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iReview | BATWOMAN – “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Part 2

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Facing impending doom and mourning the loss of one of their own, our heroes are introduced to the concept of the “paragons” among them. Seven heroes from across the multiverse that may be able to stop the “crisis” that’s consuming their world!

The searches for the heroic “paragons” begins as Part 2 of the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover continues in Episode 9, Season 1 of Batwoman. For the latest character to inherit the cape and cowl of Gotham City’s Dark Knight, Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) is out of her natural element when it comes to battling Shadow Beings and traversing the multiverse. The able street fighter is more equipped to the trenches of darkened allies and the perilously high rooftops of her city. With The Batman missing in action, Kate has moved into her cousin Bruce Wayne’s inner sanctum and with the help of Lucas Fox (Camrus Johnson) appropriated his alter ego.

The Flash — “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Three” — Image Number: FLA609d_0382b.jpg — Pictured (L-R): Melissa Benoist as Kara/Supergirl and Ruby Rose as Kate Kane/Batwoman — Photo: Dean Buscher/The CW — © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Audiences are now very familiar with Kate Kane’s Batwoman, especially after her significantly splashy induction into the “Arrowverse” in last year’s “Elseworlds” crossover. That storyline effectively set-up the existence of Gotham City on Earth-1 as well as confirmed the presence of “The Batman” (which had been considered an urban myth), though Oliver Queen’s Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) is adamant — he is the first vigilante hero to take on the fight for justice. Debatable, perhaps, but Batwoman has proven she is a force all of her own to be reckoned with, though Kate is not comfortable with their presently cosmic predicament.

Though they may have been dealt a serious blow with the sacrifice of Oliver Queen at the conclusion of Part 1 (see Supergirl S5/E9), The Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) reveals the existence throughout the multiverse of “Seven Paragons” — heroes that best embody the virtues of heroism. Borrowing a Waverider time-ship from an alternate-earth (Erath-74 to be precise) that comes packed with its own Mick Rory (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow castmate Dominic Purcell) our team learns that among them are 2 of the 7 paragons: Supergirl, Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist) is the “Paragon of Hope” and White Canary, Sara Lance  (Caity Lotz) is the “Paragon of Destiny”.

Her fellow Legend Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) is not at all surprised, but when The Monitor reveals that a missing paragon, “The Bat of the Future” supposedly The Batman of the “future-tense” Earth-99, Bruce Wayne may need to be indoctrinated into their cause, the revelation of the billionaire industrialist’s alter ego does trip Palmer’s fancy — Kate insists that they all keep that secret close and among themselves. Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) are intrigued to hunt down the next paragon, a Kryptonian — the “Paragon of Truth”. During the mission ops gathering, Harbinger (recurring Arrow guest star Audrey Marie Anderson) begins to stumble.

Spoiler Alert!

This is important because it establishes a significant plot point that is part of the “Crisis” canon. In the original 12-issue maxi-series by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez Lyla is corrupted by one of the Anti-Monitor’s shadow agents and slays The Monitor; this does not come as a surprise to him — he admits he had foreseen and anticipated her betrayal. As Part 2 opens up, Lyla reveals to Sara that she hasn’t told her husband John Diggle (David Ramsey) about Oliver’s sacrifice, even as Oliver’s daughter Mia and Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) attempt to resurrect the Green Arrow by dunking his body into a Lazarus Pit. 

With the help of Legend magi John Constantine (Matt Ryan) they are able to find a working pit on Earth-18 and thinking that it’s a good idea drop, Oliver’s body in there — the predictable consequence unleashes a soulless and angry Green Arrow that nearly takes down his daughter Mia (Katherine McNamara). During this exercise, Batwoman and Supergirl travel to Earth-99 hoping to persuade Batman to help them save the multiverse, but there instead they find a crippled and battle-hardened Bruce Wayne (guest star Kevin Conroy) who warns them both, there is no hope and that it may be best to let the multiverse just die!

Iris West-Allan (Candice Patton) has joined Lois and Clark on their pursuit of the Superman that is the proper paragon, and warns the super-couple that Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer) is determined to destroy all the Supermen of every earth! Lex is using the Book of Destiny to alter their fate, and after meeting with a powerless Clark Kent (Smallville’s Tom Welling) that rightly puts Lex in his place, they stumble upon an alternate earth’s Clark Kent, the Editor of the Daily Planet, who has a bit of gray in his temple and sadly has suffered his share of loss. The trio successfully recruits this Superman (Brandon Routh in a super-suit tailored after Kingdom Come) to help them, but Lex has other plans!

