History YMMV / CountdownToFinalCrisis

* ContinuityLockout: Not to the extent of [[ComicBook/FinalCrisis what it was supposed to lead into]], but it's recommended that, at a bare minimum, one goes into this having read ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' (to explain why Superboy Prime underwent a FaceHeelTurn), ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' (to explain why there's now 52 Monitors instead of just the one from ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''), ''Under The Red Hood'' (to explain why Jason Todd is BackFromTheDead), and ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'' (to explain what happened to Ray Palmer).

* ArcFatigue: Played with for the Earth-51 arc. It went on (almost) uninterrupted by unrelated things, had a lot of cool fights, some really strong moments (like [[spoiler:Jason Todd meeting its Batman and this Batman's death]]), and ended with a bang. Sadly, right after that, the series became much worse than ever before.

* EvilIsSexy: Mary Marvel: 16-year-old teen who giggles like an idiot over a phallic-looking rod.

* AssPull: The attempted [[AuthorsSavingThrow Author's Saving Throws]] resulted in this, such as Bob and Solomon [[EvilAllAlong actually being on the same side]] near the end.

** All together, everyone; "IllKillYou [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment I'll kill you to death!]]"

* {{Sequelitis}}: It is considered inferior to its predecessor ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo''. Which ironically, Dan Dido commented that "It was 52 done right" because the editors were in control rather than the writers.

** Jimmy Olsen gets all his [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] powers back! Brother Eye merges with Apokolips! Mary Marvel, "deserted" by Captain Marvel, turns to Black Adam! Harley Quinn and Holly Robinson vs. Granny Goodness! A crazy, universe-hopping adventure searching for a character missing for (relative to the reader) years! Creator/PaulDini writing! A lead-up to the biggest Crisis of all! A followup to the beloved ''52''! A look at the seedy underbelly of the DC universe from the perspective of two repentant Flash villains! The genesis of the ComicBook/{{Kamandi}}-verse! WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong Short answer: '''EVERYTHING.'''

* WhatAnIdiot:
** Mary Marvel, especially after her second FaceHeelTurn.
** Also, Hal Jordan, who blasts off to Oa to get help with the Morticoccus virus and warn off visitors to Earth, only to ''[[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom carry]]'' [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom the virus across space]], breaching its one-planet quarantine.
** Karate Kid, rather than go back to the future where they have futuristic science that could realistically have a chance of at least containing the virus, opts to remain in the past, despite the fact that doing so is bound to change the future drastically. Because of this decision, his future physiology causes the virus to mutate beyond Ray Palmer's immunity, which means Palmer's plan was AllForNothing.

-->'''[[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara:]]''' Is it surprising? Oh, hell yes. Does it make a ''lick of sense''?! '''[[NoJustNoReaction Oh, HELL no!]]'''

* {{Padding}}: A huge amount of the series is this, with each issue jammed with [[FourLinesAllWaiting snippets of several different storylines spread across the entire DC universe]] introducing plot points that are [[AbortedArc forgotten]] three issues later, with special mention to everything having to do with the Monitors ([[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall "We should do something!" "Should we do something?" "We should do something!" "Should we do something?"]]). Also, many of the events happening in ''Countdown'' were completely unrelated to the series' plotlines themselves, and were instead random intersections with all the other (and better) stuff happening in the DC universe at the same time, reducing the event to a series of advertisements for plots in dozens of other comic titles. To top it off, ''Countdown'' was so incredibly bad, nonsensical, confusing, and unpopular that everything that happened in it, with the exception of a few plot points, was immediately shunted into CanonDiscontinuity, and ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', the event Countdown was supposed to be, y'know, ''counting down to'', latched on to entirely different events to act as its lead-up, meaning that the [[ShootTheShaggyDog entirety of]] ''[[ShootTheShaggyDog Countdown]]'' [[ShootTheShaggyDog wound up as one whole year of padding]] for ''Final Crisis''.

* EvilIsSexy: Mary Marvel: 16-year-old JailBait who giggles like an idiot over a phallic-looking rod.

* NeverLiveItDown: To this day, Creator/DanDidio calling Countdown "ComicBook/FiftyTwo done right" is still used as an indictment against him.

* TheScrappy: Superboy-Prime, particularly for being a complete asshole and his {{Wangst}}-filled lines.

* AssPull: The attempted [[AuthorsSavingThrow Author's Saving Throws]] resulted in this, such as Bob and Solomon actually being on the same side near the end.

* CreatorsPet: Forerunner, who the creators obviously thought would be seen as really cool and a {{breakout character}}. She even got her own (half a) spinoff miniseries. Fan reaction was tepid at best, and most seemed to view her as TheScrappy. Apparently this eventually got through to the writers, as the last issue of the miniseries has Forerunner [[PutOnABus transported to a distant planet to rebuild her species]].

* {{Padding}}: A huge amount of the series is this, with each issue jammed with [[FourLinesAllWaiting snippets of several different storylines spread across the entire DC universe]] introducing plot points that are [[AbortedArc forgotten]] three issues later, with special mention to everything having to do with the Monitors ([[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall "We should do something!" "Should we do something?" "We should do something!" "Should we do something?"]]). Also, many of the events happening in ''Countdown'' were completely unrelated to the series' plot lines themselves, and were instead random intersections with all the other (and better) stuff happening in the DC universe at the same time, reducing the event to a series of advertisements for plots in dozens of other comic titles. To top it off, ''Countdown'' was so incredibly bad, nonsensical, confusing, and unpopular that everything that happened in it, with the exception of a few plot points, was immediately shunted into CanonDiscontinuity, and ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', the event Countdown was supposed to be, y'know, ''counting down to'', latched on to entirely different events to act as its lead-up, meaning that the [[ShootTheShaggyDog entirety of]] ''[[ShootTheShaggyDog Countdown]]'' [[ShootTheShaggyDog wound up as one whole year of padding]] for ''Final Crisis''.

* TakeThatScrappy: In one of the few redeeming moments of the series, Sleez, the infamous alien scumball who mindcontrolled Superman and Barda into starring in a smut film, is reduced to ash early on.

* {{Wangst}}: Superboy-Prime. Every second line out of his mouth seems to be him whining about how inferior everything outside of ''his'' dimension.

** Also, Hal Jordan, who blasts off to Oa to get help with the Morticoccus virus and warn off visitors to Earth, only to ''carry'' the virus across space, breaching its one-planet quarantine.

* CanonDefilement: Where do we even ''begin''?

** Jimmy Olsen gets all his [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] powers back! Brother Eye merges with Apokolips! Mary Marvel, "deserted" by Captain Marvel, turns to Black Adam! Harley Quinn and Holly Robinson vs. Granny Goodness! A crazy, universe-hopping adventure searching for a character missing for (relative to the reader) years! Creator/PaulDini writing! A lead-up to the biggest Crisis of all! A followup to the beloved ''52''! A look at the seedy underbelly of the DC universe from the perspective of two repentant Flash villains! The genesis of the Kamandi-verse! WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong Short answer: '''EVERYTHING.'''

* {{Wangst}}: Superboy-Prime. Dear ''God'', Superboy-Prime.
-->"Everything was better on ''my'' Earth!"\\
"'''THEY'RE RUINING IT!!!'''"\\
"I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU TO '''''[[{{Angrish}} DEATH!!!]]'''''"