DC TV’s Most Ambitious Crossover Ended 6 Years Ago Today (And It Ruined the Arrowverse)

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Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe took over the big screen, The CW’s Arrowverse changed superhero television. It started with the show Arrow in 2012 and grew into a connected universe of five series over eleven years, including The Flash (2014), Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, and Batwoman. As the universe expanded, it became known for exciting crossover events that brought the heroes together to tackle shared challenges, often based on popular comic book storylines. Six years ago today, the biggest and most ambitious of these crossovers – and arguably the most ambitious DC TV event ever – reached its dramatic finale.

The last part of the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event aired on January 12, 2026, with an episode from Legends of Tomorrow. This final installment showed the heroes dealing with the aftermath of rebuilding the universe. The previous episode, from Arrow, featured Oliver Queen, as the Spectre, sacrificing himself to reset the multiverse. In this new reality, only the heroes remember the original universe and the events of the Crisis – specifically, the worlds that combined to form Earth-1. While the crossover was a fantastic adaptation of a classic comic book storyline and a fitting end to an era, it essentially reset the Arrowverse, creating significant changes to the established storylines.

Crisis on Infinite Earths Robbed Arrow of a Proper Conclusion and Left the Arrowverse Disjointed

The timing of Crisis on Infinite Earths was particularly noteworthy. Fans were aware Arrow was ending, and the crossover event coincided with the show’s final episodes, making it central to the series’ conclusion. While it was a grand, heroic exit for the main character to sacrifice themselves saving the multiverse, it created a strange situation for Arrow. The show followed up with what felt like a pilot for a potential Green Arrow & The Canaries spin-off, which ultimately wasn’t picked up, and then concluded just two weeks after Crisis finished.

Okay, let’s talk about the fallout from the ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ event. Honestly, killing off Oliver Queen like that felt a little…off. It didn’t quite land emotionally, and what really bothered me was how messy things became afterward. ‘Superman & Lois’ spun out of ‘Crisis,’ but then completely rewrote Superman and Lois’s family history and decided they weren’t even part of the same universe anymore – they just set up shop on a separate Earth! ‘Black Lightning’ got pulled into the Arrowverse because of ‘Crisis,’ but they never really felt connected, just sort of went back to doing their own thing with a few passing references to a bigger world. There was a quick cameo on ‘The Flash’ to remind us they were supposed to be connected, but that was about it. Ultimately, with almost everything reverting to separate storylines and only minor changes, it started to feel like ‘Crisis’ didn’t really accomplish much, except for one show – and we’ll get to that later.

The Flash Was the Only Series That Took Post-Crisis Seriously (And The Changes Were Confusing)

Following the major storyline of ‘Crisis,’ The Flash was the only Arrowverse series that truly tried to reflect the changed universe, but it faced challenges. The show demonstrated how different things were – characters who had died reappeared, and alternate versions of heroes and villains showed up – but this ultimately confused viewers. Things became even more difficult because the Arrowverse shows began ending around the same time. The planned Arrow spinoff wasn’t made, and Supergirl and Black Lightning each only lasted one more season. Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow followed, ending after that. The Flash continued for three more seasons after ‘Crisis,’ but it felt significantly different from what it once was.

It was especially frustrating because the Crisis event was meant to launch a larger shared universe for DC television shows. The finale brought all of DC TV together – including shows like Stargirl, Doom Patrol, Titans, and Swamp Thing – by essentially rebooting the multiverse. There was a real opportunity to link the established Arrowverse with this new, expanded universe, but it never happened. We didn’t see any connection to the recreated multiverse until the final season of The Flash, and by then, it didn’t feel impactful enough.

Despite a strong start with the Crisis crossover event – which successfully adapted a popular comic book storyline and delivered exciting moments for fans – the Arrowverse ultimately declined. Crisis had a lot of promise, but that potential wasn’t realized. Instead of revitalizing the universe, it felt like a conclusion, and the Arrowverse never truly bounced back, especially with Arrow ending so soon after.

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2026-01-14 21:11