Crisis On Infinite Earths: 10 Things From The Comics We Wish Were Included In The Show

Thirty-five years ago DC comics were forever changed by a twelve-issue limited series titled Crisis On Infinite Earths. Writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez delivered the most ambitious crossover comic books had seen up until that time. Three decades and a few years later the CW delivered their equivalent to the small screen.

While the CW's The Legends Of Tomorrow). With that in mind, here are ten things from the comic we wish we could have seen in the special.

Psycho-Pirate

Only making a cameo appearance during the Elseworlds tv crossover, Roger Hayden a.k.a Psycho Pirate plays a pivotal role in the comics. A seemingly non-powered ex-convict recruited by The Monitor at the beginning of the story proves to hold a truly devastating power.

Harnessing the power of the Medusa Mask, Hayden can manipulate the emotions of anyone susceptible to its gaze. While first instructed to use his power for good, things quickly go awry. Psycho Pirate is a villain first and foremost. He is psychologically scarred by the torment of emotions he has access to. With an inability to reckon with the true consequences of his actions, he quickly falls in line with the Anti-Monitor and the consequences are global.

Firestorm & Killer Frost

Caitlin Snow and Ronnie Raymond may be tragic lovers on The Flash, the story is a little bit different in print. Opposite elements and arch-foes, both are drawn in and together early on during the crisis.

With direction from The Monitor, Firestorm reluctantly frees Killer Frost from her prison only to have Psycho Pirate turn her from foe to more than a friend. The Monitor needs both heroes and villains to cooperate. Turning Firestorm into an object of tunnel-minded affection for Killer Frost comes as a colorful bit of collateral. This pairing could have seamlessly translated into the special with an alternate universe Firestorm deeply puzzled as to why a foe from his world is in love with him on another.

Alexander Luthor Jr.

Completely absent from the Arrowverse, Alexander Luthor Jr. becomes one of the most important factors in the struggle against the Anti-Monitor's reckoning. Mirroring the origin of a certain last son from Krypton, Alexander Luthor Jr. is jettisoned off a dying Earth-3 by his heroic father Alex and devoted mother Lois.

ing through a wave of anti-matter on his journey towards Earth-1, Alexander is imbued with the control of anti-matter and matter alike. Rescued by Harbinger and delivered to The Monitor, Alexander is quickly compelled into playing a decisive role between life and absolute destruction. Buoyed by an altruistic nature, seeing the scion of Luthor confront his despotic doppelgänger father would have surely been a treat.

Harbinger's Redemption

Lyla Michaels of The Arrow and her DC equivalent have wildly different origins but serve similar roles in the crisis. Both mortals of flesh and blood, they are imbued with great power to serve as The Monitor's attache. And regrettably, both are forced to serve The Anti-Monitor against their wills.

Mortally wounding The Monitor as Harbinger is where their journey diverges. While Lyla of the Arrowverse is not seen again until the conclusion, her counterpart is profoundly shaken by the consequence of killing the closest thing she has to a father. The Monitor having foreseen this betrayal left both Lyla and Alexander Luthor Jr. with enough of his power to turn the tide of the war. Still ridden with guilt, Harbinger would prove to be heir to The Monitor's legacy.

Time Distortion

The concept of infinite Earths is apparent in both the source material and adaptation, yet a story point that is both key and quite entertaining does not make an appearance on the television adaptation. While The Anti-Monitor's field rages through multiple universes, an eventual standstill is reached with five remaining after the death of The Monitor.

Harnessing what is left of The Monitor's power, Harbinger manages to bring these universes into the same vibration. What follows is a kaleidoscope of time and space superimposed upon these ravaged planets. This is just a snippet of the chaos the convergence brought. We wished to see more.

Brainiac

Only hinted at in Supergirl, Brainiac of the DC comics serves to be one of Superman's greatest enemies. A humanoid of immense intelligence, originally serving as somewhat of a comedic meddler, would go on to become a ruthless automaton.

Appearing about midway through the storyline, Brainiac has been monitoring the crisis from the mechanical comforts of space. The rogues of the DC universe begin to mysteriously vanish as the crisis continues, but little mind can be paid in the wake of an existence-destroying catastrophe. Unbeknownst to the coalition of heroes, an all too human onslaught begins to prepare itself in the verges of space.

War Zone

After the sacrifice made by Supergirl, the five Earths settle into a relative peace with the assumption that The Anti-Monitor has perished. Brainiac, having gathered each of the world's most powerful supervillains, entrusts Lex Luthor to lead them towards domination of the remaining Earths.

Direct confrontation with The Anti-Monitor is sparse. Each time more perilous than the last, nonetheless the carnage is impersonal and immediate. The spectacle of seeing the world's greatest defenders dealing with an out of control contingent is sure to deliver an emotional reaction. On one earth, a radioactive villain turns the ocean into an irradiated waste. On another verdant land is turned into an icy prison. If not for the reemergence of The Anti-Monitor, a fate worse than death may have come to.

Darkseid

Surely the complete wholesale destruction of the DC Universe would draw the attention of its arch-villain, Darkseid. The tyrant leader of Apokolips and living breathing God of evil. It would be negligent for such far-reaching events to occur without drawing the crimson eyes of a being bent on wholesale control of all life itself.

Darkseid, observing the crisis from his fortress on Apokolips expresses his concern that Anti-Monitor may disrupt the status quo he wishes to maintain. With the final stand of The Anti-Monitor, after a universe resetting showdown with the Spectre, Darkseid is drawn into the final confrontation. While the comic appearance itself is quite brief, even a hint of a cameo in the Arrowverse would have surely sent a warning of the true dangers these heroes have laying in wait.

Kal-L's Sacrifice

The CW's Crisis On Infinite Earths saw no shortage of Supermen, but one was especially dear to the hearts of fans. Earth-96's Superman, portrayed by Brandon Routh, is the experienced yet weary Superman we were first introduced to in Superman: The Movie. An analog of this incarnation serves to be one of the main protagonists of Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Earth-2's Superman (Kal-L), wisened and gray around the temples, is one of the first to aid The Monitor in his defense of the multiverse. Steadfast and selfless right until the end, Kal-L is ultimately distraught by the end of the story after learning his wife Lois did not survive the universal reset. Gripped with grief but obligated by a sense of justice, Kal-L decides the final battle with The Anti-Monitor is his alone. Instead of being duped out of the showdown by television's Lex Luthor, this ending could have been a fitting farewell to Routh's Superman.