بطولة القتال غير المحدود (بالإنجليزية: Ultimate Fighting Championship) واختصاراً (kisse)، هي شركة لفنون القتال المختلطة (MMA) مركزها في الولايات المتحدة وتعرض العديد من الأحداث القتالية في جميع أنحاء العالم. وهي أكثر شركات فنون القاتل المختلطة نجاحاً مع العديد من المقاتلين المتعاقدين معها. يوجد في اليو إف سي ثمانية أوزان وفقاً لقواعد فنون القتال المختلطة. دانا وايت بمثابة رئيس لليو إف سي، وفرانك ولورنزو فرتيتا يتحكمون في الشركة الأم (Zuffa).
الأحد، 8 ديسمبر 2019
Jacqueline Jossa
Jacqueline Mary Jossa[1] (born 29 October 1992)[2] is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Lauren Branning in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2010 to 2018. In December 2019, she won the nineteenth series of the ITV series I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.
Early life
Jossa was born in Bexley.[3] She trained at D&B Theatre School in Bromley (where she performed the role Jeanie in 'Hair' to great acclaim), followed by the Royal Academy of Music in London.[2] She has one older sister, Katrina and her two older brothers died in infancy.[4] She is also the cousin of former EastEnders actress Megan Jossa.[5]
Career
Jossa was cast in EastEnders in 2010 as Lauren Branning, taking over from Madeline Duggan who played the role from 2006 to 2010.[6] Jossa was "excited" to join the show, saying she has always been a fan.[6] Her first appearance was on 27 September 2010.[7] Jossa also appears in Lauren's internet spin-off series, Lauren's Diaries, with two series in 2010 and 2011.[8]
In 2013 she also appeared as a panellist on the BBC Three comedy panel show Sweat the Small Stuff.[9]
In September 2017, it was revealed that Jossa would be leaving EastEnders after seven years alongside on-screen sister, Lorna Fitzgerald.[10] Their exit was a decision made by the new temporary producer John Yorke. A spokesperson for the soap said, "We can confirm that Jacqueline and Lorna will be leaving EastEnders. They have both been wonderful to work with and we wish them all the best for the future". Jossa's final scenes aired on 16 February 2018.[11]
In November 2019, Jossa was a contestant on the nineteenth series of the 3-week ITV reality TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.[12] Jossa was voted the winner and was crowned the new 'queen of the jungle'.[13]
Personal life
Jossa has been in a relationship with The Only Way is Essex's Dan Osborne since 2013.[14] In August 2014, the couple confirmed that they were expecting their first child together.[15] In February 2015, Jossa gave birth to a daughter, Ella.[16] In June 2015, Jossa and Osborne announced their engagement.[16] On 24 June 2017, Jossa and Osborne married.[17][18] On 15 January 2018, Jossa announced she was expecting her second child with Osborne.[19] On 25 June 2018, Jossa gave birth to a second daughter, Mia
Early life
Jossa was born in Bexley.[3] She trained at D&B Theatre School in Bromley (where she performed the role Jeanie in 'Hair' to great acclaim), followed by the Royal Academy of Music in London.[2] She has one older sister, Katrina and her two older brothers died in infancy.[4] She is also the cousin of former EastEnders actress Megan Jossa.[5]
Career
Jossa was cast in EastEnders in 2010 as Lauren Branning, taking over from Madeline Duggan who played the role from 2006 to 2010.[6] Jossa was "excited" to join the show, saying she has always been a fan.[6] Her first appearance was on 27 September 2010.[7] Jossa also appears in Lauren's internet spin-off series, Lauren's Diaries, with two series in 2010 and 2011.[8]
In 2013 she also appeared as a panellist on the BBC Three comedy panel show Sweat the Small Stuff.[9]
In September 2017, it was revealed that Jossa would be leaving EastEnders after seven years alongside on-screen sister, Lorna Fitzgerald.[10] Their exit was a decision made by the new temporary producer John Yorke. A spokesperson for the soap said, "We can confirm that Jacqueline and Lorna will be leaving EastEnders. They have both been wonderful to work with and we wish them all the best for the future". Jossa's final scenes aired on 16 February 2018.[11]
In November 2019, Jossa was a contestant on the nineteenth series of the 3-week ITV reality TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.[12] Jossa was voted the winner and was crowned the new 'queen of the jungle'.[13]
Personal life
Jossa has been in a relationship with The Only Way is Essex's Dan Osborne since 2013.[14] In August 2014, the couple confirmed that they were expecting their first child together.[15] In February 2015, Jossa gave birth to a daughter, Ella.[16] In June 2015, Jossa and Osborne announced their engagement.[16] On 24 June 2017, Jossa and Osborne married.[17][18] On 15 January 2018, Jossa announced she was expecting her second child with Osborne.[19] On 25 June 2018, Jossa gave birth to a second daughter, Mia
Jumanji The Next Level
Jumanji: The Next Level is an upcoming American fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Kasdan, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg. It is the second sequel to 1995's Jumanji, following 2017's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and the overall fourth installment of the Jumanji franchise. The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser'Darius Blain, and Madison Iseman, reprising their roles from the previous film, alongside newcomers Awkwafina, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito. It is scheduled to be released on December 13, 2019 by Sony Pictures Releasing under its Columbia Pictures label.
Premise
Unknown to his friends, Spencer kept the pieces of the Jumanji video game and one day repaired the system in the basement of his grandfather's house. When Spencer's friends Bethany, Fridge, and Martha arrive, they find Spencer missing and the game running and decide to re-enter Jumanji to save him. Spencer's grandfather Eddie and his friend Milo Walker hear the commotion and inadvertently get sucked into the game too before any of Spencer's friends can select their avatars. With a new quest offered to them by Nigel Billingsley who claims that one of them will not make it out of this adventure alive, the teenaged friends must help Eddie and Milo get used to their in-game avatars, get them to help find Spencer who is in the body of new avatar Ming, and escape Jumanji once again and for all.
Cast
Dwayne Johnson as Dr. Smolder Bravestone: Eddie's avatar (who was previously Spencer's); a strong, confident archaeologist, explorer, and the leader of the team. Zachary Tzegaegbe will portray a young Smolder Bravestone.
Danny DeVito as Eddie Gilpin: Spencer's cranky, but well-meaning grandfather.
Jack Black as Professor Sheldon "Shelly" Oberon: Fridge's new avatar and later Bethany's; a paleontologist, archaeologist, cartographer, and cryptographer.
Ser'Darius Blain as Anthony "Fridge" Johnson: A Brantford High School football jock, who cares more about football than studying. He and Spencer, who were childhood friends, reconciled by the end of the previous film after years of disassociation. His experience as Franklin "Mouse" Finbar in Jumanji helped him learn to rely on others and his brain rather than brawn.
Kevin Hart as Franklin "Mouse" Finbar: Milo's avatar (who was previously Fridge's); a diminutive zoologist, Linguistic and weapons specialist.
Danny Glover as Milo Walker, Eddie's eccentric friend.
Karen Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse: Martha's avatar; a commando with talents in martial arts and is now able to wield nunchucks.
Morgan Turner as Martha Kaply: A shy and cynical intellectual at Brantford High School. She and Spencer started a romantic relationship at the end of Welcome to the Jungle. Her experience as Ruby Roundhouse in Jumanji helped her learn to not be judgemental and to be more confident with herself.
Nick Jonas as Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough: a young aircraft pilot.
Awkwafina as Ming Fleetfoot: a new avatar who specializes in burglary, pickpocketing, and lock-picking.
Alex Wolff as Spencer Gilpin: A nerdy student at Brantford High School, who is Eddie's Grandson, his previous experience as Smolder Bravestone in "Jumanji" helped him cope with anxiety and panphobia and to develop assertiveness. Spencer rebuilt "Jumanji" after Fridge had destroyed it. He then gets sucked into the game for a second time, and his friends, grandfather, and his grandfather's friend follow with a plan to rescue him.
Madison Iseman as Bethany Walker: A pretty, popular, egocentric, teenage girl at Brantford High School. Her first experience as Sheldon Oberon in Jumanji helped her learn to care more about others. In Bethany's next visit to Jumanji, she ends up in the body of a black horse named Cyclone which serves as her avatar.
Rhys Darby as Nigel Billingsley, the players' main in-game NPC (Non-Player Character) guide.
Rory McCann as Jurgen the Brutal: the new villain of Jumanji, a ruthless warlord who killed Smolder Bravestone's parents long ago.
John Ross Bowie as Jurgen's Spokesperson
Colin Hanks as Alex Vreeke: a married man with children, who as a teenage gamer was trapped inside the "Jumanji" video game for many years; until he was rescued and returned to his time period in the previous film. Vreeke survived by taking shelter in a home built by a previous player in the game, named Alan Parrish.
Additionally, Dania Ramirez, Lamorne Morris and Lucy DeVito have been cast in undisclosed roles. Massi Furlan and Ashley Scott will appear as Renaldo and Ashley, respectively, and Bebe Neuwirth will reprise her role as Nora Shepherd from the original film.[3]
Production
Development
After the release of the previous film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Nick Jonas had discussed in interviews what a possible Jumanji sequel would be about, including the possibility of the film exploring the origins of the titular game. Karen Gillan had also said that the alternate ending for Welcome to the Jungle would have left the door open for another movie.[4][5][6][7] In February 2018, it was announced that Kasdan would direct the sequel, with Rosenberg and Pinkner again writing the script and Johnson, Hart, Black, and Gillan reprising their roles.[8]
On February 22, 2019, Black confirmed the new film as being a fourth Jumanji film because of Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005) serving as the second film and sharing continuity with the other films of the series, with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle serving as the third film.[9] In July 2019, the film's title was revealed as Jumanji: The Next Level.[10]
Casting
In January 2019, Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, and Danny Glover joined the film.[11][12] In February 2019, it was announced Alex Wolff, Ser'Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner, and Nick Jonas were announced to reprise their roles.[13][14] In March 2019, Dania Ramirez joined the cast of the film.[15] That same month, it was announced Rhys Darby would reprise his role in the film.[16] In May 2019, it was announced Colin Hanks would reprise his role.[17]
Filming
Filming began on January 21, 2019, and took place in Atlanta, New Mexico, Calgary, Fortress Mountain Resort and Hawaii before wrapping on May 11.[18][19][20] Johnson made a reported $23.5 million for his role.[21]
Music
Henry Jackman is set to create the musical score after having worked on the previous film.
Release
In the United States and Canada, the film is scheduled to be released in on December 13, 2019. The film was released on December 5, 2019 in China, Singapore, Malaysia and several other Asian countries. In the Nordic countries the film premiered in cinemas on December 6, 2019. The film's Australian release date is December 26, 2019.[22]
The first trailer was released on July 1, 2019.[23] A second and final trailer was released on October 31, 2019.
Box office
In the United States and Canada, Jumanji: The Next Level will be released alongside Black Christmas and Richard Jewell, and is projected to gross around $40 million in its opening weekend.
Premise
Unknown to his friends, Spencer kept the pieces of the Jumanji video game and one day repaired the system in the basement of his grandfather's house. When Spencer's friends Bethany, Fridge, and Martha arrive, they find Spencer missing and the game running and decide to re-enter Jumanji to save him. Spencer's grandfather Eddie and his friend Milo Walker hear the commotion and inadvertently get sucked into the game too before any of Spencer's friends can select their avatars. With a new quest offered to them by Nigel Billingsley who claims that one of them will not make it out of this adventure alive, the teenaged friends must help Eddie and Milo get used to their in-game avatars, get them to help find Spencer who is in the body of new avatar Ming, and escape Jumanji once again and for all.
Cast
Dwayne Johnson as Dr. Smolder Bravestone: Eddie's avatar (who was previously Spencer's); a strong, confident archaeologist, explorer, and the leader of the team. Zachary Tzegaegbe will portray a young Smolder Bravestone.
Danny DeVito as Eddie Gilpin: Spencer's cranky, but well-meaning grandfather.
Jack Black as Professor Sheldon "Shelly" Oberon: Fridge's new avatar and later Bethany's; a paleontologist, archaeologist, cartographer, and cryptographer.
Ser'Darius Blain as Anthony "Fridge" Johnson: A Brantford High School football jock, who cares more about football than studying. He and Spencer, who were childhood friends, reconciled by the end of the previous film after years of disassociation. His experience as Franklin "Mouse" Finbar in Jumanji helped him learn to rely on others and his brain rather than brawn.
Kevin Hart as Franklin "Mouse" Finbar: Milo's avatar (who was previously Fridge's); a diminutive zoologist, Linguistic and weapons specialist.
Danny Glover as Milo Walker, Eddie's eccentric friend.
Karen Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse: Martha's avatar; a commando with talents in martial arts and is now able to wield nunchucks.
Morgan Turner as Martha Kaply: A shy and cynical intellectual at Brantford High School. She and Spencer started a romantic relationship at the end of Welcome to the Jungle. Her experience as Ruby Roundhouse in Jumanji helped her learn to not be judgemental and to be more confident with herself.
Nick Jonas as Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough: a young aircraft pilot.
Awkwafina as Ming Fleetfoot: a new avatar who specializes in burglary, pickpocketing, and lock-picking.
Alex Wolff as Spencer Gilpin: A nerdy student at Brantford High School, who is Eddie's Grandson, his previous experience as Smolder Bravestone in "Jumanji" helped him cope with anxiety and panphobia and to develop assertiveness. Spencer rebuilt "Jumanji" after Fridge had destroyed it. He then gets sucked into the game for a second time, and his friends, grandfather, and his grandfather's friend follow with a plan to rescue him.
