Crisis On Two Earths: Why It’s The Most Underrated DCAU Movie

Last Updated on: 11 March, 2022 | 8:20 PM

In Crisis On Two Earths, Lex Luthor recruits Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Superman, Green Lantern, and J’onn J’onzz to face and fight against a crime syndicate led by Ultraman, Superwoman, and Owlman.

Directed by Sam Liu and Lauren Montgomery, Crisis On Two Earths was the first (but not the last) of DC’s animated direct-to-video features and tells an Elseworld story in which both of the Justice Leagues contend with corresponding versions of Lex Luthor.

Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths

Release Date: Feb 23, 2010

Written By: Dwayne McDuffie

Cast: William Baldwin, Chris Noth, Mark Harmon, Gina Torres, Jonathan Adams, James Woods, Brian Bloom, Bruce Davison, Vanessa Marshall, Josh Keaton, Freddi Rogers, Nolan North, and James Patrick Stuart.

Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths – The Plot

The Justice League gets a visit from the doppelgänger of Lex Luthor in the form of an inverted version of the classic Superman villain. He tells the superhero team that they are not alone in their own dimension and there are other versions of Earth out there too where terrible things have happened due to his evil counterparts who rule instead. He informs The Crime Syndicate of a greater threat that could put many worlds at risk since he has seen firsthand how destructive they have become as they have the world on top of the world under their iron fists and more chaos is sure to follow if nothing is done about it.

This is the Justice League like we have never seen them before. In this dimension, evil versions of familiar heroes and villains fight alongside each other. In fact, the heroes had to fight their evil counterparts as well. Fans particularly liked Jester because he is so different from his counterpart who has several tricks up his sleeve that was never seen before. Fans also liked how the Made Men were all bad guy goons of villains. Their primary weapon was their loyalty towards their boss.

Why Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths Is Underrated?

The multiverse is quite an unfathomable and perplexing concept. Most comic book enthusiasts struggle with the notion that there are many different dimensions existing simultaneously. It’s a bit mind-boggling at times to think about how we’re ever going to understand something like that or accept the fact that physical laws vary from dimension to dimension, even if there are similar people, places, and things in each. However, it offers plenty of time for us to get used to such a fantastical notion.

With that being said, Crisis of Two Earths mainly focuses on an alternative interpretation of the conflict between DC’s heroes as opposed to dividing time among several different parallel worlds. It shows the tragic consequences of the war through its opening sequence. The viewers are introduced to the versions of Joker and Jester ready to fight alongside our favorite superhero but with a far more sinister means.

Many of the film’s action sequences were confusing due to the wildly different visual designs of parallel worlds. For example, it was not always clear who the protagonists are fighting against. And also, most of the antagonists don’t speak – except for a handful of Syndicate members. Because of such a large roster and multiple characters on screen, it failed to offer the time every character deserved. Perhaps that is one of the major reasons why Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths remained underrated.

Top 5 DCAU Films:

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1
Batman: Under The Red Hood
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2

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