Board Thread:Administrative/@comment-3406131-20140314000018/@comment-3406131-20140327080417

Peteparker wrote: I agree with Undoniel. If it's in a comic, it's a real, referable data point. If it's not in a comic, but assumed, that's where we're mixing fact with fiction (though it's all fiction, lol).

I would further argue that there is no value in adding the assumptions to the pages without evidence to back it up. If the What If? book showed Murdock's backstory or a flashback to when he got his powers, sure, add all that in. But if there's no mention of it whatsoever, we're just leading people down the wrong path. They'll believe what we're saying is fact when it is unsubstantiated.

There are many instances when the Watcher or someone else explains at the beginning or end of a book that the universe was identical up to a point. To me, that explanation within the book counts as a reference, so all of what they're referring to can be used.

The issue may be cleaned up further by the use of words like 'seemingly'. As long as you're differentiating between fact and assumption using this kind of word, you can put either on the page, just be sure others can tell when an assumption is being made. Nausiated wrote: On another level of thinking, the various realities visited by the Exiles, *usually* the characters are analogous with their Earth-616 counterparts on another world, unless the reality was REALLY different, in which case the Exiles mostly pointed it out or it was explained.

Unless the character is vastly different enough I think we can make some assumptions.

As per powers and physical attributes. Again, I think we're over thinking it a bit too much as well, because typically the characters have the same powers as their Earth-616 counterparts and USUALLY the origin or source of those powers are the same.

However I will point out I don't like how people just copy and paste the phrase "Similar to Peter Parker (Earth-616)#Powers" it's sloppy. I'd rather them copy and paste the relevant powers that apply to the character and paste them in alternate reality counterparts (or equipment, skills, etc.)

GrnMarvl14 wrote: Really, we need to realize there's a difference between "assuming" and "common sense." [...] It's a tough thing. I think we can safely assume a character's past lines up with what we've seen in published comic to that point, but we can't apply retcons or revelations made in 616 books AFTER the publication of the divergent reality's book to that character. I.e., it's tough to assume any Wolverine pre-Origin is really named James Howlett, but it's safe to assume the bulk published post-Origin ARE James Howlett.

[...]

Let's look at Mutant Liberation Front (Earth-9105), for instance. None of those characters have their real names revealed, but we can assume most are the same as their 616 counterparts. However, we can't necessarily do that with Fantastic Four (Earth-9105), and it's kind of half-and-half with Avengers (Earth-9105).

Basically, we can either use a certain amount of common sense derived from the clues given, or we can't assume ANYTHING, including origin, motivations, or even eye color (which I'd be shocked to discover varies too greatly reality to reality on most characters). Ultimately, it's a tough thing, but I think certain things can be inferred without, necessarily, just assuming them to be true.

Correspond exactly to what I think.

I'm still for considering that in a mainstream universe (one who doesn't put us something that far away, a Spider-Man will always be Peter Parker if it he makes sense and if there isn't any counter-argument, etc (etc, because everything is already explained in a better way by all of you guys). Just that it is unsure, unreliable, unreferenced and especially useless to refer to some characteristic of a character if they are never seen. Stating a Spider-Man is Peter Parker is a thing, stating he once had six arms and later a Stark armor while it is never seen in that reality is another...

By the way, good idea to refer to the Watcher's statement !

(talking about Wolverine/Logan/James Howlett, good point to be reopen, regarding the fact the anime apply the rule of keeping it to "Logan" while the comics's page doesn't)