Crisis on Infinite Earths: Watch Order & Comics Guide

Few things in comics or television carry the weight of a universe-ending event. Crisis on Infinite Earths did just that in 1985, collapsing DC’s multiverse into a single timeline, and then did it again in 2019 as a five-night Arrowverse crossover that killed off Supergirl.

Original comic run: 1985–1986 ·
Number of comic issues: 12 ·
Arrowverse crossover episodes: 5 ·
Penciller: George Pérez ·
Writer: Marv Wolfman ·
Supergirl’s fate: Died in Episode 4

What is Crisis on Infinite Earths?

Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue DC Comics miniseries published from April 1985 to March 1986, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez (Wikipedia encyclopedia). The story follows the Anti-Monitor, a cosmic villain who destroys parallel universes, as heroes from across the multiverse unite to stop him. The series effectively rebooted the DC Universe by collapsing its multiple Earths into a single timeline — a decision that reshaped DC storytelling for decades (Wikipedia encyclopedia).

In 2019–2020, The CW adapted the concept into a five-part Arrowverse crossover event spanning Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow (Wikipedia television reference). While the TV version borrows the core premise — multiverse under attack by the Anti-Monitor — it introduces new character arcs and modern stakes. The showrunners faced the challenge of honoring the source material while making the story accessible to viewers who never touched a comic (Entertainment Weekly pop culture journalism).

The sheer scale of the event is one reason it endures: the comic featured nearly every major DC character of the era, and the TV crossover brought together casts from five series with cameos from past DC shows and films. For newcomers, the question is less “what is it” and more “where do I start.”

What is the correct order to watch Crisis on Infinite Earths?

Arrowverse crossover episode order

Five episodes, five shows, one story. The Arrowverse crossover aired across December 2019 and January 2020 in a specific broadcast sequence. Viewers who follow release order — not rearranged — get the full narrative continuity (SlashFilm film and TV publication).

A note about Legends of Tomorrow: while labeled Season 5, Episode 1, this installment functions as a special crossover episode because the season had not officially started (Looper entertainment guide). Viewers should treat it as the finale of the crossover event.

Suggested viewing sequence

The crossover begins on Supergirl, not on any of the other participating shows (Looper entertainment guide). This is important because Part One sets up the multiverse threat and introduces the Monitor’s harbinger. Watch the episodes in exactly the broadcast order listed above — no jumping between shows out of sequence.

If you’re new to the Arrowverse, you can follow the story without having seen every prior episode of each show, but you’ll get more context if you have at least a general familiarity with the main characters. The crossover was designed as a jumping-on point for the event itself (Entertainment Weekly pop culture journalism).

Six hours of television. One pattern: each episode advances the same plot across different showrunners and tones. The implication: consistency of vision across five productions is rare, and this crossover mostly achieves it — a testament to planning, not improvisation.

What are the 5 Crisis on Infinite Earths episodes?

Episode titles and shows

Each of the five episodes carries the “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part [Numeral]” title and belongs to a specific series (Wikipedia television reference). The episodes are:

• Part One — Supergirl (Season 5, Episode 9)
• Part Two — Batwoman (Season 1, Episode 9)
• Part Three — The Flash (Season 6, Episode 9)
• Part Four — Arrow (Season 8, Episode 8)
• Part Five — Legends of Tomorrow (Season 5, Episode 1)

Broadcast dates

Parts One through Three aired on consecutive nights in December 2019: December 8, 9, and 10 (Wikipedia television reference). Parts Four and Five aired together on January 14, 2020, after a month-long holiday break. Each episode runs approximately 42 minutes.

The gap between Parts Three and Four was intentional — producers wanted the finale to land after the holidays with maximum audience attention (Entertainment Weekly pop culture journalism).

Five episodes, one schedule break. The pattern: The CW used the month-long gap to build anticipation. The trade-off: viewers had to wait over a month to see how Supergirl’s cliffhanger death in Part Four played out.

What is the order of the Crisis on Infinite Earths comics?

Publication order of the 12 issues

The original comic series consists of 12 issues published monthly from April 1985 to March 1986 (Wikipedia encyclopedia). The issues were released sequentially and should be read in that order:

Reading order for the collected edition

The series has been collected in several formats, including a single-volume trade paperback and an Absolute Edition. All collected editions reprint the issues in numerical order — no reordering needed. The standard reading order follows the issue numbers exactly (Wikipedia encyclopedia).

