DC’s Legends of Tomorrow – Crisis on Infinite Earths review Part 5 – S5 E1
For my issues with the fourth chapter, Crisis on Infinite Earths ended on a much stronger note — one that puts the Arrowverse in a far better position than when it started.
In one of my rage quit moments on Legends, I stopped recording it so I missed the first four minutes of the episode so apologies if I missed anything important. Weather Witch took on Supergirl, who had no clue who she was fighting. The Flash came by to apologize for one of his Rogues invading National City. I loved the cameo with Marv Wolfman, the comic Crisis writer and co-writer of this crossover, as the guy who clued Supergirl and Flash in that they were now on the same Earth.
Besides the paragons, no one had any memory of the Crisis. That’s a direct link to the comic, which was a nice touch. J’onn actually went around restoring the heroes’ memories although I’m wondering if he bothered with Lex Luthor. He wasn’t very happy with Nash Wells and made sure he remembered his actions. That was one aspect of Crisis that was kind of weak and not established well enough. It seemed tricky to blame Nash for something that should have been made more apparent.
Team Arrow knows Oliver is dead, but Sara makes the good point that Felicity can’t find Oliver as Spectre. Maybe some foreshadowing here…?
The random collective of heroes are shocked to learn Beebo is back. In keeping for a Legends episode that allows for some genuinely funny moments like the Legends wanting no parts of a crossover and Mick getting pissed since Beebo ruined his Rebecca Silver book signing. That might be my favorite running joke of the entire Arrowverse.
It’s not Beebo though, but Sargon the Sorcerer who’s robbing a bank. I’m pretty sure this was an Easter Egg shout out of Crisis #12 when all of the magicians, including the heroic Sargon, helped channel The Spectre’s powers to aid in the final battle against The Anti-Monitor. Nash warns of a massive surge of anti-matter suggesting The Anti-Monitor isn’t dead.
The Barry and Sara scenes were surprisingly good. They never really interacted that much outside of crossovers and Caity Lotz and Grant Gustin had some nice chemistry. Hopefully Crisis will allow for more moments with these two. With the shadow demons back, Sara rallies the troops for another battle with The Anti-Monitor. I loved how she called Batwoman “Bat Lady.” And hey, let’s give the writers some credit for not immediately trying to have a silly love triangle with Kate, Sara and Alex.
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Ryan Choi and Ray come up with a plan to send The Anti-Monitor to the micro-verse. That’s a decent idea.
One of the key logistical problems with the Arrowverse’s Crisis is so many of the heroes don’t have real super powers. There’s plenty of a martial artist/gun-toting vigilantes, but not a lot with raw powers capable of beating The Anti-Monitor. This was apparent right away when the hero force fighting him was Superman, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter (actually in a costume for a change), The Flash, Dreamer, Spartan, Wild Dog, Alex, White Canary and Batwoman.
There were some heavy hitters at STAR Labs with Frost, Mick and Black Lightning (!), but I’ll just chalk that up to them staying behind to protect Ryan and Ray while they whipped up the shrink bomb.
In another cool Easter Egg, this fight against The Anti-Monitor was taking place on Perez Landing in honor of Crisis artist and my all-time favorite, George Perez. I wasn’t expecting the literal big reveal of the episode with The Anti-Monitor growing to giant size just like the comic. While it couldn’t reach the scope of the comic, it was very impressive watching Superman, Martian Manhunter and Supergirl fighting him.
Flash and Supergirl get to have a moment in finishing The Anti-Monitor, which is fitting considering their fates in the comic. With the major threat to Earth gone, it’s time to return to the new normal with a ton of surprises like Diggle and Lyla hang with their kids with Sara restored from being swapped out for JJ and Superman and Lois apparently having two sons.
The president announces Oliver died sacrificing himself in the battle against The Anti-Monitor and thanked the other heroes for their bravery. Oliver narrates the creation of a new multiverse with glimpses of other Earths, like Earth-2 with Stargirl and the Justice Society of America, separate Earths for the Doom Patrol, Titans and Swamp Thing before winding it down with Earth-96 and Brandon Routh back as Superman in a fitting farewell for his stint as The Man of Steel.
Back on Earth-Prime, Flash, Supergirl, Black Lightning, Superman, Batwoman, Martian Manhunter and White Canary gather to pay final tribute to Oliver. Barry excitedly shows everyone a table with their logos on chairs — full Justice League style! Now this is absolutely what I’m talking about. I love how Batwoman playfully tells Black Lightning that these crossover events happen all the time so a meeting space is probably necessary.
They’re in an abandoned STAR Labs building, which also has a monkey named Gleek on the loose and an exterior that is clearly modeled after the Hall of Justice. Oh yeah.
Between the nods to the source material, an epic final battle, some great character moments and that big payoff scene, Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 5 wrapped The CW’s most ambitious crossover in amazing fashion. Now it’s time to watch it all over again.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Photo Credit: The CW