Arrowverse: ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ Will Be a Game Changer

Will Davis
TV Arrowverse
TV Arrowverse DC The CW

Elseworlds may have come and gone — much to our dismay — but the last few seconds of the crossover teased next year’s big event: Crisis on Infinite Earths. This event has been staring us in the face ever since the newspaper from the future showed up in The Flash‘s first episode. Now that the crossover has finally been confirmed, you might be wondering what Crisis on Infinite Earths is and what it means for the Arrowverse. Well, let us break it down for you.

What Is Crisis on Infinite Earths?

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'Crisis on Infinite Earths' was a game changer for DC Comics.

Crisis on Infinite Earths is a twelve-issue limited series that ran from April 1985 to March 1986. It brings together both the heroes and villains of the DC Multiverse and pits them against the Anti-Monitor, a cosmic entity that was born in a universe of antimatter. The Anti-Monitor destroys countless positive matter universes to increase his power; he wants his antimatter universe to be the only one left standing. After a fierce battle with many casualties, only five Earths in the Multiverse remain. These Earths then merge to form one single Earth.

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'Crisis on Infinite Earths' was not afraid to kill its characters.

Crisis on Infinite Earths is popular for many reasons. It streamlined the convoluted history of the DC Multiverse to make it easier for readers to follow by transforming the Multiverse into a single universe. Some consider it to be one of the most ambitious crossovers in comic history. It’s also infamous for its high death count, which impacted icons like Kara Zor-El and Barry Allen. Many DC fans have this series ingrained in their memories.

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They even killed off Barry Allen. No hero was safe in this crisis.

The series brought many lasting changes to the comics. It’s safe to say that the Arrowverse adaptation will do the same. But what will these changes be?

How the Arrowverse Could Change

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What can we expect from next year's crossover?

The Arrowverse could take a page (or issue) from the comic book series and use Crisis on Infinite Earths to make the continuity of its shows easier for audiences to understand. Perhaps the event will have Supergirl‘s Earth Thirty-Eight merge with Earth One, the Earth where The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow take place. Fans of Black Lightning have also wondered if the show takes place on Earth One, though it’s not officially part of the Arrowverse. This event would be an excellent opportunity to unite all the shows on a single Earth and make the Arrowverse more attractive to new fans.

But that’s not the only effect the crossover will have. Whenever DC Comics does a Crisis story, heroes are guaranteed to die. So we can expect the same thing to happen next year when the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths comes around. But we wouldn’t bet on Barry and Kara biting the dust just yet, despite the crossover drawing inspiration from the comic event. We believe the Arrowverse will go a different route.

So Long, Oliver!

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It's highly likely Oliver's time will be up in 'Crisis on Infinite Earths.'

During the final episode of Elseworlds, we learned that the Monitor gave John Deegan the Book of Destiny to prepare our heroes for a crisis that is yet to come, aka Crisis on Infinite Earths. When Superman gets his hands on the book, he learns that it’s Barry and Kara’s destiny to die saving the world from Deegan, alluding to their comic deaths. Not willing to let his friends die, Oliver confronts the Monitor and tells him to change reality so that Barry and Kara survive. However, to keep the balance of reality, one change requires another. Oliver’s proposition to the Monitor happens off-screen, but we’re pretty sure Oliver offered his life in exchange for Barry and Kara’s.

Oliver dying in Crisis on Infinite Earths isn’t outside the realm of possibility. The current season of Arrow revealed that the person parading around as the “New Green Arrow” is none other than Oliver’s unknown half-sister. By next year, Stephen Amell will have portrayed Oliver for eight years. He may want to pursue other career opportunities, and it seems like the writers are grooming Oliver’s half-sister to become the Green Arrow permanently. If this is the case, then having Oliver meet his end in Crisis on Infinite Earths makes sense. A heroic death would be the perfect send-off for the man who started it all.

An Event None Will Forget

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'Crisis on Infinite Earths' will be the Arrowverse crossover that tops all others.

When Crisis on Infinite Earths airs next year, it’ll be firing on all cylinders. Everything that’s happened in the Arrowverse has led up to this point. With the fate of the Multiverse at stake, our heroes must do everything in their power to ensure its survival. What will they do when they finally confront the Anti-Monitor? We know one thing’s for sure: “Worlds will live, worlds will die, and the universe will never be the same.”

Will Davis
Writer. Avid comic book reader. Lover of superhero shows and sci-fi. The Flash is my guilty pleasure.