Anti-Monitor

The Anti-Monitor is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He served as the main antagonist miniseries ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' and later appears as an enemy to the Green Lantern Corps and the Justice League.

In 2009, Anti-Monitor was ranked as IGN's 49th-greatest comic book villain of all time.

LaMonica Garrett portrayed the character as the main antagonist in the Arrowverse crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths", as well as the Monitor.

Publication history

The Anti-Monitor first appeared in ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' #2 (although he remained in shadow until ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' #5) and was created by Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, and Jerry Ordway. He was believed to have been destroyed in ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' #12 only to return after a long absence in ''Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special'' #1 (August 2007).

Fictional character biography

Origins

The Anti-Monitor and his counterpart, the Monitor (Mar Novu), were created on the moons of Qward and Oa respectively. The two battle for a million years before eventually defeating each other, becoming inert for nine billion years.

In ''Final Crisis'', it was revealed that the Monitor was originally a probe created by the Overmonitor to learn more about the multiverse. However, being unprepared to deal with the complexity of life and the passing of time, the probe-Monitor was split into two symmetrical, opposite beings: the Monitor, embodying the positive matter and goodness, and the Anti-Monitor, embodying anti-matter and evil.

In the ''DC Rebirth'' relaunch, the Monitors and the World Forger were created by the Super-Celestial Perpetua.

''Crisis on Infinite Earths''

In more modern times, Pariah performs an experiment to view the multiverse, similar to the one Krona attempted long ago. This results in the reawakening of both the Monitor and the Anti-Monitor and the destruction of Pariah's universe. The Anti-Monitor rebuilds his army, taking over Qward and using the Thunderers and the Shadow Demons as an army.

The Anti-Monitor releases a massive anti-matter wave, absorbing the energies of the destroyed positive matter universes to grow in strength. The Monitor and his assistant, the Harbinger, gather a group of heroes and villains from various alternate universes to combat the Anti-Monitor. This culminates in the multiverse being destroyed and replaced with a singular universe, after which the Anti-Monitor is destroyed when Superman of Earth-Two (Kal-L) punches him into a star. The star goes supernova and generates waves of energy that threaten to destroy the antimatter universe. Kal-L, Lois Lane of Earth-Two, Superboy-Prime, and Alexander Luthor Jr. escape by traveling to another dimension.

''Infinite Crisis''

In ''Infinite Crisis'', the Superman and Lois Lane of Earth-Two, Superboy-Prime, and Alexander Luthor Jr. are revealed to be observing the events of the newly formed universe, as well as the actions of its heroes, from their pocket universe. They return to the main universe in an attempt to restore Earth-Two, at the expense of Earth-One.

The Anti-Monitor’s remains are recovered from deep space and used as the central component in the construction of a multiverse-tuning tower created by Luthor to recreate the multiverse. The tower is destroyed during a battle between Conner Kent and Superboy-Prime.

Post-''Infinite Crisis''

At the end of DC Comics' 2006 special '' Brave New World'', it is revealed that there are five figures calling themselves "the Monitors" watching over the post-''Infinite Crisis'' Earth. Four of the Monitors resemble Mar Novu, while the fifth resembles the Anti-Monitor.

Sinestro Corps

The Anti-Monitor is resurrected following the recreation of the multiverse and fuels Sinestro's ideology, acting as the Sinestro Corps' "Guardian of Fear". In addition, he recruits Superboy-Prime, Cyborg Superman, and Parallax, who was using Kyle Rayner as its host, along with Sinestro as his heralds. Superboy-Prime, enraged at the Anti-Monitor for destroying his home universe of Earth-Prime, mortally wounds him and hurls his body into space.

The Anti-Monitor's body lands on a dark, lifeless planet, where he is imprisoned in the Black Lantern Power Battery.''Green Lantern'' (vol. 4) #25 (January 2008) Soon afterwards, the Guardian of the Universe Scar, corrupted by the Anti-Monitor's energy, dispatches Green Lanterns Ash and Saarek to recover the Anti-Monitor's body.

Blackest Night

When the Black Lantern Power Battery is brought to Earth, the Anti-Monitor attempts to escape and drains the energy of Dove (Dawn Granger). The Anti-Monitor is reanimated as a Black Lantern independent from Nekron's control, his body partially emerging from the Black Lantern battery. The Anti-Monitor is eventually resurrected by a White Lantern power ring and fully escapes the battery, fighting Nekron in revenge for imprisoning him. Nekron then banishes the Anti-Monitor to the anti-matter universe.

Powers and abilities

Anti-Monitor is one of the most formidable foes ever faced by the heroes of the DC Universe. He is directly responsible for more deaths than any other known DC supervillain, having destroyed thousands of universes. The Anti-Monitor possesses immense strength and durability, the ability to absorb and project energy, and nigh-immortality.

Other versions

* An alternate timeline variant of the Anti-Monitor who successfully destroyed the multiverse appears in the "Chain Lightning" story arc.
* The Monitor and Anti-Monitor appear in '' Tiny Titans'' #12 (March 2009).
* The Anti-Monitor appears in '' Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''. Seeking to merge the Turtles' and Batman's universes and create a reality he can control, Krang kills him and turns his corpse into an exosuit.
* The Aunty Monitor, a parody of the Anti-Monitor, appears in Marvel Comics' '' What The--?!''.
* The Anti-Minotaur, a parody of the Anti-Monitor, appears in '' Mighty Mouse''.

In other media

Film

The Anti-Monitor appears in '' Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths'', voiced by Ato Essandoh.

Television

* The Anti-Monitor appears in '' Green Lantern: The Animated Series'', voiced by Tom Kenny. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version was created by Krona as the "ultimate being", but turned against him before being transported to another universe. In the present, he returns to the main universe and takes control of the Manhunters before Aya kills him and takes control of his body.
* The Anti-Monitor appears in the Arrowverse crossover ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', portrayed by LaMonica Garrett.
* The Anti-Monitor appears in the '' DC Super Hero Girls'' episode "Anti-Hall Monitor", voiced by John DiMaggio. This version is a computer app created by Batgirl to track and avoid Hawkgirl's hall monitor policies. However, it becomes sentient, forms a physical body, and kidnaps Batgirl and her friends in an attempt to enforce order before Hawkgirl destroys it.

Video games

* The Anti-Monitor appears as a boss and character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.
* The Anti-Monitor appears as a boss in '' DC Universe Online''.
* The Anti-Monitor appears as a playable character in '' Lego DC Super-Villains''.

Miscellaneous

The Anti-Monitor makes a cameo appearance in ''Justice League Unlimited'' #32.

Awards

* 1986: Won "Favourite Villain" Eagle Award

References

External links

*

Alan Kistler's DC Crisis Files
– Comic book historian Alan Kistler's detailed articles on the Crisis and related events, such as ''Infinite Crisis'' and ''Final Crisis''.

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