Draft:Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths is a trilogy of direct-to-video adult animated superhero films based on the DC Comics storyline of the same name. Produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, it serves as a direct sequel to Justice League: Warworld (2023), and the final three installments in the "Tomorrowverse" story arc, which officially concludes the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU). Part One is the 53rd film, Part Two is the 54th film and Part Three is the 55th film in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line.

The films are directed by Jeff Wamester and stars the voices of Matt Bomer, Darren Criss, Stana Katic, Jensen Ackles, Meg Donnelly and other voice talents reprising their roles from previous DCAMU films, as well as voice talents reprising their roles from various DC Comics media, including the DC Animated Universe (1992–2006).

Part One was released on January 9, 2024, Part Two was released on April 23, 2024, and Part Three was released on July 16, 2024.

The releases of Part One and Part Three were dedicated to comic book artist George Pérez, and voice actor Kevin Conroy, who died in 2022, two years prior.

Part One
An elderly John Constantine sends Barry Allen on a "time trip" to key moments in his life, from gaining his metahuman abilities to a fight against the power absorbing android Amazo created by Dr. Anthony Ivo to his wedding with Iris West. During the fight with Amazo, Superman gets injured and is aided by Barry and Green Arrow and is brought to Bruce Wayne for medical help. In response, Bruce suggests forming a team with Barry, Clark, Oliver, fashion model Mari McCabe, and John Jones, who is now living on Earth as a private detective. However, they fail to recruit Green Lantern.

During a press conference to unveil the Justice League headquarters, Amazo attacks the Justice League, as its original primary function to improve human life has been altered by Lex Luthor to kill anyone that is not human. With the League unable to defeat Amazo due to its ability to absorb and copy their abilities, Batman opines that an airstrike is the only way to destroy Amazo, but the others reject the idea. The Flash goes to Ivo, who reveals he has contracted a disease that ages him rapidly, and has been researching quantum energy absorption with Luthor to create Amazo using extraterrestrial technology in hopes to siphon metahuman abilities using them to find a way extend human life. Ivo sacrifices himself by having Amazo give up all the absorbed metahuman energy to Ivo. Batman deduces Luthor gave Ivo his disease to prompt his experiments which causes Amazo to turn against Luthor. With Luthor arrested by the police, Amazo returns the stolen powers to Superman, Vixen, and Manhunter before shutting down.

Meanwhile, Barry is sent by Constantine to a parallel Earth known as Earth-3. After a brief confrontation with his Earth-3 doppelgänger, Johnny Quick, he is captured by the Crime Syndicate – tyrannical criminal doppelgängers of the Justice League – and is taken to their Hall of Crime, where he is interrogated by Superwoman's lasso, confirming their deceased Luthor's theory of the Multiverse and resulting in the Syndicate, who have grown bored with ruling their Earth, deciding to plot a Multiversal takeover. Suddenly, an anti-matter wave threatens Earth-3 and, despite the Syndicate attempting to halt it, it manages to destroy the world. Quick sacrifices himself to allow Barry to tap fully into the Speed Force and escape Earth-3 before its destruction. Constantine soon explains to Barry that he witnesses the parallel Earths being destroyed as his punishment and that Barry shares the same guilt.

On the day of Barry and Iris's wedding was attended by Lois Lane, Harbinger recruits Barry, Oliver, Mari, and John Stewart / Green Lantern to a space station, where other heroes and super-powered people are gathered. Flash reunites with the Justice Society of Earth-2 who are old except for Wonder Woman, Superman, and a reincarnated Hawkman as he mistakes the Aquaman of Earth-146 for the Earth-2 version, but the latter corrects him as he is from an Earth that is completely flooded by the oceans and he has a harpoon for a hand, long hair, and a beard. Batman meets Robin of Earth-2 and learns of his counterpart's Earth-2 history as Robin of Earth-2 also introducing his Earth-2 counterpart's daughter Huntress whom he had with Earth-2's Catwoman. Superman meets his Earth-2 counterpart and learns of Earth-2 Superman's relationship with Wonder Woman after his Lois Lane died. Each one is here based on their skills, strength, and speed from across the Multiverse and has been gathered by Harbinger as ordered by the Monitor, an ancient Multiversal being. The Monitor explains that an anti-matter wave, which is capable of destroying an entire universe, threatens the multiverse. Barry's time-tripping inspires the Monitor to create massive vibrational towers on the remaining Earths that will allow them to phase through the wave and survive. However, the wave rapidly spreads before the towers are completed.

