- For the eponymous multiversal phenomenon, see Elseworlds (concept).
Elseworlds is the name of the fifth annual shared multiverse crossover event between The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl. The crossover aired over three nights from December 9 to December 11, 2018. This crossover served as a set-up for the television series Batwoman and officially confirmed The Flash to be canon in the Arrowverse.
Synopsis
The three-night event begins with Arkham Asylum doctor John Deegan rewriting reality, which results in Oliver and Barry swapping lives. In this new reality, the two heroes are the only ones that know that they are in the wrong lives and have each other's powers.[1]
Plot
On Earth-90, the Flash escaped as a mysterious figure that uses a powerful book to destroy that Earth. On Earth-1, the same figure gave the book to Arkham Asylum psychiatrist John Deegan, who used it to rewrite reality according to his will. The following day, Oliver Queen and Barry Allen woke up in each other's lives; Oliver is the Flash and Barry is the Green Arrow. At S.T.A.R. Labs, Team Flash did not believe them and locked them up in "The Pipeline". Oliver and Barry used each other's abilities to escape and travel to Earth-38 to get help from Kara Danvers and acquainted themselves with her cousin Clark Kent and his girlfriend Lois Lane. Meanwhile, an android called A.M.A.Z.O. awoke and threated Central City. Cisco Ramon retrieved Oliver and Barry from Earth-38, with Kara and Clark helping. After defeating A.M.A.Z.O., Cisco vibed the mysterious figure and Deegan. The figure tells the group that something is coming and they will not be able to stop it. While Clark returned to protect Earth-38, Oliver realizes the figure and Deegan were located in Gotham City.
In Gotham, Barry, Oliver, and Kara were arrested by the GCPD after getting into a fight. They were bailed out by Wayne Enterprises' CEO Kate Kane, who told them Deegan is at Arkham Asylum. The trio, with the assistance of Caitlin and Diggle, broke into Arkham to confront Deegan. They retrieved the "Book of Destiny" but Deegan escaped and caused a mass breakout. During a confrontation with inmate Nora Fries, Barry and Oliver were exposed to fear gas and believed each other to be Eobard Thawne and Malcolm Merlyn, respectively. After stopping the breakout, Kate, as the vigilante Batwoman, roused them from their hallucinatory state and told them to leave Gotham. They head to A.R.G.U.S. to restore reality, where Earth-90's Flash warned them about the Monitor. Barry, Oliver, Kara and Earth-90's Flash confront the Monitor, who said he is rewriting reality to test out worlds to stop an upcoming crisis. Monitor stole the book, escapes and returns it to Deegan. He wrote a new reality in which Barry and Oliver are criminals known as the Trigger Twins, who have no powers. They are confronted by a black-suited Superman.
Oliver realized the Superman impostor is actually Deegan; they forced him to save innocents while they escaped in order to find Cisco. Deegan and his forces, including the Earth-1 doppelgänger of Kara's adoptive sister Alex Danvers, were holding Kara at S.T.A.R. Labs. Olver and Barry located Cisco and persuaded him to take them to Earth-38. They found Clark, who agrees to return with them to Earth-1 while Kara persuaded Alex to release her. Arriving on Earth-1, Clark and Oliver fought Deegan and his forces so Alex, Barry, and Kara can find the Book of Destiny. They located it in the Time Vault and took it to Clark, who restores Barry, Oliver, and Kara to their real selves. Deegan retrieves the book and attempts to rewrite reality again. To impede his progress, Barry and Kara slow time down by speeding around the Earth in opposite directions. Oliver confronted the Monitor, asking him to spare Barry and Kara, but the Monitor demands something from Oliver in exchange. Clark, joined by Lois, Brainiac 5, and J'onn J'onzz, fought Deegan and a revived A.M.A.Z.O. Barry and Kara were nearly torn apart by their speed but Oliver shot the book with an arrow enhanced by the Monitor. Deegan reverts to himself, though heavily disfigured, and reality is restored. After returning to Earth-38, Clark and Lois told Kara they are expecting a child and will return to Argo City, leaving Earth's protection to her. On Earth-1, Oliver was contacted by Kate, who said Deegan, now incarcerated at Arkham, has made a new friend; who told Deegan that "Worlds will live, worlds will die, and the universe will never be the same".
