Popeye's Cosmology(Canon Composite)/Denim Valentine

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Summary

Popeye's universe is far more intricate and layered than most people realize. While it may seem like a simple, comical world at first glance, a closer examination reveals a rich and complex cosmology filled with unique dimensions and supernatural forces.

Earth

While many assume that Popeye's world is smaller than ours due to the moon and sun appearing to change size, the celestial bodies in his universe are actually similar in size to ours.

The same applies to distance, as the sun in Popeye's universe is also 93,000,000 miles away

They only major differences are that there earth has 8 seas instead of 7.

And there center of the Earth is inhabited by demons.

As in real sell-your-soul kind of demons. Meaning that souls and spirts do exist in Popeye's world

Universe

(There are indeed cosmic-level elements present in Popeye's universe.)

On earth there exists a clock, which is directly tied to all of time itself. If this clocks hands were ever to stop moving, all of time would come to a complete standstill. However, anyone who manages to stop the clock's hands would become immune to the time freeze and remain able to move freely, as seen with Wimpy and O.G. Wotasnozzle on one occasion.

Interestingly, even when time was completely frozen, people were still able to see, hear, and speak. This suggests that in Popeye’s universe, characters possess a low level of resistance to time-stopping effects, allowing them to retain some level of awareness even when time itself ceases to flow.

Conceptual beings also exist within Popeye’s universe, as demonstrated by Baby New Year and Father Time. Baby New Year refers to Popeye and Olive as mortals, implying that they are lesser beings in comparison to him.

Meanwhile, one of many Father Times, refused to be replaced. Had Popeye not intervened, the concept of a new year would have ceased to exist. This is evident from Father Time’s defiant statement: "Back in your cave, buster! I'm gonna take charge for another year, so it's still 1961!" This implies that time itself is dictated by these entities, and their actions directly influence the flow of history and reality.

Near the center of every universe lies a space of radiant, near-infinite energy known as "The Source." This mysterious force is the spark that fuels the creation of all things, both living and inanimate.

Within this realm reside powerful entities called "Source Beings," who exert control over various entities known as Construct Avatars. Every being in existence is said to have a Source Being that guides them through life, essentially acting as a puppet master. However, Source Beings can only control their designated Construct Avatar, suggesting that if an avatar perishes, the Source Being remains unaffected and simply moves on to a new host. (Higher resolution version here.)

Popeye's universe is capable of having alternate timelines. However, it remains unclear whether traveling back in time to prevent an event will erase the original timeline and replace it with a new one, or if it simply creates a branching timeline, resulting in two separate realities.

One surprising aspect of Popeye’s universe is that it actually contains a multiverse. Every officially licensed version of Popeye, as created or approved by King Features Syndicate, is considered part of this multiversal structure.

This includes the original comic strip, the Fleischer/Famous Studios shorts, Popeye Classics Comics, Braccio Di Ferro, the 1960s cartoon, The All-New Popeye Hour, Popeye and Son, IDW Comics, Popeye Special (Ocean Comics), Popeye’s Voyage, the live-action movie, Popeye’s Island Adventures, Eye Lie Popeye, and all of the video games (of which there are about 8). Altogether, this means that Popeye’s multiverse consists of approximately 21 distinct universes.

Note: Although the term "dimension" is used, it does not refer to higher spatial dimensions. In this instance, it is simply a generic term.

Realms/Dimensions

Popeye’s cosmology extends beyond just alternate universes—it also includes various realms and dimensions.

Pocket dimensions are commonly created by witches in the Popeye universe

In Popeye’s universe, mirrors and reflections possess their own independent reality. Reflections have their own autonomy, can think for themselves, and are not bound to the person looking into the mirror. They can choose to stay or leave at will, and other characters within the universe are fully aware of this phenomenon.

One could argue that the Mirror World is a one-to-one structure, meaning that for each of the 18 universes in Popeye’s multiverse, there are likely 18 corresponding mirror worlds. However, the exact nature of these mirror worlds remains unknown. Each could be as vast as the universe they reflect, or they might be significantly smaller. Additionally, it is uncertain whether mirror beings have "Source Beings," as they are merely reflections of real individuals rather than naturally occurring entities. (Video examples here and here.)

As mentioned before, ghosts and spirits exist, but where do they go after death? There is an afterlife where souls find rest once they’ve finished their time in the mortal world.

