The existence of two intertwined worlds in Dark – Jonas's world and Martha's world – stems from a single, desperate act of grief by H.G. Tannhaus. His attempt to alter a tragic past inadvertently fractured reality, creating the very paradoxical loops that define the series.
The Genesis: H.G. Tannhaus's Unforeseen Creation
The fundamental reason for the two realities lies with H.G. Tannhaus, a brilliant clockmaker and physicist from the origin world (the world without the time loops). Driven by an immense personal tragedy – the loss of his son, Marek, his daughter-in-law, Sonja, and his granddaughter, Charlotte, in a car accident – Tannhaus dedicated his life to building a time-travel device.
His sole objective was to prevent their deaths. However, when he activated his device, intending to change his past, he unknowingly created a catastrophic ripple effect, leading to the split of reality.
The Corrupted Twin Realities
The activation of Tannhaus's machine didn't just fail to save his family; it created a corrupted set of twin worlds. These are:
- Jonas's World: This is the primary reality most familiar to viewers, where the majority of the series' events unfold, and characters like Jonas Kahnwald, Ulrich Nielsen, and Charlotte Doppler are central figures. It's the world where the initial time caves and cycles primarily operate.
- Martha's World (The Alt-World): This is a parallel, mirrored reality that is a direct consequence of Tannhaus's device. While featuring similar characters, their roles, relationships, and even specific events often play out differently. Despite these differences, this world is inextricably linked to Jonas's world, forming a complex, self-perpetuating paradox.
These two worlds are not merely parallel universes but are two halves of a single, self-perpetuating paradox. They exist because Tannhaus's device, rather than changing his past, created an entirely new, entangled existence where time loops and cycles are the norm for everyone caught within them.
The Emergence of Adam and Eva
A significant consequence of these two interconnected worlds is the birth of the Adam and Eva personas, who become central figures in the series' grand narrative.
- Adam is the older, scarred future version of Jonas Kahnwald.
- Eva is the older, equally determined future version of Martha Nielsen from the alt-world.
Their very existence and the complex struggle between their respective factions (Sic Mundus Creatus Est and Erit Lux) are a direct product of the two worlds created by Tannhaus's initial, failed attempt at time travel. These two worlds, and the figures within them, are caught in an intricate "knot" that perpetuates suffering and prevents genuine freedom for their inhabitants, until the true origin of the split is revealed.
In essence, the two worlds are a grand, unforeseen side effect of one man's desperate attempt to defy fate, creating a complex, cyclical existence that traps everyone within its intricate web until the origin is finally understood and broken.