The INFINITE CRISIS SECRET FILES & ORIGINS one-shot essentially bridges the gap between CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS and INFINITE CRISIS #1, telling as it does what happened to Alex Luthor, Kal-L, Superboy-Prime and Earth-Two’s Lois Lane following the end of CRISIS. It was also written by Marv Wolfman, writer of CRISIS.
At the end of CRISIS, the three heroes and Lois went inside Alex, to a place where “there will be no fear… only peace… ever-lasting peace.” Alex’s promise, however, was premature as this issue shows how both he and Superboy-Prime grew tired of watching Earth and its heroes.
Alex, studying the events of CRISIS, finds that he made a mistake. He had what he thought were two options to save himself and the others which amounted to a choice between heaven and hell; the heaven he chose became their prison but the hell was not what it had appeared to be. Darkseid had used him as a conduit to help destroy the Anti-Monitor, causing Alex to view Darkseid’s world, Apokolips. He took this to be the hell but now realised that if they had gone there – terrible though it would have been – it would at least have still been within the universe and from there they could have journeyed to Earth.
Kal-L spends his time tending to Lois who grows old and begins to weaken; he becomes almost obsessed with helping her and finding a way to prevent her inevitable death.
Trapped in a place where the only entertainment, other than watching the Earth’s heroes, is having their memories replayed on the crystal walls of their home/prison, Superboy-Prime becomes frustrated and lashes out, smashing the wall and – to Alex’s surprise – actually altering the reality of the Earth. Alex begins to prey on his frustrations and forces Superboy-Prime to watch versions of his own lost childhood, making him lash out at the crystals which, again, alter reality. Alex begins to form a plan which will allow him to use Superboy-Prime to alter reality for the good of the universe.
Kal-L, meanwhile, is left wondering why he has to suffer so much sorrow as Lois falls ill when everything he did, both before CRISIS and during, was for the greater good.
Urged on by Alex, who’s anti-matter powers have slowly returned, Superboy-Prime manages to break through the crystal walls and into the universe. From that moment on, Alex began his quest to find a perfect Earth.
Crisis on Earth-Prime 