Batwoman — “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two” — Image Number: BWN108b_0224.jpg — Pictured: Brandon Routh as Superman — Photo: Katie Yu/The CW — © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Manipulating the ancient prophecies inside the Book of Destiny, Lex turns Superman against Superman! As the two take the skies above Metropolis in a showdown of might, the two intrepid reporters, Lois and Iris are left to contend with Lex’s mess. Knocking him unconscious they are able to wrestle the Book of Destiny and figure out how to free Superman (Routh) from its magical grip! Eventually, they all return to the Waverider orbiting Earth-1 and bring with them the “Paragon of Truth” and perhaps a means closer to defeating the Anti-Monitor. Unfortunately, Kate and Kara are not as successful in their mission to bring the “Bat of the Future” on board.

More comfortable fighting mobs of underworld criminals in the back alleys of Gotham, the city’s latest caped avenger finds herself in the middle of a cosmic quest and out of her depths, in Part 2 of the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event.

Still More Spoiler Alert!

Meanwhile, Ray has appeared to have succeeded in putting together his “Paragon Detector” but when he fires it up, he is disappointed with the results. The device instead of seeking outwards places the next paragon within the Waverider. In a stunning turn, the Monitor reveals that Kate and Kara were indeed successful in their mission to locate the next paragon and names Batwoman the “Paragon of Courage”! Along with the Superman of Earth-96, the heroes have now assembled four of the paragons in order to help save the multiverse, but even as they come closet to achieving their goal, stepping out from the shadows is the real villain of the story!

Using the Harbinger as a conduit to keep tabs on his adversary, The Anti-Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) sets in motion his own plan to thwart the heroes and bring about the destruction of the multiverse, leaving in its wake an anti-matter universe at his disposal!

Still not comfortable with a role in this cosmic odyssey or the fact that now she has been tasked with carrying the mantle of a paragon, Kate confides in Kara her concerns. In true form, Kara informs the newer heroine that her place among them is properly earned and that as the Batwoman, she has demonstrated her courage and worthiness. Supergirl then hands her a picture, a souvenir she took from Bruce Manor of Earth-99 — it is a picture of that earth’s Kate and her twin sister in happier, hopeful times. Kate doesn’t reveal to the Maid of Might that she has taken a souvenir of her own — Bruce Wayne’s piece of kryptonite which he used to kill the Superman of Earth-99.

What’s the Endgame?

Part 2 of our crossover epic, is perhaps a little tougher to get through than its previous installment, and certainly a lot clunkier to navigate than Part 3, The Flash episode rounding out the first arc of the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” storyline. The “middle story” in an extended piece is often difficult because it relies on setting more details up that gets our protagonists over the hump and closer toward their resolution. This episode of “Crisis” relied on the Batwoman writing team and showrunners to deliver a very complex piece of the puzzle, while also integrating various cameos and featured roles that were dependent on carrying a certain amount of emotion.

The inclusion of Kevin Conroy, the voice behind the Emmy® Award-Winning Batman: The Animated Series as the hopelessly fatigued and bitter Bruce Wayne was a particularly genius move and allowed for the episode’s star, Ruby Rose to really heft her weight even though she is still new to the “Arrowverse” of characters. It was also important to place her alongside Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl and solidifying the obvious chemistry the two actors share, giving the audience an opportunity to admire the “World’s Finest” team-up potential the two put on full display. For fans, the most significant moment still was the appearance of Tom Welling’s Clark Kent giving Smallville fans a nostalgic nod.

Overall, this episode feels narratively choppy and lacks cohesion, especially with the 3 separate missions going on, but it’s well character-driven and amply showcases Ruby Rose. As potentially the “new kid on the block” her Batwoman comes out on top and demonstrates sizable chemistry when paired with Melissa Benoist as Kara/Supergirl — this will bode well as the “Crisis” comes to a conclusion. No doubt giving the writing staff opportunity for “World’s Finest” crossovers between Supergirl and Batwoman.

Batwoman | “Crisis of Infinite Earths” Part 2 | Episode 9, Season 1 | Directed by Laura Belsey and Written by Don Whitehead & Holly Henderson | Original Airdate: 12/9/2019

Batwoman airs Sunday Nights @ 8pm EST on The CW and returns with new episodes in 2020.

