Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths is a trilogy, which is a rarity when it comes to animated superhero movies. The first movie did a lot to set the stage. In a non-linear story, we followed the Flash as he learns about an anti-matter wave making its way through multiple Earths and ends up working with the Monitor and his multiversal think tank of heroes trying to combat the wave. Flash gives his life constructing a tower to phase his Earth safely through the wave, but the threats to all Earths isn’t over.
Part One left us with questions like where did the anti-matter wave come from? What’s up with Harbinger actually being Supergirl? Who is Pariah? Who are some of these people and what other Earths are at stake? Depending on how important these questions are to you will determine how much you enjoy Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two.
You’d expect that with the scope of something like Crisis, we would get to know loads of characters. However, these movies have been focusing on the stories of selected individuals. The last movie was about the Flash and his heroic career. The bulk of this movie goes to Supergirl, expanding her story even beyond the Legion of Super Heroes movie, and Psycho-Pirate, an Earth-hopping villain.
To tell the story of Supergirl becoming Harbinger, this movie goes all the way back to when Kara initially escaped the destruction of Krypton. She was found by the Monitor, who took her in not out of the goodness of his heart but because her escape pod was blocking his view. Thus we aren’t given the story of a Kara Zor-El who struggles to find herself on Earth after having lost everything, but instead, it’s a lost Kara who has to learn a harsh truth. Some of the strongest scenes in the movie belong to Kara. Her presence opens up the Monitor’s heart and teaches him how to have compassion for a living individual, finally seeing one up close and interacting with her. But, sadly, it makes things even more painful for Kara when she discovers that the Monitor has been keeping things from her.
Supergirl’s story is that of melancholy, but Psycho-Pirate’s is one of horror. True to the 
original Crisis on Infinite Earths series, Psycho-Pirate is treated as a main character. Since this is the first we’re seeing of him, we get to know him as Charles Halstead. Crisis is about the gathering of heroes in their darkest hour, but it also asks the question of what villains do when facing the end of the world. In the last movie, we saw the reactions of the evil Crime Syndicate of Earth-3. This time it’s Psycho-Pirate’s turn, and his story is better developed and more intriguing than that of the Crime Syndicate. We meet Charles when his powers to read and manipulate emotions first manifest in his childhood, and it’s just as unsettling as you’d expect. He gains the ability to travel to other Earths, and we see how that kind of power dehumanizes him and makes him view anyone he comes across as his plaything. It looks creepy, feels awful, and makes for some of the best and most disturbing scenes in the movie. Even when he’s among the greatest heroes ever, Psycho-Pirate sinks further into villainy, and his role changes by the end. Psycho-Pirate’s role in the original Crisis revolved around the Flash, but with the Flash gone, it’s uncertain what Psycho-Pirate is going to do in the climax. His story dovetails with Supergirl’s for a great payoff to both their stories, so seeing them in the next movie is definitely something to look forward to.
The heroes in the Monitor’s satellite that gathered together in the last movie continue to work tirelessly in this one. It’s important to show how urgent the situation is, but it’s not necessarily the most interesting part of the movie. Some of the goings on in the Monitor’s satellite can be outright distracting. There are still so many heroes from so many Earths that we don’t get any background on. Given how John Cena’s portrayal of Peacemaker in live action has left a mark on the character, when a version of Peacemaker is gathered among genius and specialist heroes, you can’t help but wonder what his deal is. A tangible threat emerges in the form of shadow demons, but many heroes remain away from the action. Mr. Terrific is regulated to communicating between heroes out in the field, and Blue Beetle’s biggest moment comes from him confronting Psycho-Pirate. More of them are going to need to get involved in the fight to make for a huge finale.
Granted, there’s only enough time that can be devoted to each hero or plot. There are a few side stories that were well done, if short. Wonder Woman ends up on an Earth where Amazons had taken over, and she has to confront a version of her mother she can’t see eye to eye with. Kamandi has trust issues as the Last Boy on Earth. Solovar is assigned to back him up, which causes tension between him and Kamandi. Both stories were satisfying and could have gone on for longer. I still feel a bit of a disconnect with these characters since we haven’t known them for very long.
The one plot that really fell short of my expectations was that of the Batfamily. Batman and his partners from various Earths are on the very cover of this movie, so naturally, that’s going to be a big draw. In the previous movie, the Earth-2 versions of Robin and Huntress meet Earth-1 Batman, who refused to take on a child partner. They are now joined by a version of Damian Wayne (but not the one from either the DCAMU or Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons), Batgirl, Batwing, and Batman Beyond. The movie even begins with an action sequence involving all of them working together.
As cool as it is to see a Batfamily of many Earths, it’s hard to tell what their issues are. 
We’ve often seen that sidekicks of Batman feel trapped in his shadow or that his influence ruined their lives, but we aren’t quite sure what these specific partners feel. We know Terry McGinnis and have seen him clash with an old, retired Bruce, but what does that mean for Terry meeting a young Batman? When, exactly, in his career is this version of Terry McGinnis? We don’t get to see his reaction to this Crisis or his initial appearance either. It’s great to hear Will Friedle again as Batman Beyond, but ultimately, his role as Kamandi was more important than that of Terry. The Batfamily ends up fighting each other thanks to some outside manipulation, so they’re not even acting the way they normally would. There wasn’t a lot to sink my teeth into, and I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if Earth-1 Batman met a version of himself that took on a partner. There’s very few heroes meeting different versions of themselves, outside Superman, and multiple Batmen would make for a fine contrast. Maybe it’ll take another movie.
Pariah’s identity reveal was cool. It wasn’t a huge surprise considering the visuals that accompanied his powers in the last movie, but it was nice to see a character whose story we know. If you’re a longtime fan of DC movies, you’ll understand what he did to deserve his punishment. It makes him more interesting than the Pariah of the Crisis comic, but there is a drawback in that he didn’t interact much with other heroes. The original Pariah would herald the destruction of an Earth, but this one just watches things from the background until he remembers who he is. This is another character I’d like to see have a bigger role in the next film.
With some characters dead and the ultimate villain gaining a tangible form, it feels like the biggest and juiciest bits will be come in the final movie. There are some plots that have been hinted at but are yet to come into fruition. The loss of Aquaman’s hand may be expanded upon, as is Dr. Light emerging as a hero and whatever role the Spectre will ultimately play. I expect the next part to do great with the characters it chooses to focus on, but I am hoping for more. The third and final movie needs to maintain the strengths of the previous two but also be its own movie. Bring in more heroes for an ultimate last stand, have cameos to please longtime DC fans, and come to a conclusion that really matters.
