From left: Maisie Richardson-Sellers (Vixen), Melissa Benoist (Supergirl), Brandon Routh (Atom), Nick Zano (Citizen Steel), Stephen Amell (Green Arrow), Franz Drameh (Firestorm),
David Ramsey (Spartan), Grant Gustin (Flash)
Most of the DC Comics characters in the so-called “Arrowverse” TV world have been having adventures for decades in the print medium, so it can be especially elating for fans of the comic books to see them, fresh and aptly brought to life by timely special effects, on the small screen.
Four shows codeveloped by Greg Berlanti—“Arrow,” “Supergirl,” “The Flash” and “Legends of Tomorrow”—finally had a crossover recently in a four-episode story dubbed “Invasion.” It was inspired by a multititle event in the comics about three decades ago. Locally, the crossover event was aired by cable channels, Warner TV and Jack TV.
While the live-action
version itself could’ve been expanded to more than those allotted episodes, it nevertheless realizes the stuff fanboy daydreams are made of, and gives followers of all four shows something massive to look forward to again next year, as ratings for the crossover post a considerable increase in viewership!
The “Supergirl” part is more an episode devoted to the main heroine’s adventures, and only has a few minutes devoted to the crossover proper. Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) is recruited by the dimension-hopping Flash (Grant Gustin) and Cisco (Carlos Valdes) in the closing scene.
It continues in “The Flash,” where alien invaders, the Dominators, make their presence known to the heroic conglomerate, which now includes Green Arrow (Stephen Amell), his crew of athletic crimefighters, and the time-traveling Legends.
Part three, “Arrow’s” 100th episode, features the super archer and some of the heroes, trapped by the aliens in a “Matrix”-esque fantasy in an attempt to brainwash them. Old characters briefly return in the shared dream world, emphasizing the importance of the captives’ careers as crimefighters.
Things conclude rather quickly in “Legends of Tomorrow,” where the time-traveling members of the team, plus super-nerds Cisco and “Arrow’s” Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) attempt to figure out the aliens’ schemes by “jumping” to the past.
The team-up, while quite crammed in the end, gives ample time to develop its respective existing storylines—we see Supergirl’s lesbian sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh), dealing with her coming-out jitters; and the Flash and the Legends dealing with the ramifications of their history-hopping.
There’s a lot to enjoy, especially for older fans of DC’s various properties. The heroes’ temporary headquarters resembles the Hall of Justice from the 1970s “Superfriends” cartoons. And Brandon Routh, former big-screen Superman and current Atom, even has a reference to his Kryptonian “past life”!
The climactic battle could’ve been grander, but it’s still fantastic to behold—particularly the well-staged portion of the episode where speedsters Supergirl and Flash race to “tag” aliens all over the world.
The oft-witty banter, the thrilling hero-versus-hero scenes and, yes, even the occasional clunky one-liners all add to the crossover rollout’s overall charm and fun. This certainly isn’t Zack Snyder’s grim and dark DC universe—and that’s all to the good.