History Comicbook / InfiniteCrisis

* Elasti-Girl and Negative Man of the Comicbook/DoomPatrol were restored to life, the Chief was restored to his original body, and the team's history rebooted. The team eventually remembered their original history, and it was later shown that nearly all of the versions of the Doom Patrol that ever existed are still in continuity[[note]]even Grant Morrison's run, which was originally part of DC continuity before being moved over to the ''Vertigo'' line of comics; the Vertigo history other than Morrison's was not brought back in, however[[/note]]. [[MindScrew Yes, even John Byrne's team]].

Because of Wonder Woman's murder of Max Lord (who was responsible for the murder of [[ComicBook/BlueBeetle Ted Kord]]), [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis2004 the treachery of the Justice League]], the movement of the planet Rann into Thanagar's orbit, and the center of the Universe no longer being [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Oa]], chaos broke out all across the Universe. With [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Hal Jordan]] revived, the Spectre was without a host and was tricked by [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis2004 Jean Loring]], the new Eclipso, into destroying the magic of the Universe, which ultimately led to the death of ComicBook/{{Shazam}}. Also, before Max Lord died he hijacked the [[AIIsACrapshoot Brother Mk. I satellite]] and injected millions of people with the O.M.A.C. nanoprobes which were to activate and transform people into cyborgs to eliminate any and all metahumans upon Lord's death (and it was later revealed that Alexander Luthor screwed up Brother Mk. I further, causing it to go rogue, rename itself Brother Eye, and try to kill as many heroes as it can with its O.M.A.C.s). Finally, the story begins with the abduction of the ComicBook/MartianManhunter and the destruction of the Justice League Watchtower.

* DebateAndSwitch: Initially, there was some ambiguity about whether the survivors of the original Multiverse could be right in regards to the moral condition of the current universe. After the first couple of issues, it was gone; the rest of the series had [[StrawHypocrite Alex Luthor]] and [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope Superboy-Prime]] as the clear-cut villains and Kal-L ended up [[HeelFaceTurn changing sides]].
** However, Alex Luthor tells Power Girl that he accepted that, no matter which universe or reality, a Superman and a Luthor [[YouCantFightFate will always be enemies]].

* BrokenAesop: For all its attacks on the NostalgiaFilter and people who believe that everything was better in the pre-Crisis days, ''Infinite Crisis'' itself seems to be cheering them on. Most of the changes made by the event explicitly reverted post-Crisis changes or killed off characters who debuted post-Crisis, meaning that the writers evidently agreed with the villains that the DCU was better off that way. There's also a heavy implication in one scene that many of the characters to debut post-Crisis (including Kyle Rayner, Helena Bertinelli, Jason Rusch, and Tim Drake) weren't actually from the original Earth-1, suggesting that post-Crisis characters are, in fact, not supposed to be there. ''Infinite Crisis'' also led directly into ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', which brought back much of the pre-Crisis multiverse...you know, the thing Alexander Luthor was trying to do.

Since the Crisis, fans had complained that nearly every title DC produced had been getting progressively DarkerAndEdgier. The Big Three had been hit hardest. ComicBook/{{Batman}} [[ComicBook/BatmanADeathInTheFamily lost his sidekick]], [[ComicBook/{{Knightfall}} had his back broken]], had Gotham hit by [[ComicBook/BatmanContagion TWO]] [[ComicBook/BatmanLegacy plagues]] ''and'' [[ComicBook/Batman
Cataclysm an earthquake]], and just barely saved Gotham from becoming a [[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]]. ComicBook/{{Superman}} [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman died, was replaced four times (two of which were a clone and an evil cybernetic doppleganger), and came back to life]] JUST to start. ComicBook/WonderWoman was affected the least, but was recorded killing Max Lord to save Superman, causing a massive blow to human-Amazonian relations. The DCU was dark and getting worse, especially since the events of ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis2004'', The ComicBook/{{OMAC}} Project and others came to light. The opinions of the fans had been heard, but a question was raised by DC: "What would the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks heroes]] of the [[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]] -- what would the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Superman think?" Their conclusion? "We saved the wrong Earth." Their solution? Recreate the Multiverse into a MergedReality.

