On the finish of “Disaster on Infinite Earths”, the surviving heroes of The CW’s Arrowverse got here collectively to type one thing of a disaster group that may be prepared to come back collectively once more to battle for the world ought to the necessity arrive. With their very own particular headquarters, the group was the Arrowverse’s reply to the Justice League. Two years on, the Arrowverse has seen a whole lot of adjustments and that league adjustments with it and now, within the wake of the Season 2 finale of Superman & Lois we’ve only one query: what’s subsequent for the Arrowverse’s group of heroes?
Warning: spoilers for the Season 2 finale of Superman & Lois beneath.
When the Arrowverse’s Justice League was based, it comprised of the main heroes of the universe, a make-up aligned with the heroes of the assorted reveals that made up the shared universe: The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Black Lightning and appeared to supply up a whole lot of alternative for future adventures and crossovers. However one after the other, the Arrowverse panorama started to vary and every of these reveals, aside from The Flash, ended primarily taking with them the potential for group ups, although with Superman & Lois on the air, followers nonetheless held out hope.
This week, nonetheless, Superman & Lois lastly clarified its place throughout the Arrowverse and revealed that it would not even have one. The sequence takes place on a completely totally different world — one wherein there are not any different heroes, solely Superman. It could appear, then, that on the subject of the Arrowverse Justice League, functionally The Flash is alone.
From a narrative perspective, it’s in all probability protected to say that the Arrowverse won’t ever genuinely discover its Justice League potential. The heroes, whereas they nonetheless exist by way of the story, they’re not a part of the community lineup. It is unlikely that we’ll see these characters return. Sure, we did get a little bit little bit of a style of what a Justice League could possibly be when Barry sought the assistance of Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning throughout Season 8’s “Armageddon” however a real group up by no means occurred, and the conditions of the others do not lend to at least one. The Legends are in jail. Final we noticed Supergirl she was now a really public determine, and Batwoman has Gotham. Now, it appears we do not know precisely what Superman is as much as.
Whereas we thought he was dwelling his life in Smallville, the revelation about Superman & Lois being on a separate Earth leaves that hero’s destiny a query mark. Perhaps he’s doing the identical and is in Smallville together with his household. Or perhaps he is off world. No matter it’s, the web end result is identical: The Flash and Staff Flash extra broadly is what the world has to guard it now.
Whereas that’s what the tv facet provides us nonetheless, it might appear that by way of general universe canon, we do know that the League exists and has even expanded in membership on the pages of comics. Just lately, the Earth-Prime comedian sequence expanded on the tales of the Arrowverse over the course of six points, the ultimate of which noticed Black Lightning, Superman, The Atom, Sara Lance, Supergirl, Jay Garrick, The Flash, and Child Flash all coming collectively on the Corridor of Justice within the wake of a battle with Magog sooner or later when Oliver Queen — who died in “Disaster on Infinite Earths” — returned to warn of an impending disaster. Whereas this story is about in 2049, the tales within the comedian are thought of canon for the Arrowverse. The League lives.
And, in the end, it is that comedian that seemingly provides us our greatest clue about what’s subsequent for the Arrowverse’s Justice League. The Flash is now the final Arrowverse present on air with the revelation that Superman & Lois is a part of a special Earth so a live-action group up might be not within the playing cards — there’s a whole lot of hypothesis that The Flash’s ninth season might be its final. However the pages of comics supplies almost infinite alternatives to inform tales with the entire group — together with the institution of the large dangerous degree system that Bart and Nora reference in Earth-Prime #6.
The institution of the Arrowverse’s reply to the Justice League was an exciting second for followers and it is unhappy that it is one which has by no means actually been used to its biggest potential. However even with the panorama of The CW’s heroic reveals altering and the likelihood that it is wrapping up sooner quite than later, in comics something is feasible. Hopefully, a world – or perhaps a multiverse – of journey awaits.