The crisis On infinite Earths crossover event on the CW brought DC characters, past and future, together in a substantial way. Ironically, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no follow-up crossover. However, actor and director David Ramsey reprised his function as John Diggle on (almost) all of the CW series, providing a level of continuity to the TV shared universe. While there again will be no crossover event this year, there is some DC on CW team-up action in our future. The “Armageddon” event on The Flash will bring some current and past stars of the Arrowverse (or CWVerse, if you’re willing) together for an adventure. It’s not technically a crossover, because all of the action takes location on The Flash. Yet, perhaps this technique is a template they can utilize for future DC on the CW crossover events.
From a narrative standpoint, the function of the crossover is the exact same as it is in the comics. The appearances of these other characters who are marquee names shows that this world is truly shared by these characters. Yet, when they only crossover during “special” events, it can be tough for people to suspend disbelief. That’s why having these characters appear on each other’s shows outside of a large event makes their interaction feel more natural. With luck and coordination, they can even “sync” events on their series to describe why the Flash or Superman didn’t just zip to their friend’s side to help.
From a service perspective, the crossover events are meant to get laid-back fans of one series invested in the larger universe. events like Armageddon could actually be a smarter approach, because it provides each show a better chance to retain viewers.
How the DC on CW Crossover event Began
image via the CW
Technically, the first “crossover” episode was when grant Gustin’s Barry Allen showed up on Arrow before he got his powers. Yet, in the first season of The Flash, there was a great deal of crossovers. Characters from both shows appeared on the other series no fewer than 11 times that first year of the Arrowverse. Both leads appeared in their counterpart’s season finale. The following season, they kicked off Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, and they utilized the exact same approach. It wasn’t up until the invasion event that “the crossover” ended up being a thing.
Those early days were amazing and part of what hooked me, an adult in his 40s, into this series of morality plays for teenagers. Greg Berlanti and company were doing what DC films could not. They produced a live-action world that felt just like the comics to me. Seeing David Ramsey’s John Diggle or Carlos Valdez’s Cisco Ramon appear on some other show randomly drew viewers into both stories. So, as much as I liked seeing comic events from my childhood given life with crisis and Invasion, I hope they move away from the big event.
And, because of the lingering impacts of the pandemic, they are. In July, executive producer of The Flash, Eric Wallace exposed why they restricted the crossover to The Flash.
He stated to Deadline.com:
“There are still a great deal of Covid protocols in place, which limit a great deal of the things we can do as a production. However, with this five-part event, we want to deliver the same feeling to the audience that you would get with a crossover type of story. That’s truly the goal here, to give them something that’s not just an normal season premiere—something special…in the story that we’re telling. It is a bit bit bigger than usual for The Flash, which was extremely exciting.”
image via CW
Essentially, what Wallace and the rest of the storytellers are doing is going back to the universe’s roots. With the exception of Batwoman, none of the revealed guest stars are currently on a series. Hopefully, as shooting goes on and things continue to improve, other characters from shows like Superman & Lois or even Stargirl find their method onto the sets of other DC on CW shows. It spreads out the viewer bump from crossovers throughout the year and encourages viewers to get invested in the stories unfolding in all of the shows.
For example, a question girl series is in development, and it would be terrific if Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman or Javica Leslie’s Batwoman shows up out of the blue. It makes these shows feel like less of a vacuum, and provides the new viewers a chance to get caught up in the continuous story, rather than a special sidebar event. It also provides us a chance to see characters again that we may not otherwise. The green Arrow and the Canaries series was not chosen up by the CW, but Katherine McNamara is back as Mia in Armageddon. exact same goes for Brandon Routh’s Ray Palmer, who didn’t want to leave Legends of Tomorrow. (Also Black Lightning, who deserved better.)
The Flash is currently streaming on Netflix and returns to the CW in October 2021.
What do you think? how would you plan the future ofcrossover events for the DC on the CW series? would you have them cross over at all? Share your thoughts, hopes, and theories in the comments below.
Featured image via the CW