Since the Crisis, fans had complained that nearly every title DC produced had been getting progressively DarkerAndEdgier. The Big Three had been hit hardest. ComicBook/{{Batman}} [[ComicBook/BatmanADeathInTheFamily lost his sidekick]], [[ComicBook/{{Knightfall}} had his back broken]], had Gotham hit by [[ComicBook/BatmanContagion TWO]] [[ ComicBook/BatmanLegacy plagues]] ''and'' [[ComicBook/Batman

Since the Crisis, fans had complained that nearly every title DC produced had been getting progressively DarkerAndEdgier. The Big Three had been hit hardest. ComicBook/{{Batman}} [[ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily lost his sidekick]], [[ComicBook/{{Knightfall}} had his back broken]], had Gotham hit by TWO plagues ''and'' an earthquake, and just barely saved Gotham from the ''[[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]]''. ComicBook/{{Superman}} [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman died, was replaced four times (two of which were a clone and an evil cybernetic doppleganger), and came back to life]] JUST to start. ComicBook/WonderWoman was affected the least, but was recorded killing Max Lord to save Superman, causing a massive blow to human-Amazonian relations. The DCU was dark and getting worse, especially since the events of ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis2004'', The ComicBook/{{OMAC}} Project and others came to light. The opinions of the fans had been heard, but a question was raised by DC: "What would the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks heroes]] of the [[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]] -- what would the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Superman think?" Their conclusion? "We saved the wrong Earth." Their solution? Recreate the Multiverse into a MergedReality.

* The various versions of General Zod were replaced by a modern Kryptonian Zod (similar to the one in [[Film/{{Superman}} the movies]]).

* IncrediblyLamePun: The Joker has killed the members of the Royal Flush Gang and demanded to know why he wasn't included in the latest Society of Super-Villains:
--> '''King''': Everyone knows the Joker's too wild.
--> ''[Joker scowls a bit then electrocutes him]''
--> '''Joker''': [[SeriousBusiness That's not funny]].

* JerkassHasAPoint: Not all heroes are more dark and corrupt than those of Earth-2. Dick Grayson is a prime example. Earth-2 Superman concedes that Batman, rude and paranoid as he is, had a point there.

* LackOfEmpathy: Any empathy Alex displays is a ploy to manipulate people. He's perfectly willing to annihilate entire universes to get his "perfect Earth", and shows no care or regard for Golden Age Lois Lane's deteriorating health.

* The Original Seven (Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/{{Batman}}, Franchise/WonderWoman, ComicBook/GreenLantern (Hal Jordan), Franchise/TheFlash (Barry Allen), the ComicBook/MartianManhunter, and Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}) were once again the founding members of the Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica.

--> (''Joker scowls a bit then electrocutes him'')

* {{Novelization}}: Was novelized by Greg Cox who went on to novelize most [[CrisisCrossover Crisis Crossovers]] after this.

* PleaseDontLeaveMe: In the seventh issue, as [[spoiler:her cousin is dying]], Comicbook/PowerGirl cries out "please, don't leave me alone".

[[caption-width-right:350:[[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths The secrets of the past]], [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis the sins of the present]], and [[ComicBook/FiftyTwo the harbinger]] [[ComicBook/FinalCrisis of what was yet to come]]...]]

In 1985, Creator/DCComics decided to clean house and get rid of TheMultiverse. And so they published ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''. And it was good (reception-wise), even though it left many issues with continuity. Since then, DC has not been shy with the {{Crisis Crossover}}s, though most of them could not live up to the standard the original Crisis had set. ''ComicBook/ZeroHourCrisisInTime'' mucked up continuity a bit, and ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'' was in reality just a murder mystery with a plot [[BrokenBase the fanbase doesn't quite agree on]]. In honor of the Crisis' 20th anniversary, the editorial staff decided to tie up a few loose ends and create a full blown sequel to it.

Since the Crisis, fans had complained that nearly every title DC produced had been getting progressively DarkerAndEdgier. The Big Three had been hit hardest. ComicBook/{{Batman}} [[ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily lost his sidekick]], [[ComicBook/{{Knightfall}} had his back broken]], had Gotham hit by TWO plagues ''and'' an earthquake, and just barely saved Gotham from the ''[[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]]''. ComicBook/{{Superman}} [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman died, was replaced four times (two of which were a clone and an evil cybernetic doppleganger), and came back to life]] JUST to start. ComicBook/WonderWoman was affected the least, but was recorded killing Max Lord to save Superman, causing a massive blow to human-Amazonian relations. The DCU was dark and getting worse, especially since the events of ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'', The ComicBook/{{OMAC}} Project and others came to light. The opinions of the fans had been heard, but a question was raised by DC: "What would the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks heroes]] of the [[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]] -- what would the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Superman think?" Their conclusion? "We saved the wrong Earth." Their solution? Recreate the Multiverse into a MergedReality.

