Britannica Sources used in this answer

How did Crisis on Infinite Earths change the DC universe?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Christopher Reeve as Superman flies over a city at night, wearing a blue suit with a red cape and yellow belt, from the 1978 film Superman. — Superhero Christopher Reeve in *Superman* (1978).

By 1985, the DC universe had accumulated nearly 50 years of disparate and often contradictory stories, making the narrative landscape cumbersome and confusing for new readers. To address this, DC published the 12-issue series Crisis on Infinite Earths, which served as a comprehensive reboot of the entire superhero universe.1

This event established a new continuity that was derived from, but not strictly beholden to, the history that preceded it. Following the Crisis, DC relaunched its flagship characters, allowing for modern interpretations of their origins. Notable examples include John Byrne’s The Man of Steel (1986), which modernized Superman’s origin, and Frank Miller’s Year One (1987), which recounted the early adventures of Batman. By streamlining the timeline, the Crisis provided a fresh starting point for the publisher's ongoing narratives.1