Turning on an Arrowverse show and expecting comic accuracy is a foolish move. The CW’s superhero franchise walks to the beat of its own drum, remaining flexible so it can switch things up at the drop of a hat. That attitude pays off for it more often than not, with original characters like John Diggle and Sara Lance becoming fan-favorites and stealing the spotlight from more well-known figures. However, there are times when the Arrowverse wants to pull from the source material. The annual crossovers especially borrow their names and plots from popular DC Comics storylines, wishing to pay homage to what’s come before.
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The only issue with redoing something that’s already been done well is the expectations that come along with it. Any move too drastic can threaten to throw everything out of rhythm. Unfortunately, The CW can’t help itself when there’s a swing to be taken. Here are three great DC storylines that the Arrowverse screwed up.
3) Crisis on Infinite Earths
Whenever it’s time for another crossover, the Arrowverse tries to one-up itself. However, compared to most of the events, “Elseworlds” is pretty tame. Oliver Queen and Barry Allen swap places and have to convince their friends that things aren’t right. There are a couple of surprises along the way, but nothing as big as what came in the prior crossover, “Crisis on Earth-X.” Well, that’s by design because the franchise is setting the stage for its biggest storyline ever, “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”
In the comics, the entire DC Multiverse comes together to face off against the Anti-Monitor, who threatens to wipe out everything. The Arrowverse takes the same approach with “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” but the event starts to feel like a cameo fest after a while. Bringing all the characters on one Earth also falls flat because they don’t end up interacting much after the crossover. The comics have the luxury of not having to wait around to make the story feel important.
2) “Red Death”
The Flash runs for nine seasons, which means it adapts just about every iconic villain that’s part of the Scarlet Speedster’s rogues’ gallery. By the time the show is preparing to wrap up, it has to take off the top of the pile and bring Red Death into the fold. While the comics version of the character is an evil version of Batman who becomes a speedster and seeks to take over the multiverse, the Arrowverse has to get creative with its take.
Red Death shows up in Central City and starts wreaking havoc with a group of villains. Team Flash deduces that the villain is an evil version of Ryan Wilder, aka Batwoman. To make up for the change, The Flash tries to push the relationship between the titular hero and Batwoman, but it doesn’t work. The entire appeal of Red Death is that it’s a dark take on Batman, not someone who only recently put on a bat costume and started fighting crime.
1) Kingdom Come
The Kingdom Come miniseries envisions a dark future for the DC Universe, one where the line between good and evil isn’t so clear. The world’s older heroes, including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, must return to the field to face off against former allies who are no longer seeing things clearly. Bringing that angle to the Arrowverse sounds like a great idea, but the franchise doesn’t commit.
The CW slips in the storyline during “Crisis on Infinite Earths” by making Brandon Routh’s Superman wear his comic book counterpart’s Kingdom Come costume. The event also teases that some of the major beats from the miniseries happened, but it never goes back to it. Failing to do right by Kingdom Come will go down as one of the Arrowverse’s biggest mistakes.
The Arrowverse shows are streaming on Netflix.
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