Because of Wonder Woman's murder of Max Lord (who was responsible for the murder of [[ComicBook/BlueBeetle Ted Kord]]), [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis the treachery of the Justice League]], the movement of the planet Rann into Thanagar's orbit, and the center of the Universe no longer being [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Oa]], chaos broke out all across the Universe. With [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Hal Jordan]] revived, the Spectre was without a host and was tricked by [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis Jean Loring]], the new Eclipso, into destroying the magic of the Universe, which ultimately led to the death of ComicBook/{{Shazam}}. Also, before Max Lord died he hijacked the [[AIIsACrapshoot Brother Mk. I satellite]] and injected millions of people with the O.M.A.C. nanoprobes which were to activate and transform people into cyborgs to eliminate any and all metahumans upon Lord's death (and it was later revealed that Alexander Luthor screwed up Brother Mk. I further, causing it to go rogue, rename itself Brother Eye, and try to kill as many heroes as it can with its O.M.A.C.s). Finally, the story begins with the abduction of the ComicBook/MartianManhunter and the destruction of the Justice League Watchtower.

* CorruptedContingency: After discovering that [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis members of the Justice League had altered his and several others people's memories]], Batman created a new version of Brother Eye to spy on and gather data on all metahumans to make sure they are not a threat and neutralize the ones that are. Maxwell Lord secretly corrupts Brother Eye for his own purposes and when Wonder Woman kills Max to stop him from controlling Superman, Brother Eye begins attacking metahumans all across the world using its [=OMAC=] cyborgs.

* CrossoverFinale: While the end started with the relevations about what members of the Satellite-era JLA did in ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'', the events becoming public knowledge, as well as the lead-in stories ''The OMAC Project'' (Batman's reaction to his own mindwipe) and the ''Superman''/''Wonder Woman'' crossover ''Sacrifice'' (Maxwell Lord mind controlling Superman into attacking Batman, and Wonder Woman killing Lord) marked the end of ''ComicBook/JLA1997''.

* AnArmAndALeg: Superboy Prime rips off Risk's right arm.

-->-- '''Superboy Prime'''

-->'''Wonder Girl''': ''(crying)'' You did it, [[spoiler:Conner]]. You saved the Earth. You saved everyone.
-->''(smiling)'' I know, Cass. Isn't it cool?
* HeelRealization: Kal-L has this in stages, ending when he realizes [[spoiler: that the Superboy he condemned was a hero willing to die for others while the Superboy he supported became a murdering psycho]].

* HurlItIntoTheSun: Variant. [[spoiler:Golden Age and Modern Superman carry Prime while flying ''through'' Rao (a [[KryptoniteFactor red sun]]) in order to remove Prime's powers ad well as their own.]]

* BrokenAesop: For all its attacks on the NostalgiaFilter and people who believe that everything was better in the pre-Crisis days, ''Infinite Crisis'' itself seems to be cheering them on. Most of the changes made by the event explicitly reverted post-Crisis changes or killed off characters who debuted post-Crisis, meaning that the writers evidently agreed with the villains that the DCU was better off that way. There's also a heavy implication in one scene that many of the characters to debut post-Crisis (including Kyle Rayner, Helena Bertinelli, Jason Rusch, and Tim Zanetti) weren't actually from the original Earth-1, suggesting that post-Crisis characters are, in fact, not supposed to be there. ''Infinite Crisis'' also led directly into ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', which brought back much of the pre-Crisis multiverse...you know, the thing Alexander Luthor was trying to do.

* The ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Matrix was wiped from existence. (DC changed their mind later, though.)

** Wally West, in the start of DC's attempts to get rid of him permanently. In order to get rid of Superboy-Prime, he runs into the Speed Force, taking Linda Park and their newborn twins with him.

* CrossoverFinale: While the end started with the relevations about what members of the Satellite-era JLA did in ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'', the events becoming public knowledge, as well as the lead-in stories ''The OMAC Project'' (Batman's reaction to his own mindwipe) and the ''Superman''/''Wonder Woman'' crossover ''Sacrifice'' (Diana killing Max Lord) marked the end of ''ComicBook/JLA1997''.

