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- "Allow me to introduce: the Multiverse. Infinite earths with an infinite number of Apertures."
- ―Cave Johnson[src]
The Multiverse is the concept of which there exist an infinite set of universes, dimensions or planes of existence, all of which lies beyond the impossible border of the observable Universe. Initially just a theory, in the Half-Life series however, it was proven that there the Multiverse concept does indeed exist, through the scientific breakthroughs and research undertaken by Black Mesa, via the use of teleportation.
The Multiverse seemingly contains both mysterious dimensions and alternate universes. Multiversal organizations exist, such as the immensely powerful extradimensional empire known as the Combine, which set its sights on conquering the multiverse. At least two alternate Aperture Laboratories travelled the multiverse and conquered alternate universes made of money, which they used as an infinite source of funding.
Overview[]
Prior to and during the events of Half-Life, Black Mesa researchers were undertaking scientific research and exploration of Xen, a plane of existence akin to a borderworld existing in its own reality and connecting to other dimensions, filled with a variety of alien flora and fauna. After a series of experiments and research, a Resonance cascade event took place that ripped a hole in dimensional space, and Xen creatures from Xen began teleporting into the facility. This incident became known as the Black Mesa Incident.
The event has major catastrophic consequences, and soon portal storms from Xen began to rage across Earth. This eventually caught the attention of the Combine, resulting in the invasion of Earth culminating in the Seven Hour War, which ended with a Combine victory.
Main / Notable universes[]
- Earth Universe: The main universe wherein the Half-Life and Portal series take place, and the home of Gordon Freeman and Chell. The Earth Universe is connected to the borderworld Xen. In the aftermath of the Black Mesa Incident and the subsequent Seven Hour War, it was occupied by the Combine.
- Xen Borderworld: A borderworld dimension that connects to numerous other dimensions including Earth. It is the final retreat of the last of the Nihilanths and many other species that were taking refuge from the Combine.
- Combine Overworld: A universal plane of existence that is completely dominated by the Combine. Appears to be a heavily fortified combine-controlled world, with many Citadel-like structures erecting into the stars, and is assumed to be the primary staging point of the Combine's military that connects to the Earth's Universe.
Other universes[]
- Nihilanth's Universe: The original birthplace and home of the Nihilanth's species. The Combine invaded and waged genocide unto the Nihlianth's species, driving them to near extinction and forcing the Nihilanth and its slaves to escape to the Xen borderworld. The fate of the Nihilanth's homeworld is unknown, but it was presumably either occupied or destroyed by the Combine.
- Vortigaunt's Universe: The original home of the Vortigaunt species prior to the Combine invasion of the Vortigaunt homeworld. In Half-Life: Alyx, a mural depicts the losing battle of the Vortigaunts against an invading Combine army, which seems to consist of Combine Soldiers being deployed from Dropships, Striders, and gunships. The remaining survivors of the Vortigaunts fled to the Xen borderworld. In the present however, the Earth is currently acting as their residence. It is also unknown what happen to their homeworld, but it is assumed the Combine occupied it and enslaved the Vortigaunts.
- Race X Universe: It is unknown if Race X collectively shares a homeworld, or different homeworlds, but it is assumed that they originated from at least one Universe that connects to the Earth. The status of Race X or their homeworld is unknown, or if the Combine ever discovered them.
Alternate universes[]
A myriad of alternate universes were explored by the Aperture Laboratories of Earth-1 as part of their Perpetual Testing Initiative. The alternate universes explored were required to have an advanced civilization and an Aperture on which to offload testchamber construction.
- Prime Earth: Caroline is replaced by Greg, who led the multiverse outreach initiative.
- Sentient Cloud Earth: Earth is ruled by a sentient mass of vapour known as the Sentient Cloud, who is capable of leeching off human skin. A minute of silence is required daily in honor of the Sentient Cloud to avoid leeching.
- Ritual Universe: Aperture Rituals' founding purpose is to forestall the end of days by getting volunteers to make love to a giant bird, as written by elder monks.
- Soylent Green Earth: Soylent green is made from humans.
- Dancing Universe: Dancing is a mandatory aspect of daily life, of which testing is not an exemption.
- Robot-a-Cop Earth: As part of Aperture's Android Law Enforcement Initiativ, Cave Johnson purchases a batch of police corpses off the mayor after a massive shootout. After cybernetically enhancing and reanimating the corpses, he runs them through a series of portal tests to ensure "you're not all unstable potato-heads before I give you all guns."
- Terra-Three Universe: In the far-future, Aperture runs the Terra-Three Penal Science Colony, where their test subjects are primarily space criminals, exiled planetary leaders, and political prisoners. A break-out due to a power outage results in the shivving and death of Cave Johnson.
- Mantis Universe: Praying mantises are the dominant species, instead of humans. Aperture's experimentations with injecting homo sapien DNA into mantis test subjects goes horribly wrong, and they recruit test subjects to fight off the army of man-mantises.