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iReview | SUPERGIRL – “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Part 1

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Some worlds will live and some worlds will die as this season’s DCTV primetime crossover event promises to send The CW series of shows into a tailspin as the classic comic book comes to life!

Holy crimson skies of death is the understatement of the month! In the opening moments of Episode 9, Season 5 of Supergirl it looks like the DCTV multiverse had met its match! A wave of merciless anti-matter appeared to be moving across space making short work of prominent and all-too-familiar locales including Earth-89, the earth of director Tim Burton’s Batman and Earth-X, the Nazi-occupied alternate earth under the protection of The Ray (Russell Tovey). Even Earth-9 which is designated as the home of the DC Universe Original Series content including Titans and Doom Patrol is wiped out in the blink of an eye!

DC TV Heroes Assembled! The cast of the major first part of the “Crisis on Infinite Earts” arc gathered for this team pic on set.

Earth-66 also faces its own annihilation as an unassuming ward (Burt Ward, that is) of billionaire Bruce Wayne walks a particularly famous pooch through the bright streets of Gotham City as the skies turn blood-red signaling the arrival of the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and Part 1 of The CW’s annual crossover event. At the conclusion of the previous year’s event, “Elseworlds” set up the introduction of “Crisis” when it appeared that an omnipotent interloper named The Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) was perceived to be testing the mettle of our heroes including Green Arrow (Stephen Amell), The Flash (Grant Gustin) and Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) in a contest of wills.

The Monitor has continued to interject himself into the various CW primetime series mostly teasing the fates of Oliver Queen and Barry Allen respectfully, and recently paid a visit to the Martian Manhunter, J’onn J’onzz (David Harewood) on Supergirl. Kara herself proved to be very surprised to learn that the strange visitor had a presence inside their part of the multiverse, having considered The Monitor an Earth-1 villain after facing off against the alien in a stand-off that included the appearance (and almost immediate disappearance) of The Flash of Earth-90 (John Wesley Shipp).

Just like in the 12-part maxi-series published by DC Comics that promised to redefine the entirety of the then 50-year chronology of the imprint, the Monitor’s agent Harbinger, Lyla Michaels (Arrow recurring guest star Audrey Marie Anderson) recruits the heroic first line of defense against the anti-matter wave. Harbinger brings The Flash, The Legends: White Canary (Caity Lotz) and Ray Palmer, The Atom (Brandon Routh) and Batwoman (Ruby Rose) to Earth-38, the home of Supergirl, even rescuing her cousin Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) from the path of the anti-matter wave which decimates Argo City.

After just losing another piece of Krypton to the anti-matter wave, Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) and Alex (Chyler Leigh) prepare to tempt fate as the wave moves closer to annihilating Earth-38.

The heroes are gathered and a part of the Monitor’s plan is set in motion as an all-out effort to save Earth-38 begins! They are tasked with defending a Quantum Tower that has emerged in the heart of National City; it is the only thing that is able to keep the anti-matter wave at bay, but the tower is under siege from an army of Shadow Beings sent by their as yet unseen enemy. In the meantime, Supergirl’s friends including her sister Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) are themselves working to evacuate the planet’s population to Earth-1 using a series of alien lifeboats. Alex enlists the help of their onetime ally Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) to create a portal and safe passage to Earth-1.

Spoiler Alert!

Unfortunately, even our heroes’ most valiant effort is leading to failure. The anti-matter wave may have been only temporary slowed down; the Shadow Beings continue to push forward on their attack of the Quantum Tower, and The Monitor has no other choice but to rescue the heroes from themselves. He is able to get them all out of danger, with the exception of Green Arrow. Oliver Queen stays behind and sacrifices himself to give the lifeboats enough time to escape the fate of Earth-38. Thanks to Oliver’s efforts, 3 billion souls from Earth-38 are evacuated to Earth-1 and Mia Smoak (Katherine McNamara) his daughter from the future inherits her father’s legacy.

Just as Oliver Queen takes his last breath, the surviving heroes are suddenly joined by a new stranger. Although he wears the face of a friend, a Wells from one of the parallel-earths of the multiverse Pariah (Tom Cavanagh) is cursed to bear witness to the tragedy; it is his penance for releasing their true enemy, the being known as The Anti-Monitor. Although it was foretold by The Monitor that Oliver Queen would meet his end during the coming “crisis”, this is not the way the hero was supposed to die, and though his sacrifice saved many lives, it has not stopped the threat of the anti-matter wave which is moving towards the focal point of Earth-1, and soon there will be nothing left!