* JoinOrDie: The Society's default recruiting tactic when would-be members don't believe that EvilIsOneBigHappyFamily.

* KickTheDog:
** Franchise/{{Batman}} gets a moment in the first issue when he tells Franchise/{{Superman}} that [[TookALevelInJerkass the last time he inspired anyone]] [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman was when he died]].
** In a literal example, Superboy-Prime hurting Krypto.
* KilledOffForReal: The Human Bomb, Golden Age Lois Lane, Golden Age Wonder Woman, Psycho-Pirate, Golden Age Superman, Alex Luthor.

* LetsYouAndHimFight:
** Superboy-Prime and Superboy.
** Superman and Superman. Clark finds Kal-L next to a dead Lois Lane, and asks what's going on. A grief-stricken Kal-L blames him and his Earth for her death, and immediately grabs the nearest car...
* LifeWillKillYou: [[spoiler:The Golden Age Lois dies of natural causes.]]

Plus a bunch of other stories involving the Secret Society of Supervillains trying to TakeOverTheWorld by force, Franchise/{{Batman}} leading a team to take down Brother Eye (including the new Comicbook/BlueBeetle), Franchise/{{Superman}} and Kal-L fighting over LighterAndSofter versus DarkerAndEdgier, and a bunch of heroes trying to do something about Alexander messing with the Universe.

In 1985, Creator/DCComics decided to clean house and get rid of the Multiverse. And so they published ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''. And it was good (reception-wise), even though it left many issues with continuity. Since then, DC has not been shy with the {{Crisis Crossover}}s, though most of them could not live up to the standard the original Crisis had set. ''ComicBook/ZeroHourCrisisInTime'' mucked up continuity a bit, and ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'' was in reality just a murder mystery with a plot [[BrokenBase the fanbase doesn't quite agree on]]. In honor of the Crisis' 20th anniversary, the editorial staff decided to tie up a few loose ends and create a full blown sequel to it.

Needless to say, in order to fully appreciate ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', [[ContinuityPorn you'd better have done your research, especially with the tie-ins]] as all of the above would eventually become more important later on. Worlds lived, worlds died (the same could be said of ''many'' characters), and the DC Universe was never the same...literally, as it was later revealed, due to the events of Infinite Crisis, TheMultiverse was brought back, albeit with a definite number. Later references would call this event the "middle Crisis"; part of a saga that started with ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', and ran through ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis''. The Multiverse and the fate of it and many of the DC superheroes characters (read: plotlines) were later revealed and concluded in the immediate sequel, ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo''.

The survivors of the Multiverse, [[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Alexander Luthor Jr]], [[Franchise/{{Superman}} the Golden Age Superman (Kal-L)]], Superboy Prime, and [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Lois]] [[ComicBook/LoisLane Lane]] entered a "[[PocketDimension paradise dimension]]" at the end of the Crisis, but were able to watch the new Earth. As time went on, they were disappointed by the growing cynicism in the universe and Prime and Luthor began to plan to replace the Earth with a better one. Kal-L agreed, but was more attentive to his dying wife, which Prime and Luthor used to break free from their dimension and enter Earth. Due to Superboy-Prime's punching of the barriers of the dimension, [[RetCon several things changed without explanation]]. While Prime manipulated events in space, Luthor stayed on Earth and disguised himself as the regular Lex to form a Secret Society of Villains ([[ChekhovsGunman sans]] ComicBook/TheJoker) and even recruited the treacherous Psycho-Pirate from [[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths the original Crisis]]. When another hero, Pariah, who was instrumental in the fight with the Anti-Monitor, came to warn Lex Luthor of a coming danger, [[MoralEventHorizon Alexander Luthor killed him]].

