The Complete ArrowVerse and DC Television Watch Order

Hello my friends, and welcome back to my blog.

So after well over a decade an age has come to an end this past week, and that was the run of DC Comics shows on The CW network. They've often been maligned, with even fans of them admitting that they have not been the best shows. I have seen them described as cheap, with ambitions that were impossible to meet with their small budgets. There are also many critiques out there about the overly soap-opera elements of the main characters, with interpersonal and relationship drama being as much of a driving factor behind the shows as the action, something that is true of CW's other flagship shows Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, and The 100.

However I have always felt that there is a lot to defend and celebrate about everything DC and the CW were able to accomplish, especially in the inter-connected ArrowVerse they created, featuring plenty of lesser-known DC super-heroes across several shows. They accomplished a lot with very little, and in a many cases brought lesser-known DC heroes into prominence, as well as serving as exemplars for the increased diversity and positive reputation of BIPOC and LGBTQ characters in superhero live-action media. These were shows created in a similar vein and with similar goals as previous WB shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Smallville, shows that have earned a lot of acclaim from their fanbases since, and I think all it will take is time and fans for people to realise that the ArrowVerse is good, and has been for a long time. 

And I've already argued that very point, in a podcast available here: https://youtu.be/XNM6rnUKGQA

But for anyone out there who wants to tackle the ArrowVerse themselves, one of the biggest questions is how?

After all we are talking about a combined universe that, at its most successful point, had five shows running in tandem, with at least one annual crossover between them that had ramifications in every single one of the shows. 

Now the obvious answer would be to watch the episodes in release order, but that means alternating shows every episode, and if watching on home media or streaming that can be not just inconvenient, but a royal pain in the arse. In fact I've spoken about my frustration with this method of watch order before on this very blog, and how I prefer where possible to separate the shows by story arcs, to make for a better watching experience by breaking the shows up at natural stopping points.

So I decided to come up with my own Watch Order for the ArrowVerse, looking very closely at every single crossover of characters or plotlines, in order to find the best way to experience this whole universe, and this is the watching order I did indeed use when watching my way through the franchise the first time.

Now a couple of notes. Firstly while I will try to keep the below relatively spoiler light, I will mention the characters that are crossing over. The reason for this is that even if you have listened to the podcast linked above which does cover some of the more spoiler-heavy moments in detail, I also want this blog to be something that can be shared to anyone wanting to step into this world. 

Secondly I will be using a notation short hand for the episodes, where each episode of a show has a three digit code, the first of which indicates the season, the second two indicate the episode number. I have used this notation in a previous Watch Order (the MCU one I published), and the reason is that the serialised nature of these shows prevents them being hosted out of order, unlike Star Trek, where I listed the episode titles in that Watch Order, but also we are talking about over 700 episodes of television here, and so being able to make this list as easy to read and comprehend as possible is a priority.

Finally the majority of these seasons comprise of 23 episodes that were aired over the Autumn to Spring television seasons, with several breaks in their schedules allowing for several cliffhangers in the serialised storytelling where dramatic shifts in the over arcing plot occur. As a result the seasons almost follow a three act structure as a narrative, with episodes 1 to 9 comprising Act One, episodes 10 to 15 being Act Two, and episodes 16 to 23 containing the final act and conclusion. They also move in real time and often overlap with actual holidays, such as Christmas. This in many cases does make it easy to organise, and means that should you not want an order as specific as mine then you can just alternate each series in these act blocks, for the most part. If the episodes shown below have no notes underneath then simply assume that they have been organised as best as I can to represent the advance of time and to make for satisfying story breaks. 

Also as I say in the podcast, I do think there is a structure not too dissimilar to the MCU's Phases that can be used to watch your way through these, at least up until Crisis on Infinite Earths, and I will use this framework to structure the Watch Order.

So let's get started!

Chapter One - Foundations

These early seasons are very much the establishment of the Universe, beginning with the show Arrow, from which the universe gets its moniker. 

