Arrowverse Crisis On Earth-X Crossover: Everything We Know

Since the 2014 debut of The Flash, The CW's superhero dramas have exploited the notion of a shared universe, with heroes, villains and supporting characters crisscrossing cities, shows, dimensions, and even from live-action to animation (and back). The so-called Arrowverse fully embraced the crossover last year with "Invasion!," a four-night event that spanned Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Next week, however, that concept is taken even further with "Crisis On Earth-X."

While each episode of "Invasion!" focused on the characters of the corresponding show -- in truth, though, Supegirl was only connected by a brief epilogue -- "Crisis On Earth-X" is treated more like a four-hour movie or miniseries; it even gets its own title sequence. What's more, the action shifts among the main players, so there's no obvious "star" in each episode.

But what else do we know about the Arrowverse's big 2017 event?

When Does Crisis On Earth-X Air?

The format of the crossover required The CW to temporarily change up its lineup. "Crisis On Earth-X" kicks off Monday, Nov. 27, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, with the heroes brought together by the wedding of Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and Iris West (Candice West), and continues at 9 p.m. ET/PT with Arrow, moving to Monday for one night only.

The event concludes Tuesday, Nov. 28, at 8 p.m. ET/PT with back-to-back episodes of The Flash and DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

What's Crisis On Earth-X About?

As we previously mentioned, it's a happy occasion -- the wedding of Barry Allen and Iris West -- that leads the DC heroes and their friends to travel through time and across parallel worlds to gather at one place. However, Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist) and Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) aren't the only ones who arrive from for the event from another universe: Villains from Earth-X, all of whom are familiar or at least familiar-looking, choose the ceremony as the perfect time and place to launch an attack. The heroes of the Arrowverse must then unite to save their world from these invaders.

As executive producers Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg explained in September, "Crisis On Earth-X" was inspired in part by the classic DC Comics crossovers between the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America. There's also a long comic book tradition of supervillians crashing superhero weddings.

What the Heck Is Earth-X?

Before the events of DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, Earth-X was a parallel world in which Germany won World War II. It was home to such former Quality Comics heroes as Plastic Man and the Freedom Fighters (Uncle Sam, Phantom Lady, The Ray, Doll Man, et al). It's also the setting for the upcoming Freedom Fighters: The Ray, the animated series debuting next month on the CW Seed digital platform, featuring the first gay superhero to headline his own show.

DC's Earth-X returned in a slightly different form in 2007 as Earth-10, where the Freedom Fighters fought a Nazi version of the Justice League known as JLAxis, led by the Superman doppelganger Overman, whose sister Overgirl was later introduced. That setup appears to have influenced the Arrowverse's depiction of Earth-X, complete with a team of superpowered Nazis.

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Nazis? Does That Mean Crisis On Earth-X Is All Doom and Gloom?

You might think so, but no. There's romance, obviously, as the wedding of Barry Allen and Iris West is central to "Crisis On Earth-X." However, there's also comedy, as established in the promos for the event, in which Stephen Amell's Oliver Queen and Emily Bett Rickards greet the wedding-crashers with the simultaneous declaration, "I hate Nazis," a nod to Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The humor goes beyond that, though, with The Flash star Grant Gustin assuring CBR and other outlets during a recent set visit that the event won't lack the laughs. "There’s more people than ever included, some of the biggest sequences you’ll see with the most superheroes we’ve ever seen together at any given time," he said. "But we stick also, at least The Flash side of things, we stick with the comedy we’ve had all year. That still exists within the crossover."

Who Are the Villains of Earth-X?

We knew from the very beginning, thanks to the custom comic book cover by artist Phil Jimenez released in September, that the Nazi supervillains of Earth-X would include Prometheus plus the doppelgangers Overgirl, Dark Arrow and Dark Flash. Between set photos and official stills from The CW, we've learned that Overgirl will indeed by played Supergirl star Melissa Benoist, Dark Arrow by Stephen Amell and Dark Flash by Tom Cavanagh, adding plenty of subtext, not to mention questions.