The First Line of Defense are gathered to face to coming crisis on this season’s 5-part crossover epic “Crisis on Infinite Earths”.

With a story by Supergirl showrunner Robert Rovner and Arrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Part 1 is a cheerfully thrilling adaptation inspired by the original material. Launching the crossover on its breakneck path, the first hour has merit for placing the heroes inside of the proverbial blender of possibilities that bringing such an epic storyline to life entails. From the heroes gathering to the appearance of the Quantum Tower, these plot points are practically ripped from the books themselves and would make Marv Wolfman and George Pérez proud. The appearance of the Shadow Beings is also enough to make a fanboy quiver with glee!

Married (and some might say limited) to the existing show narratives, the crossover which historically marks the television winter hiatus for the series, very ably worked in to naturally fit every one of the “Arrowverse” shows, Part 1 was undoubtedly at the mercy of wrapping up storylines including Arrow which is nearly at the end of its final season, and Supergirl just rounded out an untethered Season 5 arc that pitted Kara against Lena Luthor and a mythological villain that left little impact on its audience. With the destruction of Earth-38 in Part 1, Supergirl and her friends find themselves without a proper home and all the heroes are mourning the fall of Oliver Queen.

What’s the Endgame?

Marc Guggenheim has suggested that the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” event was always in the cards for the inhabitants of the “Arrowverse” but admittedly the executive producer has said, that aside from a plot note that was taking shape in The Flash and introduced in the Pilot that launched in 2014, he could never have imagined that they would be able to pull off such a huge story. With six series currently on the air and on The CW it seemed inevitable especially with the decline of event television giving way to wave of subscriber services and binging becoming more common, that something “big” would be necessary especially as “superhero fatigue” set in.

With Arrow star Stephen Amell ready to sign-off and the show that “started it all” wrapping up with its Eighth Season, the timing seemed perfect, and with Guggenheim and Greg Berlanti and their team of diehard fans running the show, this seemed like the most ideal trajectory to provide their flagship show with an epic finale as well as revitalize the standing series including The Flash, Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow which would benefit from a little retooling as the newbies Black Lightning and Batwoman carve their own identities. “Crisis” may feel like a natural means to an end and a way to clean house, making way for some fresh talent like Stargirl in the spring.

Supergirl | “Crisis of Infinite Earths” Part 1 | Episode 9, Season 5 | Directed by Jesse Warn and Written by Robert Rovner & Marc Guggenheim with a teleplay by Derek Simon & Jay Faerber | Original Airdate: 12/8/2019

Supergirl airs Sunday Nights @ 9pm EST on The CW and returns with new episodes in January.

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iFeature | The CW’s In Full “CRISIS” Control

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It’s all been leading up to this moment! The CW’s DC primetime universe is about to get a full-on reboot as the countdown to “Crisis on Infinite Earths” begins and an anti-matter wave comes closer to erasing the “Arrowverse”.

And then all of a sudden…there was one! One primetime universe that is! If you watched last night’s episode of The CW series Batwoman into the final act, similarly to last year’s “Elseworlds” stinger, it was revealed that Nash Wells (Tom Cavanagh) interpreted the mysterious hieroglyphs uncovered in the tunnels beneath Central City and has unleashed something sinister upon the multiverse! We’re not exactly sure what that might be — at least not yet (but we have an idea)! The intrepid adventurer disappeared in a blast of intense white light!

Heroes united! The cast are gathered to challenge the fate of the multiverse.

If you’ve read DC Comic’s 12-part epic maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez published in 1985, and carefully deciphered the teaser trailers that have been promoting this season’s crossover event then you have an idea what role Nash has assumed in our still developing melodrama. “Some worlds will live, and some worlds will die…but nothing will ever be the same again,” was the tag line promoting the comic book run of “Crisis” and ultimately it made good on its promise. The series altered the fabric of the publishing imprint’s 50 year history.

Unless you were a Marvel Comic devotee at the time, readership was very low across the industry and new audiences coming into the genre were finding that DC’s extensive and very convoluted history was turning readers off. In order to make sense of its “Golden Age” heroes versus their contemporary “Silver Age” counterparts, DC introduced very early on the concept of a “multiverse” of earths separated by unique vibrations where its heroes like Barry Allen, The Flash of Earth-1 could join in adventures with Jay Garrick, The Flash of Earth-2.

