When “Crisis on Infinite Earths” was announced as being 2019’s major Arrowverse crossover upon the conclusion of “Elseworlds,” odds are that many viewers couldn’t help thinking this will be the great disaster leading to the disappearance of the Flash. Granted, a future newspaper headline has told us not to expect such a thing until 2024, though you can never be too sure when speedsters continue their hobby of messing with the timeline.
Actually, the more I think about it, I believe Greg Berlanti and his fellow producers will stay on course. After all, the Scarlet Speedster is still one of The CW’s top draws, and I simply don’t see him meeting his apparent demise like he did in the source material because the TV show likely has at least a few more years to go before being cancelled.
Similarly, I doubt Supergirl will likewise bite the dust, but you really can’t be 100% certain as Crises tend to see at least one major death come out of them. If anything, we’ll probably get a curveball thrown at us in the form of Oliver Queen meeting his end, what with him having been around the longest.
Still, Barry Allen is slated to go missing at some point.
What I’m getting at is that the word “Crisis” has been applied to multiple comic book events, with Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis being two others that shook the DC Universe to its core. Heck, we’ve already had “Crisis on Earth-X,” so the Arrowverse has previously broken ground in this sense. Therefore, it’s entirely possible for one of those two stories mentioned to be looked at for inspiration when it comes time to pen future crossovers on the small screen.
If that’s the case, then perhaps the title of “Final Crisis” should be used in 2024, even though it looks like the Reverse-Flash – flanked by shadow demons – will serve as the chief antagonist when the time comes. Those familiar with the comic of the same name will remember Darkseid as the big bad, but I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for him to appear in the Arrowverse.
Then again, he was the main villain in Smallville season 10. If there’s anything standing in his way right now, it’s red tape separating WB’s motion picture and television divisions. But considering how the Justice League movie was reshot and established Steppenwolf as the primary threat and pigs will fly before The New Gods comes to a theater near you, I don’t see why Darkseid can’t be used in a prospective “Final Crisis” – or any other crossover, for that matter.
For the time being, we’ll just have to keep analyzing whatever news makes its way online and ponder what that may mean for “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and beyond. But if one thing is for certain, it’s that The CW’s DC-based programming will capture our attention for at least a few more years.