Madison Iseman as Bethany Walker: A pretty, popular, egocentric, teenage girl at Brantford High School. Her first experience as Sheldon Oberon in Jumanji helped her learn to care more about others. In Bethany's next visit to Jumanji, she ends up in the body of a black horse named Cyclone which serves as her avatar.
Rhys Darby as Nigel Billingsley, the players' main in-game NPC (Non-Player Character) guide.
Rory McCann as Jurgen the Brutal: the new villain of Jumanji, a ruthless warlord who killed Smolder Bravestone's parents long ago.
John Ross Bowie as Jurgen's Spokesperson
Colin Hanks as Alex Vreeke: a married man with children, who as a teenage gamer was trapped inside the "Jumanji" video game for many years; until he was rescued and returned to his time period in the previous film. Vreeke survived by taking shelter in a home built by a previous player in the game, named Alan Parrish.
Additionally, Dania Ramirez, Lamorne Morris and Lucy DeVito have been cast in undisclosed roles. Massi Furlan and Ashley Scott will appear as Renaldo and Ashley, respectively, and Bebe Neuwirth will reprise her role as Nora Shepherd from the original film.[3]
Production
Development
After the release of the previous film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Nick Jonas had discussed in interviews what a possible Jumanji sequel would be about, including the possibility of the film exploring the origins of the titular game. Karen Gillan had also said that the alternate ending for Welcome to the Jungle would have left the door open for another movie.[4][5][6][7] In February 2018, it was announced that Kasdan would direct the sequel, with Rosenberg and Pinkner again writing the script and Johnson, Hart, Black, and Gillan reprising their roles.[8]
On February 22, 2019, Black confirmed the new film as being a fourth Jumanji film because of Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005) serving as the second film and sharing continuity with the other films of the series, with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle serving as the third film.[9] In July 2019, the film's title was revealed as Jumanji: The Next Level.[10]
Casting
In January 2019, Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, and Danny Glover joined the film.[11][12] In February 2019, it was announced Alex Wolff, Ser'Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner, and Nick Jonas were announced to reprise their roles.[13][14] In March 2019, Dania Ramirez joined the cast of the film.[15] That same month, it was announced Rhys Darby would reprise his role in the film.[16] In May 2019, it was announced Colin Hanks would reprise his role.[17]
Filming
Filming began on January 21, 2019, and took place in Atlanta, New Mexico, Calgary, Fortress Mountain Resort and Hawaii before wrapping on May 11.[18][19][20] Johnson made a reported $23.5 million for his role.[21]
Music
Henry Jackman is set to create the musical score after having worked on the previous film.
Release
In the United States and Canada, the film is scheduled to be released in on December 13, 2019. The film was released on December 5, 2019 in China, Singapore, Malaysia and several other Asian countries. In the Nordic countries the film premiered in cinemas on December 6, 2019. The film's Australian release date is December 26, 2019.[22]
The first trailer was released on July 1, 2019.[23] A second and final trailer was released on October 31, 2019.
Box office
In the United States and Canada, Jumanji: The Next Level will be released alongside Black Christmas and Richard Jewell, and is projected to gross around $40 million in its opening weekend.
Rene Auberjonois
René Murat Auberjonois (/rəˈneɪ oʊˌbɛərʒənˈwɑː/;[1] June 1, 1940 – December 8, 2019) was an American actor and singer.[2]
In films, Auberjonois portrayed Father Mulcahy in MASH (1970), the expedition scientist Roy Bagley in King Kong (1976), and Chef Louis in The Little Mermaid (1989), in which he sang "Les Poissons". In the American animated musical comedy film Cats Don't Dance (1997), Auberjonois lent his voice as Flanagan, the human film director of "Li'l Ark Angel".
In various long-running television series, Auberjonois portrayed a number of characters, including: Clayton Endicott III on Benson (for which he was an Emmy Award nominee), Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Paul Lewiston on Boston Legal.
He also branched out into voice acting for video games, having appeared in a number of popular video games. He portrayed the Greek mythological figure Talos in the first God of War (2005) game, the enigmatic Mr. House in Fallout: New Vegas (2010), Karl Schafer in the Uncharted video game series, and Odo in Star Trek Online.
Early life
Auberjonois was born in New York City. His father, Swiss-born Fernand Auberjonois (1910–2004), was a Cold War-era foreign correspondent and Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer. His paternal grandfather, also named René Auberjonois, was a Swiss post-Impressionist painter. His mother, Princess Laure Louise Napoléone Eugénie Caroline Murat (1913–1986), was a great-great granddaughter of Joachim Murat, one of Napoleon's marshals and King of Naples during the First French Empire, and his wife, Caroline Bonaparte, Napoleon's youngest sister.
Auberjonois wrote that his French family name, an uncommon one in the U.S., means "armorer", or one who makes armor.[3]
His maternal grandmother, Hélène Macdonald Stallo (1893–1932), was an American, from Cincinnati, Ohio; his maternal grandfather's mother was a Russian noblewoman, Eudoxia Michailovna Somova (1850–1924), and his maternal grandfather's paternal grandmother, Caroline Georgina Fraser (1810–1879), who was married to Prince Napoleon Lucien Charles Murat, was an American, from Charleston, South Carolina.[2]
Auberjonois had a sister and a brother, and two half-sisters from his mother's first marriage.[4] His family moved to Paris, France, after World War II, where at an early age he decided to become an actor.[2]
After a few years in France, the family moved back to the United States and joined the South Mountain Road artists' colony in Rockland County, New York, whose residents included Burgess Meredith, John Houseman, and Lotte Lenya.[5] The Auberjonois family also lived in London, United Kingdom,[6] where Auberjonois completed high school while studying theatre. To complete his education, he attended and graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in 1962.[7]
Career
Theatre
After college, Auberjonois worked with several different theatre companies, beginning at the prestigious Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and then he traveled between Los Angeles, California, and New York, working in numerous theatre productions. He helped found the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music Repertory Company in New York. He was a member of the Peninsula Players summer theater program during the 1962 season.[8]
In 1968, Auberjonois landed a role on Broadway, and appeared in three plays simultaneously: as Fool to Lee J. Cobb's King Lear (the longest running production of the play in Broadway history), as Ned in A Cry of Players (opposite Frank Langella), and as Marco in Fire! In 1969, he earned a Tony Award for his performance as Sebastian Baye alongside Katharine Hepburn in Coco.[9]
He received Tony nominations for his roles in Neil Simon's The Good Doctor (1973) opposite Christopher Plummer; as the Duke in Big River (1984), winning a Drama Desk Award; and, memorably, as Buddy Fidler/Irwin S. Irving in City of Angels (1989), written by Larry Gelbart and Cy Coleman.[9]
Other Broadway appearances included Malvolio in Twelfth Night (1972); Scapin in Tricks (1973); Mr. Samsa in Metamorphosis (1989); Professor Abronsius in Dance of the Vampires (musical), the English-language version of Jim Steinman's musical adaptation of Tanz der Vampire; and Jethro Crouch in Sly Fox (2004), for which he was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award.[citation needed]
Auberjonois appeared many times at the Mark Taper Forum, notably as Malvolio in Twelfth Night and as Stanislavski in Chekhov in Yalta. As a member of the Second Drama Quartet[10], he toured with Ed Asner, Dianne Wiest, and Harris Yulin. He appeared in the Tom Stoppard and André Previn work, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.[citation needed]
Auberjonois directed many theatrical productions, and starred in the Washington D.C. production of 12 Angry Men (2004), where he portrayed "Juror #5" to Roy Scheider's "#8" and Robert Prosky's "#3". He made his debut at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., as the titular character in Molière's The Imaginary Invalid through July 27, 2008.
Auberjonois was on the advisory board of Sci-Fest, the first annual Los Angeles Science Fiction One-Act Play Festival, held in May 2014.[11]
In 2018, Auberjonois was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.[12]
Films
Auberjonois played Father Mulcahy in the original film version of MASH. His subsequent film roles included the gangster Tony in Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach (1988), and Reverend Oliver in The Patriot (2000). He made cameo appearances in a number of films, including: Dr. Burton, a mental asylum doctor patterned after Tim Burton, in Batman Forever (1995), and a bird expert who gradually transforms into a bird in Robert Altman's 1970 film Brewster McCloud. He appeared as Colonel West in the 1991 Star Trek film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Other notable film appearances have included: McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Images (1972), Pete 'n' Tillie (1972), The Hindenburg (1975), King Kong (1976), The Big Bus (1976), Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), Where The Buffalo Roam (1980), Walker (1987), My Best Friend Is a Vampire (1988), The Feud (1989), Inspector Gadget (1999), and Eulogy (2004).
Auberjonois portrayed the character of Straight Hollander in the 1993 Miramax film The Ballad of Little Jo. He voiced Professor Genius in Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, Louis the Chef in the 1st and 2nd Little Mermaid films, Flanagan in Cats Don't Dance, the Butler in Joseph: King of Dreams, and the concierge in Planes: Fire & Rescue.
Television
In addition to having been a regular actor on three TV shows (Benson, a situation comedy; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in science fiction; and Boston Legal, a legal dramedy), Auberjonois guest starred on many television series, including: Ellery Queen, Family, Grey's Anatomy, The Rockford Files, Charlie's Angels, Starsky & Hutch, Wonder Woman, Harry O, The Jeffersons, The Outer Limits, Night Gallery, Hart to Hart, Matlock, Murder, She Wrote, The Bionic Woman, Frasier, Judging Amy, Chicago Hope, The Bob Newhart Show, Star Trek: Enterprise, Stargate SG-1, Warehouse 13, Archer, L.A. Law, The Practice (for which he received an Emmy nomination, playing a different character than the one he played on The Practice spinoff Boston Legal), Saving Grace, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Criminal Minds, NCIS, The Good Wife, The Librarians, and Madam Secretary.
His television movie credits include The Rhinemann Exchange, The Dark Secret of Harvest Home, Disney's Geppetto, Gore Vidal's Billy The Kid, the remake of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and the Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (2000) miniseries. He portrayed the character, Fortunato, in an episode of American Masters entitled "Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul" (1995). He received a third Emmy Award nomination for his performance in ABC's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. He played NASA scientist, Dr. Felix Blackwell, in the episode "Phoenix" on NCIS.
Auberjonois voiced animated roles, including characters on Snorks, Batman: The Animated Series, Leonard McLeish on Pound Puppies (2010), Avatar the Last Airbender, Master Fung in the first episodes of Xiaolin Showdown (before being replaced by Maurice LaMarche), Azmuth on Ben 10 Omniverse, Renard Dumont on The Legend of Tarzan, Justice League Unlimited, Max Steel, Fantastic Max, Challenge of the Gobots (as the treacherous "Dr. Braxis"), Archer, Young Justice, Random! Cartoons, and Avengers Assemble. He lent his voice talents to the 2001 Public Broadcasting System (PBS) American Experience documentary, "Woodrow Wilson", as the title character, along with the 2003 PBS historical documentary Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites.
Auberjonois directed TV shows, including Marblehead Manor, and various episodes of Deep Space Nine.
Voice acting
Auberjonois was active in radio drama. He read "The Stunt" by Mordechai Strigler for the NPR series Jewish Stories From the Old World to the New, and he recorded novels on tape. On PRI, he was featured numerous times on Selected Shorts, reading works of dramatic fiction. His voice was heard in Disney's The Little Mermaid (receiving alphabetical top billing as Chef Louis and singing "Les Poissons"), and as The Skull in The Last Unicorn.
He did voice work on the Challenge of the GoBots series in 1980s as Dr. Braxis, He was the voice of Peter Parker on the 1972 Buddah Records Spider-Man LP "From Beyond the Grave" (BDS 5119), a radio-style narrative replete with sound effects and rock and roll song interludes provided by "The Webspinners", in which the characters of The Vulture, The Lizard, The Green Goblin, The Kingpin, Aunt May and Doctor Strange appeared.
In 1984-85, he lent his voice to Desaad, an associate of the villainous Darkseid on the animated series Super Friends. From 1986-87, he voiced Alvinar in the cartoons series Wildfire. He also provided the voice of Professor Genius in Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland.
He provided the voice for Janos Audron, an ancient vampire in the Legacy of Kain video game series; he was in Soul Reaver 2, Blood Omen 2, and Legacy of Kain: Defiance. He provided the voice of Angler in the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End video game. He voice-played General Zod in the Joseph Ruby-Kenneth Spears animated Superman series episode titled "The Hunter".
Auberjonois provided minor character voices for Justice League, reprising his role as Desaad, and parts such as 2003's "In Blackest Night", as Kanjar-Ro, a pirate testifying in the trial of the Green Lantern, and as a fellow member of the Green Lantern Corps in other episodes.
