History Comicbook / CrisisOnInfiniteEarths

** Even some of the villains get in on the action. When Earth-3 is consumed by the anti-matter wave, the Crime Syndicate, an EvilCounterpart to the Justice League, desperately try to fight it off. Ultraman, Superman's counterpart, even flashes a very superman-like smile, before flying into the wave, declaring that he intends to fight to the very end.

** Everyone's problems started with the Malthusian scientist Krona, who was told not to look at the beginning of time, and went "pssh, whatever." He created the Monitor and Anti-Monitor, and broke the ''universe''.

Because of the holes in continuity it left behind, ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' has spawned several CrisisCrossover sequels that have attempted, with varying success, to make sense of the mess. These include 1994's ''ComicBook/ZeroHourCrisisInTime'', 2006's ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', 2007's ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', 2008's ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', and 2009's ''ComicBook/BlackestNight''. ''ComicBook/{{Legends}}'' can be seen as an epilogue, as it allowed the new DCU to introduce themselves to each other; for example, it was the introduction of a young adult ComicBook/WonderWoman to the other DC heroes. Much of the Creator/GeoffJohns era as head creative mind for ComicBook/GreenLantern also ties in directly with Crisis (specifically the Anti-Monitor). The in-universe ramifications of the Crisis were also a recurring theme of the late-'80s MindScrew series ''Comicbook/AnimalMan''. Much of its imagery and backstory was referenced in ''ComicBook/JLAAvengers''.

* BigBad:
** The Anti-Monitor is one of the biggest and baddest of all Big Bads. He eats universes, kills Kryptonians, wrestles the embodied Wrath of God, and battles scores of the most powerful heroes of eight universes, at once.
** Just so you'll know how bad it is, even ''Darkseid'' won't dare mess with him. He spends the event laying low, biding his time for whatever may happen.

* ContinuitySnarl: Occurs to ComicBook/PowerGirl, The ComicBook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}}, and Donna Troy, after the Crisis was over. ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}'s ContinuitySnarl came later and was only indirectly due to the Crisis - it came out of the ill-advised decision to set the ''Hawkworld'' mini-series in the present, after both the Golden and Silver Age Hawkmen were already established in Post-Crisis continuity.

* MassiveMultiplayerCrossover: With one major exception, EVERY character who had their own series, ''ever''. The Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica, ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}, ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica, and ComicBook/TeenTitans of course, but also DC's UsefulNotes/WorldWarII army heroes, the magic heroes, the legacy heroes, the Knights of the Round Table, ComicBook/AmbushBug. Most epitomized by one scene where the Gotham heroes go to meet in Wayne Manor... and a glitch in time drops Anthro the Caveman and his supporting cast in the parlor. Long awkward silence, then the Gotham heroes decide to decamp to the kitchen for the duration.

* NotSoDifferent: When Harbinger is invoking Solovar, Gorilla City is shown as a place less brutal than human civilizations, but Solovar's guards atttempt to attack Harbinger show that they are still prone to violent methods.

->''"Worlds will live. Worlds will die. [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore And nothing will ever be the same.]]"''

Because of the holes in continuity it left behind, ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' has spawned several CrisisCrossover sequels that have attempted, with varying success, to make sense of the mess. These include 1994's ''[[ComicBook/ZeroHour Zero Hour: Crisis in Time]]'', 2006's ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', 2007's ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', 2008's ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', and 2009's ''ComicBook/BlackestNight''. ''ComicBook/{{Legends}}'' can be seen as an epilogue, as it allowed the new DCU to introduce themselves to each other; for example, it was the introduction of a young adult ComicBook/WonderWoman to the other DC heroes. Much of the Creator/GeoffJohns era as head creative mind for ComicBook/GreenLantern also ties in directly with Crisis (specifically the Anti-Monitor). The in-universe ramifications of the Crisis were also a recurring theme of the late-'80s MindScrew series ''Comicbook/AnimalMan''. Much of its imagery and backstory was referenced in ''ComicBook/JLAAvengers''.

* NightmareFaceL What we could see on the Anti-Monitor's face looks like someone melted some wax and ''kind of, sort of'' molded it into a bone white human face.

* NighInvulnerability: The Anti-Monitor. Even ''killing'' him just inconvienced him for an extended period.

* NighInvulnerabilityL The Anti-Monitor. Even ''killing'' him just inconvienced him for an extended period.

* TheNothingAfterDeath: After the surviving positive-matter universes are merged into one, the two Supermen of Earths-1 and 2 as well as Jay Garrick and Wally West use Barry Allen's Cosmic Treadmill to find out what has happened to Earth-2 after they awakened to find themselves on a merged Earth. They soon discover their answer when the Cosmic Treadmill leads them into a dark black void of nothingness. Earth-2 Superman feels himself being pulled into this void as if that's where he truly belongs, but Earth-1 Superman pulls him back and the four of them use the Cosmic Treadmill to return to the merged Earth, where the Cosmic Treadmill was destroyed.

* CrisisCrossover: While Marvel's ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984'' was the first comic book story to involve numerous heroes in a high-stakes event, ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is the TropeCodifier for many of the tropes associated with this trope.

* CrisisCrossover: While Marvel's ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984'' was the first comic book story to involve numerous heroes in a high-stakes event, ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is essentially the TropeCodifier.

''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is an ambitious 12-issue mini-series by Creator/DCComics, lasting from April 1985 to March 1986. Essentially, '''[[TropeCodifier The]]''' CrisisCrossver.

''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is an ambitious 12-issue mini-series by Creator/DCComics, lasting from April 1985 to March 1986.

The mother of all {{Crisis Crossover}}s. Really: [[TropeMaker the original]]. Appeared as a 12-issue mini-series, lasting from April, 1985 to March, 1986.

!!Tropes invented by this crossover include:

* CrisisCrossover: Although Marvel's ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984'' was technically first, ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is really the TropeMaker.

* CrisisCrossover: Although Marvel's ''ComicBook/SecretWars'' was technically first, ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is really the TropeMaker.

** Earth-Prime, DC Comics' analog of "the real world", from which SelfDemonstrating/SuperboyPrime came, seen mostly in the ''Superman'' title tie-in stories.

** Earth-X, home of the ComicBook/FreedomFighters and heroes owned by Quality Comics.

* LivingStatue: The statues in the Anti-Monitor's fortress come to life and attack the invading heroes. They prove dangerous enough to make even Superman bleed.

* PlotRelevantAgeUp: Alexander Luthor gets one.