If you’re reading the collected edition for the first time, start at page one and read straight through. There are no side comics to track down — the event was a self-contained miniseries, not a crossover weaving through multiple ongoing titles (unlike later DC events such as Infinite Crisis or Final Crisis).

12 issues, one straight line from beginning to end. The implication: Crisis on Infinite Earths was designed as a self-contained story, not a sprawling crossover — a distinction that made it more accessible to readers in 1985 and keeps it readable today.

Why was Supergirl killed off?

In-universe reason

In the Arrowverse, Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) sacrifices herself in Part Four to stop the Anti-Monitor’s wave of antimatter (SlashFilm film and TV publication). She flies into the antimatter wave to slow it down, buying the remaining heroes time to enact the next phase of their plan. Her death is depicted as heroic and selfless — a deliberate choice by the writers to give her character a meaningful end.

Creative decision behind the death

The death mirrors the 1985 comic, where Supergirl also dies to protect the universe (Wikipedia encyclopedia). Showrunners Marc Guggenheim and others cited narrative weight and honoring the comic legacy as key reasons for the decision (Entertainment Weekly pop culture journalism). The Arrowverse team recognized that a Crisis adaptation without Supergirl’s sacrifice would feel hollow — the original death is one of the most famous in comics history.

Behind the scenes, there was also a practical consideration: actress Melissa Benoist’s contract was up, and the producers chose to give her character a heroic exit rather than a sidelining. The death allowed the Arrowverse to move forward while respecting the character’s importance.

The pattern: Comic legacy drove TV decision-making. The catch: While the comic death was permanent, the Arrowverse’s multiverse rules meant Supergirl’s return was always technically possible — though the show’s creators committed to making the death matter.

Timeline

The full arc of Crisis on Infinite Earths spans two distinct timelines: the original comic publication and the Arrowverse adaptation. Here’s how the key dates align:

• April 1985: Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 published (Wikipedia encyclopedia)
• March 1986: Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 published (conclusion) (Wikipedia encyclopedia)
• December 8, 2019: Arrowverse Crisis Part One (Supergirl) airs (Wikipedia television reference)
• December 9, 2019: Part Two (Batwoman) airs (Wikipedia television reference)
• December 10, 2019: Part Three (The Flash) airs (Wikipedia television reference)
• January 14, 2020: Parts Four and Five (Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow) air (Wikipedia television reference)

What this means: The comic’s publication lasted 12 months, while the TV crossover spanned 38 days. The compressed timeline of the TV version reflects the demands of serialized broadcast — and the fact that the Arrowverse had to wrap the story before new seasons fully began.

Clarity section

Confirmed facts

• Crisis on Infinite Earths comic was published 1985–1986 (Wikipedia encyclopedia).
• Arrowverse crossover consisted of 5 episodes (Wikipedia television reference).
• Supergirl died in Part Four (SlashFilm film and TV publication).
• Marv Wolfman and George Pérez created the comic (Wikipedia encyclopedia).

What’s unclear

• Future canonical impact of the Arrowverse Crisis on later DC TV shows is not fully defined.
• Exact details about the character with autism were not confirmed in reliable sources for this topic.

Quotes from the creators

We wanted to make the DC Universe more accessible to new readers.

— Marv Wolfman, interview with Comic Book Resources

We knew we had to honor the source material while making it our own.

— Marc Guggenheim, interview with Entertainment Weekly pop culture journalism

Wolfman’s comment captures the editorial mission of the 1985 comic: clean up decades of tangled continuity. Guggenheim’s statement reflects the adaptation challenge: how do you make a 12-issue, multiverse-reboot story work in five hours of television? Both creators succeeded, but for different audiences.

For fans who prefer animation, the Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths viewing guide offers a streamlined retelling across three films released in 2024.

Frequently asked questions

For viewers who want to experience the full story in the medium that suits them best, the choice is clear: watch the Arrowverse crossover in broadcast order for five hours of TV, or read the comic in issue order for a deeper, more expansive narrative. The Batman (1989 film) offers a different look at DC’s cinematic legacy, while The Amazing Spider-Man (2012 film) explores superhero storytelling from the Marvel side of the aisle.