Why did DC Comics create Crisis on Infinite Earths?

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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 Comics universe had accumulated nearly 50 years of history. Over time, the accumulation of disparate and occasionally contradictory stories made the ongoing narrative feel overly cumbersome and confusing for new readers.1

To address this, DC editorial staff commissioned the 12-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by George Pérez. The project served as a comprehensive reboot of the entire superhero universe, establishing a streamlined continuity that was derived from previous stories but no longer beholden to their inconsistencies. This allowed for the successful modernization and relaunch of flagship characters, such as Superman and Batman, in the years that followed.1