The epic TV superhero crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths was one of the biggest and most ambitious TV events of last year. Fans of the DC shows featuring heroes such as Green Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and the team Legends of Tomorrow have been looking forward to the 2019 crossover ever since its announcement.
And they understandably came with a large number of theories about the crossover’s plot and the heroes’ fate. Some of these theories later proved out to be surprisingly accurate while others ended up debunked. Let’s take a look at what the fans guessed and what they were wrong about.
Debunked: Tom Welling Joins The Team As Superman
When the media announced that Tom Welling would reprise his part of Clark Kent aka Superman in the crossover, the fans went wild. Welling played Clark for multiple seasons in the now-iconic TV show Smallville. His fans as well those who love the Man of Steel hoped that Welling would once again suit up and help the rest of the characters prevent the Crisis.
But as it later turned out, even though Welling did appear in the crossover, it was as Clark Kent and not Superman. He actually gave up his powers to be able to live a peaceful life with his beloved wife Lois Lane and their children.
Accurate: Kevin Conroy Will Appear As Older Bruce Wayne
If you’re fans of the legendary caped crusader, you’ll no doubt know the name of Kevin Conroy. Conroy has been voicing Batman almost three decades now. He played Batman in animated TV shows, films, and even video games. The fans predicted he might appear as an older version of Bruce Wayne and were super excited when it happened.
Kate Kane aka Batwoman and Kara Danvers aka Supergirl traveled to Conroy’s Earth and found out that this version of Batman was a bitter man who ended up killing many of his enemies and even killed this Earth’s Superman. Conroy’s Bruce Wayne died in the crossover but it was still a joy to see him finally play Bruce Wayne in a live-action adaptation.
Debunked: Michael Rosenbaum Will Play Lex Luthor Again
Another theory regarding the TV show Smallville which ended up debunked, unfortunately for the show’s many fans, featured the Lex Luthor actor Michael Rosenbaum. Some people believed he would come back to the crossover and would play the evil genius Lex Luthor alongside Jon Cryer.
That didn’t happen and Jon Cryer was the only Lex Luthor in the end. While it would be interesting to see two versions of this iconic character, Cryer had a surprisingly big role in the crossover and even ended up becoming the Paragon of Truth, so adding another Luthor into the mix would draw attention away from him.
Accurate: Cameos From The DCEU
The DC Extended Cinematic Universe (DCEU) has stood apart from the Arroverse since the DCEU’s beginning in 2013 with Man of Steel. So when the time came to cast Barry Allen for the films, Grant Gustin didn’t get the role even though many The Flash fans cheered for him. Instead, the part of The Flash went to Ezra Miller.
Before the crossover was released, people speculated that a hero from the DCEU could appear in it, but they all considered it highly unlikely. Yet, this exactly happened and during his journey through the Speedforce, Gustin’s Barry Allen encountered another version of himself, this one played by Ezra Miller.
Debunked: Wonder Woman Will Complete The Trinity
The famous trinity when it comes to DC superheroes includes Batman, Superman and princess Diana of Themyscira also known as Wonder Woman. While both Batman and Superman appeared in the DC TV shows before, the fans of Diana haven’t seen her yet and speculated that she might make her grand entrance in Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Adding Diana to the team would certainly bring along an interesting dynamic but it didn’t happen in the end. Instead, the crossover featured not one, but two versions of Superman, and had Brandon Routh reprise his role as Superman which he played in the 2006 film Superman Returns.
Accurate: Kara And Kate Will Work Together
The two superheroines had an interesting dynamic between them ever since they first met and Kara looked through Kate’s superhero costume in a second and so discovered Batwoman’s real identity. Kate is naturally suspicious of others, even though not as much as her more famous cousin Batman.
It took a while for her to get friendlier with Kara but they eventually did and the fans liked them together so much they hoped these two women would also team up in the Crisis. Which they did when they went to find the Paragon of Courage and fought Conroy’s Bruce Wayne together. Kate also helped Kara when she was depressed after almost everybody had died.
Debunked: John Diggle Becomes A Green Lantern
Green Lanterns are an important force in the DC superhero universe. If you haven’t read the comics or saw the 2011 film Green Lantern with Ryan Reynolds, Green Lanterns are an intergalactic police force with many members from all around the space. The most famous Green Lantern is Hal Jordan but some fans hoped that John Diggle could join the Green Lanterns in the crossover.
They believed that Diggle might actually be a version of John Stewart, another Green Lantern member coming from Earth. If that were true, John Diggle might have used his powers to fight against the Anti-Monitor but even though he appeared in the crossover, he didn’t assume a new identity… at least not yet.
Accurate: The Super Family
Superman and Lois Lane are one of the most iconic couples in the DC comics and are even more famous than Batman and Catwoman, or Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. The fans hoped they might see more of the Arrowverse’s Superman and Lois, and perhaps even their baby son in the Crisis.
Once Crisis premiered, they got their wish. Jonathan Kent, Lois’ and Kal-El’s son, appeared in the crossover and was responsible for several heartwrenching as well as funny moments. Like the scene when the Monitor talks to the heroes and Jonathan keeps crying until Mick Rory aka Heat Wave takes over and calms down the baby.
Debunked: Barry Allen Will Disappear
The Arrowverse has hinted for quite some time that the Crisis might be the last time when we’ll see the Flash alive and well. Barry Allen is the fan-favorite of many people and they didn’t want for him to leave, especially when it looked like another iconic Arrowerse hero, Oliver Queen, might die (see below).
In the end, the creators of Crisis on Infinite Earths solved this problem in a very clever way. While the Flash does disappear in the Crisis, it isn’t Barry Allen but another version of the Flash who sacrifices himself to provide the other heroes with a fighting chance.
Accurate: Oliver Queen Will Die
This theory has been around even before Crisis on Infinite Earths was announced. It started the moment Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow made a deal with the Monitor. Oliver asked the Monitor to prevent his friends Barry and Kara from dying in the Elseworlds crossover.
The Monitor granted Oliver his wish but told him that saving Barry and Kara would require a life for a life. Oliver agreed to this condition and when the Crisis came, he was ready to die for his friends and sacrificed his life in the battle. He then appeared as the Spectre, only to die once again when the heroes defeated the Anti-Monitor.