Barry uses his speed powers to slow time for him and Iris, and they grow old together while completing Earth-1's tower with the help of Amazo. Upon completing the tower, the elderly Iris dies. The elderly Barry reverts to normal speed and activates the tower network by using a cosmic treadmill. The vibrational energy destroys his tower and Amazo but causes the antimatter wave to pass through the various Earths and dissipate, apparently saving the day. Barry is soon approached by the Spectre. The Spectre claims that Barry bears responsibility for the Crisis, but that it is up to the Speed Force to determine his fate. Barry is then sent back to the moment he gains his powers and has an epiphany. Barry then appears as a vision to Batman when he is trapped in the Warlord illusion of Warworld, telling him to go back to before "the beginning". Barry then vanishes, seemingly dying. Back on the space station, the heroes celebrate their victory. However, Harbinger, who is revealed to be Supergirl, realizes that they might have changed history when she sees her friends from the Legion of Superheroes (including her lover Brainiac 5) begin to disappear, ending the first part on a cliffhanger.

Part Two
An army of shadow demons created by the Anti-Monitor has been sent to disrupt a series of cosmic tuning towers across the multiverse as a contingency. The task is made more difficult when the Psycho-Pirate broadcasts waves of hatred that cause people to turn on one another, and secrets the Monitor and Supergirl hold that may doom them all.

Part Three
The remaining forces are regrouped in a pocket universe known as "The Bleed". A plane of existence untouched by time that is slowly dying. With the aid of a different variant of Lex Luthor from another Earth, the heroes from all the surviving realities must make one last stand against the Anti-Monitor.

Non-speaking cameos
Appearing without dialogue are:


 * Atom, Batgirl, Batman, Batwing, Black Lightning, Blackhawk, Blue Devil, the Challengers of the Unknown, Creeper, Dawnstar, Davy Crockett, Elongated Man, Firestorm, Guy Gardner, Hawk and Dove, Hawkgirl, Katana, Mento, the Metal Men, Metamorpho, Negative Woman, Nighthawk, Red Star, Red Tornado, Solovar, Speedy, Star Sapphire, Swamp Thing, Tempest, and Zatanna of Earth-1.
 * Members of the Justice Society of America (Black Canary, Doctor Mid-Nite, Flash, Hourman, Jade, Obsidian, Starman, and Wildcat) from Earth-2.
 * Captain Atom, Nightshade, and Peacemaker from Earth-4.
 * Captain Marvel Jr., Mary Marvel, and Uncle Marvel from Earth-S.
 * Uncle Sam, Doll Man, Ray, and Black Condor from Earth-X.
 * Thunderer from Earth-7.

Production
In July 2023, it was announced an animated film trilogy based on the storyline Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985–1986) by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez was in development for the Tomorrowverse story arc, which fully concludes the DC Animated Movie Universe that started back in 2013.

An official trailer and the voice cast was revealed on December 5, 2023.

Casting
In January 2024, it was confirmed that Part Three will posthumously feature Kevin Conroy as the DC Animated Universe version of Batman who debuted in Batman: The Animated Series, having completed his voice work before he died in 2022.

In February 2024, it was announced that Will Friedle would be reprising his role as Terry McGinnis from Batman Beyond in Part Two.

It was later confirmed that the film would also feature the last time Mark Hamill reprises his role as the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series after previously announcing his retirement from voicing the character following Conroy's death.

Jason Spisak also reprised his role as Razer from Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Young Justice.

Release
Part One was released on digital in the U.S. and Canada on January 9, 2024, and on Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray January 23. It was dedicated to Pérez.

Part Two was made available for online streaming on April 23, 2024.

Part Three was made available for online streaming on July 16, 2024. It was dedicated to Conroy.

Critical response
Rafael Motamayor, writing for Inverse, praised the film, writing: "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One Finally Gets the DC Crossover Event Right", calling it "A worthy adaptation focusing on heart and character". Mae Abdulbaki, in a review for Screen Rant, also gave the film a positive review, praising its faithfulness to the source material.

Hayden Mears of IGN rated the film a 7 out of 10, with the verdict: "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One knows what it is and strives to do right by its source material. There's no depth, no moral murk, no optional profundity for the insight-hungry. Just good, clean, marginally sensical fun. The action and performances are nothing to shake a Batarang at, but it never loses sight of its stakes and (mostly) prioritizes character over plot". Jennifer Borget of Common Sense Media gave it three out of five stars, praising its story but commenting that "The constant jumping between alternate Earths can make it feel like a time-traveling treadmill at first, and the action scenes might trigger a bit of déjà vu from other superhero tales."