Crisis on Infinite Earths is a landmark 12-issue American comic book limited series published by DC Comics from 1985 to 1986. Written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, it was conceived as a way to celebrate DC's 50th anniversary while streamlining its notoriously complex multiverse continuity, which had been in place since the introduction of the Flash of Earth-Two in 1961.
The story features a massive cast of heroes and villains from across DC's many parallel universes, including multiple versions of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, as they unite to battle the Anti-Monitor, a godlike being determined to destroy all of existence. The narrative is epic in scope, featuring the deaths of major characters such as Supergirl and the Flash (Barry Allen), and culminating in the merging of all surviving Earths into a single, unified timeline.
Crisis on Infinite Earths is widely regarded as one of the most influential comic book events ever published. It established the template for the modern crossover event, demonstrating that superhero stories could operate on a cosmic, reality-altering scale. Its legacy includes the complete restructuring of DC's fictional universe, a move that was emulated by competitors and became a recurring storytelling device in the decades that followed. The series has been referenced, revisited, and adapted multiple times across various media, cementing its status as a foundational text of superhero mythology.
