Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 1: The Crisis begins with a heartbreaking sacrifice
Crisis on Infinite Earths officially began last night, and already fans have had to cope with a heartbreaking sacrifice.
The CW has been hyping up its latest crossover event, Crisis on Infinite Earths, for some time now — and if the first part of the event is anything to go by, DC TV fans are in for an action-packed and emotional ride with this five-part series. The first installment of Crisis on Infintie Earths aired yesterday during Supergirl‘s time slot, and it brought all of our favorite heroes together to fight against an enemy that almost seems unbeatable.
The crossover opens with the Monitor speaking about the age of heroes, referencing each of the series involved in the event — Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash, Batwoman, and Legends of Tomorrow. We also get some throwbacks to other DC series that aren’t involved in the event, which diehard fans will certainly appreciate.
The action truly begins, however, when we’re taken to Earth-38. Kara and the gang discover that a threat — the threat — is headed directly for Argo City, where Kara’s mother, along with Superman, Lois Lane, and their baby are. She sends a telegram to stop them, but it’s pretty hazy and difficult to make out. Still, the two send the child away from the planet in an escape pod and sorrowfully seem to accept their own fates.
Things pick up from there thanks to Harbinger, who goes from planet to planet collecting each of the heroes. She grabs Oliver Queen and his daughter, Mia, from Lian-Yu, picks up Barry, and even manages to convince Kate — who is very busy beating up Alice’s minions — to accompany her to Earth-38. We also soon discover that she saves Clark and Lois from Argo City before it’s completely destroyed. Sadly, Kara’s mother doesn’t make it out alive.
After the somewhat humorous introductions, the characters suit up and prepare to evacuate Earth-38 — all while being attacked by smoky demon monsters who they’ll need to hold off while this happens. Perhaps the best part of the heroes prepping for battle, however, is Oliver passing the torch onto Mia. Not only does he give her a suit and a bow and arrow, but he tells her that there “should always be a Green Arrow.” We don’t know about you, but we are pumped to have Mia take on the role.
And given that Oliver has made a deal with the Monitor to sacrifice himself in order to keep Barry and Kara alive, it seems that Mia will have to take up the mantle of the Green Arrow sooner rather than later. This is especially true given the final moments of this first part of Crisis on Infinite Earths — which, honestly, are moments we weren’t expect to witness quite so soon.
After a series of obstacles to evacuating the planet — including the portal going down and Supergirl and Superman needing to fix the tower — the Monitor tells the group that it’s time to go. Cue the moment from the trailer that had us all on the edge of our seats: “Has the planet been evacuated?” Oliver asks. “Then it isn’t time.”
Then Oliver drops his bow — a symbolic shot, showing that he’s giving up the Green Arrow once and for all — and runs straight at the demons attacking them. This enables the Legion ship to get through the portal to safety, but it means the end of Oliver Queen as we know him. Luckily, the Monitor does manage to bring his dying body back to Earth-1 with enough time for Oliver to say farewell to his friends and daughter.
He leaves Mia with the task of finding Felicity and telling her he loves her — an ode to just about everyone’s favorite relationship from Arrow. “You keep me in your heart, OK?” he says to the rest of the group, and the first installment of Crisis on Infinite Earths concludes with our heroes weeping around Oliver’s body.
While the Supergirl installment of this crossover certainly focused more on Arrow, this opening to the series truly brought together everything fans love about the Arrowverse — and it paid homage to the Arrowverse’s first and arguably most successful show in the process.
With the anti-matter wave still there, though, Oliver’s sacrifice hasn’t saved them all just yet. The rest of the heroes are going to need to determine how to save the other planets in the multiverse — and fast.
Next. Is Batwoman's Alice still redeemable?. dark