However, that's not the end of the Nazi lineup, as a recently released poster for "Crisis On Earth-X" added to the mix Red Tornado and Metallo. Are those more doppelgangers from Earth-X, or have the two Supergirl foes merely joined Overgirl, Dark Arrow & Co. in their fight against the heroes of the Arrowverse? Another big question is what the villains' "doomsday weapon" might be -- a device, or a person?

Who Are the New Heroes From Earth-X?

As if the champions of the Arrowverse and the Nazi villains of Earth-X weren't enough to fill the two-night event, "Crisis On Earth-X" also introduces at least two new heroes. There's the aforementioned Ray, played by Russell Tovey (Being Human, Quantico), who will also voice the character on the animated Freedom Fighters: The Ray, and another who isn't exactly "new" -- or even traditionally a hero.

Although The Ray dates back to 1940, the version depicted here is based on the hero introduced in Grant Morrison’s 2014-2015 DC Comics miniseries The Multiversity. This incarnation is Raymond “Ray” Terrill, a gay reporter who discovered that government scientists were working on a secret project to transform light into a weapon of mass destruction. However, before he could report his findings, Ray was exposed to a “genetic light bomb” that didn’t kill him, but instead imbued him with light-based superpowers. Dubbing himself The Ray, he’s recruited by Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters to fight injustice.

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The other is Citizen Cold, played by Arrowverse veteran Wentworth Miller, better known as the villain/antihero Captain Cold. But Leonard Snart sacrificed himself on DC's Legends of Tomorrow to save his friends and the world, so who's this guy? Another version of Snart from an earlier time? Well, Citizen Cold has comic book roots as well, dating back to DC Comics' 2011 event Flashpoint, which introduced a drastically altered reality in which Barry Allen never became The Flash, and Citizen Cold is the protector of Central City. In one of the promos for "Crisis On Earth-X," Snart tells Green Arrow that "Our enemies are still on your Earth," confirming he originates from that previously unknown 53rd Earth.

Wait, Is That a Kryptonite Arrow?

The short answer is, yes, it appears so. Multiple promos have shown Stephen Amell's Oliver Queen fire an arrow with a glowing green tip, suggesting it's crafted from Kryptonite. That of course means it was created specifically to take down a Kryptonian. That leads us to immediately wonder whether this is a weapon Green Arrow already had in his arsenal, in preparation for a day when he might have to fight Supergirl or Superman, or whether Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist) or Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) provided him with the material in hopes of defeating Overgirl.

That brings us to the more pressing issue, however: Promo footage also shows Overgirl plucking what appears to be that very arrow out of the air, and then breaking it in half. That would seem to suggest Overgirl isn't Kryptonian. What is she, then?

Will Barry and Iris Actually Get Married?

That's a good question, as it certainly appears as if the Nazis of Earth-X storm the church before Barry Allen and Iris West can exchange vows. As if we needed another reason to hate Nazis. Barry could undoubtedly say "I do" while dodging bullets and cracking skulls -- he is the Fastest Man Alive, after all -- but explosions, shrapnel and screaming wedding guests sort of ruin the moment.

We're guessing the big moment will be delayed until s0mewhere near the end of the four-hour crossover, when the heroes have a moment to breathe after saving the world. They'll probably have to find another venue for the ceremony, though.

Wait, Is That the Greatest American Hero?

Believe it or not, that is William Katt officiating the wedding. He's of course best known for playing Ralph Hinkley, substitute teacher turned hapless crimefighter, on The Greatest American Hero, the beloved early-1980s comedy-drama. Katt is no stranger to the DC Universe, however, having voiced the Green Guardsman on the animated Justice League and Hawkman on Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

The 2017 Arrowverse crossover "Crisis On Earth-X" begins Monday, Nov. 27, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW with Supergirl and continues at 9 p.m. ET/PT with Arrow, on a special night, before concluding Tuesday, Nov. 28, at 8 p.m. ET/PT with The Flash and at 9 p.m. ET/PT with DC's Legends of Tomorrow.