article on the subject itself gives the following as a potential definition: "Retcons sometimes add information that seemingly contradicts previous information."

Retcons provide new information of characters and their backgrounds, their relationships to each other, their motivations, etc. They do not necessarily correct anything.

Take for example the character Polaris from Marvel Comics. In her origin story from 1968, she believes herself to be Magneto's daughter and feels she has to obey him. At the finale of the story she finds out that Magneto is not her real father and rebels. The two characters did interact afterwards, with Magneto often playing her mentor or surrogate father. Then in a story from c. 2004, Polaris goes for a paternity test and finds out that Magneto is her biological father after all. The newer story is a retcon, published more than 30 years after the original, but has stuck as canon. Dimadick (talk) 07:53, 22 April 2017 (UTC)
 * That can probably be cut if the explanation is inaccurate. 2602:304:CE74:9630:C919:8DD9:9DBA:F853 (talk) 15:40, 22 April 2017 (UTC)

Pages to Be Split From this Page with the information Listed in Previous Edits
@★Trekker: I would expect given your rudely phrased interest of this page that you would take the time and effort to split these pages? There currently exists a poorly-written List of fictional universes in animation and comics, which features television and film, which needs to be completely rewritten. Nurseline247 (talk) 18:42, 29 May 2017 (UTC)
 * List of fictional universes in film and television
 * List of fictional universes in video games
 * List of shared media franchises
 * No, my interest is in keeping this article in good shape. Trying to make a list like that would be near impossible to manage and would get the same problems that I had to remove from this article already.★Trekker (talk) 18:47, 29 May 2017 (UTC)
 * These sprawling lists, almost always unsourced, tend to be filled with original research (as to whether or not a universe is considered "shared") and have been removed from this article multiple times. Not because they belong on another page within Wikipedia, but because they don't belong at all. 73.168.15.161 (talk) 19:07, 29 May 2017 (UTC)

Film shared universe
A shared universe in film is when at least 2 film franchises come together, example The Avengers (2012). Spin offs, sequels and prequels are not shared universes. There has to be evidence in the films. User talk:rreemmett 22:03, 26 August 2016 (UTC)
 * A very large percentage of this article seems to follow its own rules, and could easily be trimmed out. 73.168.15.161 (talk) 03:17, 27 August 2016 (UTC)
 * Two-thirds of the "Universes in films" section should be deleted: James Bond, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, and Middle-earth are not shared universes under the definition of this article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2605:6000:1B01:C168:0:6373:AD3C:6E35 (talk) 04:16, 10 June 2018 (UTC)
 * Crap gets removed, crap gets put back, it's a never-ending cycle. 2600:1700:E820:1BA0:9CD4:D7A3:E435:BBFE (talk) 13:33, 10 June 2018 (UTC)
 * Well somebody seriously needs to be educated on the difference between sequels, spin-offs, reboots, franchises and actual shared universes. The television section is also a similar mess.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 167.127.104.230 (talk) 14:46, 12 June 2018 (UTC)
 * You are right, so be WP:BOLD - WP:SOFIXIT! 208.47.202.254 (talk) 17:48, 12 June 2018 (UTC)

Should Whateley Academy be included?
For starters the only citation links to it's own website, which has little about it being "lesser known, but still widely popular shared" and having a "attracted a dedicated fanbase from all over the world". Considering that our own policy for reliable sources is that "articles should be based on reliable, third-party, published sources with a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy", of which the source is none of these (Wasn't logged in when I edited this). ToweringHat (talk) 17:10, 30 May 2019 (UTC)

Markstein
Apparently Don Markstein created and defined the term "universe", in the sense of a shared setting for fiction, in a 1970 issue of CAPA-alpha (although when he archived the article on Toonopedia, he did mention the possibility that someone may have antedated him).

I feel that his formalized criteria should in some way be included in the article. Thoughts? DS (talk) 22:16, 24 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Sounds very useful! 8.37.179.254 (talk) 01:06, 25 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Good idea. Dimadick (talk) 17:02, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

Decline in cinematic universes
This source can be used to say this. -- Kailash29792 (talk)  15:44, 6 June 2020 (UTC)

Tolkien universe is not a shared universe (yet)
Until Tolkien estate authorizes spin offs and such, Middle Earth is not a shared universe. "faithful adaptations" of books into films or vice versa are not "shared universe". I therefore removed the following. --Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus&#124; reply here 05:39, 28 August 2021 (UTC)

Among the most successful novel-to-film adaptations are the film trilogies of The Hobbit (2012–2014) and The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003), all of which were directed by Peter Jackson, while serving as faithful adaptations of the novels by J. R. R. Tolkien (especially The Lord of the Rings). The first work in the series was The Hobbit novel published in 1937. The novels focused on the hobbits Bilbo Baggins and his nephew Frodo Baggins, as well as the wizard Gandalf, among other species such as dwarves and elves. Videogames taking place between the films of the saga have been produced. Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus&#124; reply here 05:39, 28 August 2021 (UTC)

Category:Shared universes is now live
I've created this category. Please help populate, but remember, not all universes are shared universes. Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus&#124; reply here 05:40, 28 August 2021 (UTC)

Super Smash Bros.
I think that at this point, it's fairly safe to say that the Super Smash Bros. franchise counts as a Shared Universe.

(161.29.246.205 (talk) 21:48, 10 November 2021 (UTC))