As mentioned earlier, demons do reside at the center of the Earth, but that is likely not their true home. There are probably a specific realm that house demons, including the ones that inhabit the Earth.

As seen, there is another demon of the bill species, which is a type of demon

Demons are frequently summoned in the Popeye universe

Some dimensions house powerful entities, such as Derleth the Destroyer, an interdimensional being with the ability to annihilate realities.

Higher Spatial Dimensions

Yes, Popeye’s world does have real mathematical spatial dimensions, with higher axis of movements. They are not merely alternate realities or realms, as many people might assume.

Wimpy is quite smart and dose his best to explain the concept of the 4th dimension to Popeye and Olive

One dimension that is frequently referenced in Popeye’s world is the fourth dimension, and the character most closely associated with it is Eugene the Jeep.

Eugene the Jeep, is a resident of the 4th dimension.

Eugene the Jeep can perform many feats that resemble magic, but most of his abilities stem from having a fourth axis of movement. He can teleport anywhere by using the fourth dimension as a shortcut or relay station. He can also pass through solid objects by traveling through this axis and become invisible by hiding within it. (Video example here)

Eugene and other Jeeps are also nearly omniscient, capable of answering almost any question.

In Popeye's universe, there are two ways to access higher spatial dimensions: one can either use Eugene the Jeep, who has the ability to teleport beyond any dimension, or travel in a vessel capable of moving between different dimensions. In this case, Popeye uses the Yellow Submarine. Yes from the Beatles.

The Yellow Submarine from The Beatles, can navigate through different alternate dimensions.

After journeying through nonsensical dimensions and realms, Popeye and his crew find themselves in the Sea of Time. The Sea of Time is essentially a timeline, a place where all moments in time and time it self converge into one space. Traveling backward within it can have strange side effects, such as causing people to age in reverse.

Simply traveling through the Sea of Time is not enough to enter the fourth dimension. To reach it, one would need to cut through the very fabric of space and time. In a roundabout way, space, time, and the fourth dimension are all interconnected.

However, the fourth dimension is not the only higher spatial dimension in Popeye's universe—there are at least eight of them.

O.G. Wotasnozzle, the man with the atomic brain, has sent people to the 8th dimension. He is the smartest person in Popeye's world. Thus would have a high levle of authority on this.

Gods/Higher Beings

The "Big Guy," or the custodian of the fourth dimension, holds the second-highest authority in the Popeye cosmology.

He has the power to erase all of existence. When I say all of it, I mean everything—the fourth dimension, the sea of time and space, the third dimension, all alternate realms, universes, and dimensions, as well as the second, first, and all other higher spatial dimensions.

Though the "Big Guy" is said to rule over the fourth dimension, some believe that his power is limited to that dimension alone, with no control over the others. However, the fourth dimension is intrinsically tied to both time and space—if it ceases to exist, so do they. It’s reasonable to assume that when he "flips the switch," the third dimension would also disappear. It has been stated that everything vanishes, though this only affects things within Popeye's world (the "real world" remains untouched). Therefore, it can be inferred that the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th dimensions would also cease to exist. However, it's unlikely that he governs his own dimension, as some claim, or that he resides in the 9th dimension or he is 5-D.

Remember when I mentioned that the Big Guy holds the second-highest authority in the Popeye cosmology? Well, the highest authority is the writer. Popeye's world is seen as a fictional realm by higher beings who reside in the "real world." These beings can directly interact with Popeye and his companions by sending avatars of themselves into the world.

Or by communicating and interacting with him from the "real world."

It has been shown that the writer or artist has dominion over Popeye's world, able to repair it if any major damage occurs, as seen here. They are the highest authority. Some argue that this makes Popeye "outerversal" due to the relationship between R > F. However, this is not true, as to be considered outerversal, one must be above concepts and dimensions, which is never demonstrated in Popeye's universe. At the very least, this would suggest that Popeye's world is 9-D, as R > F would add an extra dimension.

Head Canon Scaling

Warning: This is just a theory I came up with—prepare to lose some brain cells.

Layered Reality Theory

In the 1960s Popeye cartoon, there’s a scene where Brutus puts up wallpaper, but it’s not just any wallpaper—it’s actually the Thimble Theatre comic strip. We see this again when Popeye gives Swee'Pea a comic to read—a comic that happens to be about Popeye himself.

