Infinite Crisis

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The plot begins with Kal-L (Earth-Two Superman), Earth-Prime Superboy, Alexander Luthor Jr. of pre-Crisis Earth-Three, and Lois Lane Kent of Earth-Two escaping their sequestered paradise in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Believing the modern DC Universe is flawed due to its darkness, Kal-L seeks to replace it with the perfect Earth-Two. He teams up with Alexander Luthor Jr., who manipulates events from a pocket universe using an inter-dimensional tuning fork and the Anti-Monitor's remains to restore alternate Earths. A major theme contrasts the dark, conflicted modern heroes with memories of lighter, more collegial predecessors. The storyline highlights Kal-L's belief that the current Earth is inherently bad, causing Batman's mistrust, while Alexander attempts to merge multiple Earths into a single perfect reality. This conflict forces heroes like Power Girl and the modern Superman (Kal-El) to confront their pasts and the nature of heroism itself.

In Their Own Story

The story erupts when Kal-L recruits his cousin Power Girl and clashes with Batman, whose kryptonite ring fails because it is not native to Kal-L's universe. Meanwhile, Alexander Luthor Jr. reveals he and Superboy-Prime have been manipulating events to restore Earth-Two. Superboy-Prime attacks Conner Kent (Superboy of this world), killing Teen Titans members Pantha, Baby Wildebeest, and Bushido, and maiming Risk by ripping off his arm. The Flashes force Prime into the Speed Force, but he returns later wearing Anti-Monitor-inspired armor that stores yellow sun radiation, making him unstoppable. In Metropolis, a massive battle ensues where Superboy-Prime kills both heroes and villains indiscriminately before attempting to destroy Oa to recreate the universe with himself as the sole hero. He is stopped by a 300-mile wall of willpower from the Green Lantern Corps but kills thirty-two Lanterns before Kal-L and Kal-El fly him into a kryptonite field around Krypton's remnants. There, they battle on the sentient planet Mogo; Kal-El knocks Prime out but succumbs to kryptonite poisoning, while Kal-L dies of his injuries. Alexander Luthor Jr. is eventually found by Lex Luthor and the Joker, who mutilates him with acid before killing him.

Reader's Guide

Readers should start with Countdown to Infinite Crisis, followed by four six-issue limited series: The OMAC Project, Rann–Thanagar War, Day of Vengeance, and Villains United. Key tie-ins include Superman: Sacrifice and JLA: Crisis of Conscience, which ends with the destruction of the Justice League's Watchtower, leading directly into Infinite Crisis #1. Batman: Under the Hood is another notable tie-in featuring Jason Todd's return as Red Hood. The main seven-issue series was released monthly starting December 2005, with each issue having variant covers by Pérez and Jim Lee/Hope. After the event, DC moved narratives forward one year via the One Year Later event, followed by the weekly series 52 in May 2006, which depicts events between Infinite Crisis and One Year Later. The hardcover edition includes coloring changes and dialogue alterations regarding the re-emergence of the Multiverse.

Did You Know?

• Infinite Crisis #1 had pre-order sales of 249,265 in October 2005, nearly double the second-ranked comic House of M #7.
• Superboy-Prime killed thirty-two Green Lanterns before being stopped by a 300-mile thick wall of willpower created by the Corps.
• The hardcover edition of Infinite Crisis includes significant dialogue alterations related to hints of the Multiverse's re-emergence.
• Each issue of the main seven-issue series was released with two variant covers: one by George Pérez and one by Jim Lee and Sandra Hope.
• Alexander Luthor Jr. was killed by the Joker, who sprayed acid on his face, electrified it, and then shot him while Lex Luthor mocked him.