Crisis on Infinite Arrowverses part 1

A little something different for this page - it's my notes for the podcast, but this episode is not a Legion-centric one (in fact, a Legionnaire only appears in part 1 of this 3-part section).

 
The one on the left is the Walmart exclusive (Dec 2019) while the one on the right is coming to comic shops in January. Same interiors, which include the original Crisis #7 (so there's your Legion reprint).

This episode of the podcast returns to Event Theater: Crisis on Infinite Arrowverse part 1, where we will recap last week’s episodes of Supergirl, Batwoman, and Flash. Part 2, with episodes of Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, will be covered on our January 20th podcast. Worlds will live, worlds will die, and the universe will never be the same! I think the last time we had an Event Theater episode was #381, 200 episodes ago. Podcast episodes on 12/15 (part 1) and 1/19 (part 2).

We know that there are multiple Earths in the “Arrowverse” multiverse. Flash, Green Arrow, and the Legends of Tomorrow are on Earth-1, while Supergirl and Superman are on Earth-38. On Earth-2, it was Oliver Queen who died while his father lived, becoming The Hood in Starling City, while evil versions of Black Canary, Firestorm, Vibe, and Killer Frost terrorized the world. Jay Garrick is the Flash of Earth-3, Harrison Wells is a wizard on Earth-13, Gypsy is from Earth-19, the Crime Syndicate is on Earth-27, everyone is a vegan on Earth-30, the 1990s Flash TV series was on Earth-90, and Earth-X is where the Nazis won WWII and many of our heroes have Nazi counterparts.

In the pilot episode of Flash, there’s a newspaper whose headline reads “Flash disappears in Crisis” and references red skies, taking place in 2024. Through some time travel shenanigans last season involving XS (Nora West-Allen, the daughter of Barry Allen and Iris West, from the year 2040), that has moved up to 2019. In last year’s crossover “Elseworlds”, we met the Monitor and Psycho Pirate, and the end of the crossover teased this year’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths”. It looks like Oliver Queen is fated to die – he apparently bargained with the Monitor to take him instead of Supergirl and Flash (who, ironically, both died in the comic book version), while Barry says that when he traveled to the future in this season’s premiere, he saw billions of futures, and the only one in which everyone lives is when he dies. So far this season, Oliver has seen the destruction of Earth-2 to red skies and antimatter, and Oliver has learned to accept his fate, while Flash has been trying to secure his legacy in his team after he’s gone. The Monitor has tested and recruited Martian Manhunter, Black Siren, and Green Arrow, and revived Lex Luthor (seemingly killed in the Supergirl finale last season) to be a hero. We have also seen Harrison “Nash” Wells become Pariah and seen that Arrow’s Lyla Michaels is Harbinger, working for the Monitor – and whose code name early on in the series was Harbinger!

And a recent Rolling Stone interview with Marc Guggenheim, the co-producer of the Arrowverse, says that “He told the creative teams of all the CW shows (including Black Lightning, whose title character will participate even though Crisis isn’t making an episode for it) to consider Crisis “a magic ticket” that would allow them to make whatever changes, big or small, to their continuity, in the same way that Superman and Wonder Woman got new origin stories and altered supporting casts in the wake of the original comic book Crisis.” So we’ll have to see what happens, as we’ve been given no information on what each of the core series will be like after the winter break. 

Crisis on Infinite Earths, Episode 1 (Supergirl, 12/8/19):
The Monitor sends Harbinger to gather the worlds’ greatest heroes - Supergirl, The Flash, Green Arrow, Batwoman, White Canary, The Atom, and Superman - in preparation for the impending Crisis. With their worlds in imminent danger, the superheroes suit up for battle while J’onn and Alex recruit Lena to help them find a way to save the people of Earth-38. 

The Earth-16 stuff here is spread out a bit, but I moved it around to one bullet point to avoid having to go back and forth a lot. 

