Warning: Spoilers ahead for Dark Matter season 1.

Dark Matter is one of a slew of multiverse stories of recent times, and it compares with its contemporaries in some very interesting ways. Apple TV+ made changes to Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter novel to create the show, with the 2016 book actually predating the current multiverse boom. The sci-trope is one that’s been used for decades, but various projects are always finding new ways to put a fresh spin on the sub-genre. Dark Matter‘s approach to the multiverse borrows from other live-action properties, but it also injects new life into the plot device.

Led by Joel Edgerton as Jason Dessen, many members of the Dark Matter cast are tasked with portraying multiple versions of the same character. Dark Matter season 1’s ending brings the Dessen family’s story to a soft ending, but the nature of a multiverse saga means the show’s narrative isn’t necessarily over. This is something that’s been seen over and over again in similar shows within the genre, but it’s a point of repetition that never really seems to get old.

How Dark Matter’s Multiverse Compares To The MCU & DCEU

Comic book movies often use this sci-fi trope

Both major comic book movie franchises have now brought their multiverse arcs from their respective source materials to the big and small screen. Travel between multiple realities can be done in one of two main ways. The first is against the will of the characters, or at least begrudgingly. The other is for the figures in the story to knowingly explore, intentionally delving into all the different worlds at their fingertips. The MCU and the DCEU both largely fit into the former category, as does Dark Matter.

Dark Matter obviously isn’t a direct comparison to comic book movies, as it diverges from certain multiverse trends established in superhero films. For instance, the audience watches Dark Matter with a sense of dread and tension, with Jason Dessen facing the ever-growing possibility that he may never find his way back to his own reality. Some of the universes he visits are also only very slightly different from his own, which would be too boring for the glitz and glamor of a comic book movie.

In addition, onscreen superheroes like Doctor Strange or the Flash tend to have a greater command of which universes they visit – which is something not boasted by Edgerton’s Dark Matter character. He may have all the necessary technology to achieve the task, but Dark Matter‘s story is very much about the journey through the multiverse itself as Jason reassesses how happy he was in his original world. Comic book multiverse stories just tend to use excitingly different realities to engage the viewer.

What Dark Matter’s Multiverse Borrows From Other TV Shows & Movies

Apple TV+’s show is also inspired by other sci-fi properties

It may be an animated show with a vastly different tone to Dark Matter, but it’s tricky not to spot similarities with Rick & Morty. Primarily, it’s the fact that Rich Sanchez isn’t living in his original universe but acts like he’s always been there. Jason2’s attempts to blend in with the Dessens in Dark Matter are rather reflective of this particular facet of Rick & Morty, plus the fact that both protagonists are brilliant scientists.

Star Trek‘s Mirror Universe also comes to mind when looking for other Dark Matter comparisons. The concept of seeing how a character might have turned out if even one event unfolded differently is always a fascinating exercise, and it’s one that Dark Matter borrows from Star Trek. Just as the Mirror Universe was created in Star Trek by humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans taking a more violent path, Jason2’s universe in Dark Matter began when he chose to leave Daniela when she became pregnant with Charlie. The stakes may be higher in Star Trek, but it’s the same basic concept.

While Doctor Who may not strictly be a multiverse show, it has dabbled in the sci-fi trope, and alternate timelines are a huge part of the show’s makeup. However, the main comparison between Doctor Who and Dark Matter lies in the mode of transport used by their respective protagonists. Both the Doctor and Jason Dessen travel with a companion in a box that’s bigger on the inside. In other words, Jason’s form of multiversal travel in Dark Matter is similar to the Doctor’s TARDIS.

What Dark Matter Does Differently To Other Movie & TV Multiverses

Dark Matter stands out for a few different reasons

Dark Matter isn’t an especially optimistic story, which multiverse sagas tend to be. Instead, it’s a gritty struggle that promises failure at every turn. Not only that, it also largely focuses on the exploits and fallout of the actions of various versions of the same character. Movies like 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home certainly bring together multiversal copies, but it does it in such a thrilling and meta way that it becomes the heart of the story.

Dark Matter makes the meeting of any two or more Jason Dessens so dire and so doomed to disaster that it becomes something the audience dreads, rather than something deeply desired like it is in No Way Home. However, the Apple TV+ show does carry with it a strong, focused message about treasuring what you have rather than dwelling on what might have been. It uses the multiverse as a vehicle for the story rather than the focus. Many of Dark Matter‘s competitors use alternate realities to excite and entertain, not to impart a deeply philosophical way of thinking.