Warning: spoilers ahead for Infinite Frontier #0
The DC Universe is home to some of the most powerful beings in all of science fiction, but the Quintessence makes even the Justice League seem pitifully small. Comprised of some of the most powerful divine beings throughout the universe, the Quintessence is a high council of gods who both manipulate reality. With the Multiverse only beginning to recover from Dark Nights: Death Metal’s aftermath, it is the Quintessence who are in charge of its reconstruction–or so they believe.
It has been a doozy of a decade for the DC Multiverse. Between the Flash leaving skid marks on history, Dr. Manhattan tinkering with the origins of Earth’s heroes, and not one, but two attacks on reality from the Dark Multiverse; it was only a matter of time before the barriers of existence came crumbling down. But while the Hands of Creation had originally planned to wipe the slate clean, the heroic acts of Wonder Woman earned all life in existence a second chance. What was once a fixed number of alternate realities now exists an “Infinite Frontier” of possibilities, and the Quintessence hope to keep things on track this time.
First appearing in the Elseworlds story Kingdom Come, they are DC’s most powerful beings. The Greek gods of Themyscira are represented by Zeus, and later by Hera after the king of Olympus fell at the hands of Darkseid. The wizard SHAZAM is also regularly in attendance. The celestial Spectre and mysterious Phantom Stranger are usually on the roster, representing the embodiments of Biblical wrath and justice respectively. The gods of New Genesis get a vote aswell, with their ruler Izaya the Highfather always eager to add his voice to the group. Even the Green Lanterns have representation, with Oa’s own Ganthet a constant presence. In Future State they had a slightly different lineup with Sinestro, Big Barda, and Hippolyta joining their ranks.
One would think that with a team this unfathomably powerful no threat could ever hope to challenge their awesome power. However, they have in fact been defeated on several occasions. When the Clown Prince of Crime tricked the 5th Dimensional Imp, Mr. Mxyzptlk, into transferring his reality-warping powers over to him, the Joker became emperor of creation. Since the 5th Dimension is powered by imagination, the Joker’s abilities were effectively limitless. He easily overpowered the minds of the Quintessence, transforming the pantheon of pantheons into a Budweiser commercial reference.
But the number one threat the Quintessence faces usually comes from none other than the lord of Apokolips himself, Darkseid. Once known as Uxas, the lord of Apokolips always manages to grow into the greatest threat to all life in the universe regardless of what timeline he’s currently in. He represents entropy, symbolized by his Omega sigil, and therefore will always exist at the end of all things–the last chapter. While the Quintessence does not typically engage in direct battle, Darkseid has no problem taking the fight directly to them. In fact, at the end of Infinite Frontier #0 he very easily brings down each of the Quintessence, remarking that every prior incarnation of his being has now merged into one universal Darkseid.
Though they claim to act in the name of the greater good, the Quintessence has not only allowed some of history’s greatest tragedies to occur but occasionally they have even been the ones to orchestrate them. To guarantee the creation of Superman, they caused the destruction of Krypton. To bring about Aquaman they sank Atlantis. To bring about the Martian Manhunter they allowed Mars to burn. Because of their enormity, the Quintessence doesn’t measure life individually, but by the billions. To mortals, the Quintessence is far from benevolent, but their existence is a necessary evil to maintain order in the DC Universe. Or at least they were… until Darkseid showed up and seemingly killed them all with the god-impaling power of anti-matter.