This could imply that the ’60s cartoon views a version of Popeye as fiction. And that version of Popeye? It’s the main one—the same Popeye who once punched his author. This suggests multiple layers of "real" reality.

Now, in the comics, the Thimble Theatre Popeye did meet the '60s cartoon Popeye in a strip. However, you could argue that this was an alternate version of the '60s cartoon Popeye, just like how there are two different versions of Popeye in Popeye and Son.

But wait—the brain rot doesn’t stop there!

In the comic strip, there’s a scene that directly references the Fleischer/Famous Studios version of Popeye. The comic strip Popeye specifically refers to Hollywood, which lines up with the fact that the Fleischer/Famous Studios shorts were originally shown in movie theaters. He outright calls that version of Popeye fake—pure fiction.

This means the comic strip version views the Fleischer/Famous Studios Popeye as fictional. And to make things even wilder, that same version has been shown to travel to the real world.

So, the hierarchy might look like this:

• Fleischer/Famous Studios World
• Comic Strip World (which sees the Fleischer/Famous Studios shorts as fiction)
• 1960s Cartoon World (which sees both the Comic Strip World and Fleischer/Famous Studios shorts as fiction)
• Real World (which sees all of them as fiction)

What does this mean for power scaling?

I have no idea.

Cover Popeye: The Two Popeyes Theory

The concept of Cover Popeye suggests that there are actually two versions of Popeye. One inside the story and one on the cover.

Popeye more often than not is portrayed as a comic character and being the main star he is on the cover.

But this leads him to leave his fiction which is nothing new, but it's how he leaves it. He doesn't come out of the book but from the cover.

This distinction becomes significant when Cover Popeye enters the book to show a child his past adventures. When he does so, there is no other Popeye present in the story. Likewise, when he exits, no Popeye remains inside the book. If someone were to read that book, there would have to be a Popeye within the story and cover. yet when Cover Popeye enters, Story Popeye disappears as he is replaced with Cover Popeye. And he can't disappear forever because there has to be a Popeye in the story, but there also has to be one on the cover as well. This strongly implies that there are always two Popeyes, one on the cover and one within the narrative.

Story Popeye – The one inside the narrative, living through the adventures.

Cover Popeye – The one on the cover, observing from an external perspective.

The existence of Cover Popeye could suggests a layered reality

• Popeye’s world (inside the book, where the story happens)
• The book cover (a liminal space between reality and fiction)
• The real world (where the book physically exists)

There’s more to this concept. Cover Popeye shows a kid his past adventures, this implies two things:

(A) Cover Popeye has the ability to travel through time.

(B) Cover Popeye is likely the "Prime Popeye", meaning he is aware of all of Story Popeye’s adventures (Past, present, and future.) Since he exists outside the story, he has an omniscient-like understanding of how events unfold. The book contains his life story, and being outside of it allows him to see the full picture, making him nigh-omniscient.

When Cover Popeye enters the book, Story Popeye disappears. This suggests that Cover Popeye temporarily replaces him. Once Cover Popeye is done, Story Popeye likely returns. It is also likely that because Cover Popeye exists on the cover, events inside od the book/story should not affect him directly. He is aware of what happens, but not bound by it.

For example, if something catastrophic were to happen in the book, such as Popeye being erased from existence, it would only affect Story Popeye. Cover Popeye, however, would remain unharmed since he exists on a separate layer of reality, the book itself. The book, being a physical object in the real world, ensures that Cover Popeye continues to exist, even if the story inside changes.

When the story reaches its conclusion, reality within the book comes to a halt, as the adventure has ended. However, Cover Popeye remains unaffected and continues to move.

This shows

(A) Cover Popeye is resistant to time stop.

(B) Cover Popeye probably exists beyond or is separate from the plot itself.

At any moment, Cover Popeye could enter the book and replace Story Popeye.

Cover Popeye’s Abilities:

• Time Travel
• Nigh-omniscience (knows all past & future events)
• Resistant to time stop
• Exists on a higher plane, separate from the story

Lastly, the biggest thing is that the book Cover Popeye emerged from is just one of many. This suggests that as long as copies of his books, comics, or other media exist in the real world, Cover Popeye could continue to exist in some form. If necessary, they might even replace one that died.