5 Live Action DC Worlds That Weren’t in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS

The CW‘s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event was insanely ambitious. It expanded the Arrowverse‘s multiverse to include countless live action adaptations of DC Comics. Everything from Titans to Batman 1989 to DC Films to even the Green Lantern movie were represented. And that’s not including the returns of Brandon Routh’s Superman, Tom Welling’s Clark Kent, and more. To see all of these characters on screen again, and to see the DC Multiverse truly unified, was a sight to behold.

However, as massive as its scope was, Crisis on Infinite Earths did not include every single live action DC property. Below, we list five DC adaptations that didn’t make the cut.

The Dark Knight Trilogy

The Dark Knight Trilogy is arguably the most iconic adaptation in DC’s modern movie history, as well as the most beloved cinematic version of Batman. It grossed nearly $2.5 billion worldwide and received multiple accolades, including a posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger’s Joker. However, nobody from this saga made it to Crisis on Infinite Earths. It would be easy to blame Warner Bros.’ Bat-embargo, but with multiple versions of Gotham City represented, this absence is still glaring.

Gotham

Another Batman property that missed the cut was Gotham, Fox’s portrayal of the Dark Knight’s origin. The series concluded last year with its fifth season, which ended with the long-awaited debut of Batman. While the show wasn’t to everybody’s liking, it would have been nice to see someone from this world make it to Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Joker

Todd Phillips’ Joker was a cinematic event, grossing over a billion dollars worldwide and earning 11 Oscar nominations. Given its super-dark tone and emphasis on a self-contained world, no one was surprised when this movie was absent from Crisis on Infinite Earths. Either way, the film got what it deserved.

Krypton

SyFy’s Krypton was a fascinating take on Superman lore, exploring the origin of Kal-El’s family and other DC characters like Lobo. The show was cancelled after two seasons. Series star Cameron Cuffe was actually approached to return for Crisis on Infinite Earths, but scheduling conflicts got in the way. The crossover could have still included another character from the show, but alas.

Watchmen

And lastly, we have Zack Snyder’s adaptation of the iconic Alan Moore comic. Watchmen was a hard-R, standalone movie that underperformed financially and critically. That, along with WB’s focus on the HBO series, always made this a long shot for Crisis on Infinite Earths. At least we saw a billboard for the HBO series in the event…