Last week we had the opportunity to witness the event of the year for CW: the crossover Elseworlds. This new special that brings together the Arrowverse (The Flash, Supergirl, and Arrow) was a success and there are good reasons. Here we tell you why this triple episode is so special and we bring you all the new characters and several secrets it has given us.
With a total of two hours and ten minutes (in three episodes), Elseworlds dared to tackle one of DC's most important stories: Crisis on Infinite Earths. This comic, created in 1985, was written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by George Pérez, Dick Giordano, and Jerry Ordway. While this is a preamble to the Crisis, Warner and CW surprise us with a range of characters that never united on screen, and several hadn't had their chance to leave the comic or an occasional cartoon.
In this special, which began with The Flash episode, we see that something or someone had modified reality (and this time Barry and his Flashpoint had nothing to do with it). Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) suffered an identity swap and must uncover who did it. They both travel to Supergirl's universe to ask for her help... and also Superman's.
As the episode advances, Cisco perceives the presence of Monitor, one of the strongest villains in the galaxy, to the point of considering himself a god. Monitor arrives on Earth with a book that can modify reality and gives it to a mad scientist who uses it to cause chaos. His goal is to test if Earth is strong enough to withstand the coming crisis. This is how this special is presented, indicating that several events of the Crisis will be part of the next crossover. Although there are still differences between the different production companies that are part of DC, we don't know how it will be adapted. These three superheroes, with the help of Superman and Batwoman, will try to defeat this new enemy. We won't go on, let's see what new characters this special has brought us and how they've been presented.
New Characters on Screen
Batwoman
The most anticipated and least surprising appearance, since Batwoman (Ruby Rose) was announced months ago and will have her own series premiering in 2019. Kate Kane's debut in the crossover will aim to help our friends stop Monitor and Deegan. Kate Kane gives us details about the Bat, though little is known about his disappearance.
Monitor / Mar Novu
In Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985) we are introduced to Monitor. To do so, we must go back to the beginning of the multiverses, more precisely to the planet Oa and 13 billion years ago. There, a scientist named Krona performed forbidden experiments that allowed the appearance of other universes and antimatter universes, like Qward. Monitor, born on Oa's moon, emerges as the reincarnation of the positive matter universes. In that failed experiment, Anti-Monitor arises, his nemesis composed of anti-matter and born on Qward. However, the version we saw of Monitor in 1985 is modified and rewritten by Grant Morrison in Final Crisis (2008), where we see the appearance of 52 monitors and discover that his origin is not the one presented in Crisis on Infinite Earths but is much more complex, and his modifications are a product of the restructuring of universes.
Psicopirata / Roger Hayden
This character is one of the most deranged in Crisis on Infinite Earths. In the famous comic, Psicopirata (Bob Frazer) is recruited by Monitor but later captured by Anti-Monitor, his nemesis. Anti-Monitor offers him a planet to have fun with if he follows his instructions, such as holding Barry Allen captive. In Elseworlds, he appears locked in an Arkham cell, but thanks to the conflict with Deegan, he escapes with the other prisoners.
Barry Allen (Earth-90)
A Barry Allen (John Wesley Shipp) from Earth-90 arrives to warn the superheroes of an impending evil. In the comic 'Crisis on Infinite Earths', Barry also arrives to deliver the same message but dies in each universe he appears in. This nod, besides drawing a parallel with the Barry we see in the Crisis, is a tribute to actor John Wesley Shipp, who wears his original suit from the 1990 The Flash series.
John Deegan / Doctor Destiny
This psychiatric doctor (Jeremy Davies) from Gotham City considers himself a savior by keeping Arkham's prisoners neutralized. He also has a particular hatred for superheroes for disappearing in times of crisis, as in the case of Batman, who hasn't been seen in the last three years. Monitor gives him the Book of Destiny because his ambitions could destroy the planet. In the comics, this character is known as Doctor Destiny.
Lazara / Nora Fries
While Arkham was in full collapse, Nora Fries (Cassandra Jean Amell) seeks a way to lower her body temperature when she encounters Killer Frost. To neutralize her, Fries uses her husband's weapon, Victor Fries, better known as Mr. Freeze. Nora Fries has appeared on the big screen in the disastrous Batman & Robin, where she is cryogenically frozen by her husband, Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger).
Amazo
This android was built by Professor Ivo, who sought immortality and uses Amazo to destroy the Justice League by stealing their abilities. In the CW show, his characterization is similar in power but not in appearance, which is more robotic.
Easter Eggs
It was the year 2001, and in a context where superhero series were scarce, Smallville arrived on the small screen. It was the first television series based on a comic and was created by CW (the same production company that makes the Arrowverse). It was based on the life of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and his adventures. It aired until 2011 with a total of 10 seasons, and in this crossover they remembered it with much love.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gr1UQSuapYU
Additionally, when our protagonists enter Arkham Asylum to look for Deegan, a scene reveals several known inmates such as Cobblepot, O. (The Penguin), Isley, P (Poison Ivy), Karlo, B (Clayface), Nigma, E (The Riddler), and Guggenheim, M, who is not a fictional character but the current showrunner of Arrow and Elseworlds.
Lastly, we find Bane's mask. While the scene follows Fries's sequence looking for her weapon, we see for a few seconds the mask used by Bruce Wayne's enemy, and it makes sense that it's stored in a room in Arkham.
Finally, if we revisit the comic Crisis on Infinite Earths released in 1985, we will surely find differences with what we see on the television show, generally due to rights issues. Expectations are set on Batman, and this episode has made sure of that. The possibilities of his appearance are higher today than a few years ago, since Gotham will culminate this year and Titans in its new trailer receives Batsy. Will the Dark Knight appear in the biggest event in DC history? Will he join the Titans? Will we have a total crossover? There's still a year to do the math, though my inner child wants to believe they will, because it's the ideal time for DC to showcase the best of its creations.