- Space Universe: Aperture launches a massive test satellite orbiting the Earth. Test subjects recently awoken from cryosleep are largely unaware of this fact, and form adventuring parties to breach the test environment, despite Johnson's attempts to inform them. This results in continual destruction of the the satellite.
- Science Jungle Earth: Tramps, hillbillies and hobos 'scrounge around for some science', led by Michigan Slim Cave Johnson, the self-proclaimed Hobo King.
- Blark-Barg Earth: Caroline is replaced by Blark-Barg, a monster that produces seeds that germinate and detach from her exoskeleton at high speeds in search of human hosts. She is kept behind glass.
- Telekinesis Earth: Aperture launches the Telekinesis Incubation Program, giving test subjects powerful telekinetic abilities. However, these subjects are 'real smart alecs' and continue to blow up employee's heads. In an attempt to thwart them, Johnson tapes their paychecks to an employee's head, which they subsequently blow up.
- Birthday Earth: All of Earth shares a singular birthday. Anyone over a certain age is euthanized. Nutrient paste is also the only food source.
- Rattman Earth: Doug Rattman is the CEO of Aperture, while a teenaged Cave Johnson is a 'junior claims representative'. Laid off, Johnson sneaks into the recording offices and informs all employees that Rattman has been embezzling their holiday funds.
- Mantis-Man Earth: The army of mantis-men defeats Johnson's attempts to destroy them and overruns the facility. Johnson and other employees barricade themselves in the recording offices and make a last stand, informing all employees to flee the facility.
- Feet Earth: a deviant Cave Johnson makes disturbing and cannibalistic remarks to test subjects.
- Bonus Earth: Cave Johnson holds a positive attitude with employees, giving exorbitant bonuses for no clear reason. He also uses the catchphrase "chariots!' in every sentence.
- GLaDOS Earth: Cave Johnson manages to complete the GLaDOS initiative before dying of moon rock poisoning. Over the course of several tests, he becomes bored and loses his sanity, eventually resolving to kill everyone inside the facility.
- Paranormal Earth: Aperture Paranormal experiments with magicians, witch-doctors and crystal healing doctors in an attempt to learn about their powers. Cave Johnson is host to a tiny but powerful demon that lives in 'a secret place in my mouth'.
- Shrinking Earth: Testchambers and their subjects are shrunken to microscopic size and placed in Johnson's bloodstream. Employees also shrunk his car keys and placed them in his bloodstream as well, much to Johnson's chagrin.
- SuperMaxLantis Earth: The President of the United States is kidnapped by Atlanteans and held in SuperMaxLantis, an underwater prison. Every science company in America is tasked with producing a 'tough guy' capable of breaking him out. Johnson nominates himself and requires test subjects to write references in his favor.
- Communist Earth: An alien infiltrates Aperture and bodysnatches employees, replacing them with communist replicas. Johnson decides to not do anything about it, even offering a list of troublemakers for the alien to replace with 'glassy-eyed yes men'.
- Cat Earth: Everyone speaks in cat noises.
- Blapperture Earth: Johnson purchases Black Mesa and combines the two companies into Blapperture Mesa. He also shuts down the Anomalous Materials research due to the possibility of a resonance cascade, scolding the scientists for their reckless behavior.
- Pure Light Earth: After decades of research, Johnson is transformed into a pillar of pure light. He reiterates that their goal was pillars of pure salt, but commends the scientists for their progress.
- Parallel-Aware Earth: Cave Johnson attempts to garnish employee wages to build multiversal-monitoring equipment, but is stopped. After detecting an Earth-Prime test subject, he lambasts his employees for preventing defenses.
- Godzilla Earth: Aperture researches prevention of godzilla attacks on America, but quickly shuts it down after realizing that all godzillas 'make a beeline straight for Tokyo' regardless of their birthplace.
- Trucker Earth: Big Box Cave Johnson is a trucker in addition to being CEO of Aperture.
- Dark Earth: Asparagus is the only food eaten, and methane is breathed instead of air. Dark Aperture utilises the multiverse for testing, and has invented a portal gun that works on any surface. After having a rivalry with Earth Prime, they settle their dispute by promising not to test in each other's universes, and the two Johnsons become friends.
- Moneyverse: Everything is made out of US currency. At least two of these exist, conquered by Dark Aperture and Prime Aperture respectively as a source of funding.
Notable Factions[]
- Black Mesa: Discovered Xen and repeatedly sent expeditions.
- The Combine: The overarching antagonist of the series, and seeks to dominate the Multiverse.
- Race X: Collective of alien species discovered and attempted to invade the Earth.
- Prime Aperture: an alternate Aperture Science that infiltrates alternate Apertures to test their chambers.
- Dark Aperture: alternate, 'evil' version of Aperture which similarly infiltrates alternate Apertures.