Because of Wonder Woman's murder of Max Lord (who was responsible for the murder of [[ComicBook/BlueBeetle Ted Kord]]), [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis the treachery of the Justice League]], the movement of the planet Rann into Thanagar's orbit, and the center of the universe no longer being [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Oa]], chaos broke out all across the universe. With [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Hal Jordan]] revived, the Spectre was without a host and was tricked by [[ComicBook/IdentityCrisis Jean Loring]], the new Eclipso, into destroying the magic of the universe, which ultimately led to the death of ComicBook/{{Shazam}}. Not to mention that before his death, Max Lord hijacked the [[AIIsACrapshoot Brother Mk. I satellite]] and injected millions of people with the O.M.A.C. nanoprobes which were to activate and transform people into cyborgs to eliminate any and all metahumans upon Lord's death (and it was later revealed that Alexander Luthor screwed up Brother Mk. I further, causing it to go rogue, rename itself Brother Eye, and try to kill as many heroes as it can with its O.M.A.C.'s). Finally, the story began with the abduction of the ComicBook/MartianManhunter and the destruction of the Justice League Watchtower.

In the main story, Alexander and Superboy-Prime take all the heroes and villains that they spent the past year kidnapping and attach them to a giant "dimensional tuning fork". This allows them to recreate the Multiverse and bring back all the Earths that were lost during [[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths the original Crisis]], which Alexander can smash together to form what they consider the perfect Earth. Luckily for the Multiverse, Prime picks a fight with the regular Superboy. The fight escalates, and the two eventually crash into the fork, causing all the Earths to merge into one Earth. [[VillainousBreakdown Prime snaps]] and flies to the center of the universe in an attempt to destroy and remake the universe. He is intercepted by Superman and Kal-L, who beat him into submission, but not before he kills Kal-L.

Plus a bunch of other stories involving the Secret Society of Supervillains trying to TakeOverTheWorld by force, Franchise/{{Batman}} leading a team to take down Brother Eye (including the new Comicbook/BlueBeetle), Franchise/{{Superman}} and Kal-L fighting over LighterAndSofter versus DarkerAndEdgier, and a bunch of heroes trying to do something about Alexander messing with the universe.

Superboy-Prime's Changes were:

* Elasti-Girl and Negative Man of the Comicbook/DoomPatrol were restored to life, the Chief was restored to his original body and the team's history rebooted. The team eventually remembered its original history, and it was later shown that nearly all of the versions of the Doom Patrol that ever existed are still in continuity[[note]]even Grant Morrison's run, which was originally part of DC continuity before being moved over to the ''Vertigo'' line of comics; the Vertigo history other than Morrison's was not brought back in however[[/note]]. [[MindScrew Yes, even John Byrne's team]].

* The ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Matrix was wiped from existence (DC changed their mind later, though)

* CListFodder: According to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, over sixty named characters were killed in this event. At best, only ten of those characters were really cared about.

Since the Crisis, fans had complained that nearly every title DC produced had been getting progressively DarkerAndEdgier. The Big Three had been hit hardest. ComicBook/{{Batman}} [[ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily lost his sidekick]], [[ComicBook/{{Knightfall}} had his back broken]], had Gotham hit by TWO plagues ''and'' an earthquake, and just barely saved Gotham from the ''[[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]]''. ComicBook/{{Superman}} [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman died, was replaced four times (two of which were a clone and an evil cybernetic doppleganger), and came back to life]] JUST to start. ComicBook/WonderWoman was affected the least, but was recorded killing Max Lord to save Superman. The DCU was dark and getting worse, especially since the events of ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'', The ComicBook/{{OMAC}} Project and others came to light. The opinions of the fans had been heard, but a question was raised by DC: "What would the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks heroes]] of the [[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]] -- what would the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Superman think?" Their conclusion? "We saved the wrong Earth." Their solution? Recreate the Multiverse into a MergedReality.

Since the Crisis, fans had complained that nearly every title DC produced had been getting progressively DarkerAndEdgier. The Big Three had been hit hardest. ComicBook/{{Batman}} lost his sidekick, [[ComicBook/{{Knightfall}} had his back broken]], had Gotham hit by TWO plagues ''and'' an earthquake, and just barely saved Gotham from the ''[[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]]''. ComicBook/{{Superman}} [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman died, was replaced four times (two of which were a clone and an evil cybernetic doppleganger), and came back to life]] JUST to start. ComicBook/WonderWoman was affected the least, but was recorded killing Max Lord to save Superman. The DCU was dark and getting worse, especially since the events of ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'', The ComicBook/{{OMAC}} Project and others came to light. The opinions of the fans had been heard, but a question was raised by DC: "What would the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks heroes]] of the [[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]] -- what would the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Superman think?" Their conclusion? "We saved the wrong Earth." Their solution? Recreate the Multiverse into a MergedReality.