Seen In: Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 Unlike a lot of entries on this list, this wasn't the result of a bad story, but rather deserves inclusion just based on how insane it is. For years, DC's continuity was sort of all over the place, and in order to make sense of it, they introduced the concept of multiple Earths to explain the differences, so there was a world where the Justice Society existed, one where the Justice League existed, and many more. To streamline this, DC Comics engineered an event called Crisis on Infinite Earths. The intention was for DC continuity to be simplified, with only one universe as opposed to several. Of course, it wouldn't last, as different elements of the Pre-Crisis were still considered part of the canon, while other parts were not. Later attempts to explain discrepancies only served to further complicate things. The story consisted of a powerful villain called the Anti-Monitor out to destroy the various Earths that populated the multiverse. One of the Anti-Monitor's plans was to use a cannon powered by anti-matter to penetrate Limbo and destroy the remaining Earths. The Flash (Barry Allen) managed to break free after being held captive by the Psycho Pirate, one of the Anti-Monitor's flunkies. The Flash ran around the cannon's anti-matter source, forcing the anti-matter energies back into the machine, and he was running at such extreme speeds that he began running back through time. A side-effect of this was that the Flash aged so rapidly that he pretty much disintegrated within his costume. Barry Allen's death was a significant event in DC Comics, and it remains one of the most powerful, and most inventive, deaths in comics history.
Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com