The heroes of the DC primetime universe are preparing to meet their fate in the epic crossover “Crisis on Infinite Earths” based on the DC comics of the same name.

To Infinity and Beyond!

Somewhere along the way it became too much for anyone to follow (or even care about) and the brass at DC was eager to find a way to simplify the continuity. Enter Wolfman and Pérez who came up with the story that would solve the issue of why there were two Supermen, Batmen, etc. and streamlined the natural narrative of the DC Universe into a much more cohesive chronology that enhanced the legacy of our heroes through the ages. The idea of the multiverse came into play early on The CW network with The Flash starring Grant Gustin in Season 2.

When The Flash returned for its sophomore season in 2015 it immediately went to work to expand the worlds of the “Arrowverse” (the title given to The CW primetime series that featured DC comics properties, launched with Arrow in 2013 and produced by Greg Berlanti). By then the primetime spectrum incorporated the team ensemble series DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl starring Melissa Benoist as the Maid of Steel. The urban vigilantism of Arrow starring Stephen Amell as the Green Arrow gave way to a world of metas, magic and more!

While the intrepid cadre of “losers” on DC’s Legends (made up of several featured players that had appeared on Arrow and The Flash) navigated the time-stream, Supergirl firmly established that its storyline existed outside of The CW’s “Earth-1” — and thus a multiverse was born. Gustin and Benoist on the virtue of their personal and professional history (both were featured on FOX’s Glee) immediately engaged in teaming up. The Flash appeared in Supergirl’s National City (on “Earth-38”) during the show’s First Season.

Crossover Event Spectacular!

Since then and on an annual basis (when the series schedules work themselves into the winter hiatus) the series have found a way of crossing over in much the same fashion that the superheroes would team-up in the comic books they’re based on. For “Crisis” the latest crossover epic, a similar expectation is being lump onto it’s televised adaptation as was envisioned by the imprint when the 12-issue maxi series was released — in a dramatic 5-part televised event that at its conclusion will in some way have a lasting effect on the mythology of its characters.

Taking advantage of the primetime multiverse The CW network has benefited from since the debut of Arrow eight seasons ago Marc Guggenheim, one of the architects behind the success of that series and many of the “Arrowverse” spin-offs that followed, has been the executive producer pulling the strings behind the curtain to bring “Crisis” to primetime. The groundwork had been laid down since last season’s “Elseworlds” event, which had been scaled down to 3-parts and centered mostly around the TV Trinity of heroes: Green Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl.

That crossover event immediately established the significance of a perpetually long-established “multiverse” and was illustrated with the appearance of John Wesley Shipp (a series recurring guest star on The Flash) reprising his titular role as The Flash as the hero appeared in the CBS 1990 series, facing off against the mysterious “Monitor” (guest star LaMonica Garrett) an omnipotent character warning the heroes of an impending “Crisis”. The “Elseworlds” crossover also introduced Ruby Rose as Batwoman and Gotham City, which has since gone to series.

Stephen Amell as the Emerald Archer from “Arrow”.

With Arrow coming to a close this season, and its star Stephen Amell accepting the fate of Oliver Queen’s Emerald Archer (whom it has been established would be meeting his demise at the end of the “Crisis” event) The Flash will inherit the mantle as the lead series, with Supergirl running closely alongside, helping to shepherd in the returning DC’s Legends (entering into its Fifth Season) and welcoming Black Lightning starring Cress Williams into the mix, while Batwoman carves her own path across the primetime fabric of DCTV storyline.

Setting an extremely high bar for itself, the writing staff for each of these series have the unsurmountable task of defying expectations for literally a story narrative that was so expertly crafted more than 30 years ago and is still held up as the benchmark of epic comic book storytelling. In any event, it’s an incredible feat in of itself and undoubtedly fans will have their own take on “Crisis” — Some will tune-in, others will tune-out, but the DCTV universe…

…well you get where this is going.

Crisis on Infinite Earths the 5-part crossover event begins Sunday, Dec 8 on The CW and concludes on Tuesday, January 14.

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InPrimetime | The Countdown to “CRISIS” has Begun!

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The most anticipated primetime event of the season gets an airdate! The countdown to The CW’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” 5-part crossover is imminent!

