The Arrowverse was full of appointment television throughout its run with its annual crossovers, but which ones were the absolute best The CW had to offer?
The Arrowverse has officially come to an end. The CW’s long-running shared universe of DC Comics superheroes concluded with the ninth and final season of The Flash (which also became the longest-running series within that shared universe).
Its conclusion was down to new ownership at both The CW and Warner Bros. Discovery each deciding to move in new directions, and while that is unfortunate, there is no taking away the success of what the Arrowverse accomplished throughout its decade-long run.
Undoubtedly, one of TV’s greatest experiments, it brought to life some of the most popular DC Comics superheroes across various TV shows, such as Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Black Lightning (while also setting the stage for Arrowverse-adjacent series Stargirl and Superman and Lois). It’s not easy for any TV franchise to spawn a shared universe, but to do it with such larger-than-life characters and a limited budget was unheard of. Somehow, Greg Berlanti’s TV heroes pulled it off, entertaining audiences for 11 years with countless adventures on The CW.
The most ambitious aspect of the Arrowverse was its annual crossover, as it was a treat to see the casts from all of these shows unite to tackle major world-ending adventures once a year. But those weren’t the only crossovers, as there were some lower stakes, more fun, adventures thrown into the mix as well. Anything was possible with this universe. And that’s one of the things we’ll miss most.
Speaking of which, let’s take this opportunity to reflect on all of the Arrowverse crossovers, ranking them as we go.
Note: While some Arrowverse characters made crossover cameos and appearances throughout each TV season, we are only ranking all of the official crossover events between two or more shows.
If you’re a fan of the Arrowverse or DC TV, listen to The CW Spiral Podcast for news and updates about its future. Subscribe to their YouTube Channel here.
9. Heroes Join Forces (2015)
While Arrowverse crossover was truly a treat to behold, the second-annual outing was easily the weakest. This one saw the cast of Arrow and The Flash unite to protect Kendra Saunders and Carter Hall (a.k.a. Hawkgirl and Hawkman) from the immortal tyrant, Vandal Savage, who needed to kill them so that he could carry on living.
The stakes were there, but they didn’t always come across in the episodes. Don’t get me wrong, it was awesome to see Barry Allen and Oliver Queen reunite for another caper after the success of their first team-up, but each of their respective shows’ overarching storylines threatened to get in the way of this one, especially Arrow‘s.
While Oliver reconnecting with son William was a welcome surprise, the subsequent drama with Felicity completely destroyed the world-ending stakes of the crossover (which was exactly what the pair ended up doing with all of Arrow‘s fourth season). It took up far too much screen-time and weighed down what was an otherwise entertaining adventure.
Barry’s trip back through time to save everyone from being destroyed is absolutely spectacular, and it was the only time that this crossover carried the stakes it should have. Unfortunately, the rest of it just didn’t come close.
8. Armageddon (2021)
“Armageddon” is something of an anomaly on this list. Technically, it isn’t one of the annual Arrowverse crossovers (as the last official one was Crisis On Infinite Earths) but it still functions as one, so we’re counting it.
Taking place across five episodes of The Flash season 8, this “event” focuses on the arrival of the DC alien Despero, who believes the Scarlet Speedster is responsible for destroying the world in the future. What he doesn’t realize is that “Armageddon” is a separate timeline created by the Reverse-Flash, in which the villain is the hero. As a result, Barry has to lean on some allies and fight against others to stop Eobard Thawne from stealing his life.
The stakes were incredibly high in Armageddon and you could feel it at every moment. The beautiful thing about this was that it elevated The Flash, which was struggling after its reviled seventh season, giving fans something that felt like the Flash of old. It was also great to see Supergirl‘s Alex Danvers, Legends of Tomorrow‘s Ray Palmer, and Arrow‘s Mia Queen again. But perhaps the coolest part about it was that Javicia Leslie got to bring her Batwoman, Ryan Wilder, to the Arrowverse crossover party in this one – something fans had been longing to see.
It’s no coincidence that it aired around the same time as all of the previous crossovers. This was The CW’s nod to what once was, and a little treat for Arrowverse fans who thought they’d never see some of their favorite heroes cross over after the pandemic.
