Note: Pre-New-52 New Earth (also Earth-0, also Post-Crisis Earth) was DC’s main continuity, Earth-1 is the universe where Superman: Earth One and Batman: Earth One’s graphic novels take place.

So, until recently I was sure it goes like that: Crisis on Infinite Earths ends, beginning of the New Earth, Byrne’s Man of Steel, arrival of Matrix Supergirl, Superman: Doomsday fight, DoS, appearance of Cyborg Superman, Superboy, Eradicator and Steel, Superman resurrection, Superman with curly hairstyle, Supermen Red and Blue, Loser that didn’t wear his battle costume, bearded Aquaman, other 90’s stories, … You get my drift.

But then I found this (AC 850):

Kara doesn’t recognize Byrne’s, “curly” (and Birthright’s as well) Supermen as her cousin. I searched a bit and found claims of some people that Post-Crisis 90’s New Earth became Earth-8 (sometimes Earth-9) and no longer counts as canon for Pre-New-52 main continuity. Is that bogus or actually truth? If that’s truth, then which stories were really cut from New-Earth’s history (DoS and Superman Red and Blue still happened) and when exactly that continuity, which got wiped out by Flashpoint, really began? Sorry if that’s just one big misunderstanding on my part.

@sanohibiki: I'm not quite following what you're saying mate. Are you asking whether the 80s and 90s history has been retconned out of Pre New 52 Superman's history?

Basically yes.

Let’s take late 80’s till middle 90’s Superman. Byrne’s MoS, “Superman and Barda doing p…rn”-fiasco, “hairy Superman – Clark with ponytail” period, confusion over identity after DoS, Conduit’s story arc, etc.

Now, 2000’s Superman, from Infinite Crisis till Flashpoint.

Is that one and the same Superman, or somewhere along the way, after all those soft reboots, conflicting origin stories, Hyperspace adventures and Superboy-Prime punching reality, they became two separate Superman on different Earths (with first Superman living on hypothetical Earth-8 or Earth-9 and second living on New Earth till Pre-New-52 ended)? If those two are actually became separate characters, when it’s happened and which stories from 90’s is canon for post-2000’s Superman?

@sanohibiki: That's never really touched upon too much. After Infinite Crisis, there was a lot more references to a more Silver Age inspired origin for the Justice League as well as classic storylines taking greater precedence over post COIE ones I believe.

Interesting. That counts as indirect confirmation of “two different Supermen” theory. I digged a bit more and found some forums where people claimed that 90’s New Earth officially became one of alternate Earth after IC and this was confirmed in commentary to 52 limited series. Also they insinuate Geoff Johns once said something like that in one of his interviews (I don’t know which interview it was, but interesting that this AC 850 was written by him).

@sanohibiki: If I recall correctly after COIE only one universe survived and Earth never gain that designation. During Infinite Crisis 7 Alex Luthor of Earth-3 tried to recreate Earth-1 without success, but eventually extracted ma new Earth after accidentally alter your timeline and so then the Earth came to be known that way

@sanohibiki: No. It was never retconned out of pre-Flashpoint aside from some of the origin stories.