Some worlds will live and some worlds will die, but one thing is certain… The CW’s primetime landscape may never be the same after this season’s widely anticipated crossover event “Crisis on Infinite Earths” hits the DC television universe. Teased at the end of last season’s “Elseworlds” 3-part event, which set-up an impending threat to the extended DC primetime universe will continue with an endgame that will shake the foundation of the multiverse. The result will undoubtedly be felt across all The CW’s superhero shows.

The 5-part epic was the cornerstone of the network’s introduction at this year’s Upfront, the annual media gathering where the competing network’s reveal to advertisers what they have on the slate for the coming season. “Crisis on Infinite Earths” does not aim to disappoint and will straddle the winter hiatus with five interconnecting episodes across the primetime series, not excluding Black Lightning starring Cress Williams which has been reported will play a role in the crossover event as well.

The event may also signal the end of the “Arrowverse” as the series enters into its final and Eighth Season with a 10-episode run, as something new is promising will emerge after “Crisis” concludes. The Flash show runner Eric Wallace has suggested that especially for Central City’s Scarlet Speedster, the season will be divided into two-acts with the second half dealing with the post-effects of “Crisis”. Fans are certainly hopeful that in the fallout, series like Supergirl which exists on a parallel earth (Earth-38) will be integrated into a Prime-Earth.

Save the Dates

The television series and “Crisis on Infinite Earths” event will be impacted by the winer hiatus, pitting the second half of the story arc to air five weeks later and concluding in 2020; that is presumably when Arrow will be entering into its final episode and the team show DC’s Legend of Tomorrow returns for its Fifth Season. It’s likely that is also when returning series Black Lightning will be wrapping up its Third Season (making way in its time slot for Legends to move in). Here’s a breakdown of the airdates for The CW’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event:

  • Supergirl “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 1, Sunday, December 8, 2019 8pm.
  • Batwoman  “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 2, Monday, December 9, 8pm.
  • The Flash “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 3, Tuesday, December 10, 8pm.

Then, five weeks later…

  • Arrow ”Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 4′, Tuesday, January 14, 2020, 8pm.
  • DC’s Legends of Tomorrow “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Pt. 5′, Tuesday, January 14, 2020, 9pm.

Starting Line-Up

Though the guest starring list of actors to appear in “Crisis on Infinite Earths” continues to grow, it was recently announced that Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne in the critically acclaimed series Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond will be appearing as the Bruce Wayne of the Batman Beyond era, leading many to speculate of the costumed appearance of Terry McGinnis’ futuristic Dark Knight. Among other famous faces said to be partaking of the crossover spectacle are Lynda Carter said to be reprising her role as Wonder Woman, and Burt Ward who played Robin in the 60s television iteration of Batman.

Tom Welling who starred as a young Clark Kent in 10 Seasons of Smallville is also suggested will be appearing as his earth’s Superman. In fact there will be at least three Supermen appearing during the crossover. DC’s Legends headliner Brandon Routh who inherited the cape and debuted in Superman Returns famously revealed at SDCC this year that he’ll also reprise his role as the Man of Steel, with Tyler Hoechlin returning as the Superman of Earth-38, Supergirl’s (Melissa Benoist) Kryptonian cousin. Jon Cryer is also on board as Lex Luthor.

LaMonica Garrett will also be pulling double duty! He’ll be playing the man at the center of all the machinations The Monitor and his evil twin The Anti-Monitor. Another CW series favorite that will be returning for the crossover event is John Wesley Shipp; fans are hopeful he’ll be returning as The Flash of Earth-90, the Barry Allen that Shipp played in his 1990 CBS series, which is also soon hitting a milestone. Shipp’s landmark series will be turning 30! It is also speculated that the actor will be appearing this season on The Flash as The Golden Age, Jay Garrick.

Stay tuned as more is revealed of this season’s most climatic television event!

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iEditorial | Will The CW’s Upcoming “Crisis” Crossover Prove the Network’s Primetime Version of an “Endgame”?

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One of the DC most beloved storylines is about to go live in primetime and after Marvel Studios Avengers: Endgame epic fans expectations have reached a fever pitch! Will The CW deliver?