• Monitor explains the origin of the Multiverse and explains how the Age of Heroes kept chaos at bay from the multiverse. See other worlds getting wiped out:
• Earth-89: Alexander Knox (from the 1989 Batman movie, complete with theme) reads a paper in Gotham City, headline reads “Batman captures Joker”. The Bat-signal is projected onto the red skies as he says “I hope you’re watching, big guy!” 
• Earth-9: Hawk & Robin (Teen Titans on DC Universe streaming) 
• Earth-X: The Ray
• Earth-66: Gotham City, Dick Grayson is walking Ace. “Holy crimson skies of death!”
• Earth-38 in National City, Wil Wheaton is holding a sign (from Superman II) proclaiming the end of the world; Supergirl saves him from a dragon named Spike (from season 4). At the DEO, Brainy says there’s seismic activity all over the world, coming from outside, and calculates they have until tomorrow night before the antimatter wave hits Earth. 
• Argo City is in imminent danger, that’s where Superman and Lois are with their son Jonathan and Supergirl’s mother Alura. Supergirl warns them but only with enough time for them to send Jonathan on a ship to Earth (using Jor-El’s movie words, with shades of not only baby Kal-El but also Alexander Luthor. The wave hits and Argo is destroyed.
• Earth-1: Harbinger recruits the Green Arrows (Oliver and Mia) from Lian Yu and Flash from Central City, then gets Batwoman from Gotham City when she was trying to capture some Wonderland Gang members. She gets Ray (Atom) and Sara (White Canary) at a trivia night in Star City.
• Earth-38: Harbinger arrives with Oliver and Mia plus Superman and Lois, who she rescued from Argo (the others are doing recon). She explains that there’s a wave of antimatter sweeping across the multiverse; Oliver says he saw it destroy Earth-2. She says Monitor brought them all here to make a stand on Earth-38. A quantum tower appears (similar to the comics cosmic tuning forks), Lyla says the Monitor put them on key Earths as a last line of defense, but the heroes will have to defend it from the Anti-Monitor’s forces. Brainy has tracked baby Jonathan’s ship through a wormhole to Star City on Earth-16 in the year 2046 (site of a season 1 Legends episode s01e06 whose future doesn’t track with the Arrow 2040 timeline, so it was shunted to an alternate Earth), so Lois will go with Sara and Brainy to recover him. J’onn tells Brainy and Alex he will ask to use the ships the aliens came on to transport as many people off Earth-38 as possible, and take them to Earth-1 since that’s the last world that will get hit by the antimatter, but only Lena can make a transmatter portal big enough. Kara gives Superman a pep talk and he asks her how she can have so much hope in all this. Oliver gives Mia a case with her own Green Arrow suit and gear and says she’s earned the right to wear it. Barry reminds Oliver of the future newspaper that said Flash dies in Crisis, so Oliver calls the Monitor to remind him of their deal, Oliver dies so Barry and Kara live. Monitor wants Oliver to be ready for all possibilities. Alex tells Lena about the antimatter wave but despite the feelings that Lena has for Team Supergirl, they need her help. The heroes prepare to protect the quantum tower from the Shadow Demons (two Green Arrows, Atom, Batwoman, Superman, Supergirl, Flash). Dreamer and J’onn help evacuate National City via alien ships and the Legion Cruiser while Alex and Lena work on the portal. 
• Earth-16, 2046: the team tracks baby Jonathan to the Arrow Bunker, where Oliver is shocked to find Sara alive. The old Oliver apologizes to Sara and tells him that in her world, it was destiny that got her on the Queen’s Gambit and set off an entire chain of events. Brainy says they have to leave. Sara tells Oliver that he’s a good man on every Earth (neglecting to tell him of his evil Earth-X counterpart).
• Earth-38: Superman and Supergirl go to the roof of the tower to fix what broke while the others hold off the shadow demons, so the use their vision powers to recharge the tower long enough to hold the antimatter off a while longer. Superman is drained and falls first, but it buys them enough time – the portal is open and there’s only 14 minutes left. The heroes fight the shadow demons on the roof while people escape in the alien ships through the portal. The Monitor appears and says the battle is lost, they must retreat, and teleports all of the heroes away. Oliver refuses to go until the planet is evacuated. He fights the shadow demons until he runs out of arrows and charges them. Earth-38 falls.
• Earth-1: Monitor transports the badly wounded Oliver to Star City and says he saved a billion people, but only 3 billion of the planet’s 7.5 billion got out on the armada. Pariah appears, he says he is sent to bear witness to the Anti-Monitor’s actions. The team returns from Earth-16. Oliver says it’s his destiny, he gave it all up for Barry and Kara. He tells Mia to find Felicity and William and tell them how much he loved them, then he dies. Monitor says this is not the way Oliver was supposed to die. Pariah says they’re all doomed.

