Everything We Know About CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS

Update 12/10/2019

We are in full Crisis mode now on the CW, with parts 1 and 2 having just aired. We’ve seen Clark and Lois from Smallville, and even met an unhinged Batman, played by Kevin Conroy. But what will happen in part 3?? The CW has now released a preview for the mid crossover finale, which takes place on The Flash. And this third episode brings none other than Black Lightning into the fray! Can you spot any other Easter eggs? Remember, we’ve got more surprise guest stars on the way….spot any clues?

Update 11/19/2019

The folks at Entertainment Weekly have revealed an new batch of pics from the CW’s upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, this time revealing some brand new details about the many guest stars we will see. You can check several of the more noteworthy images below:

This is our first look at Smalville’s Tom Welling as Clark Kent as he’ll appear on the series. Will we see him suit up as Superman? He definitely looks to be on the Kent farm in this photo. Hopefully a cape is in his future.

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Lois, Clark, and Iris West on what looks to be the same version of the Kent farm as Tom Welling’s Clark is on. Will we find out which Earth Smallville takes place on finally?

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Brandon Routh’s elder Superman, standing behind a framed newspaper describing the attack on the Daily Planet that killed several employees. This is a direct reference to the Kingdom Come graphic novel by Mark Waid and Alex Ross.

CW / Warner Brothers

Kevin Conroy’s Bruce Wayne also seems to be a direct reference to the Batman from Kingdom Come. Are he and Routh’s Superman on the same Earth? It appears to be the case! Batman v Superman 2.0 anyone?

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Update: 9/15/2019

The CW, via Entertainment Weekly, have released several photos from the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event. And just like the comic book it was based on, there’s a lot of shots of heroes standing together looking concerned at the upcoming cosmic upheaval. Not only do we see our regular heroes like Green Arrow, the Flash, Supergirl, White Canary, Batwoman, and Superman,  but also some of our new characters from the original Marv Wolfman comic like Harbinger are present in these pics as well.

We also get our first photo of the Superbaby, as we have a pic of Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, respectively. And the first appearance of their son Jonathan Kent. The Kent family is said to be the focus of the upcoming Superman and Lois series for the CW, which is currently in development.

Original Report

Crisis on Infinite Earths will be the most epic of the CW DC Universe crossover events to date. It will involve five different shows on the network, and will take two months to complete its story. The first three hours of Crisis will unfold over episodes of Batwoman, Supergirl, and The Flash, and will air in December. After a break, the storyline will conclude with Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, which will air the back-to-back finale in January.

The CW/Warner Bros Television

Crisis on Infinite Earths is considered the most epic storyline in DC Comics history, and totally redefined the DCU in ways that were previously unheard of back in 1985. Many major heroes like the Flash and Supergirl were killed off, and many of them even stayed dead for years (a true comics anomaly!). It is a seminal moment in DC history, and now the CW plans to replicate it with a series of episodes that should carry huge ramifications for their Multiverse going forward.

But just who and what can we expect from this ultimate DC television event? Read on as we separate the truth from the rumors, and everything in between.

Which Arrowverse Shows Are Involved in Crisis?

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Basically, all of them. Unlike last year’s crossover “Elseworlds,” which only crossed over The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl, this year the whole gang is on board for the ride. That means Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and even Black Lightning, which thus far has not crossed over with any of the Arrowverse shows. However, while the character of Black Lightning will appear, his actual series won’t be a part of the proceedings.

The episode order goes like this:

Supergirl on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m
Batwoman on Monday, Dec. 9 at 8 p.m.
The Flash on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m.
Arrow on Tuesday, Jan 14 at 8 p.m
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow on Tuesday, Jan 14. at 9 p.m.

How Closely Will It Stick to the Comics?

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Apparently, it will only be loosely based on the original 12-part comic book series by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. This makes sense; that series used essentially every character in the DC Universe and was very dense story-wise, and the CW shows don’t have nearly that kind of access to all of DC’s pantheon of characters. But one can expect to see the broad strokes of the comic: the ancient being called the Monitor gathers heroes from across the Multiverse to help defeat his brother the Anti-Monitor.

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In the comics, the Anti-Monitor seeks to destroy and consume the many positive matter universes with his anti-matter universe. All that still appears to be in play. Also, characters created specifically for Crisis like Pariah (played by Flash’s Tom Cavanagh) and Harbinger will be a part of the crossover. So a certain amount of adherence to the comic should be expected. The ghostly hero the Spectre was also involved heavily in the original Crisis comic, and he’ll be part of the proceedings too, played by actor Stephen Lobo.

Which Guest Stars Can We Expect?

What seems to be the most heavily anticipated part of Crisis is how much it is going to pull from all of DC Comics-related media from the past several decades. Both Tom Welling and Erica Durance are reprising their roles from Smallville, as Clark Kent and Lois Lane respectively. Brandon Routh will do double duty as Legends’ Ray Palmer/The Atom and Superman from Superman Returns. His Superman will now be one reflecting the future we saw in DC Comics’ Kingdom Come series. And CW semi-regulars like Tyler Hoechlin,

The CW/Warner Bros Television

Burt Ward is also coming on board, presumably as the older version of his Robin character from Batman ’66. Kevin Conroy, who voiced the Dark Knight in Batman: The Animated Series will portray an older Bruce Wayne. And even the short-lived DC series Birds of Prey will be represented with Ashley Scott reprising her role as Huntress.

Rumored by Deadline (but not confirmed) is the involvement of Lynda Carter as “some form of Wonder Woman.” Robert Wuhl is also rumored to play Alexander Knox, the reporter from Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, firmly setting up those films as an official part of the DC Multiverse. Oddly enough, no word yet on Dean Cain and Teri Hetcher playing Lois and Clark again, despite both actors appearing in Supergirl in recent years. Characters from DC Universe’s Titans are also rumored to cameo. And there are sure to be other surprises.

Will The Flash Die? What About Green Arrow?

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Ever since the first season of The Flash, we’ve known that Barry Allen was set to perish in a great Crisis sometime in the future. Originally, that Crisis was supposed to happen in 2024, but recent time shenanigans have pushed up the date to 2019. In the second episode of The Flash’s sixth season, Barry got a glimpse of his own death in the future, which resembles how he dies saving all reality in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8. Given that his TV series is probably not going to end anytime soon, we expect Barry to get better if he does in fact kick the bucket.

As for Oliver Queen, Arrow is indeed officially ending with this season. So if we were to venture a guess, we think that Green Arrow will actually be the hero to sacrifice himself for the good of all reality. After all, he doesn’t have a show to come back to next year. And for this crossover to remain true to the spirit of the original comic, there need to be some big noble deaths.

Will Crisis Consolidate the CW Multiverse?

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Unknown. In Arrow, we’ve already seen the destruction of Earth-2 early in season eight, echoing the destruction of Earth-3 in the original Crisis comic. In the comics, many of the better known DC Earths were ultimately destroyed and then consolidated into one world. We could see The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman’s “home base” of Earth-1 combining with Supergirl’s Earth-38 into a singular world. However, we highly doubt the entire Multiverse is out of the picture. Because Black Lightning works best as its own Earth, as does Titans.

One thing is for sure, though: just like in the comics, The CW’s Crisis will heed the tagline. “Worlds will live. Worlds will die. And nothing will ever be the same.”

Featured Image: The CW/Warner Bros Television