In 2003, he provided the voice of Katori in the English dubbed version of semi-sequel to the Hayao Miyazaki film Whisper of the Heart, The Cat Returns. He reprised an animated version of his character Odo from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in a cutaway joke in Family Guy's Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story. The cutaway featured a more humanoid-faced Odo threatening Stewie's alleged cousin Quark Griffin. Auberjonois also lent his voice to Skylanders: SuperChargers.[13]
In 2011, he voiced villain Mark Desmond in Cartoon Network's Young Justice, is the voice of Leonard Mcleish in the Pound Puppies series, and was the voice of Pepé Le Pew in the Looney Tunes Show in 2011, Azmuth in Ben 10 Omniverse, and Ebony Maw in Avengers Assemble.[14]
Video games
One of Auberjonois's earliest forays into video game voice acting was the role of Janos Audron in Soul Reaver 2; he continued to voice the character in subsequent releases in the Legacy of Kain series. According to a behind-the-scenes featurette in Soul Reaver 2, showing candid discussions among the voice actors during recording, he was surprised at the quality of the writing, asking, "This is for a video game?!" when the purpose of the recordings was brought to light.
Auberjonois provided the voice of Karl Schäfer, the honourable German explorer in the video game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Mr. House, the reclusive New Vegas casino owner in the 2010 video game Fallout: New Vegas. He also voices Dr. Ignatio Mobius in Command and Conquer: Renegade. He reprised his role as Odo in the game Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen. In June, 2018 he reprised his role as Odo in the MMORPG game Star Trek Online.[15]
Book narrations
Auberjonois's other voice talents also included book narrations.
The Pendergast novels
The Cabinet of Curiosities (2002)
Still Life with Crows (2003)
Diogenes Trilogy
Brimstone (2004)
Dance of Death (2005)
The Book of the Dead (2006)
The Wheel of Darkness (2007)
Cemetery Dance (2009)
Helen Trilogy
Fever Dream (2010)
Cold Vengeance (2011)
Two Graves (2012)
In films, Auberjonois portrayed Father Mulcahy in MASH (1970), the expedition scientist Roy Bagley in King Kong (1976), and Chef Louis in The Little Mermaid (1989), in which he sang "Les Poissons". In the American animated musical comedy film Cats Don't Dance (1997), Auberjonois lent his voice as Flanagan, the human film director of "Li'l Ark Angel".
In various long-running television series, Auberjonois portrayed a number of characters, including: Clayton Endicott III on Benson (for which he was an Emmy Award nominee), Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Paul Lewiston on Boston Legal.
He also branched out into voice acting for video games, having appeared in a number of popular video games. He portrayed the Greek mythological figure Talos in the first God of War (2005) game, the enigmatic Mr. House in Fallout: New Vegas (2010), Karl Schafer in the Uncharted video game series, and Odo in Star Trek Online.
Early life
Auberjonois was born in New York City. His father, Swiss-born Fernand Auberjonois (1910–2004), was a Cold War-era foreign correspondent and Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer. His paternal grandfather, also named René Auberjonois, was a Swiss post-Impressionist painter. His mother, Princess Laure Louise Napoléone Eugénie Caroline Murat (1913–1986), was a great-great granddaughter of Joachim Murat, one of Napoleon's marshals and King of Naples during the First French Empire, and his wife, Caroline Bonaparte, Napoleon's youngest sister.
Auberjonois wrote that his French family name, an uncommon one in the U.S., means "armorer", or one who makes armor.[3]
His maternal grandmother, Hélène Macdonald Stallo (1893–1932), was an American, from Cincinnati, Ohio; his maternal grandfather's mother was a Russian noblewoman, Eudoxia Michailovna Somova (1850–1924), and his maternal grandfather's paternal grandmother, Caroline Georgina Fraser (1810–1879), who was married to Prince Napoleon Lucien Charles Murat, was an American, from Charleston, South Carolina.[2]
Auberjonois had a sister and a brother, and two half-sisters from his mother's first marriage.[4] His family moved to Paris, France, after World War II, where at an early age he decided to become an actor.[2]
After a few years in France, the family moved back to the United States and joined the South Mountain Road artists' colony in Rockland County, New York, whose residents included Burgess Meredith, John Houseman, and Lotte Lenya.[5] The Auberjonois family also lived in London, United Kingdom,[6] where Auberjonois completed high school while studying theatre. To complete his education, he attended and graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in 1962.[7]
Career
Theatre
After college, Auberjonois worked with several different theatre companies, beginning at the prestigious Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and then he traveled between Los Angeles, California, and New York, working in numerous theatre productions. He helped found the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music Repertory Company in New York. He was a member of the Peninsula Players summer theater program during the 1962 season.[8]
In 1968, Auberjonois landed a role on Broadway, and appeared in three plays simultaneously: as Fool to Lee J. Cobb's King Lear (the longest running production of the play in Broadway history), as Ned in A Cry of Players (opposite Frank Langella), and as Marco in Fire! In 1969, he earned a Tony Award for his performance as Sebastian Baye alongside Katharine Hepburn in Coco.[9]
He received Tony nominations for his roles in Neil Simon's The Good Doctor (1973) opposite Christopher Plummer; as the Duke in Big River (1984), winning a Drama Desk Award; and, memorably, as Buddy Fidler/Irwin S. Irving in City of Angels (1989), written by Larry Gelbart and Cy Coleman.[9]
Other Broadway appearances included Malvolio in Twelfth Night (1972); Scapin in Tricks (1973); Mr. Samsa in Metamorphosis (1989); Professor Abronsius in Dance of the Vampires (musical), the English-language version of Jim Steinman's musical adaptation of Tanz der Vampire; and Jethro Crouch in Sly Fox (2004), for which he was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award.[citation needed]
Auberjonois appeared many times at the Mark Taper Forum, notably as Malvolio in Twelfth Night and as Stanislavski in Chekhov in Yalta. As a member of the Second Drama Quartet[10], he toured with Ed Asner, Dianne Wiest, and Harris Yulin. He appeared in the Tom Stoppard and André Previn work, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.[citation needed]
Auberjonois directed many theatrical productions, and starred in the Washington D.C. production of 12 Angry Men (2004), where he portrayed "Juror #5" to Roy Scheider's "#8" and Robert Prosky's "#3". He made his debut at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., as the titular character in Molière's The Imaginary Invalid through July 27, 2008.
Auberjonois was on the advisory board of Sci-Fest, the first annual Los Angeles Science Fiction One-Act Play Festival, held in May 2014.[11]
In 2018, Auberjonois was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.[12]
Films
Auberjonois played Father Mulcahy in the original film version of MASH. His subsequent film roles included the gangster Tony in Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach (1988), and Reverend Oliver in The Patriot (2000). He made cameo appearances in a number of films, including: Dr. Burton, a mental asylum doctor patterned after Tim Burton, in Batman Forever (1995), and a bird expert who gradually transforms into a bird in Robert Altman's 1970 film Brewster McCloud. He appeared as Colonel West in the 1991 Star Trek film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Other notable film appearances have included: McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Images (1972), Pete 'n' Tillie (1972), The Hindenburg (1975), King Kong (1976), The Big Bus (1976), Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), Where The Buffalo Roam (1980), Walker (1987), My Best Friend Is a Vampire (1988), The Feud (1989), Inspector Gadget (1999), and Eulogy (2004).
Auberjonois portrayed the character of Straight Hollander in the 1993 Miramax film The Ballad of Little Jo. He voiced Professor Genius in Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, Louis the Chef in the 1st and 2nd Little Mermaid films, Flanagan in Cats Don't Dance, the Butler in Joseph: King of Dreams, and the concierge in Planes: Fire & Rescue.
Television
In addition to having been a regular actor on three TV shows (Benson, a situation comedy; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in science fiction; and Boston Legal, a legal dramedy), Auberjonois guest starred on many television series, including: Ellery Queen, Family, Grey's Anatomy, The Rockford Files, Charlie's Angels, Starsky & Hutch, Wonder Woman, Harry O, The Jeffersons, The Outer Limits, Night Gallery, Hart to Hart, Matlock, Murder, She Wrote, The Bionic Woman, Frasier, Judging Amy, Chicago Hope, The Bob Newhart Show, Star Trek: Enterprise, Stargate SG-1, Warehouse 13, Archer, L.A. Law, The Practice (for which he received an Emmy nomination, playing a different character than the one he played on The Practice spinoff Boston Legal), Saving Grace, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Criminal Minds, NCIS, The Good Wife, The Librarians, and Madam Secretary.
His television movie credits include The Rhinemann Exchange, The Dark Secret of Harvest Home, Disney's Geppetto, Gore Vidal's Billy The Kid, the remake of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and the Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (2000) miniseries. He portrayed the character, Fortunato, in an episode of American Masters entitled "Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul" (1995). He received a third Emmy Award nomination for his performance in ABC's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. He played NASA scientist, Dr. Felix Blackwell, in the episode "Phoenix" on NCIS.
Auberjonois voiced animated roles, including characters on Snorks, Batman: The Animated Series, Leonard McLeish on Pound Puppies (2010), Avatar the Last Airbender, Master Fung in the first episodes of Xiaolin Showdown (before being replaced by Maurice LaMarche), Azmuth on Ben 10 Omniverse, Renard Dumont on The Legend of Tarzan, Justice League Unlimited, Max Steel, Fantastic Max, Challenge of the Gobots (as the treacherous "Dr. Braxis"), Archer, Young Justice, Random! Cartoons, and Avengers Assemble. He lent his voice talents to the 2001 Public Broadcasting System (PBS) American Experience documentary, "Woodrow Wilson", as the title character, along with the 2003 PBS historical documentary Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites.
Auberjonois directed TV shows, including Marblehead Manor, and various episodes of Deep Space Nine.
Voice acting
Auberjonois was active in radio drama. He read "The Stunt" by Mordechai Strigler for the NPR series Jewish Stories From the Old World to the New, and he recorded novels on tape. On PRI, he was featured numerous times on Selected Shorts, reading works of dramatic fiction. His voice was heard in Disney's The Little Mermaid (receiving alphabetical top billing as Chef Louis and singing "Les Poissons"), and as The Skull in The Last Unicorn.
He did voice work on the Challenge of the GoBots series in 1980s as Dr. Braxis, He was the voice of Peter Parker on the 1972 Buddah Records Spider-Man LP "From Beyond the Grave" (BDS 5119), a radio-style narrative replete with sound effects and rock and roll song interludes provided by "The Webspinners", in which the characters of The Vulture, The Lizard, The Green Goblin, The Kingpin, Aunt May and Doctor Strange appeared.
In 1984-85, he lent his voice to Desaad, an associate of the villainous Darkseid on the animated series Super Friends. From 1986-87, he voiced Alvinar in the cartoons series Wildfire. He also provided the voice of Professor Genius in Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland.
He provided the voice for Janos Audron, an ancient vampire in the Legacy of Kain video game series; he was in Soul Reaver 2, Blood Omen 2, and Legacy of Kain: Defiance. He provided the voice of Angler in the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End video game. He voice-played General Zod in the Joseph Ruby-Kenneth Spears animated Superman series episode titled "The Hunter".
Auberjonois provided minor character voices for Justice League, reprising his role as Desaad, and parts such as 2003's "In Blackest Night", as Kanjar-Ro, a pirate testifying in the trial of the Green Lantern, and as a fellow member of the Green Lantern Corps in other episodes.
In 2003, he provided the voice of Katori in the English dubbed version of semi-sequel to the Hayao Miyazaki film Whisper of the Heart, The Cat Returns. He reprised an animated version of his character Odo from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in a cutaway joke in Family Guy's Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story. The cutaway featured a more humanoid-faced Odo threatening Stewie's alleged cousin Quark Griffin. Auberjonois also lent his voice to Skylanders: SuperChargers.[13]
In 2011, he voiced villain Mark Desmond in Cartoon Network's Young Justice, is the voice of Leonard Mcleish in the Pound Puppies series, and was the voice of Pepé Le Pew in the Looney Tunes Show in 2011, Azmuth in Ben 10 Omniverse, and Ebony Maw in Avengers Assemble.[14]
Video games
One of Auberjonois's earliest forays into video game voice acting was the role of Janos Audron in Soul Reaver 2; he continued to voice the character in subsequent releases in the Legacy of Kain series. According to a behind-the-scenes featurette in Soul Reaver 2, showing candid discussions among the voice actors during recording, he was surprised at the quality of the writing, asking, "This is for a video game?!" when the purpose of the recordings was brought to light.
Auberjonois provided the voice of Karl Schäfer, the honourable German explorer in the video game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Mr. House, the reclusive New Vegas casino owner in the 2010 video game Fallout: New Vegas. He also voices Dr. Ignatio Mobius in Command and Conquer: Renegade. He reprised his role as Odo in the game Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen. In June, 2018 he reprised his role as Odo in the MMORPG game Star Trek Online.[15]
Book narrations
Auberjonois's other voice talents also included book narrations.
The Pendergast novels
The Cabinet of Curiosities (2002)
Still Life with Crows (2003)
Diogenes Trilogy
Brimstone (2004)
Dance of Death (2005)
The Book of the Dead (2006)
The Wheel of Darkness (2007)
Cemetery Dance (2009)
Helen Trilogy
Fever Dream (2010)
Cold Vengeance (2011)
Two Graves (2012)
Delhi fire
On 8 December 2019, a fire occurred at a factory building in Anaj Mandi area of Delhi, India. At least 43 people died and over 50 were injured.[1][2] The fire services received a call for help around 5:22 a.m. IST. Thirty-five fire engines reached the spot and doused the fire.[3] An estimated 150 firemen were involved in the incident and were able to rescue 63 people.The first responders of the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) reached the location within five minutes, but their entry to the building was prevented by the intensity of the fire and blockages to the entry points. Gas cutters had to be employed to remove the iron grills. Around 150 fire fighters helped in the rescue operation and were able to save 63 people. A team of National Disaster Response Force was deployed to assist the fire department in the rescue work.
