Rumor: DC Animated CRISIS on Infinite Earths is coming

It is considered one of the precursors to the darker and more mature stories in comic books, along with The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen. Crisis on Infinite Earths saw long-time and beloved characters and entire universes die, as the main villain, The Anti-Monitor, attempted to gain godhood by restarting creation from the beginning. In real life terms, Crisis on Infinite Earths was an effort to streamline the continuity of the various titles and history of the DC Universe.

The series was a major success, helping usher in mainstream popularity of comic books heading into the 1990s. It would be followed up by two direct sequels, Infinite Crisis (2005) and Final Crisis (2008).

With the rumored Crisis on Infinite Earths animated trilogy, it is likely attempting to do the same streamlining for the various animated versions from DC Entertainment. This would include the beloved DC Animated Universe (also often called the Timm-verse, in reference to the primary architect, Bruce Timm) which includes shows and movies beginning with Batman: The Animated Series (1992), Superman: The Animated Series (1996), Batman Beyond (1999), Static Shock (2000), The Zeta Project (2001), Justice League (2001), and Justice League Unlimited (2004). The rest of the DC animated multiverse But since the DC Animated Universe ended with the finale of Justice League Unlimited in 2005, there has also been other DC animated projects on TV and film, including Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!, The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Beware the Batman, Young Justice, Justice League Action, and nearly 50 feature film length animations from Superman: Doomsday (2007) to Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020).

There is also the recent Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Justice Society: World War II, Batman: Sould of the Dragon, Batman Ninja, Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Batman: The Long Halloween, and Injustice this 2021, and the already confirmed slate of three upcoming projects Catwoman: Hunted, Green Lantern: Beware My Power, and Battle of the Super Sons.

It is very likely that the Crisis on Infinite Earths trilogy will pull characters and events from any and all of these previous and soon-to-be-released animated projects. But the question is which ones? It seems a sure bet that the DC Animated Universe will be center-stage in the proceedings, given how influential and popular those versions are.

More importantly, if this is mirroring the intention of the comic book Crisis on Infinite Earths, will this mean the future animated efforts from DC Entertainment be following a streamlined continuity, at least for a time? And with Zack Snyder recently teasing the possibility of a Final Crisis project for the Snyderverse, could the animated Crisis on Infinite Earths be providing a bridge to link the animated and live-action franchises? After all, Marvel Studios did the same with the Disney+ series What If…?

Catch the DC animated films and television shows available now on the HBO Max streaming service.