Crisis on Infinite Earths, Episode 1-1/2 (Walmart comic):
The 100-Page Giant Crisis on Infinite Earths Special from Walmart contains two stories that chronologically fit in between episodes 1 and 2. The main story (as summarized here, here, and here) deals with the Monitor gathering heroes and working on a plan that will appear early in episode 2, while the backup features a council of multiversal Luthors (as summarized here).

• As the issue opens, Pariah appears on an Earth where a giant billboard in Metropolis's Heroes Square depicts the Justice League -- in what appears to be an alternate angle from the famous Justice League #1 image by Jim Lee. In case there was any doubt that the parallel was intentional, the Earth he lands on is designated Earth-N52. On the comic's second page, it is wiped from existence. A group of heroes is assembled and, since this is taking place in between parts one and two of the story, Felicity Smoak takes point on trying to figure out who the seven Paragons are. Fans also get to see how Felicity discovers that her husband is dead, and confronts The Monitor about it. Harbinger/Lyla Michaels admits that she has not yet informed John Diggle about Oliver's death, and Barry Allen/The Flash is there to give Felicity a supportive shoulder. The Monitor sends a group of heroes -- The Atom, Batwoman, The Ray, The Flash, Kid Flash, Nyssa al Ghul, and Harbinger -- to seek out Outkast, the antimatter universe doppelganger of Pariah (and a character with no direct corollary in the comics, as far as we could find). Earth-76 is just one of their stops along the way. Wonder Woman suits up and heads into action, saving a group of innocent bystanders endangered by the battle between Pariah and Outkast as well as the red skies that spell doom for their world. She isn't the only Wonder Woman seen in the issue -- there's a picture of the New 52 Justice League on a Metropolis jumbotron on the comic's first page, and later fans can spot the Wonder Woman of Earth-D and also the version played by Adrienne Palecki in the failed pilot -- but Carter's is the one that has something to do with the plot. They trail him through the multiverse, finally catching up to him on Earth-D, a world created by Wolfman and the late artist Paul Ryan in Legends of the DC Universe: Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1999. It's there that Outkast takes aim at Barry Allen, but before The Flash can be struck down, Wally West runs in front of Outkast's antimatter beam, vanishing into thin air and seemingly dying. 
• The backup story deals with a "Council of Luthors" who have convened to try to kill all of the multiverse's Supermen, using the events of the Crisis for cover. Among a number of favorite looks from the comics, there's one guy who's absolutely the one seen in Superman: The Movie. He shares his scene with the Jon Cryer Luthor from Supergirl, who of course played Hackman's nephew Lenny in Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. Besides the Hackman Lex and "Aussie Lex," the long-haired, bearded "Lex Luthor II" from the '90s, there is an appearance in here by Beppo the Super-Monkey. If the Batman v Superman Lex appears here, though, it's basically unrecognizable in his post-prison form: there are a pair of bald Luthors in orange prison jumpsuits, but not one who looks like the long-haired version that Eisenberg played in his earlier appearance.

Crisis on Infinite Earths, Episode 2 (Batwoman, 12/9/19):
The group uses Ray’s invention to track new recruits to help save the universe. The Monitor sends Iris, Clark, and Lois in search of a mysterious Kryptonian, while Kate and Kara head out to find Bruce Wayne. In addition, Mia challenges Sara, Rory discovers a hidden talent, and Lex Luthor returns.

Like last episode, the show jumps from team to team a lot, so I've grouped all of the stuff that each team goes through into one set of bullets for easier reading.

