Yahoo News 23 huge Easter eggs from the Arrowverse 'Elseworlds' crossover
The annual Arrowverse crossover has grown from a fun tradition to one of the most important dates on the superhero calendar, spanning entire worlds to channel the source material in ways that no show has managed before.
Among all of the multiple earths explored in 'Elseworlds', plenty of things happened throughout Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl this week, so you’d be forgiven for missing some of the smaller details. That’s where we come in.
Join us as we travel through the Multiverse in search of the most important Easter Eggs and comic book references that look to the past and future of the Arrowverse at large.
Elseworlds - Part One
1. Viewers will already be familiar with the Earth 90 opening where we see John Wesley Shipp reprise his role as The Flash from the '90s TV show. What you might not have noticed though is that among the dead heroes like Stargirl and Ray, there’s also a deceased version of the Green Arrow who is deliberately modelled on Justin Hartley’s version from Smallville.
2. Red skies always signal something bad in the Arrowverse. Back in the first episode of The Flash, the headline written on a future newspaper revealed that The Flash will disappear during a “Crisis” which involves red skies.
The red skies seen here are the first real hint that 'Elseworlds' will directly set up the next crossover based on the famous comic-book storyline 'Crisis on Infinite Earths'.
3. The Arrow flashbacks once featured a man called Professor Ivo and his ship, Amazo, which were inspired by comic-book characters of the same name. Here, the 'Elseworlds' crossover draws upon the Amazo character in a more literal sense, bringing to life the android that can replicate anybody’s super abilities.
4. The Arrowverse debut of Smallville probably hit you with the nostalgic feels, and for good reason. Not only does the show return to the original sets that were featured so prominently in Superman’s origin story, but they even re-used the 'Save Me' theme song originally sung by Remy Zero as well.
5. While describing their trip to Argo, Lois Lane mentions Krypton's "jeweled mountains", which also received a shout-out recently on the other Superman-themed show, Krypton.
6. Stephen Amell is talented in a number of ways, but we’re assuming that drawing isn’t part of his skillset, which is why the showrunners drafted comic book legend Jim Lee to create the sketch of Monitor and John Deegan that Ollie speed draws from memory.
Special thanks to the amazing and wonderful @JimLee for providing tonight’s super-speed sketch. 🙏 #Elseworlds pic.twitter.com/yEJxPadMxT
- Marc Guggenheim (@mguggenheim) December 10, 2018
7. Towards the end, "Waid and Augustyn" are given a shout out too, which is only fitting as Mark Waid is one of the preeminent Flash writers for DC Comics and Brian Augustyn wrote the first ever 'Elseworlds' story called Batman: Gotham by Gaslight.
8. Our first glimpse of Batwoman in the final scene of this first episode parallels her first appearance in the comics too. In 2006's 52 #10, Kate Kane stands on top of a building in the final panel, just like she does here.
Elseworlds - Part Two
9. When they arrive in Gotham City, our heroes seek help from a media personality called Vesper Fairchild who Oliver once had an affair with. In the comics, she was romantically linked with Bruce Wayne, before she was killed by David Cain, a hired gun for Ra’s Al Ghul.
10. In one of the most obvious shout-outs we’ve seen yet on these shows, a Gotham City police officer asks for backup “at Nolan and Burton”, referring of course to the Batman filmmakers, Christopher Nolan and Tim Burton.
11. When Kara meets Kate, she explains that her cousin is “frenemies” with Bruce Wayne/Batman. This refers of course to the complicated relationship that Batman and Superman have shared throughout the years, something which featured prominently in the recent movie Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Later on, the pair also describe themselves as the “World’s Finest”, something which Batman and Superman used to be described as in the classic comic-book series of the same name.
12. As far as we can recall, this episode marks the first time that the bona-fide Bat Signal has appeared on live-action TV since the Batman show from the ‘60s, which is also referenced here in the form of William Shakespeare. Yes, you read that right. The bronze bust that Kara finds in Kate’s office was used to open the Batcave back in the days of Adam West.
