Over 10 billion years ago, an immortal scientist from the planet Oa was probing into the mysteries of the universe when his tampering accidentally resulted in the formation of the Multiverse. At the same instant, these infinite parallel universes came into being, Monitor was born on Oa’s moon. He rose from the heart of the moon and seemingly served as the living embodiment of all positive matter universes.
Amid these universes, and on the moon of Oa’s counterpart, was a universe composed entirely of antimatter wherein the evil Anti-Monitor came into existence. While the Monitor spent his early years in the shadows, mediating and learning the secrets of the universe, the Anti-Monitor dominated his universe and eventually gained mastery over everything and everyone. Sensing the existence of a being of comparable power to his own, the Anti-Monitor launched a cosmic war with the Monitor that lasted one million years.
After a simultaneous attack rendered them unconscious, they both lay unmoving for billions of years, before an experiment by Kell Mossa (Pariah) led to the freeing and awakening of the Anti-Monitor. As his powers increased the Anti-Monitor expanded his antimatter to fill the universe. While this cataclysmic event also awakened the Monitor, the Anti-Monitor’s consumption of worlds with his destructive antimatter caused the Monitor to weaken. Knowing he was growing weaker, the Monitor began recruiting various super-beings through the Multiverse who could help destroy his evil counterpart.
The Monitor was later murdered and the Anti-Monitor and his evil army of Thunderers and Shadow Warriors were poised to conquer the Multiverse. However, the Spectre eventually united both heroes and villains from across the universes to battle the Anti-Monitor….with hundreds of them losing their lives. In the end, Kal-L (the Earth-Two Superman) Alexander Luthor Jr. of Earth-Three and Superboy of Earth-Prime defeated the Anti-Monitor and saw the creation of a single Earth in place of the Multiverse.
Although both the Monitor and the Anti-Monitor are presumed dead by the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the characters made subsequent appearances within DC Comics – although never matching the high mortality rate of their first outing. But that could certainly change as both characters are set to lead the storyline of the sixth annual Arrowverse crossover event. LaMonica Garrett will pull double duty, portraying both the Monitor and his villainous counterpart, the Anti-Monitor.
Inspired by the comic book series of the same name, “Crisis on Infinite Earths” will run through Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, Arrow, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow beginning December 8-10, 2019 before concluding on January 14, 2020.