The fire started in a workshop that produced bags.[3] According to the police, most of the people who died were labourers who had been sleeping inside the factory. Doctors stated that the deaths were due to asphyxiation caused by smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire is being investigated. A preliminary investigation and eye witness claims have blamed an electrical short circuit.
The factory was operating in a residential area. According to the local fire chief the building lacked a proper fire licence, and its use as a factory was illegal. The Delhi police Crime Branch is investigating the case, and the owner of the building and his manager were arrested the day of the fire. Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of Delhi, announced a compensation of ₹10 lakhs for the dead and ₹1 lakh for the injured.
Fire
According to reports, the fire occurred at the 600 square feet (56 m2) plot of a luggage bag factory in Anaj Mandi area of Delhi in early morning of 8 December 2019.[2][3] Total 59 people were inside the factory when incident took place.[4] BBC reported that at least 100 people were sleeping inside the factory out of which more than 60 were rescued.[5] According to The Hindu report, the fire started in the second floor of the building and quickly spread to the third and fourth floor where the workers had been sleeping.[5] The residents of the first two floor were able to escape but those on the third and the fourth floor were trapped, since the fire blocked their exit and the windows had iron grills over them.[6]
Rescue
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received a call for help around 5:22 a.m. IST.[2] According to the first responders of the DFS, they had reached the location within five minutes, but their entry to the building was prevented by the intensity of the fire.[6] Total thirty five fire engines reached the spot and doused the fire.[3][2]
A firefighter stated that the entry from the terrace was blocked by the locked doors, and windows had iron grills. Gas cutters were employed to remove the grills.[6] The lane leading to the main entrance was congested and could only allow the entry of one fire engine at a time. A second staircase of the building was blocked with stacks of raw materials for the factory.[6]
Around 150 firefighters helped in the rescue operation and rescued 63 people.[1]
A team of National Disaster Response Force was deployed to assist the fire department in the rescue work. NDRF team had searched the factory for any remaining trapped victims,[7] and swept the area with gas detectors. [8] According to the NDRF Deputy Commander, the third and fourth floors were filled with smoke and the hazardous Carbon Monoxide (CO) levels were found to be very high.[9]
Victims
India today reported that 43 people died while more than 50 were injured. Two fire fighters were also injured in the incident.[1] According to fire and police officials, the injured were shifted to Lady Hardinge Hospital, RML Hospital, LNJP and Hindu Rao Hospital.[3][4][4]
LNJP Hospital official stated that thirty-four people were brought dead with smoke inhalation being the primary cause of the death. Some of the bodies were charred. He added that among the fifteen injured, nine were under observation.[4]
According to the police, among the dead most were labourers who were sleeping inside the factory and died due to asphyxiation.[3][10]
Investigation
The cause of the fire is still unknown and being investigated. According to the eye witness claims and the preliminary investigation conducted by the Police, electrical short circuit was stated as the possible cause of the fire.[5] A Police official added that storage of large amount of plastic in the premises led to smoke after the fire started. The smoke caused asphyxiation and death among the residents.[3]
The luggage bag factory was operating in a residential area.[3] According to the local fire chief the building lacked a proper fire licence and its use as a factory was illegal.[5][1] The Delhi Police filed a case against the two owners of the factory and assigned to Crime Branch for investigation.[11] The owner of the building and his manager were arrested on the same day under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter).[12]
Aftermath
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi tweeted about the incident calling it extremely horrific.[3][4]
Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of Delhi, reached on site to make overall assessment.[4] The government of Delhi ordered the investigation and report within seven days.[2] A compensation of ₹10 lakh (US$14,000) for the dead and ₹1 lakh (US$1,400) for the injured was announced by the government of Delhi.[3]
Rajesh Shukla, a firefighter, was praised by the Delhi Home Minister Satyendra Jain for rescuing 11 people. Shukla was an early responder and did not wait for backup to arrive. He was injured and was admitted to LNJP Hospital for treatment.
The fire started in a workshop that produced bags.[3] According to the police, most of the people who died were labourers who had been sleeping inside the factory. Doctors stated that the deaths were due to asphyxiation caused by smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire is being investigated. A preliminary investigation and eye witness claims have blamed an electrical short circuit.
The factory was operating in a residential area. According to the local fire chief the building lacked a proper fire licence, and its use as a factory was illegal. The Delhi police Crime Branch is investigating the case, and the owner of the building and his manager were arrested the day of the fire. Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of Delhi, announced a compensation of ₹10 lakhs for the dead and ₹1 lakh for the injured.
Fire
According to reports, the fire occurred at the 600 square feet (56 m2) plot of a luggage bag factory in Anaj Mandi area of Delhi in early morning of 8 December 2019.[2][3] Total 59 people were inside the factory when incident took place.[4] BBC reported that at least 100 people were sleeping inside the factory out of which more than 60 were rescued.[5] According to The Hindu report, the fire started in the second floor of the building and quickly spread to the third and fourth floor where the workers had been sleeping.[5] The residents of the first two floor were able to escape but those on the third and the fourth floor were trapped, since the fire blocked their exit and the windows had iron grills over them.[6]
Rescue
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received a call for help around 5:22 a.m. IST.[2] According to the first responders of the DFS, they had reached the location within five minutes, but their entry to the building was prevented by the intensity of the fire.[6] Total thirty five fire engines reached the spot and doused the fire.[3][2]
A firefighter stated that the entry from the terrace was blocked by the locked doors, and windows had iron grills. Gas cutters were employed to remove the grills.[6] The lane leading to the main entrance was congested and could only allow the entry of one fire engine at a time. A second staircase of the building was blocked with stacks of raw materials for the factory.[6]
Around 150 firefighters helped in the rescue operation and rescued 63 people.[1]
A team of National Disaster Response Force was deployed to assist the fire department in the rescue work. NDRF team had searched the factory for any remaining trapped victims,[7] and swept the area with gas detectors. [8] According to the NDRF Deputy Commander, the third and fourth floors were filled with smoke and the hazardous Carbon Monoxide (CO) levels were found to be very high.[9]
Victims
India today reported that 43 people died while more than 50 were injured. Two fire fighters were also injured in the incident.[1] According to fire and police officials, the injured were shifted to Lady Hardinge Hospital, RML Hospital, LNJP and Hindu Rao Hospital.[3][4][4]
LNJP Hospital official stated that thirty-four people were brought dead with smoke inhalation being the primary cause of the death. Some of the bodies were charred. He added that among the fifteen injured, nine were under observation.[4]
According to the police, among the dead most were labourers who were sleeping inside the factory and died due to asphyxiation.[3][10]
Investigation
The cause of the fire is still unknown and being investigated. According to the eye witness claims and the preliminary investigation conducted by the Police, electrical short circuit was stated as the possible cause of the fire.[5] A Police official added that storage of large amount of plastic in the premises led to smoke after the fire started. The smoke caused asphyxiation and death among the residents.[3]
The luggage bag factory was operating in a residential area.[3] According to the local fire chief the building lacked a proper fire licence and its use as a factory was illegal.[5][1] The Delhi Police filed a case against the two owners of the factory and assigned to Crime Branch for investigation.[11] The owner of the building and his manager were arrested on the same day under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter).[12]
Aftermath
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi tweeted about the incident calling it extremely horrific.[3][4]
Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of Delhi, reached on site to make overall assessment.[4] The government of Delhi ordered the investigation and report within seven days.[2] A compensation of ₹10 lakh (US$14,000) for the dead and ₹1 lakh (US$1,400) for the injured was announced by the government of Delhi.[3]
Rajesh Shukla, a firefighter, was praised by the Delhi Home Minister Satyendra Jain for rescuing 11 people. Shukla was an early responder and did not wait for backup to arrive. He was injured and was admitted to LNJP Hospital for treatment.
Wonder Woman 1984
Wonder Woman 1984 is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Wonder Woman, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is a sequel to 2017's Wonder Woman and is the ninth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is directed by Patty Jenkins, from the script she wrote with Geoff Johns and David Callaham, from the story written by Johns and Jenkins. It stars Gal Gadot in the title role, with Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, and Connie Nielsen in supporting roles. It is the fourth live-action theatrical film featuring the title character, following Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Wonder Woman and Justice League (2017); it will be the second full-length feature film centered around the character.
Discussion of a sequel began shortly after the release of the first film in June 2017, and the decision to proceed was confirmed the following month. Principal photography began on June 13, 2018 – with filming taking place at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England, as well as the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia in the United States, London and Duxford in England, Tenerife and Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, and Almería in Andalusia, Spain – and finished on December 22, 2018, after a six-month shoot. Additional filming took place in July 2019.
Wonder Woman 1984 is scheduled to be released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, IMAX and IMAX 3D on June 5, 2020.
Premise
In 1984, Diana Prince comes into conflict with two formidable foes: Maxwell Lord and the Cheetah.[2][3]
Cast
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman: An immortal demigoddess, Amazon princess, and warrior. Diana is the daughter of Hippolyta the Amazonian Queen of Themyscira, and the King of the Olympian Gods, Zeus.[4]
Chris Pine as Steve Trevor: An American pilot, and the love interest of Diana, who had presumably died during the events of the first film.[5]
Kristen Wiig as Barbara Ann Minerva / Cheetah: An archaeologist who befriends Diana, before becoming imbued with Cheetah-like abilities.[6][3][7]
Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord: A business man and entrepreneur who is famous for TV infomercials.[8][9]
Robin Wright as Antiope: Hippolyta's deceased sister, general of the Amazon army, and Diana's aunt. She will appear in flashbacks.[10]
Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta: The queen of Themyscira and Diana's mother.[10]
Additionally, Natasha Rothwell, Ravi Patel, Gabriella Wilde, Kristoffer Polaha and Amr Waked have been cast in undisclosed roles.[11][12][13][14]
Production
Development
Gal Gadot, who had originally signed for three feature films with Wonder Woman being her second, had extended her contract beyond that.[4] The director of the first film, Patty Jenkins, who was initially signed for only one film, had expressed interest in returning to direct the sequel.[15][16] In June 2017, during an interview with Variety, comic book writer Geoff Johns revealed that he and Jenkins had started writing the treatment for a Wonder Woman sequel and that he had a "cool idea for the second one".[17][18] While speaking in a Q&A at Women in Film screening of the film, Jenkins confirmed she would indeed direct the sequel.[19] However, Jenkins later tweeted that "it wasn't a confirmation. Just talking about ideas and hopes".[20]
On July 22, 2017, at San Diego Comic-Con, the studio officially announced a sequel would be produced, with Jenkins returning as director; its title was listed as Wonder Woman 2.[21][22] In September 2017, it was officially confirmed that Jenkins would be directing the sequel.[23] On September 13, 2017, it was reported that The Expendables' writer David Callaham would join the film to write the script along with Jenkins and Johns, who were already working on it for several months.[24] On February 28, 2018, it was reported that the film would be shot with IMAX film cameras in select action sequences.[25] By late May 2018, long-time DCEU producer Zack Snyder confirmed on social media platform Vero that he, along with his wife Deborah Snyder, would serve as producers on the Wonder Woman sequel.[26] On June 13, 2018, the title of the film was announced to be Wonder Woman 1984.[5] A source close to Jenkins described it as a stand-alone film "in the same way that Indiana Jones or [James] Bond films are, instead of one continuous story that requires many installments."[27]
Pre-production
Pre-production officially began by early December 2017 in the United Kingdom.[28] That same month, director Patty Jenkins stated that the film would be another great love story.[29] In April 2018, the film was confirmed to be set in the 1980s.[30] The next month, production designer Aline Bonetto (Amélie, Wonder Woman) was announced to be returning for the sequel, as well as Academy Award winner Lindy Hemming, also returning as costume designer.[31]
Casting
In September 2017, Gal Gadot was confirmed to return as the title character.[32] On February 28, 2018, it was reported that Kristen Wiig was in talks with the studio to play Cheetah, the main villain of the film,[6] with director Patty Jenkins confirming her casting the next month.[3] By March 28, Pedro Pascal, who played Ed Indelicato in the pilot of the canceled 2011 Wonder Woman television adaptation, was cast in an undisclosed key role, later revealed to be Maxwell Lord.[8][33] On June 13, Jenkins confirmed the addition of Chris Pine as Steve Trevor through Twitter.[34] On July 24, 2018, Natasha Rothwell was announced to be cast in an undisclosed role.[11] A few days later, on July 27, Ravi Patel and Gabriella Wilde also joined the film, with their roles being kept under wraps as well.[12] By late August, Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright were confirmed to reprise their roles as Hippolyta and Antiope in a flashback sequence.[10] In November 2018, Kristoffer Polaha revealed that he has a role in the film.[13]
Filming
Principal photography began on June 13, 2018, under the working title Magic Hour.[35] Filming took place at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England, and at a number of locations around the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia in the United States, including the Landmark Mall in Alexandria, Virginia and Georgetown during June and July 2018,[36][37][38] with scenes shot in Alexandria from June 18 through July 14.[39] Filming occurred outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., during mid-June.[40] Other filming locations around D.C. included the Penn Quarter neighborhood, McPherson Square, the DAR Constitution Hall near the White House, the Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian), and the Lincoln Memorial.[41][42][43] By mid-July, production in the United States was completed and moved to England.[44] In August, filming on location took place in several places around London, including St. Andrew's Place, Regent's Park and the Royal College of Physicians.[45][46] Between September and October 2018, production also took place at Almería, in Andalusia, southern Spain,[47][48] as well as Fuerteventura and Tenerife in the Canary Islands.[49][50] From September 5 to 11, filming occurred at the Alcazaba of Almería fortified complex and the Wall of Jayran in Almería.[51] Production moved to Fuerteventura from September 13 through September 26, with the Corralejo Dunes National Park, Parque Holandés, El Jablito, La Oliva and the Jandía Natural Park as filming locations.[52][53] Filming in Tenerife began during the last week of September, lasting two weeks at various different locations on the island.[54][55]
Production went back to England in October, with shooting on location taking place at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, and Hyde Park and the Savoy Hotel in Central London.[56] By the end of the month, filming occurred at Torrington Square, adjacent to Birkbeck, University of London.[57] By mid-November 2018, Pedro Pascal finished filming his role.[58] Principal photography was completed on December 22, 2018, after a six-month shoot.[59][60] Additional photography began in London at Warner Bros. Studios on July 28, 2019.[61]
Post-production
Richard Pearson will serve as the editor for Wonder Woman 1984.[35] John Moffatt (Harry Potter and Life) will serve as the overall visual effects supervisor for the film.[62][63] Double Negative (DNEG), Framestore and Method Studios will provide the visual effects for the film.[64][65][66] Alexis Wajsbrot is serving as the visual effects supervisor for Framestore.[67]
Music
On August 22, 2018, Hans Zimmer was announced as the composer for Wonder Woman 1984, replacing Rupert Gregson-Williams who scored the first film. Zimmer previously scored Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the first and second films in the DC Extended Universe.[68]
Release
Wonder Woman 1984 is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX 3D on June 5, 2020.[69] It was previously set for December 13, 2019, and then moved to November 1, 2019, before settling on its mid-2020 release date.[70][71]
Marketing
On June 22, 2018, it was reported that Gal Gadot would be attending Warner Bros' DC presentation at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2018, and some footage from the film would be shown to promote it.[72] Director Patty Jenkins and actors Gadot and Chris Pine attended the Wonder Woman 1984 panel at SDCC on July 21, 2018, where a short clip of the film was shown.[73] New footage was shown during CinemaCon 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a first look at Kristen Wiig in the film.[74] In June 2019, Warner Bros. screened an extended look to European exhibitors at CineEurope in Barcelona, Spain.[75]
A teaser poster debuted on June 5, 2019, one year ahead of the film's release date.[76] In October 2019, it was announced that the film's first trailer would debut during Comic Con Experience CCXP 2019 on December 8, with Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins attending the event in São Paulo, Brazil.[77] By the end of the month, WarnerMedia Entertainment debuted new footage from the film during the HBO Max presentation to the press.[78] The first trailer debuted on December 8, at the 2019’s Comic Con Experience (CCXP), with the show being livestreamed on Twitter around the world in real time.[79]
Future
In January 2019, after principal photography on Wonder Woman 1984 was completed, director and co-writer Patty Jenkins announced that the plot for a third Wonder Woman film is currently mapped out. The filmmaker stated that the next installment could possibly take place in a more contemporary setting
Discussion of a sequel began shortly after the release of the first film in June 2017, and the decision to proceed was confirmed the following month. Principal photography began on June 13, 2018 – with filming taking place at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England, as well as the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia in the United States, London and Duxford in England, Tenerife and Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, and Almería in Andalusia, Spain – and finished on December 22, 2018, after a six-month shoot. Additional filming took place in July 2019.
