Source Wall

Source Wall
Publisher	DC Comics

The Source Wall is a fictional structure in the DC Comics Universe. The wall lies on the edge of the known multiverse. Beyond the wall lies what is known as the Source, a cosmic essence or being that is the "source" of all that exists. The wall is theoretically passable. However, all those who have tried have been inevitably trapped in it.

The wall itself was not created or depicted by Jack Kirby, although he did refer to "a final barrier" before the Source and described the imprisoned giants around it. It was first shown in the The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans cross-over and was created by Walt Simonson and Chris Claremont. Simonson provided this account in a post on Comic Book Resources:

"The Source Wall as it is currently understood visually in the DCU first appeared in the X/Titans crossover. ...the Wall as such did not appear in Kirby's New Gods.

What did appear was a four page introductory sequence in New Gods #5 in which Metron, using his Mobius Chair, explores the 'Final Barrier'. 'And somewhere beyond--lies the Source: the greatest of mysteries.' An additional description suggests that this is the Promethian Galaxy--a place of giants--where 'all roads to the Source come to an end--'. Visually, there's a double page shot of a giant strapped to an enormous piece of Kirby debris. There's another panel with a large head of a female who tried to achieve 'the maximum state'. And failed. And, in the text, Metron notes that 'beyond all the knowledge and sweeping concept at our command, the mystery of the Source lies--serene--omnipotent--all-wise.'

There is, however, no shot of a 'Source Wall' as such. No final visual barrier beyond which an entity may not venture. No wall full of entities who tried to breach the final barrier and failed and became subsumed within the Wall.

Chris and I invented that notion--and its visualization--for the X/Titans book, clearly extrapolating from what Jack had done.

The neatest part of the invention is that apparently, the notion of the Wall and its execution were such a perfect fit for the existing New Gods mythology that folks don't really remember exactly where it came from."

According to Jack Kirby at a San Diego Comic-Con appearance in the late 1980s, the inspiration for the size of the Wall comes from "Rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham", a religious song that contains the lyrics, "So high you can't get over it/So low you can't get under it/So wide you can't get around it/You gotta go through the door".

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Wikipedia