7. Elseworlds (2018)
Elseworlds turned out to be one of the more pivotal Arrowverse crossovers, because not only did it set the stage for Crisis On Infinite Earths, it officially introduced Kate Kane to the Arrowverse, acting as a precursor to Batwoman. On both of those fronts, it was highly successful.
The thing that also set it apart from the two crossovers prior to that was that it was just a crossover between Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl (and retroactively Batwoman), meaning that there were no Legends to liven things up. But there was still plenty of silly to go around as the plot revolved around Oliver Queen and Barry Allen essentially switching places thanks to some reality rewriting and a test from The Monitor.
It was also great to see Tyler Hoechlin back as Supergirl‘s Superman and the debut of Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane – both of whom would go on to reprise their roles on Superman and Lois (albeit as different versions of the characters). Moreover, seeing John Wesley Shipp back in his original Flash suit was a delight.
The Oliver and Felicity drama once again threatened to overthrow the joy of this one, but for the most part, Elseworlds was a success. And there just aren’t enough words to describe the goosebumps we felt when Batwoman made her first appearance.
6. Flash vs. Arrow (2015)
There’s something to be said for keeping things simple, and I think that’s the best way to describe the very first annual Arrowverse crossover. This wasn’t the first time that Barry Allen and Oliver Queen had interacted, but it was the first time that The Flash and Arrow crossed over in an official capacity.
A two-night event, Flash vs. Arrow took place across that week’s episodes of each show. Each one of those episodes had their own standalone story, with The Arrow having to assist Team Flash when Barry was under a rage-induced hypnosis in one hour, and Team Flash returning the favor when Captain Boomerang showed up in Starling City in the other.
This one didn’t take itself too seriously. It was the first time that Arrow had another show to cross over with, so it was intriguing to see how its darker tone meshed with The Flash‘s more light-hearted approach. The result was a huge success, as it never lost sight of how much fun it was to see two iconic DC heroes team up in live-action for the first time, all while forcing each of them to understand why the other one’s approach was so successful.
Flash vs. Arrow set a precedent for Arrowverse crossovers, and it was a high one.
5. Crisis On Infinite Earths (2019 – 2020)
We could call Crisis On Infinite Earths one of the most ambitious events ever attempted on television, but even that wouldn’t sum up just how much of an undertaking it was. It was the original narrative end for The Flash (which had since become the narrative end for the concluding Arrow instead), while also serving as the live-action adaptation of one DC Comics’ most legendary storylines. Naturally, expectations were high.
Crisis was also a five-part event, with Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow, all officially crossing over with Batwoman for the first time. It also came out of the gate incredibly strong, with the apparent death of Oliver Queen and the destruction of Supergirl’s Earth-38, leaving all of us wondering what would happen next.
While some of the episodes were stronger than others, Crisis was a true treat for DC Comics fans that paid tribute to so many classic DC properties, including Batman (1989), Batman (1966), Smallville, Birds of Prey and the Superman movies. The only thing that holds it back is the random absences of characters who were necessary to the plot (Earth-2 Laurel Lance being an obvious omission) and the fact that it hasn’t aged well, with a number of the game-changing decisions rendered moot by the fact that the Arrowverse concluded just three years later.
Nevertheless, Crisis was a monstrous task to pull off, and for the most part, it was a resounding success.
4. “Duet” (2017)
It doesn’t get better than two superheroes singing to each other about being besties when trapped inside a musical dream sequence. I’m being deadly serious. The long-awaited musical crossover between Supergirl and The Flash couldn’t have been more perfect if it tried, because days, weeks, months, and years of expectations all paid off in one super 40-minute episode of television.
Taking place on The Flash, “Duet” sees Glee stars Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist showcase their stunning vocals when their Glee co-star Darren Criss shows up as Music Meister to show the Super Friends the true meaning of love. To pull that off, he trapped them both in a movie musical and forced them to quite literally sing their way out of it.