Wonder Woman 1984 is scheduled to be released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, IMAX and IMAX 3D on June 5, 2020.
Premise
In 1984, Diana Prince comes into conflict with two formidable foes: Maxwell Lord and the Cheetah.[2][3]
Cast
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman: An immortal demigoddess, Amazon princess, and warrior. Diana is the daughter of Hippolyta the Amazonian Queen of Themyscira, and the King of the Olympian Gods, Zeus.[4]
Chris Pine as Steve Trevor: An American pilot, and the love interest of Diana, who had presumably died during the events of the first film.[5]
Kristen Wiig as Barbara Ann Minerva / Cheetah: An archaeologist who befriends Diana, before becoming imbued with Cheetah-like abilities.[6][3][7]
Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord: A business man and entrepreneur who is famous for TV infomercials.[8][9]
Robin Wright as Antiope: Hippolyta's deceased sister, general of the Amazon army, and Diana's aunt. She will appear in flashbacks.[10]
Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta: The queen of Themyscira and Diana's mother.[10]
Additionally, Natasha Rothwell, Ravi Patel, Gabriella Wilde, Kristoffer Polaha and Amr Waked have been cast in undisclosed roles.[11][12][13][14]
Production
Development
Gal Gadot, who had originally signed for three feature films with Wonder Woman being her second, had extended her contract beyond that.[4] The director of the first film, Patty Jenkins, who was initially signed for only one film, had expressed interest in returning to direct the sequel.[15][16] In June 2017, during an interview with Variety, comic book writer Geoff Johns revealed that he and Jenkins had started writing the treatment for a Wonder Woman sequel and that he had a "cool idea for the second one".[17][18] While speaking in a Q&A at Women in Film screening of the film, Jenkins confirmed she would indeed direct the sequel.[19] However, Jenkins later tweeted that "it wasn't a confirmation. Just talking about ideas and hopes".[20]
On July 22, 2017, at San Diego Comic-Con, the studio officially announced a sequel would be produced, with Jenkins returning as director; its title was listed as Wonder Woman 2.[21][22] In September 2017, it was officially confirmed that Jenkins would be directing the sequel.[23] On September 13, 2017, it was reported that The Expendables' writer David Callaham would join the film to write the script along with Jenkins and Johns, who were already working on it for several months.[24] On February 28, 2018, it was reported that the film would be shot with IMAX film cameras in select action sequences.[25] By late May 2018, long-time DCEU producer Zack Snyder confirmed on social media platform Vero that he, along with his wife Deborah Snyder, would serve as producers on the Wonder Woman sequel.[26] On June 13, 2018, the title of the film was announced to be Wonder Woman 1984.[5] A source close to Jenkins described it as a stand-alone film "in the same way that Indiana Jones or [James] Bond films are, instead of one continuous story that requires many installments."[27]
Pre-production
Pre-production officially began by early December 2017 in the United Kingdom.[28] That same month, director Patty Jenkins stated that the film would be another great love story.[29] In April 2018, the film was confirmed to be set in the 1980s.[30] The next month, production designer Aline Bonetto (Amélie, Wonder Woman) was announced to be returning for the sequel, as well as Academy Award winner Lindy Hemming, also returning as costume designer.[31]
Casting
In September 2017, Gal Gadot was confirmed to return as the title character.[32] On February 28, 2018, it was reported that Kristen Wiig was in talks with the studio to play Cheetah, the main villain of the film,[6] with director Patty Jenkins confirming her casting the next month.[3] By March 28, Pedro Pascal, who played Ed Indelicato in the pilot of the canceled 2011 Wonder Woman television adaptation, was cast in an undisclosed key role, later revealed to be Maxwell Lord.[8][33] On June 13, Jenkins confirmed the addition of Chris Pine as Steve Trevor through Twitter.[34] On July 24, 2018, Natasha Rothwell was announced to be cast in an undisclosed role.[11] A few days later, on July 27, Ravi Patel and Gabriella Wilde also joined the film, with their roles being kept under wraps as well.[12] By late August, Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright were confirmed to reprise their roles as Hippolyta and Antiope in a flashback sequence.[10] In November 2018, Kristoffer Polaha revealed that he has a role in the film.[13]
Filming
Principal photography began on June 13, 2018, under the working title Magic Hour.[35] Filming took place at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England, and at a number of locations around the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia in the United States, including the Landmark Mall in Alexandria, Virginia and Georgetown during June and July 2018,[36][37][38] with scenes shot in Alexandria from June 18 through July 14.[39] Filming occurred outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., during mid-June.[40] Other filming locations around D.C. included the Penn Quarter neighborhood, McPherson Square, the DAR Constitution Hall near the White House, the Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian), and the Lincoln Memorial.[41][42][43] By mid-July, production in the United States was completed and moved to England.[44] In August, filming on location took place in several places around London, including St. Andrew's Place, Regent's Park and the Royal College of Physicians.[45][46] Between September and October 2018, production also took place at Almería, in Andalusia, southern Spain,[47][48] as well as Fuerteventura and Tenerife in the Canary Islands.[49][50] From September 5 to 11, filming occurred at the Alcazaba of Almería fortified complex and the Wall of Jayran in Almería.[51] Production moved to Fuerteventura from September 13 through September 26, with the Corralejo Dunes National Park, Parque Holandés, El Jablito, La Oliva and the Jandía Natural Park as filming locations.[52][53] Filming in Tenerife began during the last week of September, lasting two weeks at various different locations on the island.[54][55]
Production went back to England in October, with shooting on location taking place at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, and Hyde Park and the Savoy Hotel in Central London.[56] By the end of the month, filming occurred at Torrington Square, adjacent to Birkbeck, University of London.[57] By mid-November 2018, Pedro Pascal finished filming his role.[58] Principal photography was completed on December 22, 2018, after a six-month shoot.[59][60] Additional photography began in London at Warner Bros. Studios on July 28, 2019.[61]
Post-production
Richard Pearson will serve as the editor for Wonder Woman 1984.[35] John Moffatt (Harry Potter and Life) will serve as the overall visual effects supervisor for the film.[62][63] Double Negative (DNEG), Framestore and Method Studios will provide the visual effects for the film.[64][65][66] Alexis Wajsbrot is serving as the visual effects supervisor for Framestore.[67]
Music
On August 22, 2018, Hans Zimmer was announced as the composer for Wonder Woman 1984, replacing Rupert Gregson-Williams who scored the first film. Zimmer previously scored Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the first and second films in the DC Extended Universe.[68]
Release
Wonder Woman 1984 is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX 3D on June 5, 2020.[69] It was previously set for December 13, 2019, and then moved to November 1, 2019, before settling on its mid-2020 release date.[70][71]
Marketing
On June 22, 2018, it was reported that Gal Gadot would be attending Warner Bros' DC presentation at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2018, and some footage from the film would be shown to promote it.[72] Director Patty Jenkins and actors Gadot and Chris Pine attended the Wonder Woman 1984 panel at SDCC on July 21, 2018, where a short clip of the film was shown.[73] New footage was shown during CinemaCon 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a first look at Kristen Wiig in the film.[74] In June 2019, Warner Bros. screened an extended look to European exhibitors at CineEurope in Barcelona, Spain.[75]
A teaser poster debuted on June 5, 2019, one year ahead of the film's release date.[76] In October 2019, it was announced that the film's first trailer would debut during Comic Con Experience CCXP 2019 on December 8, with Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins attending the event in São Paulo, Brazil.[77] By the end of the month, WarnerMedia Entertainment debuted new footage from the film during the HBO Max presentation to the press.[78] The first trailer debuted on December 8, at the 2019’s Comic Con Experience (CCXP), with the show being livestreamed on Twitter around the world in real time.[79]
Future
In January 2019, after principal photography on Wonder Woman 1984 was completed, director and co-writer Patty Jenkins announced that the plot for a third Wonder Woman film is currently mapped out. The filmmaker stated that the next installment could possibly take place in a more contemporary setting
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is an American comic book published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March 1986. As the main piece of a crossover event, some plot elements were featured in tie-in issues of other publications. Since its initial publication, the series has been reprinted in various formats and editions.
The idea for the series stemmed from Wolfman's desire to abandon the DC Multiverse depicted in the company's comics—which he thought was unfriendly to readers—and create a single, unified DC Universe (DCU). The foundation of Crisis on Infinite Earths developed through a character (the Monitor) introduced in Wolfman's The New Teen Titans in July 1982 before the series itself started. Pérez was not the intended artist for the series, but was excited when he learned of it and called illustrating it some of the most fun he ever had.
At the start of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Anti-Monitor (the Monitor's evil counterpart) is unleashed on the DC Multiverse and begins to destroy the various Earths that it comprises. The Monitor tries to recruit heroes from around the Multiverse but is murdered, while Brainiac collaborates with the villains to conquer the remaining Earths. However, both the heroes and villains are eventually united by the Spectre; the series concludes with Kal-L, Superboy-Prime, and Alexander Luthor Jr. defeating the Anti-Monitor and the creation of a single Earth in place of the Multiverse. Crisis on Infinite Earths is noted for its high death count; hundreds of characters died, including DC icons Kara Zor-El (the original Supergirl) and Barry Allen (the Flash of the Silver Age). The story's events resulted in the entire DCU being rebooted.
The series was a bestseller for DC and has been reviewed positively by comic book critics, who praised its ambition and dramatic events. The story is credited with popularizing the idea of a large-scale crossover in comics. "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is the first installment in what became known as the Crisis trilogy; it was followed by Infinite Crisis (2005–2006) and Final Crisis (2008–2009). The story will serve as inspiration for "Crisis on Infinite Earths", an Arrowverse crossover event consisting of an episode of each series: Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman. The event will also include characters from the television series Black Lightning, Smallville, and Birds of Prey.