• Lyla needs Ray’s lab, but not the regular Waverider (they have a multiverse of them, and Sarah said her team could sit out this crossover). She goes to Earth-74 where she recruits Mick Rory, and his Waverider Captain Cold is Gideon on that ship.
• Monitor: across space and time there are 7 heroes, beings of the purest will who can ultimately defeat the Anti-Monitor, known as Paragons (found with the help of Felicity and the Tome of the Guardians)
• Kara – Hope
• Sarah – Destiny
• “A second Kryptonian who has suffered a greater loss than most mortal men could endure” – Truth
• “The Bat of the Future” – Courage
• Monitor has brought back Lex Luthor 38 to fulfill his destiny; Luthor steals the Book of Destiny to go kill Superman across the multiverse, Monitor insists this is part of it
• Batman
• Earth-99 (Batman Beyond debuted in 1999): Kate and Kara go to find Batman in Gotham, we hear the Batman Adventures theme, meet Bruce wearing exoskeleton like in Dark Knight and Kingdom Come. Luke Fox reveals that Batman killed Superman and that fight is why he wears the armor, Bruce tries to kill Supergirl, says his Kate would never trust a Kryptonian and that his world isn’t worth saving. Kate knocks him back and he falls and dies, saying “there is no hope”. She takes his Kryptonite.
• Superman
• Earth-75: Iris goes with Lois and Clark to find Superman, Metropolis, Luthor killed that Earth’s Superman and then breached (Death of Superman homage to Superman #75)
• Earth-167: Smallville – Lois, Clark, Iris meet Clark Kent but Lex zaps them away. He gave up his powers to marry Lois, live on the farm, and raise a family; Luthor leaves because it’s no fun killing a Superman with no powers. (Homage to Smallville creators Millar & Gough who were both born in 1967)
• Earth-96: Metropolis, Lois Lane music when she meets Superman, Iris: “he looks just like Ray Palmer”. On this Earth, Joker gassed the Daily Planet and killed everyone (as seen in the Justice Society Kingdom Come Special), including Jimmy, Perry, and his wife Lois. He changes into the Kingdom Come costume to the John Williams music.  Lex appears with the Book of Destiny and has the Supermen fight, but he turns his back on Lois and Iris who knock out Luthor and restore Superman-96. The two Supermen talk about their families (including Superman's son Jason) and the fight (reference to Superman III fighting himself) and recover the Book of Destiny. This Superman has suffered a greater loss than most mortal men could endure and they realize he's the Paragon they were looking for. (Kingdom Come debuted in 1996)
• Constantine, Flash, Sarah, Mia looking into a Lazarus Pit to resurrect Oliver
• Earth-18 North Dakota they find a Lazarus Pit in a mine owned by Jonah Hex. They resurrect Oliver but he doesn’t have his soul yet, Constantine is having trouble due to all the antimatter. He had previously helped with the resurrections of Sara, Thea, and Roy on the Arrow show. (Named after the 1800s fighter Jonah Hex)
• On board the Waverider, Ray meets Superman. Superman-96 and Batwoman are revealed to be the 3rd and 4th Paragons (of Truth and Courage, respectively)
• Harbinger is teleported away and meets the Anti-Monitor

Crisis on Infinite Earths, Episode 2-1/2 (Black Lightning, 12/9/19):

Black Lightning is revealed to be on a different, unnamed Earth and has his own "red skies" episode (titled "Earth Crisis") leading into Episode 3.

• Red skies and lightning appear in the sky during the beginning of the episode. As Jennifer Pierce stands at her window watching the storm, she passes out and meets different versions of herself in the multiverse. Anissa, Gambi, Jefferson Pierce and Lynn Stewart gather at Anissa's loft, where Gambi tells the family that the red storm is filled with antimatter, which Jennifer's cells are storing. A projection of Jennifer appears on Earth-1 to witness her father murdered in their house by the ASA. The Earth-2 Jennifer, referred to as Jinn, is a cold-blooded killer who uses her powers to kill her entire family when they try to have an intervention. The episode ends with the antimatter wave wiping out their Earth, though Black Lightning is rescued by a flash of light.

Crisis on Infinite Earths, Episode 3 (Flash, 12/10/19):
Pariah enlists Black Lightning to help stop the Anti-Monitor after Flash-90 shares what he learned from his battle in “Elseworlds.” With the help of Black Lightning, Barry, Cisco and Killer Frost come up with a plan that could save them all. Meanwhile, Iris has a heart-to-heart with Ryan Choi, while Oliver and Diggle return to an old, familiar stomping ground.