Was it Benoist’s luscious cover of “Moon River” that warmed our hearts? The big epic group number featuring vocals from Criss, Supergirl’s Jeremy Jordan, The Flash’s Carlos Valdes and Arrow’s John Barrowman that had us clicking our fingers to the music? Or Gustin’s heartfelt rendition of original song “Runnin’ Home To You” that Barry belted out to Iris in the closing moments that brought tears to our eyes? The truth is all of the above and more.
But the best performance in the episode might just be Barry and Kara’s goofy, ridiculous, saccharine, and joyous original song about being Super Friends; because that’s everything this wonderful episode of television was.
“Duet” has earned its place in history as one of the best TV musical episodes of all time. Nobody was doing it like the Arrowverse.
3. “Worlds Finest” (2016)
The original crossover between The Flash and Supergirl was a moment in the making since the latter show began airing its first season. Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist’s similar journeys from beloved Glee characters to iconic DC superheroes made it inevitable, because fans were calling for it as soon as the Girl of Steel was cast. And after nearly a full season of television, it became a reality.
Barry Allen finds himself stranded on another earth, venturing into Supergirl’s playground. The two heroes team up to get the Scarlet Speedster back to his own earth, all while working together to stop the villainous duo of Silver Banshee and Livewire. It was a match made in Heaven, and the subsequent crossover episode of TV was every bit as heavenly.
Incredibly light-hearted with just the right amount of triumph and cheese, this was everything you could ever want from seeing two of the biggest superheroes of all time cross paths. It was also worth the wait seeing Gustin and Benoist’s incredible bestie chemistry as Barry and Kara come to life, and easily the most rewatchable crossover on this list. These were two wonderful heroes saving the day and having the time of their lives doing it. “Worlds Finest” was more than fine, it was perfection
2. Crisis On Earth-X (2017)
What better event than a wedding to bring all of the heroes across the Arrowverse together? It was comic book royalty Barry Allen and Iris West who were finally tying the knot, so it made sense that all of their friends and families from different earths and timelines were there to witness it. What they didn’t expect were Nazi invaders from Earth-X to show up at the ceremony.
Not only did that set the stage for an incredible battle, as Team Flash and Arrow, Supergirl and her sister Alex Danvers, and the Legends, battled the uninvited guests, it brought all of the heroes together for what was undoubtedly their most daunting challenge to date at the time. The reveal that the invaders were led by the Reverse-Flash and evil doppelgangers of Green Arrow and Supergirl just made it that much more challenging for them.
Crisis On Earth-X is undoubtedly the most haunting Arrowverse crossover, as there are some more mature moments and heartbreaking deaths, but it also features one of the most epic battles the Arrowverse has ever seen. It’s a strong balance that really stands out for all the right reasons. The only thing that lets it down is that the “Olicity” drama once again bleeds into the plot, with the pair disrupting sacred moments for their friends Barry and Iris. And the ending is, as it should be, reviled by audiences.
That aside, Crisis on Earth-X was cinema.
1. Invasion! (2016)
There was something so special about being an Arrowverse fan in 2016. With the launch of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl officially joining its peers on The CW, it just felt like everything was coming together for DC TV’s shared universe (in the way that it wasn’t for their cinematic one). So when it was confirmed that both shows would be involved that year’s annual crossover, audiences were ecstatic.
Invasion! is based on a classic DC Comics series, bringing The Dominators to live-action for the first time and aliens to the Arrowverse – a territory that none of the shows outside of Supergirl had gone before. The result was something out of this world. No, I’m not sorry for that pun.
The three-part event brought Kara to Earth-1 for the first time as Barry recruited his powerful alien friend to help against the invasion. That led to plenty of interesting dynamics as she introduced herself to the rest of the heroes. It also set the stage incredibly well for all of the heroes (and villains) to learn from one another, and their own mistakes, in the hopes of becoming a team strong enough to stop the invaders.
From addressing the repercussions of Barry’s recent timeline meddling to the epic superhero showdowns with The Dominators across time, Invasion! truly felt like we were witnessing a comic book come to life, exploring unique dynamics, making the most of each show’s ongoing story beats, and delivering one heck of a crossover event that exceeded expectations.
What a time to be alive!
Which of the Arrowverse crossovers were your favorites? Did you prefer the major annual ones, or the more sporadic standalones?