Background
DC Comics is an American comic book publisher best known for its superhero stories featuring characters including Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.[1] The company debuted in February 1935 with New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine.[2] Most of DC's comic books (as well as some published under its imprints Vertigo[3] and Young Animal[4]) take place within a shared universe called the DC Universe (DCU) allowing plot elements, characters, and settings to cross over with each other.[5] The concept of the DCU has provided DC's writers some challenges in maintaining continuity, due to conflicting events within different comics that need to reflect the shared nature of the universe.[2] "The Flash of Two Worlds" from The Flash #123 (September 1961), which featured Barry Allen (the Silver Age Flash) teaming up with Jay Garrick (the Golden Age Flash) was the first DC comic to suggest that the DCU was a part of a multiverse.[6][7]
The DC Multiverse concept was expanded in later years with the DCU having infinite Earths; for example, the Golden Age versions of DC heroes resided on Earth-Two, while DC's Silver Age heroes were from Earth-One.[8] Since "Crisis on Earth-One!" (1963), DC has used the word "Crisis" to describe important crossovers within the DC Multiverse.[9] Over the years, various writers took liberties creating additional parallel Earths as plot devices and to house characters DC had acquired from other companies, making the DC Multiverse a "convoluted mess".[8] DC's comic book sales were also far below those of their competitor Marvel Comics.[10] According to ComicsAlliance journalist Chris Sims, "the [DC] multiverse . . . felt old-fashioned. . . . Marvel, on the other hand, felt contemporary and when you stack them up against each other, there's one difference that sticks out above anything else: Marvel feels unified."[11]
During the Bronze Age of Comic Books, writer Marv Wolfman became popular among DC's readers for his work on Weird War Tales and The New Teen Titans.[8] George Pérez, who illustrated The New Teen Titans, also began to rise to prominence in this era.[12] In 1984, Pérez entered into an exclusive contract with DC, which was later extended one year.[13] Although The New Teen Titans was a major success for DC,[8] the company's comic book sales were still below Marvel's.[10] Wolfman began to attribute this to the DC Multiverse, feeling "The Flash of Two Worlds" had created a "nightmare":[2] it was not reader-friendly for new readers to be able to keep track of[14] and writers struggled with the continuity errors it caused.[2] In The New Teen Titans #21 (July 1982), Wolfman introduced a new character: the shadowy, potentially villainous Monitor; this laid the foundation for Crisis on Infinite Earths.[15]
Development
In 1981, Wolfman was editing Green Lantern. He got a letter from a fan asking why a character did not recognize Green Lantern in a recent issue despite the two having had worked together in an issue three years earlier.[16] Soon afterward,[17] Wolfman pitched Crisis on Infinite Earths as The History of the DC Universe,[16] seeing it as a way to simplify the DCU and attract new readers.[14] The History of the DC Universe's title was changed to Crisis of Infinite Earths because its premise, involving the destruction of entire worlds, sounded more like a crisis.[17]
Wolfman said when he pitched the series to DC, he realized it was going to be a completely new beginning for the DCU.[18] "I knew up front, and they did too, how big this was going to be," he said. "But, no-one knew how well it would sell, or whether it would sell at all. It was a risk DC was willing to take, because my thoughts were that DC needed a lot of help at that time, and they did too."[19] Wolfman also said he saw it as an attempt to improve DC's reputation for storytelling. Many readers at the time saw them as old-fashioned.[20]
The crossover was fleshed out and coordinated at a meeting attended by president Jenette Kahn, Paul Levitz, vice president and executive editor Dick Giordano and DC's editors.[21] In 1982, DC hired a researcher to go through their library and read every comic the company had published, a task that took two years.[16] The series was delayed to 1983 due to the time for research,[20] and again to 1985 when it was still not ready for 1983[20] and to coincide with DC's fiftieth anniversary.[8] As an event like Crisis on Infinite Earths had never happened before, those working on it met for around two hours a week; at the time, this was uncommon.[17]
The groundwork for the series was laid the year before it was published.[15] One of the greatest challenges for Wolfman and Giordano was coming up with a story. Wolfman cited making use of every DC character and creating a plot that was fun to read and filled with surprises as difficulties, as the series needed to sell well; if it did not, it could have caused a disaster for DC. Plotting became easier once a beginning and an ending had been determined and when Pérez became involved. Crisis on Infinite Earths was DC's first mainstream maxiseries, which was still a relatively new concept.[17]
Early in planning for Crisis on Infinite Earths, a list was made of characters that were part of the DCU;[21] characters from other universes, such as those that formerly belonged to Charlton Comics, also were used.[22] According to Wolfman, one of the purposes of Crisis on Infinite Earths was to showcase all the characters DC had.[19] The series is infamous for its high death count.[7] Hundreds of characters died; among the most noted was Barry Allen's. Wolfman has said he did not want to kill Allen, but DC ordered him to because it perceived the character as dull. Therefore, he conceived Allen's death—in which he runs through time before vanishing—as a way to make the character seem more interesting and hopefully spare him.[23] Wolfman wanted to make the series unforgettable; he said that many writers had expressed interest in simplifying DC's continuity and he wanted to be the one to do so.[2]
Pérez says he was not the intended artist for Crisis on Infinite Earths,[24] but was excited when he learned about it, seeing it as an opportunity for "revenge" against Marvel, which he blamed for blocking the JLA/Avengers crossover he had been working on.[a][20] He enjoyed working with Wolfman again, and took a leave of absence from The New Teen Titans to draw the series.[25] DC initially did not know Pérez would want to work on it. According to Pérez, he was motivated by the fact that DC did not know if the series was going to be a success. He also wanted "to draw everybody I could get my hands on" and called illustrating the series some of the most fun he ever had. Pérez was excited because not only did he get to draw the Teen Titans again, but also obscure characters he was not familiar with, saying he could possibly have never gotten another chance.[24] One panel in Crisis on Infinite Earths shows the Marvel Universe being destroyed with other earths.[26] When Giordano (the series' initial inker) had difficulty meeting deadlines while continuing as DC vice president and executive editor, editorial coordinator Pat Bastienne reassigned the inking to Jerry Ordway despite Giordano's objections.[21]
Publication
The idea for Crisis on Infinite Earths was first noted in the December 1981 issue of The Comics Journal, which mentioned a twelve-part maxiseries scheduled for 1982.[16] The series was announced in Giordano's "Meanwhile..." column DC ran in its titles in June 1984. Giordano warned readers that "odd occurrences" would begin to happen throughout DC's comics. He also clarified it would commemorate DC's fiftieth anniversary and would provide the company "wonderful stepping-stones" for new characters and comics.[2] The series was marketed with the tagline "Worlds will live, worlds will die and nothing will ever be the same".[22][27]
The series began in January 1985 and lasted for twelve issues, ending in December 1985 (issues cover dated April 1985 through March 1986). [8] The close spacing of Crisis on Infinite Earths and Marvel's similar crossover Secret Wars caused some fans to create conspiracy theories about idea theft.[26] According to writer Steve Gerber, the series "got virtually no promotion ... How many handouts did you see? How many posters did you see in people's windows? How much information was really distributed to the press and how much was gotten just by individual reporters going to Marv Wolfman and [Crisis artist] George Pérez?"[28]
Tie-ins
Elements to set up Crisis on Infinite Earths were put in DC's comics years before the crossover took place;[29] an example of this was the Monitor's appearance in The New Teen Titans.[15] In a January 3, 1983 memo, Giordano, Wolfman, and Len Wein instructed editors and writers to use the Monitor twice in the coming year but not to show him: "Because this series involves the entire DC Universe we do ask that each Editor and writer cooperate with the project by using a character called The Monitor in their books twice during the next year". This served to set up the series.[2][15] When Wolfman and Giordano reiterated this in a 1984 meeting, some editors were not pleased; one was so miffed he did not speak for the rest of the meeting.[17]
Tie-ins for Crisis on Infinite Earths were published in DC's ongoing series. Unlike the 1991 Marvel crossover storyline The Infinity Gauntlet, where Marvel only published tie-ins in titles that needed a boost in sales, the vast majority of DC's comics featured events that directly tied to the crossover.[30] The following comic book issues were labeled as part of the crossover; their covers contained a banner that read "Special Crisis Cross-Over", along with the logo for DC's fiftieth anniversary.
All-Star Squadron #50–56
Amethyst (vol. 2) #13
DC Comics Presents #86–88
Blue Devil (DC Comics) #17-18
The Fury of Firestorm #41–42
Green Lantern (vol. 2) #194–195; #198
Infinity, Inc. #18–24; Annual #1
Justice League of America #244–245; Annual #3
JLA: Incarnations #5 (released in 2001)
Legion of Super-Heroes #18
The Losers Special #1
The New Teen Titans (vol. 2) #13–14
The Omega Men #31
Superman #414–415
Swamp Thing #46
Wonder Woman #327–329
Legends of the DC Universe : Crisis on Infinite Earths #1
Collected editions
Crisis on Infinite Earths #1–12 (April 1985 – March 1986) was published in hardcover (December 1998; ISBN 1-56389-434-3) and trade paperback (January 2001; ISBN 1-56389-750-4) editions, with cover art by George Pérez and Alex Ross.
Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Absolute Edition (November 2005; ISBN 1-4012-0712-X) is a slipcased, hardcover edition. The first volume reprints the limited series, and the second volume includes scripts, commentaries, retrospectives, Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Index, and Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Cross-Over Index.
Crisis on Infinite Earths Deluxe Edition (October 2015, ISBN 1401258417). Includes the series and the two-issue series History of the DC Universe, alongside other bonus material.
Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 (November 2018, ISBN 1401274595). Compiles the tie-in stories released alongside the series.
Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition Vol. 2 (May 14, 2019, ISBN 1401289215). Compiles the tie-in stories released alongside the series.
Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition Vol. 3 (October 2019, ISBN 1401294480). Compiles the tie-in stories released alongside the series.
Synopsis
The conflicting stories of the DCU are explained as a Multiverse, containing many parallel universes and alternate versions of the characters, with the primary DC continuity referred to as Earth-One. A cosmic being from the beginning of time known as the Monitor catalogues these realities, but he has an evil counterpart, the Anti-Monitor, who comes from an antimatter universe. After an accident with antimatter on one universe, the Anti-Monitor begins destroying many of the realities with a wave of antimatter, planning on becoming sole ruler of all realities.
To combat this, the Monitor recruits heroes from across time and space to set up five towers, to help merge the multiverse back into one to make it stronger. However, he is murdered by his protégée, Harbinger, who is possessed by one of the Anti-Monitor's demons. His death releases enough energy to project the last five parallel Earths into a protective limbo. The Anti-Monitor recruits Psycho-Pirate to his cause, infusing him with part of his power to manipulate the heroes of Earth-4, Earth-S and Earth-X against the rest; this fails when all five Earths enter the limbo universe. Harbinger then recruits heroes from the remaining Earths to lead an assault on the Anti-Monitor in the antimatter universe, using Alexander Luthor Jr.'s powers to open a portal between the limbo and antimatter universes. Pariah tracks down the Anti-Monitor at his fortress, and the heroes destroy a converter, powered by stellar energy, to destroy the last five Earths; the injured Anti-Monitor retreats and Supergirl dies.
During a lull in the war, the villains unite under Brainiac, who kills Earth-Two's Alexei Luthor while recruiting the Earth-One Lex Luthor to conquer the remaining Earths. The Anti-Monitor meanwhile creates a new body for himself, and tries to use an antimatter cannon to penetrate the limbo universe and destroy the five partially merged Earths. The Flash (Barry Allen) dies stopping this attempt. A furious Anti-Monitor absorbs the energy of millions of worlds and vows to travel back through time to prevent the creation of the multiverse. The Spectre unites the heroes and villains by warning them about the Anti-Monitor's plan; the heroes travel back in time to stop the Anti-Monitor, while the villains travel back in time to the ancient planet Oa to prevent renegade scientist Krona from creating the technology necessary for the Anti-Monitor's plan to succeed. The villains fail, and Krona continues his experiment. The Anti-Monitor waits for Alex Luthor to reopen the portal between the positive and antimatter universes, capturing the heroes, but a magically empowered Spectre creates an energy overload which shatters space and time. The five Earths merge into a single shared universe, and the superheroes return to the present; only those present at the dawn of time remember the original realities.
A cosmically empowered Anti-Monitor attacks again, transporting the new Earth to the antimatter universe and summoning a horde of shadow demons. He falls in a carefully planned counterattack, culminating in a battle with Kal-L (the Earth-Two Superman) Alexander Luthor of Earth-Three and Superboy of Earth-Prime, with help from New Gods adversary Darkseid. In this final battle the Anti-Monitor, reduced to a flaming head, crashes into a star and is killed by the Earth-Two Superman. As they are the only four who remember the original past, Alex sends Earth-Two Superman, Earth-Two Lois Lane, Earth-Prime Superboy and himself to a pocket "paradise" dimension, leaving the heroes of the remaining Earth to sort out the aftermath of this crisis.