Cast
- John Wesley Shipp as The Flash
- LaMonica Garrett as Mar Novu/The Monitor
- Jeremy Davies as Dr. John Deegan
- Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow/The Flash
- Candice Patton as Iris West-Allen
- Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon/Vibe
- Danielle Panabaker as Dr. Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost
- Hartley Sawyer as Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man
- Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash/Green Arrow
- David Ramsey as John Diggle
- Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Sherloque Wells and Professor Eobard Thawne/Reverse-Flash
- Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent/Superman and Superman (John Deegan)
- Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane
- Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers/Supergirl
- Echo Kellum as Curtis Holt
- Liam Hall as Joe Wilson/Kane Wolfman
- Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak
- Ruby Rose as Kate Kane/Batwoman
- Bob Frazer as Roger Hayden
- Cassandra Jean Amell as Nora Fries
- John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn/Dark Archer
- Kirk Acevedo as Ricardo Diaz
- Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers
- Adam Tsekhman as Gary Green
- Mehcad Brooks as Jimmy
- Jesse Rath as Querl Dox/Brainiac 5
- David Harewood as J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter
Trivia
- The title of this crossover, Elseworlds, is a reference to a publication imprint produced by DC Comics for stories that took place outside of the DC Universe canon.
- Kate Kane/Batwoman made her debut in this crossover. Her own series, Batwoman, premiered on The CW on October 6, 2019.
- Like Crisis on Earth-X, Elseworlds received its own special opening title card.
- Like Invasion!, the first two parts of Elseworlds ended with a "To be continued on" card.
- This crossover focused on five core characters. Those characters were Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, Barry Allen/The Flash, Kara Danvers/Supergirl, Clark Kent/Superman and Kate Kane/Batwoman.
- This crossover introduced Lois Lane as well as the Earth-1 doppelgängers of Alex Danvers (Earth-1 Alex Danvers) and James Olsen (Jimmy).
- This is the first crossover:
- Since Heroes Join Forces to not include DC's Legends of Tomorrow.
- However, Gary Green does appear in "Elseworlds, Part 3". Also, "Legends of To-Meow-Meow" refers to the crossover subtly.
- Since Flash vs. Arrow where no antagonists are dead by the end.
- Where Emily Bett Rickards (Felicity Smoak) doesn't appear in every episode as she only appeared in "Elseworlds, Part 2".
- To feature Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man, Clark Kent/Superman, Joe Wilson, Ricardo Diaz, and Querl Dox/Brainiac 5.
- Since Heroes Join Forces to not include DC's Legends of Tomorrow.
- This crossover marks the first time when the title of the next crossover (Crisis on Infinite Earths) is revealed at the end.
- This crossover had the most absent series regulars as there were 13 series regulars who were absent. The series regulars who did not appear in the crossover were:
- The Flash - Danielle Nicolet (Cecile Horton), Jessica Parker Kennedy (Nora West-Allen), Chris Klein (Orlin Dwyer), and Jesse L. Martin (Joe West).
- Arrow - Rick Gonzalez (Rene Ramirez), Juliana Harkavy (Dinah Drake), Colton Haynes (Roy Harper), Sea Shimooka (Emiko Adachi), and Katie Cassidy (Earth-2 Laurel Lance).
- Supergirl - Katie McGrath (Lena Luthor), Sam Witwer (Ben Lockwood), Nicole Maines (Nia Nal), and April Parker Jones (Lauren Haley).
- This is the second crossover to serve as a set-up for a new series in the shared multiverse, the first being Heroes Join Forces which served as set-up for the television series DC's Legends of Tomorrow.
Gallery
Promotional images
_promotional_image.png "Elseworlds - The Flash (Earth-90) promotional image.png (1.31 MB)")
Videos
Title Cards
References