Because of the pandemic, The CW wasn’t able to hold its annual crossover between DC Comics shows late last year, which had been a winter tradition since 2015’s “Flash vs. Arrow.” While there won’t be a traditional Arrowverse crossover at the end of 2021 either, we’re getting the next best thing. Back in May, it was revealed that The Flash Season 8 will premiere this fall with a five-episode event that’s bringing in various Arrowverse heroes. Now we finally have official details on what this event holds in store and which familiar faces will be involved.
Titled “Armageddon,” The Flash Season 8’s big event will see Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen, Candice Patton’s Iris West-Allen and the rest of Team Flash trying to save the world from a powerful alien threat that’s come to Earth under mysterious circumstances. With humanity’s fate at stake and a clock counting down, Team Flash will need to enlist some allies to help them emerge victorious. These fellow heroes will include Javicia Leslie’s Ryan Wilder/Batwoman, Brandon Routh’s Ray Palmer/Atom, Cress Williams’ Jefferson Williams/Black Lightning, Chyler Leigh’s Alex Danvers/Sentinel, Kat McNamara’s Mia Queen and Osric Chau’s Ryan Choi. Tom Cavanagh and Neal McDonough will also reprise the villains Eobard Thawne/Reverse-Flash and Damien Darhk, respectively.
So although “Armageddon” will only be unfolding across episodes of The Flash, the scale certainly sounds comparable to what we’ve seen in crossovers like “Invasion!” and “Elseworlds.” “Armageddon” will follow nearly two full years after “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” which ended with the Arrowverse being rebooted. Here’s what The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace had to say about this unique crossover:
Simply put, these are going to be some of the most emotional Flash episodes ever. Plus, there are some truly epic moments and huge surprises that await our fans. And we’re doing them on a scale that’s bigger and bolder than our traditional Flash episodes. So yes, ‘Armageddon’ is a lot more than just another graphic novel storyline. It’s going to be a true event for Flash and Arrowverse fans, old and new. Honestly, I can’t wait for audiences to see what we’ve got planned.
It’s worth noting that there was a DC Comics crossover published in 1991 called Armageddon 2001, which featured a powerful villain named Monarch and explored potential futures for various superheroes at the time. Whether The Flash’s “Armageddon” will draw inspiration from Armageddon 2001 is unclear, although considering that the latter earned mostly negative critical reception, any similarity may be in name only. Regardless, this’ll give The Flash fans another opportunity to fight the forces of evil alongside other Arrowverse heroes. I’m especially keen to see Atom, Black Lighting and Mia Queen back in action, as Ray Palmer departed Legends of Tomorrow halfway through Season 5, Jefferson Pierce’s series ended earlier this year and Mia’s Arrow spinoff ended up being scrapped. Now these three get to shine again with other returning protagonists.
The Flash’s “Armageddon” event kicks off on Tuesday, November 16 at 8 pm ET on The CW. Elsewhere in the Arrowverse, Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman’s new seasons will both premiere on Wednesday, October 13.
