The landscape for comic books on TV is a very different one from what it looked like 18 years ago. Back then, comic book shows had to be disguised as dramas, with promises that costumes would never come out. Now we get comic-accurate costumes and annual crossovers that mimic the old “Annual” issues of comics. This year’s crossover, Elseworlds, is paying homage to the CW’s long history with comic shows – back before it was even called the CW.
The Super family is going to play a big role in this crossover, with Supergirl, Superman, and Lois Lane all in attendance. The crossover is looking to add a little more Kent history to the overall picture. Images from the upcoming crossover have emerged that put Clark Kent and Kara Danvers back on the Kent family farm. Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that this is the same farm used as a backdrop in Smallville.
Smallville ran from 2001 until 2011. It was a flagship show for the network, then called The WB. The show avoided putting the iconic “S” on star Tom Welling’s chest until the show’s very last moments. Shortly after that show ended, Arrow began, and became the show that eventually launched an entire ring of superhero shows that now includes The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning and a planned Batwoman series starring Ruby Rose.
Putting Clark and Kara’s current selves – played by Tyler Hoechlin and Melissa Benoist – on the same farm that the Clark and Kara – Tom Welling and Laura Vandervoort – stood on is a great throwback in a long history of such homages. The CW has consistently placed former DC actors into roles on new shows. Former Superman and Supergirl Dean Cain and Helen Slater play Kara Danvers’ adoptive parents on Supergirl, while 90s Flash star John Wesley Shipp has played multiple characters on The Flash.
This crossover is going to be very different from last year’s ‘Crisis on Earth-X’, which had every character from every CW show playing a role in fighting the Nazi regime of the alternate earth. This time around, the multiverse seems to be in a state of flux. Shots in the gallery above show off Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen as the Green Arrow and Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen as the Flash, while Shipp has suited up in his classic duds. We also get a peek at the Monitor and Batwoman. It’s going to be a more intimate show this year, but no less ambitious, it seems.
