Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 1 DC Easter Eggs Explained

| Dec 9, 2019 |

Supergirl: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part One DC Comics Easter Eggs

This commodity contains Supergirl and Crunch on Space Earths spoilers.

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Well, it's finally hither. Crisis on Infinite Earths kicked off with a tremendous, ridiculously ambitious hr of tv set. "Crisis on Infinite Earths Function Ane" is the Supergirl chapter of this twelvemonth's Arrowverse crossover, so naturally information technology put a lot of focus on what was happening on Globe-38, with enough of time for Superman and Lois to shine, besides. But in that location was a large surprise death along the manner, with lots of breadcrumbs and DC Comics Easter eggs leading upward to it.

In many ways, the "Easter eggs" of this episode are surprisingly subtle. Information technology's more than about the experience of things. For instance, in that location's a certain ridiculous to all of these events happening at one time, frequently breaking down while heroes are trying to become about their "normal" business concern until the skies turn ruddy. It's the cool exposition required for heroes from different realities meeting for the beginning time to explain themselves to each other. In that regard, the first chapter of Crisis on Infinite Earths is more faithful to the flavor of a ridiculous comic book crossover than even Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were. The Arrowverse is hither to only go for it, logic be damned. And it's peachy.

If you lot spotted anything nosotros missed, just drib it down in the comments or hit us up on Twitter! If information technology checks out, we'll update this until it'south the about complete Crisis on Infinite Earths Easter eggs guide out at that place! Now, permit's get downward to information technology.

" The Monitor (guest star LaMonica Garrett) sends Harbinger (guest star Audrey Marie Anderson) to get together the worlds' greatest heroes – Supergirl (Melissa Benoist), The Wink (guest star Grant Gustin), Green Arrow (invitee star Stephen Amell), Batwoman (guest star Ruby Rose), White Canary (guest star Caity Lotz), The Atom (guest star Brandon Routh) and Superman (invitee star Tyler Hoechlin) – in preparation for the impending Crunch. With their worlds in imminent danger, the superheroes suit up for boxing while J'onn (David Harewood) and Alex (Chyler Leigh) recruit Lena (Katie McGrath) to help them find a manner to save the people of Earth-38."

The DC Multiverse

The Monitor's opening narration is almost exactly the same as the one that explains the DC multiverse on the very first page of Crisis on Space Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. In fact, let's talk about the multiple Earths that this episode takes identify on!

World-38

The majority of the action in this episode takes place on Earth-38, which has long been the globe where Supergirl takes place. It's named for 1938, the year when Activity Comics #1, the book that introduced Superman to world, was published. But before things kicking off hither, we're treated to a quick tour of some others.

Using the ships of all of the alien refugees living on Globe-38 is like the Dunkirk evacuation on a planetary scale.

World-89

Earth-89 is the world where the Tim Burton Batman movies (and presumably, the regrettable Joel Schumacher ones) take place. The introductory shot looks almost exactly similar the first shot in Tim Burton'due south 1989 Batman movie, with a Gotham City designed past Anton Furst. That's clearly Danny Elfman'southward famed Batman theme playing during this scene too.

That's Robert Wuhl reprising his Batman '89 part as Alexander Knox reading the Gotham Metropolis Gazette on a demote nether ominous red skies. That illustration of Batman on the front page is past legendary DC Comics creative person Jerry Ordway (who likewise did some work on the original Crisis on Infinite Earths comic) and it'due south taken from the concluding page of the comic book accommodation of the 1989 Batman movie. Amusingly, to get with the more often than not grim nature of Burton's Batman movies, all the other headlines are bad news: "Currencies Suffer Amid Uncertainty," "Peace Talks Break Down" etc.

In that location are a couple of incongruities here, of course. First of all, that headline says "Batman Captures Joker." Jack Napier'south Joker seemed QUITE dead at the finish of Batman '89. On the other hand, that's also non the aforementioned batsignal from the movies shining over Gotham City. Could these be legacy versions of Batman and Joker fighting it out?

Titans and the DC Universe

Earth-9 is now the designated world where the DC Universe Titans Idiot box series (and presumably Doom Patrol and the unfairly cancelled Swamp Matter ) takes identify. It seems to take been wiped out by an anti-matter wave (you can catch a glimpse of the Jason Todd Robin and half of the Militarist and Dove squad). Why does this have the designation of Earth-9? It doesn't runway with the comics – World-ix there is the Tangent universe. However, here's a theory: if you count the CW Seed cartoons ( Vixen , Constantine and The Ray ), Titans is the ninth DC Comics-based evidence produced by Greg Berlanti. We retrieve.

Earth-66

World-66 is the globe where the 1960s Batman TV serial takes place, so designated because the series premiered in 1966. While this is the nowadays day, this Earth seems to have a retro feel to it. Note the fashion people are dressed and the vintage cars lining the streets. But more importantly, that's Burt Ward, wearing Robin-appropriate colors on his sweater, who shouts "Holy blood-red skies of death!" in response to the skies turning crimson. Ward, of course, played Robin on that TV series, and that's where the trope of Robin shouting "holy" exclamations came from, each more ridiculous than the last (with peradventure the nearly ridiculous…and we swear we are not making this up…being "holy priceless collection of Etruscan snoods!").