Reception
Despite relatively limited marketing[28] and DC being unsure if the series would be successful, Crisis on Infinite Earths was a bestseller.[2]
IGN's Hilary Goldstein summarized the series as "a crucial turning point for DC Comics" and credited it with saving the company. Goldstein called Wolfman's idea to simplify the DCU bold and unprecedented, noting the story's exceptional size and saying the story was "unbelievable", if somewhat aged. He also praised Pérez's detailed artwork, saying no other artist could have possibly illustrated it as well as he did and gave the book a "must have" rating.[29] Fellow IGN writer Jesse Schedeen named Crisis on Infinite Earths one of the best DC crossovers, agreeing it was unprecedented and dramatic.[31]
Marc Buxton of Comic Book Resources named "Crisis on Infinite Earths" the greatest comic book crossover ever, saying that no crossover has been bigger or as ambitious: "where some events seem hesitant to actually leave a mark on their respective universes, Crisis did it with aplomb". He praised the series for exploring the entire DCU and felt it was a fitting event for DC's fiftieth anniversary.[32] Nerdist News noted that many of the series' central events—such as the deaths of Supergirl and Barry Allen—have become iconic moments in DC's history.[33]
Not all reviewers have been as positive. Chris Sims wrote the series was messy and built awkwardly, describing it as "a textbook definition of style over substance". Sims said it was far from the best work of Wolfman and Pérez; however, he still thought it was groundbreaking, saying, "It's the first time in comics history that EVERYTHING was in danger".[11]
Merchandise
A novelization of Crisis on Infinite Earths was written by Wolfman and published by iBooks in 2005, with cover art by Pérez and Alex Ross. The book follows the events of the original series; most of the story is presented from Barry Allen's point of view, while parts where he is not present are told from a third-person perspective. It also added some details, including internal monologue and updates to make the story more modern, such as characters having cell phones.[34] In 2008, WizKids issued a toy pack centered around the Anti-Monitor as a part of its DC HeroClix toy line. The pack came with a large Anti-Monitor figure with LED-lit eyes, several smaller figures, and a map. An exclusive variant, based on the Sinestro Corps, was available at the San Diego Comic-Con and Gen Con Indy conventions that year.[35]
Legacy
Though it was not the first large-scale comic book crossover,[b] Crisis on Infinite Earths is generally credited with popularizing the idea.[8][36] Comics historian Matthew K. Manning wrote that Crisis on Infinite Earths paved way for all future crossovers of similar scale,[8] and Andrew J. Friedenthal said "Crisis showed the two major superhero comic book publishers (DC Comics and Marvel Comics) how they could utilize the continuity established by decades' worth of stories to weave together a cohesive, metatextual tapestry that both appealed to long-time readers and brought in massive amounts of money".[2] The series' success inspired DC to begin a tradition of "summer crossovers"; some of these include Invasion! (1988–1989), Armageddon 2001 (1991), Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! (1994), and Identity Crisis (2004), and some mention the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths.[8][37] The second part of one of DC's later crossovers, Convergence (2015), heavily references the series and sees DC's superheroes travel back to its era. The writers of Convergence all had fun writing stories set during Crisis on Infinite Earths, calling the series an exciting time for DC.[38] [39]
The series had an immediate effect on DC, dividing the company's history into two eras: "Pre-Crisis" and "Post-Crisis".[24] Wolfman and Pérez teamed again to produce the History of the DC Universe limited series to summarize the DCU's new history.[8] Many of DC's characters had their histories rebooted. Wonder Woman's comic was relaunched entirely by Pérez, Wein, and Greg Potter.[40] Superman was first re-envisioned in the limited series The Man of Steel by John Byrne; his comic was retitled The Adventures of Superman to make way for a new Superman series.[8] Batman was minimally affected by the reboot, and his comic was not relaunched. However, he was still given an updated origin, courtesy of Frank Miller.[10] In addition, Wally West replaced Barry Allen as the Flash, the Justice League's roster was changed, and characters DC acquired from other companies, such as Fawcett Publications and Charlton Comics, were integrated into the DCU.[22][41] The practice of re-envisioning characters in the new DCU lasted well into 1989, with properties such as Green Lantern, Hawkman, Black Orchid, and the Suicide Squad all being rebooted.[8][37] The revamp raised sales 22% in the first year, and DC beat Marvel in direct market sales for the first time in August and September 1987.[42] The Man of Steel #1 was the bestselling comic book issue of 1986.[43]
Crisis on Infinite Earths has been referenced several times in the various television series that comprise the Arrowverse, starting with the first episode of The Flash which aired in October 2014. It features a newspaper from 2024 that reads "Flash Missing, Vanishes in Crisis". Grant Gustin, who plays the Flash on the show, has said he thinks the goal of the series is to reach "Crisis on Infinite Earths": "Obviously we'd have to go, I think 10 years to reach that, so there's a possibility for sure. It'll be fun to get there." The concept of a multiverse has been explored several times throughout the history of the franchise.[36] Talking in 2014, Geoff Johns, when discussing the difference between the DC Extended Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, said "We look at it as the multiverse. We have our TV universe and our film universe, but they all co-exist. For us, creatively, it's about allowing everyone to make the best possible product, to tell the best story, to do the best world. Everyone has a vision and you really want to let the visions shine through ... It's just a different approach."[44] The storyline will inspire the 2019 Arrowverse crossover, also titled "Crisis on Infinite Earths",[45] with the original date seen in the pilot episode of The Flash having been moved up by five years as a side effect of time travel.[46]
Sequels
Main articles: Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis
Crisis on Infinite Earths is the first installment in what became known as the Crisis trilogy.[8] The second part of the trilogy, the seven-part Infinite Crisis, was written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway. It was published from October 2005 to June 2006, with a number of tie-in issues.[47] In the series, Kal-L, Alexander Luthor, and Superboy-Prime escape from the pocket dimension they were left in at the end of the original series; Luthor, having gone insane, attempts to recreate the multiverse using the Anti-Monitor's corpse. Whereas Crisis on Infinite Earths discarded the DC Multiverse, Infinite Crisis restored it.[8]
The conclusion to the trilogy, Final Crisis,[8] began in May 2008 and ended in January 2009.[48] The series was written by Grant Morrison,[49] with art by J. G. Jones, Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy, and Doug Mahnke.[50] In Final Crisis, Darkseid arrives on Earth and begins a conquest to overthrow reality, as part of a plan by Libra to conquer the Multiverse. The Justice League and Green Lantern Corps join forces in a desperate attempt to stop the upcoming onslaught
The idea for the series stemmed from Wolfman's desire to abandon the DC Multiverse depicted in the company's comics—which he thought was unfriendly to readers—and create a single, unified DC Universe (DCU). The foundation of Crisis on Infinite Earths developed through a character (the Monitor) introduced in Wolfman's The New Teen Titans in July 1982 before the series itself started. Pérez was not the intended artist for the series, but was excited when he learned of it and called illustrating it some of the most fun he ever had.
At the start of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Anti-Monitor (the Monitor's evil counterpart) is unleashed on the DC Multiverse and begins to destroy the various Earths that it comprises. The Monitor tries to recruit heroes from around the Multiverse but is murdered, while Brainiac collaborates with the villains to conquer the remaining Earths. However, both the heroes and villains are eventually united by the Spectre; the series concludes with Kal-L, Superboy-Prime, and Alexander Luthor Jr. defeating the Anti-Monitor and the creation of a single Earth in place of the Multiverse. Crisis on Infinite Earths is noted for its high death count; hundreds of characters died, including DC icons Kara Zor-El (the original Supergirl) and Barry Allen (the Flash of the Silver Age). The story's events resulted in the entire DCU being rebooted.
The series was a bestseller for DC and has been reviewed positively by comic book critics, who praised its ambition and dramatic events. The story is credited with popularizing the idea of a large-scale crossover in comics. "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is the first installment in what became known as the Crisis trilogy; it was followed by Infinite Crisis (2005–2006) and Final Crisis (2008–2009). The story will serve as inspiration for "Crisis on Infinite Earths", an Arrowverse crossover event consisting of an episode of each series: Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman. The event will also include characters from the television series Black Lightning, Smallville, and Birds of Prey.
Background
DC Comics is an American comic book publisher best known for its superhero stories featuring characters including Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.[1] The company debuted in February 1935 with New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine.[2] Most of DC's comic books (as well as some published under its imprints Vertigo[3] and Young Animal[4]) take place within a shared universe called the DC Universe (DCU) allowing plot elements, characters, and settings to cross over with each other.[5] The concept of the DCU has provided DC's writers some challenges in maintaining continuity, due to conflicting events within different comics that need to reflect the shared nature of the universe.[2] "The Flash of Two Worlds" from The Flash #123 (September 1961), which featured Barry Allen (the Silver Age Flash) teaming up with Jay Garrick (the Golden Age Flash) was the first DC comic to suggest that the DCU was a part of a multiverse.[6][7]
The DC Multiverse concept was expanded in later years with the DCU having infinite Earths; for example, the Golden Age versions of DC heroes resided on Earth-Two, while DC's Silver Age heroes were from Earth-One.[8] Since "Crisis on Earth-One!" (1963), DC has used the word "Crisis" to describe important crossovers within the DC Multiverse.[9] Over the years, various writers took liberties creating additional parallel Earths as plot devices and to house characters DC had acquired from other companies, making the DC Multiverse a "convoluted mess".[8] DC's comic book sales were also far below those of their competitor Marvel Comics.[10] According to ComicsAlliance journalist Chris Sims, "the [DC] multiverse . . . felt old-fashioned. . . . Marvel, on the other hand, felt contemporary and when you stack them up against each other, there's one difference that sticks out above anything else: Marvel feels unified."[11]
During the Bronze Age of Comic Books, writer Marv Wolfman became popular among DC's readers for his work on Weird War Tales and The New Teen Titans.[8] George Pérez, who illustrated The New Teen Titans, also began to rise to prominence in this era.[12] In 1984, Pérez entered into an exclusive contract with DC, which was later extended one year.[13] Although The New Teen Titans was a major success for DC,[8] the company's comic book sales were still below Marvel's.[10] Wolfman began to attribute this to the DC Multiverse, feeling "The Flash of Two Worlds" had created a "nightmare":[2] it was not reader-friendly for new readers to be able to keep track of[14] and writers struggled with the continuity errors it caused.[2] In The New Teen Titans #21 (July 1982), Wolfman introduced a new character: the shadowy, potentially villainous Monitor; this laid the foundation for Crisis on Infinite Earths.[15]
Development
In 1981, Wolfman was editing Green Lantern. He got a letter from a fan asking why a character did not recognize Green Lantern in a recent issue despite the two having had worked together in an issue three years earlier.[16] Soon afterward,[17] Wolfman pitched Crisis on Infinite Earths as The History of the DC Universe,[16] seeing it as a way to simplify the DCU and attract new readers.[14] The History of the DC Universe's title was changed to Crisis of Infinite Earths because its premise, involving the destruction of entire worlds, sounded more like a crisis.[17]
Wolfman said when he pitched the series to DC, he realized it was going to be a completely new beginning for the DCU.[18] "I knew up front, and they did too, how big this was going to be," he said. "But, no-one knew how well it would sell, or whether it would sell at all. It was a risk DC was willing to take, because my thoughts were that DC needed a lot of help at that time, and they did too."[19] Wolfman also said he saw it as an attempt to improve DC's reputation for storytelling. Many readers at the time saw them as old-fashioned.[20]
The crossover was fleshed out and coordinated at a meeting attended by president Jenette Kahn, Paul Levitz, vice president and executive editor Dick Giordano and DC's editors.[21] In 1982, DC hired a researcher to go through their library and read every comic the company had published, a task that took two years.[16] The series was delayed to 1983 due to the time for research,[20] and again to 1985 when it was still not ready for 1983[20] and to coincide with DC's fiftieth anniversary.[8] As an event like Crisis on Infinite Earths had never happened before, those working on it met for around two hours a week; at the time, this was uncommon.[17]
The groundwork for the series was laid the year before it was published.[15] One of the greatest challenges for Wolfman and Giordano was coming up with a story. Wolfman cited making use of every DC character and creating a plot that was fun to read and filled with surprises as difficulties, as the series needed to sell well; if it did not, it could have caused a disaster for DC. Plotting became easier once a beginning and an ending had been determined and when Pérez became involved. Crisis on Infinite Earths was DC's first mainstream maxiseries, which was still a relatively new concept.[17]
Early in planning for Crisis on Infinite Earths, a list was made of characters that were part of the DCU;[21] characters from other universes, such as those that formerly belonged to Charlton Comics, also were used.[22] According to Wolfman, one of the purposes of Crisis on Infinite Earths was to showcase all the characters DC had.[19] The series is infamous for its high death count.[7] Hundreds of characters died; among the most noted was Barry Allen's. Wolfman has said he did not want to kill Allen, but DC ordered him to because it perceived the character as dull. Therefore, he conceived Allen's death—in which he runs through time before vanishing—as a way to make the character seem more interesting and hopefully spare him.[23] Wolfman wanted to make the series unforgettable; he said that many writers had expressed interest in simplifying DC's continuity and he wanted to be the one to do so.[2]
Pérez says he was not the intended artist for Crisis on Infinite Earths,[24] but was excited when he learned about it, seeing it as an opportunity for "revenge" against Marvel, which he blamed for blocking the JLA/Avengers crossover he had been working on.[a][20] He enjoyed working with Wolfman again, and took a leave of absence from The New Teen Titans to draw the series.[25] DC initially did not know Pérez would want to work on it. According to Pérez, he was motivated by the fact that DC did not know if the series was going to be a success. He also wanted "to draw everybody I could get my hands on" and called illustrating the series some of the most fun he ever had. Pérez was excited because not only did he get to draw the Teen Titans again, but also obscure characters he was not familiar with, saying he could possibly have never gotten another chance.[24] One panel in Crisis on Infinite Earths shows the Marvel Universe being destroyed with other earths.[26] When Giordano (the series' initial inker) had difficulty meeting deadlines while continuing as DC vice president and executive editor, editorial coordinator Pat Bastienne reassigned the inking to Jerry Ordway despite Giordano's objections.[21]
Publication
The idea for Crisis on Infinite Earths was first noted in the December 1981 issue of The Comics Journal, which mentioned a twelve-part maxiseries scheduled for 1982.[16] The series was announced in Giordano's "Meanwhile..." column DC ran in its titles in June 1984. Giordano warned readers that "odd occurrences" would begin to happen throughout DC's comics. He also clarified it would commemorate DC's fiftieth anniversary and would provide the company "wonderful stepping-stones" for new characters and comics.[2] The series was marketed with the tagline "Worlds will live, worlds will die and nothing will ever be the same".[22][27]
The series began in January 1985 and lasted for twelve issues, ending in December 1985 (issues cover dated April 1985 through March 1986). [8] The close spacing of Crisis on Infinite Earths and Marvel's similar crossover Secret Wars caused some fans to create conspiracy theories about idea theft.[26] According to writer Steve Gerber, the series "got virtually no promotion ... How many handouts did you see? How many posters did you see in people's windows? How much information was really distributed to the press and how much was gotten just by individual reporters going to Marv Wolfman and [Crisis artist] George Pérez?"[28]
Tie-ins
Elements to set up Crisis on Infinite Earths were put in DC's comics years before the crossover took place;[29] an example of this was the Monitor's appearance in The New Teen Titans.[15] In a January 3, 1983 memo, Giordano, Wolfman, and Len Wein instructed editors and writers to use the Monitor twice in the coming year but not to show him: "Because this series involves the entire DC Universe we do ask that each Editor and writer cooperate with the project by using a character called The Monitor in their books twice during the next year". This served to set up the series.[2][15] When Wolfman and Giordano reiterated this in a 1984 meeting, some editors were not pleased; one was so miffed he did not speak for the rest of the meeting.[17]
Tie-ins for Crisis on Infinite Earths were published in DC's ongoing series. Unlike the 1991 Marvel crossover storyline The Infinity Gauntlet, where Marvel only published tie-ins in titles that needed a boost in sales, the vast majority of DC's comics featured events that directly tied to the crossover.[30] The following comic book issues were labeled as part of the crossover; their covers contained a banner that read "Special Crisis Cross-Over", along with the logo for DC's fiftieth anniversary.
