Crisis on Infinite Earths (Arrowverse)

Lore & Background

The crossover was first referenced in The Flash's pilot episode in 2014, with adaptation beginning in earnest during the development of Elseworlds. The title was revealed at the end of Elseworlds in December 2018. Casting was announced in mid-2019, including actors who previously portrayed DC characters in other media, such as Burt Ward and Kevin Conroy. Cress Williams from Black Lightning crossed over for the first time. Filming took place from late September to early November 2019.

The plot follows the Monitor recruiting Oliver Queen and other heroes to stop the Anti-Monitor. Key Paragons are identified to rebuild reality: Sara Lance as the Paragon of Love, J'onn J'onzz as the Paragon of Destiny, and Ryan Choi as the Paragon of Honor. After the Anti-Monitor's defeat, the surviving universes are merged into Earth-Prime, which incorporates Earth-73 (Black Lightning's Earth).

Reader's Guide

Crisis on Infinite Earths was a landmark event in the Arrowverse, bringing together characters from multiple series and other DC media. It was met with positive reviews from critics, with praise for its scope, ambition, and cameos, though the fate of Oliver Queen had a mixed reception. The crossover proved popular, as each episode gave season-high ratings to its corresponding series. A two-episode aftershow, Crisis Aftermath hosted by Kevin Smith, aired after parts one and three. The event was intended to be followed by a crossover between Batwoman and Superman & Lois in 2021, but this did not occur because of the COVID-19 pandemic, being replaced informally by David Ramsey appearing as John Diggle on multiple Arrowverse series. The next crossover, Armageddon, occurred over the first five episodes of the eighth season of The Flash in November and December 2021.

Did You Know?

• The crossover was inspired by the comic of the same name.
• Initial references to the crossover began in 2014 with The Flash's pilot episode.
• Cress Williams from Black Lightning crossed over with the Arrowverse for the first time in this event.

Production & Multi-Show Architecture

The sixth Arrowverse crossover stitched together episodes from five CW shows—Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow—splitting its broadcast across December 2019 and January 2020. Three episodes aired in December while Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow followed in January. The event's reach extended beyond television: a Black Lightning episode, 'The Book of Resistance: Chapter Four: Earth Crisis,' bridged the Batwoman and Flash installments, and a two-issue comic book introduced characters and concepts that never appeared on screen. Development stretched over years. The Flash's 2014 pilot dropped the earliest hints, but the project truly took shape during Elseworlds' production, with the title formally unveiled in that crossover's December 2018 finale. Mid-2019 casting announcements brought in familiar DC faces—Burt Ward, Kevin Conroy, and Cress Williams, whose Black Lightning character crossed into the Arrowverse for the first time. Principal photography occupied a tight window from late September through early November 2019, a schedule that had to juggle five shows' competing production calendars.

Narrative Core & the Paragon Quest

Drawing its name and broad inspiration from the landmark DC comic, the crossover picks up threads left dangling by Elseworlds, with Arrow's eighth season and much of The Flash's sixth season functioning as extended preludes. At its core, the story centers on the Monitor assembling a coalition—Green Arrow, the Flash, Supergirl, Batwoman, Sara Lance, Ray Palmer, and others drawn from across the multiverse—to confront the Anti-Monitor and his antimatter wave, which has already annihilated countless parallel worlds. The narrative carries enormous emotional weight. Oliver Queen, preparing for what he believes is his final stand, passes the Green Arrow mantle to Mia Smoak before nullifying the Monitor and staying behind to shield the evacuation. The heroes then hunt for the seven Paragons—Hope embodied by Kara, Destiny by Sara, Courage identified as Kate Kane, and Love as Barry—while racing to save a multiverse teetering on the edge of total erasure. The events ultimately trigger a reboot that reshapes the landscape of every Arrowverse series.

Critical Reception & Audience Response

Critics responded warmly to the crossover's sheer scale, its ambitious multiverse storytelling, and the wave of cameos that populated its episodes. The one notable point of contention was Oliver Queen's fate, which divided audiences and reviewers alike. Despite that single flashpoint, the event proved a ratings triumph: every episode delivered season-high numbers for its respective series, confirming that the crossover format still commanded a massive audience in the Arrowverse's later years. To capitalize on the momentum, The CW produced a two-episode aftershow called Crisis Aftermath, hosted by Kevin Smith, which aired following parts one and three. Smith used the format to unpack the crossover's events, fan theories, and behind-the-scenes details, giving viewers a dedicated space to process the multiverse-shaking storyline. The combination of strong critical reception, record viewership, and the dedicated aftershow cemented the event as one of the most talked-about moments in the Arrowverse's run.

Legacy, Reboot & the Road Ahead

The most far-reaching consequence of the crossover was its reboot of the Arrowverse's foundational continuity, with ripples touching every series in the shared universe. The event was originally designed as a bridge to a planned 2021 crossover pairing Batwoman with Superman & Lois, but the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled those plans. In its absence, David Ramsey's return as John Diggle across multiple Arrowverse shows served as an informal, low-key successor to the cancelled event. The next true crossover, 'Armageddon,' eventually arrived in November and December 2021, spanning the first five episodes of The Flash's eighth season. Looking back, the 2019-2020 event occupies a unique position: it was the culmination of a five-year narrative arc that began with a single line in The Flash's pilot, the moment the multiverse concept moved from background mythology to the central engine of the entire shared universe, and the point after which no Arrowverse show could tell its story the same way again.