Arrowverse: SPOILER Returns in Earth-Prime Comic
The CW's Arrowverse of connected DC inspired shows have been getting the comics treatment in the Earth-Prime comic with stories that explore and, in some cases, expand what fans have followed on television for seasons. This week, the six-issue event comes to an end with Earth-Prime: Hero's Twilight bringing everything together in one "crossover" of sorts and much television crossovers, the comics version comes with a shocking revelation in the form of an unexpected return.
Warning: Spoilers for Earth-Prime: Hero's Twilight #6 from Thomas pound, Jeff Hersh, Pablo M. Collar, and Will Robson, beyond this point.
The issue picks up in Central City 2049 with the children of The Flash, Bart West Allen/Impulse and Nora West Allen/XS. The pair are at home, with Nora working on a story for the Citizen and Bart mostly just lounging when a major threat hits the city — specifically, Bloodwork, who it was revealed in the previous issue had somehow escaped ARGUS custody. While the siblings are eager to save the day, Bloodwork is a villain deemed out of their threat level so while the "real" heroes handle that, they go deal with other issues happening concurrently. Unfortunately, that's when a bigger issue shows up: Magog. Worse yet, as the siblings race off to assist the main heroes in various ways, said heroes start disappearing in a weird green fog. Eventually, it's just Impulse and XS who are left to save the day and the pair steps up to take the lead as the other heroes mysteriously return to back them up after a mysterious, green-robed figure declares the young heroes "ready and worthy."
Later, at the Hall of Justice, the older heroes come together and go over what's happened when that mysterious robed figure appears and announces that "changes are coming. An unrest stirs in our reality. Cosmic forces are aligning… this trial only pales next to what will be expected of them. They must be ready for what's coming." Then, on the final page, the figure takes down his hood and is revealed to be none other than Oliver Queen, former Green Arrow turned The Spectre. For fans of the Arrowverse, this is a huge reveal as Oliver Queen, played by Stephen Amell on Arrow, died in "Crisis on Infinite Earths", having saved the Multiverse. The last fans saw of him, he had gone on to his eternal reward, eventually joined by Felicity Smoak.
What makes this such a huge reveal, however, is less that Oliver has been dead in the Arrowverse for a few seasons now, but that the comic crossover is actually considered canon to The CW's television universe. That means that, at some point in 2049, Oliver Queen returns from his afterlife and there is something huge coming that the heroes — especially the young ones like Bart and Nora — need to be ready for. The story itself closes with a hint that there is quite a bit more to come with a "The End…For Now" though it's unclear if the continuation will be on screen in The Flash Season 9 (the comic did tease that at least part of the story would continue there) or in additional comics stories. However, it continues, it would seem that Oliver Queen isn't gone after all.
Interestingly, this comic also comes at a time when the place of another series that is part of both The CW's universe and the comic storyline, Superman & Lois, is heading into its season finale, a finale that is supposed to clarify that show's connection to the overall Arrowverse. Superman & Lois hasn't really made mention of the other Arrowverse shows in its first two seasons and while the upcoming finale is supposed to reveal why, given the tease that there is something larger afoot, at least in the future, for the Arrowverse, it will be interesting to see how the television shows and the comics come together as the universe's mysteries continue to unfold.
Earth-Prime: Hero's Twilight #6 is on sale now. Superman & Lois airs Tuesdays at 8/7c and The Flash airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.