Could that cuddly High german Shepherd he's walking be Ace the Bat-Hound? I certainly call back so. What a good boy! Ward has dedicated his post-Robin life to rescuing large dog breeds and making sure they observe good homes. You can learn more than here.

Earth-16

Jonathan's pod winds upwardly in Oliver's bunker over on Earth-16 in the year 2046. Nosotros haven't seen much of Earth-16 on DCTV, only in the comics information technology's the Young Justice Earth. Evidently, on this Globe Sara Lance died on the Queen's Gambit and Oliver lived a more than solitary existence.

Superman and Lois

– Setting Lois and Clark (and young Jon Kent) upwardly as the sole survivors of a universe destroyed past a Crunch is very much the concept from DC'south Rebirth initiative of 2016, which saw the New 52 Superman supplanted by the more classic (and family minded) model.

– Don't be surprised if baby Jonathan gets sidetracked again during Crunch then that some timey-wimey shenanigans permit him to exist an older boy or young teen by the time Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch are starring on the Superman and Lois TV series next yr.

– Clark's musing that he always pictured him and Lois living on Earth with two children is a nod to certain Silver Age comics which occasionally offered imaginary stories of the pair marrying with children. Jon Kent seems fated to remain an only child in canon. For now, at to the lowest degree.

– Lois says to Jon before he blasts off in the escape pod that they'll e'er look out for him "even in the face of our deaths." That'south a straight quote from the spoken language Marlon Brando'southward Jor-El gave to baby Kal-El in the opening moments of 1978's masterful Superman: The Movie .

– Surely, yous do non need united states to tell you that Jon escaping the devastation of not just Argo City only the unabridged universe that houses Earth-38 mirrors how Kal-El and Kara escaped the destruction of Krypton, right? But what if we told you lot that in the Crisis on Infinite Earths comics, there was a child from a parallel universe, the son of a HEROIC Lex Luthor, who had to escape the devastation of his universe in the opening moments of that legendary story? Well, information technology'southward true. Presumably the Jon Kent/Alexander Luthor parallels will end hither, but it would exist malpractice not to point information technology out.

– Anyone have any ideas what the Argo 139-65 designation ways? We're stumped.

– Clark lamenting how "I couldn't salvage her" in regards to his Aunt Allura sounds similar the words he spoke over Pa Kent'due south grave in Superman: The Picture show later his foster father died of natural causes. This show but GETS Kara and Clark right, particularly how even in the face of a menace that threatens literally the ENTIRE UNIVERSE, Superman will still exist hung upwards on the lives he was unable to save. Similar Oliver in his climactic scene, there is no tradeoff that makes the loss of life worth information technology.

Green Arrow

– Sara Lance assures Earth-16 Oliver that he's "a practiced man on every Globe." Ahem, accept nosotros forgotten the one where he is a NAZI DICTATOR already?!?

– Kara and Clark have a heartfelt conversation about the loss of Argo City, the last remains of their home. Kara tells Clark that Krypton'due south not just a identify it'south a spirit, and considering they have shared what Krypton stands for, information technology lives on in them and Krypton will never die. This parallels the conversation Yao Fei had with Oliver in the Arrow episode "Purgatory" about the Mandarin word "shengcun." Oliver says it ways to survive, but Yao Fei tells him information technology'south about more than the body, it'due south almost the spirit living on in someone else, like Yao Fei did in Shado and Oliver after he died.

Given the death (or "death") of Oliver Queen, there'due south been a lot of word on the show and off most how the only affair he has left to do is leave a legacy. On this, the legacy thing is something DC has historically done amend than Curiosity, although Curiosity has been better about it over the final couple years. The shows have never been subtle most annihilation, but they've also been good at picking up themes and ideas that the comics put down.

Of Course Sara Lance is a Janis Joplin fan! How much do you wanna bet that when all of the craziness and paradoxes of Crisis have been ironed out, we'll learn that Janis' final song is once more "Mercedes Benz" and non "Piffling Robot Homo?"

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The trivia squad that beats out Ray and Sara is the "Foreign Visitors." This is however another Superman reference, referring to how early Superman radio shows, cartoons, and TV shows referred to him every bit a "strange visitor from another planet, with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men."

Miscellaneous Multiversal Stuff

– The Monitor'southward quantum towers come direct out of the comics. They're kind of like dimensional tuning forks – in the DC multiverse, every dissimilar reality vibrates at a specific frequency. The reason the Flashes can travel between worlds is considering the Speed Force gives them control over their own frequency, and lets them phase through to different worlds. Nosotros don't want to get into too much item right now, but there's a reason the Monitor left them on worlds he deemed important.

– Those Shadow Demons are direct out of the comics, and they were always the Anti-Monitor's foot soldiers in the original story. They were originally the Thunderers of Qward, elite troops from the anti-affair planet that first created Sinestro's yellow power band, turned into Shadow Demons by the Anti-Monitor. We'll see if that'southward what they stop upwards existence here.

– Holy moley, that Pariah costume is utterly perfect!