If you have been following along with me on my recap of Crisis on Infinite Earths, you already know that I’ve issued a spoiler warning for these three posts. We don’t typically do spoilers, except when covering a franchise or a series. The reason is simple.
When doing a series, plot-lines build upon each other, making it impossible to not spoil what’s come before. I apologize before hand, but hope our subscribers understand, since you’ve seen our work in the past. New readers, I hope you understand as well, and would hope you keep checking us out on a regular basis. Our content speaks for itself.
Consider this your SPOILER WARNING: SPOILER ALERT! If you want to follow along and don’t know where, I suggest the CW APP or website cwtv.com/shows/crisis-on-infinite-earths. Both, are free and available now!
Episode 4 of Crisis is found in Arrow Episode 808 and the finale episode is found as DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Episode 508. I will cover both episodes here and do a small review of what I’ve seen and what I thought.
The third episode of Crisis ends with all seven of the Paragons having been sent to the Vanishing Point by Pariah in an attempt to save them. However, Superman falls to the ground and is consumed while Lex Luthor stands in his place as the Paragon of Truth. He removed Superman from the Book of Destiny and wrote his name in Superman’s place. Yeah, Lex Luthor’s kind of an @$$#0!3!!!
Episode 4 of Crisis begins with Mar Novu (the Monitor’s real name), on Maltus (his home world) 10,000 years ago. During an experiment, he gets to see the birth of the multiverse, but when he gets transported to the anti-matter universe he inadvertently tells the Anti-Monitor that there is a multiverse. Hence began the Anti-Monitor’s search to destroy the multiverse. At the Vanishing Point, it is evident that he has accomplished that goal.
Arrow, imbued with the Spectre’s power, arrives at the Vanishing Point (the place where all time and space begins) just in time. The Paragons are feeling hopeless. Despite the fact that they are supposed to be heroes, they have witnessed the deaths of not only their loved ones, family and friends, but the deaths of multiple worlds, alien and human souls, alike. Consider, if you will, how you would feel about the deaths of billions. The heroes feel disconsolate.
The Arrow goes to the Vanishing Point to offer assistance to the Paragons and provide particular advice to the Flash. Flash gathers everyone into the Speed Force and drops off Supergirl, Choi, and Luthor on Maltus to stop Novu from initiating his experiments. Both Supergirl and Choi manage to convince Novu to halt his experiments, but all they have done is halt one world’s Novu from moving forward with the discovery of the multiverse.
The reality is that when all the heroes arrive at the “Dawn of Time,” they discern that the Anti-Monitor will always learn of the multiverse and want to destroy it, because of Mar Novu’s ambitions. The Paragons, all then, including Luthor, battle the Anti-Monitor’s demons while Arrow uses the Spectre’s power to fight the Anti-Monitor and restore the multiverse. However, once again, the Green Arrow dies in the arms of those he loves. The episode ends with the Flash and the White Canary staring into the newly created universe.
The finale begins with Supergirl waking up in Earth Prime, a convergence of Black Lightning’s Universe, Supergirl’s Universe, and the entire Arrowverse. It is a universe where Lex Luthor is getting the Nobel Peace Prize!!! Marv Wolfman, the writer of the comic book version of Crisis on Infinite Earths does a walk-on where he asks the Flash and Supergirl for their autographs.
The Martian Manhunter goes around telling everyone what happened and catches-up all of our heroes (the non-Paragons) in particular as to the death of the Green Arrow and how they all now live in the same universe. Pariah tells everyone that all is not well. The Shadow Demons attempt to pick-off the Paragons and they realize that the Anti-Monitor is still alive.
The Flash, Choi, the Atom, and Pariah develop a bomb that will shrink the Anti-Monitor and send him into the micro-verse while the Black Lightning, Superman, Supergirl, etc. keep the Shadow Demons and the Anti-Monitor distracted. When all is done, a memorial service for Oliver Queen transpires. Kara, Supergirl, Barry, the Flash, and Sara, the White Canary, all speak, while Superman, Black Lightning, Batwoman, and the Martian Manhunter participate in their own ways.
Clearly, I enjoyed this mega-event. I think that it accomplished what it set out to do. It paved a unification of all the Greg Berlanti shows into one universe, while explaining the disparate universes that are in the comic books, the movies, and the Teen Titans universe. I love the respect and homages paid to the other incarnations of television and movies, while fixing stories to continuity. Without a doubt, this is a Five Grey Geek recommend.
The Mustache and The Beard 