Again, episode events are moved around to be easier to read.

• Earth-203, New Gotham, Huntress (Birds of Prey series from 2003) has Oracle send her some data but both are wiped out
• Ralph, Cisco, and Frost appear on the Waverider, “Holy All-Star Squadron!”. Jonn organizes a rescue team to save as many from the multiverse as they can and bring them to Earth-1, Superman-96 goes with him (all happens off-screen). Cisco fixes the Paragon detector and finds the other three:
• Jonn – Honor
• Flash – Love
• Ryan Choi – Humanity
• Diggle arrives, wants to help save Oliver. The Monitor tells him that Lyla is with Anti-Monitor. Cisco and Frost try to find the source of the antimatter wave, Monitor restores Cisco’s Vibe powers.
• Saving Oliver’s soul (Diggle, Constantine, Mia, with Sara watching his body back on the Waverider)
• Earth-666, they go to Lucifer’s bar because Constantine can’t get into Purgatory and Lucifer owes Constantine a favor. They get a card to get in to Purgatory. 
• Purgatory for Oliver is Lian Yu. Oliver finds them and recognizes them. They’re just ready to go back when Jim Corrigan (Spectre) shows up, says it’s Oliver’s turn to be called to a higher purpose, it’s his destiny. Oliver tells Diggle and Mia it’ll be OK and they vanish.
• Source of antimatter (Vibe, Frost, Flash) – Central City
• Pariah appears, he’s there to bear witness. Cisco vibes the memories of how to open the Anti-Monitor’s door from him. Find the antimatter cannon, see Flash-90 trapped on the treadmill, he’s powering the cannon, the test fire was Earth-2, that's why that Earth was destroyed relatively early this season. (Recall that Earth-90’s heroes were destroyed by the Monitor at the end of Elseworlds, but Flash escaped.) Vibe stops the treadmill, Flash-90 says he has to go back on due to the fail-safe that would destroy all worlds at once. Black Lightning appears, Pariah brought him from his Earth which was just destroyed. BL absorbs the energy from the cannon. Barry says that this is what he’s been running towards all these years, it’s time for Flash to vanish in the Crisis. But Flash-90 steals Flash’s speed – “Monitor said Flash had to die but never said which one”. He gets back on the treadmill running the opposite direction and disintegrates (like in Crisis #8), the cannon is destroyed and the wave stops before hit hits Earth-1.
• Waverider (Batwoman, Supergirl, Luthor, Lois, Sara)
• Luthor explains how the Book works, via willpower. Supergirl wants to try to bring back Earth-38 using the Book. Lois sees Earth-73 destroyed, now there are only 7 left. Superman-96 returns (with the John Williams theme) briefly, he couldn’t save them. Kate stops Kara from opening the Book (she was going to use the kryptonite if needed), convincing her that if something happens to her as a Paragon then they’re all doomed, so Kara leaves.
• Ivytown looking for Ryan Choi (Iris, Ray, Ralph)
• They find Choi in his lab (he is an expert on Ray Palmer's quantum miniaturization), but he wants to go home instead. He says he’s not a hero, but Iris tells him it’s their humanity that make the heroes want to fight. Ray gets word that the other 6 Earths are gone, this is the only one left.
• All teams now back on the Waverider. Kate tells Kara that she has Bruce’s kryptonite and would have used it to stop Kara from using the Book, he had it because he lost hope and she never will. Kara tells her to keep it and that she has the courage that Kate will never have to use it. Harbinger reappears, she can’t remember what happened. The team realizes that the Anti-Monitor planted her back on the ship. Through Harbinger, Anti-Monitor defeats the heroes, Monitor tells Pariah he will know what to do when the time arrives. Harbinger and Monitor blast each other but she wins. The antimatter comes back and destroys Earth-1 leaving only the Waverider. Pariah sends the seven Paragons away and the Waverider is destroyed. They appear at Vanishing Point, a place outside of time and space where the Anti-Monitor can’t go. Superman falls (Supergirl holds him like on Crisis #7 cover) and Luthor takes his place carrying the Book of Destiny. 

Part 2 coming in January! The Arrow (episode 4) and Legends of Tomorrow (episode 5) will air back to back on January 14th.