How Crisis On Infinite Earths set up the Arrowverse’s new shows

Crisis On Infinite Earths had jaw-dropping consequences for all involved, but it also set the two newest additions to the Arrowverse line-up in motion.

After nearly a decade of epic storytelling, seasons of teasing and a year full of foreshadowing, Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman all crossed paths (the first time that all five did so) in order to battle the evil that awaited them in Crisis On Infinite Earths.

But the CW’s sixth annual superhero crossover changed the face of the Arrowverse forever, as earths merged, villains fell and a new multiverse rose, setting a new status quo for each of the shows going forward.

However, it wasn’t just those shows that were altered in Crisis as the five-part event ended up setting things in motion for the shared universe of superheroes’ next generation of shows.

Green Arrow and The Canaries

Oliver Queen’s death was undoubtedly one of the most heartbreaking moments that Arrow and the Arrowverse itself has ever experienced. Seeing the universe’s first superhero sacrifice himself so that the billions of people across the infinitudes could live was a moment that hit all of us viewers really hard, bringing forth the end of an era for superhero television.

But as Oliver himself reminded us, there is an end and a beginning. And with that, his death – and the universe that rose because of it – set the wheels in motion for upcoming spin-off series Green Arrow and The Canaries. Yes, as the trailer for next week’s episode of Arrow reveals, Mia’s future – and the future of Star City itself – has been changed by his sacrifice.

No longer is she a perpetually angry young woman attempting to overthrow villains in a dystopic landscape. Instead, she’s living a remotely blissful life, and 2040 is a safer place. But with the apparent rise of The Deathstroke Gang, Black Canaries Laurel Lance and Dinah Drake will show up from the past and force her to remember her brief time with Oliver – the life that was erased. And with that, she’ll become the new Green Arrow.

With the backdoor pilot episode, also titled “Green Arrow and The Canaries” airing next week, let’s hope the spin-off is ordered to series by The CW soon afterwards.

Superman & Lois

A Supergirl spin-off that we’ve all been hoping would happen for a number of years, Superman & Lois will follow the adventures of Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark Kent and Elizabeth ‘Bitsie’ Tulloch’s Lois Lane.

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Both characters were involved in Crisis On Infinite Earths and, as they lived on Supergirl‘s Earth-38, that means they’ve been heavily impacted by the Crisis. That’s right, as the Girl of Steel herself learned: National City and Earth-38 had merged with Earth-1 (and maybe even Black Lightning’s earth) to form Earth-Prime. Thus, the Man of Steel, Lois and even Argo City are now all a part of the same earth as our primary Arrowverse heroes.

The other big change, however, came towards the end of the Crisis, as Lois revealed to Clark that the pair had two sons. The revelation was obviously a shock for the Man of Steel – and us viewers – as he and Lois were the parents of baby Jonathan Kent before the Crisis took place. And now, thanks to that very Crisis, there are two baby Supermen running around the pair’s home.

Now, as Superman & Lois will explore the pair’s ability to balance their new lives as parents with their regular lives of being reporters/heroes, you can rest assured that adding another boy to the mix will make things even more interesting.

The show has been ordered straight-to-series by The CW, and will arrive in a brave new Post-Crisis world in the 2020-2021 season. The question is: Will Lex Luthor serve as its primary threat?

Crisis On Infinite Earths may be finished, but the Arrowverse shows return to The CW beginning with Batwoman and Supergirl this Sunday night before being followed by Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow on Tuesday and finally The Flash on Feb. 4. Are you excited for a post-Crisis Arrowverse? Let us know in the comments below!