Arrowverse channels ‘Black Mirror’, Crisis as previews tease new villains

Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl have a Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event (that will also include Batwoman and DC's Legends of Tomorrow) on the horizon, making the DC shows with the longest tenure and biggest clout hard to anticipate outside of the event. However, just because a comic-based series is approaching an event doesn’t mean its heroes are allowed to take it easy. New villains, new touchstones, and new team dynamics are all coming down the pike for the Arrowverse as its member shows enter into their respective eighth, sixth, and fifth seasons.

According to TVLine, fans of The CW’s long-running superhero squad have plenty to look forward to as they head towards their ultimate Crisis crossover. 

First, Arrow is coming to an end — but not one solely dictated by the happenings of the crossover. Sure, the Monitor is going to be in charge for a while. But things like the departure of Felicity and the season’s finality mean that Season 8 is going to be filled with nostalgic looks back, appreciation for how far characters have come (“We’re going to try to develop a sense of humor for Oliver — in the nick of time!” teased Stephen Amell), and a look towards the future. “We get to do something with Team Arrow 2.0 that we didn’t get a chance to do with 1.0, which is tell the story of their growing pains,” said consulting producer Marc Guggenheim about the flash forward-era team. “That’s a lot of fun.”

For the other shows, which will have to live on in a post-Crisis world, the event holds less sway over their seasons. Supergirl, for instance, is taking a turn for the sci-fi. “We think of this as our ode to Black Mirror,” said co-showrunner Robert Rovner. “The hope is that people would be more engaged with what’s going on and wanting to make the world a better place, but they seem to be more engaged with technology. We explore how that affects our characters and how our villains try to exploit that.” What if supervillainous technology — but too much? And as fans of the Netflix anthology know, things are never as they seem.

Twists are coming for Supergirl, especially in the season’s second episode, teases co-showrunner Jessica Queller. Unable to escape from Leviathan, Eve is going to face a big story beat that is “not what fans might be expecting” as the organization’s “agenda for Earth” is the season’s main overarching villain arc.

Finally, The Flash released a few more details about how it’ll cope with its unexpectedly early Crisis. “It’s like stepping on a landmine,” said showrunner Eric Wallace. “All of a sudden the future is today, and that turns everything upside-down. You’ll see each member of Team Flash react in their own unique, and sometimes tragic, way.” 

Bloodwork AKA Dr. Ramsey Rosso (Sendhil Ramamurthy) will undergo his transformation in the early episodes of the season while “one or two” more baddies will haunt the first third of the show’s sixth season. One of these will help fans stave off unbearable anticipation, as Wallace teases “a guest cameo that will be fun for the fans.” But the crossover is still key. In fact, the way in for The Flash is through Harrison Wells (well, THIS Harrison Wells). Wallace expains the latest iteration of the character “is integral to not just the first half of the season, but his storyline leads directly into the crossover.”

Supergirl premieres on Oct. 6, The Flash returns on Oct. 8, and Arrow begins its final season on Oct. 15. Which show are you most excited about seeing as they all begin to face the crisis?