With Marvel Studios having stepped up the genre narrative by bringing the first decade of the superhero epics to a natural conclusion in the recent blockbuster Avengers: Endgame and the upcoming second installment of the web-slingers solo run Spider-Man: Far From Home promising to open the door to the possibilities of a Marvel Cinematic Multiverse, how will the The CW’s primetime universe compare will the highly anticipated “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover airs this Fall? It’s leaving many fans to speculate…some worlds will live, and some worlds might…

Well, you understand where we’re going with this.

While on his recent comic-con convention circuit promoting the “Elseworlds” event, The Flash actor John Wesley Shipp who has played a myriad of characters throughout the world of the Scarlet Speedster, was constantly bombarded with questions from fans about his own surprise appearance in the 3-part storyline. Shipp who played the original role of Barry Allen/The Flash for one season on the CBS primetime series in the 90s, jumped back into the suit (not the original but a remodeled version by series costume designer Kate Main) to warn our heroes about a “crisis”.

“It’s the question I get asked the most now,” Shipp admitted. “What part will I play in the upcoming ‘Crisis’? And the honest answer is: I don’t know!” It doesn’t escape him the fact that in the classic maxi-series that redefined the DC Comics universe in the 80s, the Flash sacrifices himself to save everyone. “Now what will that mean that we have — not one, but two Flashes?” Shipp said, “perhaps one will have to die to save the multiverse and Jay Garrick will get left holding suit.” In any event, the actor is hoping he’ll get to return to reprise one of his parts in the fall.

It was perhaps one of the best curated stunts of the franchise’s now more than 100 hours of television. The crossover events have become every fans’ most anticipated episodes of the season, and after battling Nazis doppelgängers, fending off an alien invasion, and bringing together legends, how were the show runners going to up the stakes? First they introduced the idea that the television multiverse is inhabited by every possible iteration of DC characters including Shipp’s “Flash” of Earth-90, the Kent Farm from Smallville and that it’s all in serious jeopardy of ending!

With the omnipotent Monitor (played by LaMonica Garrett) having made his presence known, inciting a conflict that included the appearance of the Man of Steel and having ended this season of Arrow by taking Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) on a quest of sorts, when The CW primetime universe returns in the fall, there are going to be some major dangling participles to deal with, and the introduction of a certain red-headed Caped Crusader that will undoubtedly be teaming up with the rest of the brave and bold, for that much sought after pairing of the world’s finest.

“Crisis” an Endgame

Though it’s all possible that the televised “Crisis on Infinite Earths” may not have the perpetual ramifications to the DC primetime universe that Marvel Studios Avengers: Endgame had for the cinematic story arcs, fans are expecting nothing less than a very similarly and well-crafted adaptation of one of DC Comics most epic storylines. It took Marvel a decade to get to Endgame and although The CW is promising 5-hours across all its main shows, it still has many more hours of story to build up to, especially if it intends on having as significant an emotional resonance.

As for the aftermath, what will it mean to The CW’s primetime line-up? Though there is no mention of Black Lightning participating in the crossover event, will that show in some way play a part in the fallout? Many are expecting that after the series of hints that were dropped in the latter half of the latest seasons of the show, especially in The Flash, the multiverse will collapse and their will be only one, Prime-Earth. Will that include Supergirl’s Earth-38, and what of the other alternate worlds and timelines the series have explored?

“Anything is possible,” Shipp has said. “I would never have thought that nearly 30-years later I’d be back in a superhero suit…and I’ve since been in two!” With fans hoping that more will be revealed especially at next month’s San Diego Comic-Con, you can bet that participants will be eagerly lining up, as Ruby Rose takes the stage to introduce the cast of Batwoman and give an insight into the newest addition to the primetime line-up, and the series show runners all collect themselves and practice their stock response: “The DC TV universe will never be the same again!”

Coming Soon, DC Entertainment, Featured, In Primetime

Trailer | The CW ELSEWORLDS Crossover Trailer is Here!

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The countdown has begun! I just a few short weeks, the DCTV Universe finds itself on the brink of a new crisis!

It’s been all that anyone has been able to think about! Since announcing as early as spring that this year’s DCTV crossover event would be unlink any of previous primetime stunts The CW has pulled off in the past, audiences have been eager to learn exactly what’s in store for their favorite heroes. In the latest full-length trailer for the “Elseworlds” 3-night event fans are getting are bigger picture of what The Flash, Arrow and Supergirl will be facing when the series premieres on Sunday, Dec 9 and concludes on Dec 11.

Check out the full-length “Elseworlds” Trailer here: