If you ever thought the Arrow-verse could get confusing before, the upcoming "Elseworlds" crossover is set to overindulge on twisting up fans' expectations. The first official all-encompassing trailer dropped during the latest Supergirl episode, and it's full of fun moments sure to inspire speculations and celebrations. Let's dash into the trailer's most awesome moments as if Cicada's lightning dagger was following us.
Doctor Deegan Finds A Book
What can be more mysterious than a gigantic, dusty tome being discovered behind a stone wall? When Jeremy Davies' crossover villain Doctor Deegan is the one discovering said tome. Fans were already aware that Doctor Deegan is the one twisting the characters' lives around, and it looks like this book will probably be the TV shows' stand-in for the comic book device the Materioptikon. (Seriously, I could watch a full season of just Davies as this character.)
In the comics, John Dee's Doctor Destiny -- who's presumed to be the inspiration for Deegan -- uses the Materioptikon to creative reality from people's dreams. It does seem like the characters are experiencing nightmares, though, with Oliver-as-Barry uncomfortably having to smooch it up with Iris. But how will it all come together?
The Monitor Is Behind It All, Apparently
Since the casting was announced, LaMonica Garrett's all-powerful alien The Monitor has been a complete enigma beyond his basic looks. Thanks to the trailer, we now know that The Monitor is apparently responsible for giving Doctor Deegan the powers to ratify Earth-1's reality, and it's easy to suspect that Earth-1's citizens aren't the only victims here.
The Monitor says that he offered Deegan "godhood," and then says to "show them what a real god can do." So what is Monitor up to here? Is he doing as his comic book entity did by rounding up villains (and heroes) as a way to face his nemesis, The Anti-Monitor? Or will this be a pared-down version of those events, with LaMonica Garrett's watchful character serving some more nefarious purpose specific to the Arrow-verse? Also, is Monitor giving Deegan back the same book he'd already found?
Jay Garrick's Big Reveal
It wasn't entirely clear why Earth-3's Jay Garrick was heading back to Earth-1, beyond the all-around excellence of having TV's original Scarlet Speedster John Wesley Shipp there again. But during the trailer, it's seemingly made clear that Jay's home world had already experienced its own bout of identity-swapping chaos.
One can assume that it's The Monitor who was responsible for causing havoc on Jay's Earth-3, but did he do it specifically to bring Jay, Barry and Kara together for whatever reason? Or is the arrival of John Wesley Shipp's speedster going to be an unforeseen problem for the mysterious alien? And does that mean we'll get to see other heroes from other Earths? I mean, besides Supergirl and her famous cousin, of course.
Two Supermen!
Speaking of super-cousins, the "Elseworlds" trailer offers fans a double dose of the Man of Steel, although it doesn't immediately seem like the two versions are going to be working together in respectful peace. Fans were already aware that the black-suited Superman would be showing up in the crossover, though sadly without the long hair that one of the comic versions had. In any case, we hadn't really seen much from the traditional red & blue Supes before now.
Thankfully, it looks like Earth-38's other super-savior will indeed be around during the crossover, although it's still not clear in what capacity. It's presumed the familiar hero will be the one heading back to the Kent family farm and introducing Lois Lane to audiences, but we technically still can't be sure about any of that. Whatever happens, I'm naively hoping a Superman vs. Superman brawl takes over the entirety of one episode.
That Batarang
It could be ages before we ever actually get a legitimate Batman TV series again, with Gotham having to save its Dark Knight introduction for its series finale. But Ruby Rose is entering the fray as Batwoman, which will hopefully be a magnificent substitute. We still don't only get to see mere seconds of Batwoman in costume, and nothing from Kate Kane in her street clothes. But hey, how about that Batarang, huh?
A non-operating Bat-signal also got a brief moment in the trailer, and I am all about seeing the Arrow-verse utilize as many elements as imaginable from the Bat mythos. If it's just the Batarang, that's cool, too. It'd be sweet, however, to also see Wayne Manor, a Batmobile of some kind, and other familiar weapons from the Bat-arsenal. And if Kate has a butler named Alfred...
It's Killer Frost, Or Is It?
Those who missed The Flash episode "The Icicle Cometh" probably saw nothing askew when Caitlin "Killer Frost" Snow popped up here. However, that episode revealed that Caitlin isn't a meta, and that Killer Frost was birthed by a semi-botched experiment. Also, her father Thomas Snow was in cahoots with Harrison Wells, Victor "Mr. Freeze" Fries and Louise Lincoln. The latter is another alter ego of Killer Frost, making her name-drop all the more interesting.
We also know that Nora Fries, the wife of Mr. Freeze himself, will be in the crossover, though we don't know the capacity, or from which Earth she'll be spawned. Could she be dying, as has been the go-to plot device for the character? Will Doctor Deegan be able to swap both Caitlin and Killer Frost's identities out of that body, possibly to save Nora's life? Or will we see a bizarre personality complex where someone new is temporarily tasked with co-existing opposite the icy villain?
You can check out the full "Elseworlds" trailer below.
There's not much time left to wait, thankfully. The Arrow--verse's "Elseworlds" crossover will kick off on The CW on Sunday, December 9, with a special-night episode of The Flash. Arrow will air during its normal slot on Monday, while Supergirl is flipping to Tuesday night's slot to close the crossover out. While waiting to see how it all goes down, be sure to stay current with our fall TV schedule and our midseason premiere schedule.