All-Star Squadron #50–56
Amethyst (vol. 2) #13
DC Comics Presents #86–88
Blue Devil (DC Comics) #17-18
The Fury of Firestorm #41–42
Green Lantern (vol. 2) #194–195; #198
Infinity, Inc. #18–24; Annual #1
Justice League of America #244–245; Annual #3
JLA: Incarnations #5 (released in 2001)
Legion of Super-Heroes #18
The Losers Special #1
The New Teen Titans (vol. 2) #13–14
The Omega Men #31
Superman #414–415
Swamp Thing #46
Wonder Woman #327–329
Legends of the DC Universe : Crisis on Infinite Earths #1
Collected editions
Crisis on Infinite Earths #1–12 (April 1985 – March 1986) was published in hardcover (December 1998; ISBN 1-56389-434-3) and trade paperback (January 2001; ISBN 1-56389-750-4) editions, with cover art by George Pérez and Alex Ross.
Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Absolute Edition (November 2005; ISBN 1-4012-0712-X) is a slipcased, hardcover edition. The first volume reprints the limited series, and the second volume includes scripts, commentaries, retrospectives, Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Index, and Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Cross-Over Index.
Crisis on Infinite Earths Deluxe Edition (October 2015, ISBN 1401258417). Includes the series and the two-issue series History of the DC Universe, alongside other bonus material.
Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 (November 2018, ISBN 1401274595). Compiles the tie-in stories released alongside the series.
Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition Vol. 2 (May 14, 2019, ISBN 1401289215). Compiles the tie-in stories released alongside the series.
Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition Vol. 3 (October 2019, ISBN 1401294480). Compiles the tie-in stories released alongside the series.
Synopsis
The conflicting stories of the DCU are explained as a Multiverse, containing many parallel universes and alternate versions of the characters, with the primary DC continuity referred to as Earth-One. A cosmic being from the beginning of time known as the Monitor catalogues these realities, but he has an evil counterpart, the Anti-Monitor, who comes from an antimatter universe. After an accident with antimatter on one universe, the Anti-Monitor begins destroying many of the realities with a wave of antimatter, planning on becoming sole ruler of all realities.
To combat this, the Monitor recruits heroes from across time and space to set up five towers, to help merge the multiverse back into one to make it stronger. However, he is murdered by his protégée, Harbinger, who is possessed by one of the Anti-Monitor's demons. His death releases enough energy to project the last five parallel Earths into a protective limbo. The Anti-Monitor recruits Psycho-Pirate to his cause, infusing him with part of his power to manipulate the heroes of Earth-4, Earth-S and Earth-X against the rest; this fails when all five Earths enter the limbo universe. Harbinger then recruits heroes from the remaining Earths to lead an assault on the Anti-Monitor in the antimatter universe, using Alexander Luthor Jr.'s powers to open a portal between the limbo and antimatter universes. Pariah tracks down the Anti-Monitor at his fortress, and the heroes destroy a converter, powered by stellar energy, to destroy the last five Earths; the injured Anti-Monitor retreats and Supergirl dies.
During a lull in the war, the villains unite under Brainiac, who kills Earth-Two's Alexei Luthor while recruiting the Earth-One Lex Luthor to conquer the remaining Earths. The Anti-Monitor meanwhile creates a new body for himself, and tries to use an antimatter cannon to penetrate the limbo universe and destroy the five partially merged Earths. The Flash (Barry Allen) dies stopping this attempt. A furious Anti-Monitor absorbs the energy of millions of worlds and vows to travel back through time to prevent the creation of the multiverse. The Spectre unites the heroes and villains by warning them about the Anti-Monitor's plan; the heroes travel back in time to stop the Anti-Monitor, while the villains travel back in time to the ancient planet Oa to prevent renegade scientist Krona from creating the technology necessary for the Anti-Monitor's plan to succeed. The villains fail, and Krona continues his experiment. The Anti-Monitor waits for Alex Luthor to reopen the portal between the positive and antimatter universes, capturing the heroes, but a magically empowered Spectre creates an energy overload which shatters space and time. The five Earths merge into a single shared universe, and the superheroes return to the present; only those present at the dawn of time remember the original realities.
A cosmically empowered Anti-Monitor attacks again, transporting the new Earth to the antimatter universe and summoning a horde of shadow demons. He falls in a carefully planned counterattack, culminating in a battle with Kal-L (the Earth-Two Superman) Alexander Luthor of Earth-Three and Superboy of Earth-Prime, with help from New Gods adversary Darkseid. In this final battle the Anti-Monitor, reduced to a flaming head, crashes into a star and is killed by the Earth-Two Superman. As they are the only four who remember the original past, Alex sends Earth-Two Superman, Earth-Two Lois Lane, Earth-Prime Superboy and himself to a pocket "paradise" dimension, leaving the heroes of the remaining Earth to sort out the aftermath of this crisis.
Reception
Despite relatively limited marketing[28] and DC being unsure if the series would be successful, Crisis on Infinite Earths was a bestseller.[2]
IGN's Hilary Goldstein summarized the series as "a crucial turning point for DC Comics" and credited it with saving the company. Goldstein called Wolfman's idea to simplify the DCU bold and unprecedented, noting the story's exceptional size and saying the story was "unbelievable", if somewhat aged. He also praised Pérez's detailed artwork, saying no other artist could have possibly illustrated it as well as he did and gave the book a "must have" rating.[29] Fellow IGN writer Jesse Schedeen named Crisis on Infinite Earths one of the best DC crossovers, agreeing it was unprecedented and dramatic.[31]
Marc Buxton of Comic Book Resources named "Crisis on Infinite Earths" the greatest comic book crossover ever, saying that no crossover has been bigger or as ambitious: "where some events seem hesitant to actually leave a mark on their respective universes, Crisis did it with aplomb". He praised the series for exploring the entire DCU and felt it was a fitting event for DC's fiftieth anniversary.[32] Nerdist News noted that many of the series' central events—such as the deaths of Supergirl and Barry Allen—have become iconic moments in DC's history.[33]
Not all reviewers have been as positive. Chris Sims wrote the series was messy and built awkwardly, describing it as "a textbook definition of style over substance". Sims said it was far from the best work of Wolfman and Pérez; however, he still thought it was groundbreaking, saying, "It's the first time in comics history that EVERYTHING was in danger".[11]
Merchandise
A novelization of Crisis on Infinite Earths was written by Wolfman and published by iBooks in 2005, with cover art by Pérez and Alex Ross. The book follows the events of the original series; most of the story is presented from Barry Allen's point of view, while parts where he is not present are told from a third-person perspective. It also added some details, including internal monologue and updates to make the story more modern, such as characters having cell phones.[34] In 2008, WizKids issued a toy pack centered around the Anti-Monitor as a part of its DC HeroClix toy line. The pack came with a large Anti-Monitor figure with LED-lit eyes, several smaller figures, and a map. An exclusive variant, based on the Sinestro Corps, was available at the San Diego Comic-Con and Gen Con Indy conventions that year.[35]
Legacy
Though it was not the first large-scale comic book crossover,[b] Crisis on Infinite Earths is generally credited with popularizing the idea.[8][36] Comics historian Matthew K. Manning wrote that Crisis on Infinite Earths paved way for all future crossovers of similar scale,[8] and Andrew J. Friedenthal said "Crisis showed the two major superhero comic book publishers (DC Comics and Marvel Comics) how they could utilize the continuity established by decades' worth of stories to weave together a cohesive, metatextual tapestry that both appealed to long-time readers and brought in massive amounts of money".[2] The series' success inspired DC to begin a tradition of "summer crossovers"; some of these include Invasion! (1988–1989), Armageddon 2001 (1991), Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! (1994), and Identity Crisis (2004), and some mention the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths.[8][37] The second part of one of DC's later crossovers, Convergence (2015), heavily references the series and sees DC's superheroes travel back to its era. The writers of Convergence all had fun writing stories set during Crisis on Infinite Earths, calling the series an exciting time for DC.[38] [39]
The series had an immediate effect on DC, dividing the company's history into two eras: "Pre-Crisis" and "Post-Crisis".[24] Wolfman and Pérez teamed again to produce the History of the DC Universe limited series to summarize the DCU's new history.[8] Many of DC's characters had their histories rebooted. Wonder Woman's comic was relaunched entirely by Pérez, Wein, and Greg Potter.[40] Superman was first re-envisioned in the limited series The Man of Steel by John Byrne; his comic was retitled The Adventures of Superman to make way for a new Superman series.[8] Batman was minimally affected by the reboot, and his comic was not relaunched. However, he was still given an updated origin, courtesy of Frank Miller.[10] In addition, Wally West replaced Barry Allen as the Flash, the Justice League's roster was changed, and characters DC acquired from other companies, such as Fawcett Publications and Charlton Comics, were integrated into the DCU.[22][41] The practice of re-envisioning characters in the new DCU lasted well into 1989, with properties such as Green Lantern, Hawkman, Black Orchid, and the Suicide Squad all being rebooted.[8][37] The revamp raised sales 22% in the first year, and DC beat Marvel in direct market sales for the first time in August and September 1987.[42] The Man of Steel #1 was the bestselling comic book issue of 1986.[43]
Crisis on Infinite Earths has been referenced several times in the various television series that comprise the Arrowverse, starting with the first episode of The Flash which aired in October 2014. It features a newspaper from 2024 that reads "Flash Missing, Vanishes in Crisis". Grant Gustin, who plays the Flash on the show, has said he thinks the goal of the series is to reach "Crisis on Infinite Earths": "Obviously we'd have to go, I think 10 years to reach that, so there's a possibility for sure. It'll be fun to get there." The concept of a multiverse has been explored several times throughout the history of the franchise.[36] Talking in 2014, Geoff Johns, when discussing the difference between the DC Extended Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, said "We look at it as the multiverse. We have our TV universe and our film universe, but they all co-exist. For us, creatively, it's about allowing everyone to make the best possible product, to tell the best story, to do the best world. Everyone has a vision and you really want to let the visions shine through ... It's just a different approach."[44] The storyline will inspire the 2019 Arrowverse crossover, also titled "Crisis on Infinite Earths",[45] with the original date seen in the pilot episode of The Flash having been moved up by five years as a side effect of time travel.[46]
Sequels
Main articles: Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis
Crisis on Infinite Earths is the first installment in what became known as the Crisis trilogy.[8] The second part of the trilogy, the seven-part Infinite Crisis, was written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway. It was published from October 2005 to June 2006, with a number of tie-in issues.[47] In the series, Kal-L, Alexander Luthor, and Superboy-Prime escape from the pocket dimension they were left in at the end of the original series; Luthor, having gone insane, attempts to recreate the multiverse using the Anti-Monitor's corpse. Whereas Crisis on Infinite Earths discarded the DC Multiverse, Infinite Crisis restored it.[8]
The conclusion to the trilogy, Final Crisis,[8] began in May 2008 and ended in January 2009.[48] The series was written by Grant Morrison,[49] with art by J. G. Jones, Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy, and Doug Mahnke.[50] In Final Crisis, Darkseid arrives on Earth and begins a conquest to overthrow reality, as part of a plan by Libra to conquer the Multiverse. The Justice League and Green Lantern Corps join forces in a desperate attempt to stop the upcoming onslaught
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