‘Invasion!’ is the most anticipated crossover event in DC TV history. Green Arrow, The Flash, The Legends and Supergirl will join forces against the greatest threat the Arrowverse has ever seen. While we have a pretty good idea what to expect as far as the story, the logistics of when, how and where the event will take place have been scarce. However, in a recent interview with Collider, Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim explained the ‘Invasion!’ event is really just a Supergirl crossover into the Arrowverse.
At the end of the Monday Supergirl episode, The Flash will open up a breach to what Guggenheim still calls ‘Earth-CBS.’ The crossover event officially begins with Tuesday’s episode of The Flash , which Guggenheim describes as Part 1. Wednesday’s episode of Arrow is Part 2. Thursday’s episode of Legends of Tomorrow is Part 3.
“There’s going to be an episode of Supergirl that ends with Supergirl going over to the cross-over. Some people call it a four-way cross-over because it involves four shows. My ulcer requires me to call it a three-part cross-over,” Guggenheim said. “The story that’s being told has a beginning, middle and end. It’s a beginning in The Flash , a middle in Arrow , and an end in Legends , but Supergirl is very much a part of the whole thing. So, we are crossing over four shows, but in three parts.”
- Supergirl Season 2 episode 8, Nov. 28
- The Flash Season 3 episode 8, Nov. 29
- Arrow Season 5 episode 8, Nov. 30
- Legends Season 2 episode 7, Dec. 1
Guggenheim’s description of the crossover is a little confusing when you take statements from Stephen Amell into account. During a Facebook Live earlier this week, he said the crossover consists of five episodes. This suggests the event will officially finish on the episode of Supergirl the following Monday.
"I am back after five weeks of crossover craziness that consisted of five different episodes of television. Not five different shows, but five different episodes of television being filmed simultaneously,” Amell said. “I have emerged from the deep dark forest of my mind..of crossover land, crossover-landia.”
Part of the reason the crossover is split into three parts is because it’s Arrow’s 100th episode. Considering Arrow is the show that started it all, Guggenheim thought it was important to do something special in season 5 episode 8, which falls right in the middle of the crossover. Robert and Moira Queen, Black Canary, Deathstroke and “everyone who we could have in the episode” will all return.
“The challenge was that we’ve only got 42 minutes, and it’s the middle part of a three-part story. At the same time, it’s the 100th episode… people didn’t want to feel like the crossover was hijacking what should be a really seminal episode and moment for Arrow, which is wonderful,” Guggenheim told Collider.
There are some “incredibly iconic moments,” Guggenheim explained. “It is a love letter to the show. It draws on all previous 99 episodes. Everyone who we could have in the episode, from a scheduling point of view, is in the episode. Even the people who we couldn’t have because of having conflicting schedules are represented.”
Last week, Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg said Supergirl exists in another dimension outside the Arrowverse. He confirmed Supergirl will travel to to the dimension that includes The Flash , Arrow and Legends, not the other way around.
“Last year, Supergirl established that The Flash was able to make his way to what I call Earth-CBS, and it stands to reason that with the proper breach technology, the reverse can happen,” Guggenheim said.
A Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 trailer revealed The Flash will contact the Legends from the year 2056. The first crossover footage showed Supergirl, Arrow and the Legends all standing on a rooftop. Guggenheim confirmed it is The Flash that calls for help, and he calls Supergirl first because they’re up against aliens.
“Once the heroes realize that they’re up against aliens, they decide that they need an alien on their side and, fortunately, Barry knows a really nice one. I don’t think it’s a big shock that, between Barry and Cisco, and all of their experiences with Earth-2 and the multi-verse, that they can pluck her from Earth-CBS,” Guggenheim said.
‘Invasion!’ is a three-issue series crossover event featuring The Dominators, a technologically advanced alien race. They form an alien coalition to attack Earth and eliminate the threat of metahumans and the metagene. Whether or not we’ll see JSA in the mix is still unclear. Obsidian, Dr. Mid-Nite, Commander Steel and Stargirl make their debut in Legends of Tomorrow episode 2, “The Justice Society of America.” The Flash, Arrow and Supergirl haven’t met JSA yet, but they could all certainly use the help of the oldest superhero team in comic history to defeat The Dominators.
Read more on what to expect in the crossover event here.