13. Arkham Asylum is full to the brim with Batman Easter Eggs. In the hallways, doors lead to a number of his Rogues Gallery, including “Cobblepot, O.” (The Penguin), “Isley, P.” (Poison Ivy), “Karlo, B.” (Clayface), “Nigma, E.” (The Riddler) and “Guggenheim, M.” ('Elseworlds' producer Marc Guggenheim).
14. On top of that, the Arkham evidence room is also full of comic-book gems too, including Bane’s mask, The Penguin’s umbrella, Hugo Strange’s sunglasses and the Riddler’s cane, as well as Ridder graffiti that asks "What's blue and grey and red all over?"
More obvious nods to the Scarecrow’s fear toxin and Mr Freeze’s gun appear too, alongside Freeze’s wife, Nora, who’s played here by Stephen Amell’s partner, Cassandra Jean Amell.
15. Seeing the '90s Flash deliver an ominous message through a cloud of blue energy might have felt familiar to anyone who saw Ezra Miller’s version do something similar in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, the most exciting part of this cameo was when John Wesley Shipp referred to John Diggle as the Green Lantern of Earth 90, hinting that this iconic character may soon make his debut in the Arrowverse.
16. At the end of the episode, Dr Destiny rewrites reality again, turning Ollie and Barry into the Trigger Twins. In the comics, these minor villains were identical twins separated at birth who reunited when they decided to rob a bank at the same time. Wild Dog later killed them in Infinite Crisis #7, but fortunately, he wasn’t around in the crossover to accidentally kill Oliver and Barry while they were trapped in their bodies.
Elseworlds - Part Three
17. Deegan becomes an evil version of Superman at the beginning of this final chapter, so it makes sense that he would wear a black version of his costume, but there’s also a great deal of comic book history to unpack here too. Most significantly, Superman first wore the black suit when he returned from the dead in 1994, and it’s since showed up time and time again in the comics.
At one point, Henry Cavill was even supposed to wear the black suit in Zack Snyder’s Justice League movie, but those scenes were relegated to the cutting room floor.
18. The Legends of Tomorrow might have ignored calls for help from our troubled heroes, but that didn’t stop Gary from the Time Bureau popping up as a bartender in Deegan’s new reality.
19. The set design seen in the Fortress of Solitude is heavily inspired by Superman: The Movie, so it’s no coincidence that Lois is also dressed in a nightgown that looks similar to one that Margot Kidder wore in the same movie. However, the best Easter egg in this scene is the Thor-like hammer, which likely belongs to another DC superhero called Steel.
20. Supergirl and The Flash save the day by running around the world fast enough to slow down time. Sure, it doesn’t make any sense, but it’s also a neat homage to Superman: The Movie where the Last Son of Krypton does something very similar to save Lois. After the dust has settled, Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman also borrows a trick from Superman III when he crushes coal into a diamond for Lois.
21. The final chapter of 'Elseworlds' is also inspired by a darker chapter of Superman’s time on screen when he threatens to snap Barry’s neck, just like Supes did to General Zod in Man of Steel.
22. At the end, Deegan’s face mutates into something that more closely resembles his comic book counterpart, Dr Destiny. It’s also worth mentioning at this point that the symbols in his book look similar to those that Nora has been using to message Eobard Thawne in the Flash, which hints that Barry’s daughter may play an important role in the Crisis to come.
23. There are plenty of subtle 'Crisis' references throughout, but by the end, they’re brought to the fore when Batwoman calls Ollie up to complain about a new friend that Dr Destiny has made called Roger Hayden.
Otherwise known as Psycho-Pirate, the gold-masked fiend plays a huge role in the 'Crisis On Infinite Earths' event that next year’s crossover will be based on. When he says that “Worlds will live, worlds will die, and nothing will ever be the same”, Hayden is actually reciting the original tagline that DC Comics used to advertise 'Crisis' back in 1985.
Arrow, Supergirl and The Flash will all return to The CW in January following a midseason break. The series air on Sky One in the UK.
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