The Big Picture
- DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths was a groundbreaking comic series that reset the DC Universe and popularized the concept of the multiverse long before it became popular on the big screen.
- McFarlane Toys has unveiled a new wave of Crisis on Infinite Earths toys, including Earth 2 Superman, Kid Flash, The Spectre, and Psycho Pirate, with each figure containing a piece to build The Monitor.
- The impact of Crisis on Infinite Earths is still felt today, as it led to a rethinking of crossover events in both DC and Marvel, and its ongoing adaptation as a three-part animated film marks the end of the current DC Animated universe with an explosive finale.
When it comes to DC Comics storylines, there’s no crossover event as well known as Crisis on Infinite Earths. The 1985 limited series by legendary writer Marv Wolfman reset the DC Universe as we know it today and tapped into the multiverse almost four decades before that concept became popular on the big screen. The comic has received sequels while being adapted a handful of times throughout the years. Currently, DC is adapting the series into a three-part animated film. The first part was just released on digital this week. Now, to celebrate the beginning of the end of the current DC Animated universe, McFarlane Toys has just unveiled their latest wave of toys for Crisis on Infinite Earths.
The new Gold Label Build-A-Figure wave includes four figures. There’s Earth 2 Superman, Kid Flash, The Spectre, and Psycho Pirate. Each figure comes with at least one piece to build The Monitor. Like all past McFarlane DC figures, a collectible art card is included. The designs of each character are based on their appearance in the original comic storyline, not the new trilogy of films.
In the mid 1980s, comics, almost mirroring today’s cinematic landscape problem, were in a messy state. There were too many characters to follow alongside a headache-inducing number of timelines and Earths to keep track of. The solution for DC at the time was to push the reset universe button and merge the multiverse, along with the company’s rich history, into one Earth. In the storyline, it was depicted as an epic battle between The Monitor and the Anti-Monitor. The latter of which was destroying the various Earths in their path. However, it was a much more complicated story than just that, with an endless number of tie-in books and the fallout was catastrophic for several major DC heroes. There were a lot of deaths in the pages of this 12-issue doomsday event. The lives of beloved characters like Wally West’s Kid Flash and Supergirl – as well as the future of comics – were changed forever.
The Impact of ‘Crisis on Infinite Earth’ Is Still Felt Today
Crossover events weren’t that huge when Crisis was released, but the success of it led both DC and Marvel to rethink how their most popular characters teamed up in the future. For DC, there was a different “Crisis Event” every few years, like Identity Crisis, Final Crisis, and Heroes in Crisis that would send ripple effects throughout the universe. That being said, despite the multiverse eventually returning, nothing has been quite as devastating as Infinite Earths.
That’s why it’s fitting that the final set of films in DC’s animated universe, starting with 2020’s Superman: Man of Tomorrow, will be based on this world-ending story. While Infinite Earth’s most popular adaptation was in CW’s “Arrowverse”, the recent string of DC animated films have been some of their best. James Gunn’s focus on the animated projects leading into his new live-action universe may have ended the current continuity, but nevertheless, the “Tomorrowverse” is going out with an explosive bang.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part One is available on digital now with the physical media release coming on January 23, 2024. The final two parts will drop sometime later this year. You can also pre-order the new McFarlane Toys Infinite Earth figures of Earth 2 Superman, Kid Flash, The Spectre, and Psycho Pirate, and check out The Monitor figure on the company’s website. The figures are expected to be released in March 2024. Check out the new wave below:
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