Arrow Season One

• The first season of Arrow begins when Oliver Queen returns to Starling City after seemingly having been stranded on the island of Lian Yu for the past five years after the sinking of his father's boat. Back home he finds his former flame Laurel Lance has moved on with her life, now dating his best friend Tommy Merlyn, son of his father's former business partner Malcolm, and blaming Oliver for the death of her sister Sara, who he smuggled on his father's boat when he left years ago and was seemingly lost. He also has to deal with his younger sister Thea, who has become a bit of a teenage rebel. However Oliver's primary goal is to act as a vigilante, punishing the rich and powerful who have exploited the people of the city, and he creates an identity to do that. In his new role he finds not just allies, such as former soldier John Diggle, hired by Oliver's mother Moira to act as his bodyguard, and computer genius and Queen Consolidated employee Felicity Smoak, but he also acquires enemies, most notably the mysterious Dark Archer who is opposing him, the assassin Deadshot, who has a history with Diggle, and Detective Quentin Lance, Laurel's father, who is determined to bring "the Hood", as the vigilante has become known, to justice. Meanwhile in flashbacks we experience the events that transformed Oliver from a wealthy and spoiled playboy to the man he is now, as he encounters others on Lian Yu, including mercenary Slade Wilson and Chinese prisoner Yao Fei.

Arrow Season Two

• Season Two is very closely connected to Season One, both in the present day and island plotlines. In fact the home media release even includes an episode length recap of the previous season. Personally I think it is one of the highlights of the entire ArrowVerse, as the story and threat builds very well in my opinion. We also get some more incredible characters introduced or further developed to continue to build the universe, such as the return of Sara Lance, who is now the vigilante known as the Canary, and a former student of the League of Assassins, and street thief and Thea's love interest Roy Harper, who resolves to help the Hood. Episodes 208 and 209 however act almost as a backdoor pilot for the next major series in the ArrowVerse, with the debut of the character of Barry Allen, a crime scene investigator from Central City who arrives to help our usual crew stop their first superhuman threat, however its when Barry returns to Central City at the end of 209 where things really get interesting, as the STAR Labs Particle Accelerator in the city explodes after being activated, and a bolt of lightning crashes through his skylight, knocking Barry unconscious and leaving him doused in chemicals and crackling with strange energies. An episode late in the season also has a cameo from future Flash supporting characters Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon.

Arrow 301, The Flash 101 

• Now in theory there is nothing preventing you grouping these episodes together with the blocks below, but these two seasons do have quite a lot of crossovers, and so I thought I would make the effort to put them correctly in order. Barry calls Oliver at the end of 301 saying that he has woken up from his coma, and we see a conversation from the two of them at the end of 101. There is also the introduction of Amanda Waller and Ray Palmer in Arrow, as well as all of Flash's supporting cast, namely Harrison Wells, Henry Allen, and Joe and Iris West, as well as hinting at the future Crisis to come. 

Arrow 302-303

• Felicity leaves at the end of 303 to visit Barry in Central City

Flash 102-104

• 104 features Felicity helping Team Flash, and these episodes also introduce Leonard Snart  and his partner Mick Rory, as well as the mysterious hero Firestorm.

Arrow 304-305

• Felicity returns in the end of episode 304

Constantine 101, Constantine 106, Constantine 102-105 

• Originally shown another network the show Constantine was eventually made cannon with the ArrowVerse when the main character returned in the future, so I would recommend starting it here. 106 actually aired out of order, taking place in between episodes 101 and 102. 

Flash 105-107

• Gorilla Grodd is introduced in 105. A minor villain from Arrow 214 returns in 107. 

Arrow 306-307

Constantine 107-109

FLASH VS ARROW: Flash 108, Arrow 308

• The first official team-up between the two heroes and their teams, as they first of all find themselves facing each other because of the Rainbow Raider, and then team up to take down Digger Harkness. 

Flash 109-112

Arrow 309-312

Constantine 110-113

• Constantine unfortunately ends here with its main plot left unresolved, but it can be assumed that John and his allies saved the day offscreen before we see him again. Also while John will return, this will be the last time we see Chaz or Zed. 

Flash 113-114

Arrow 313-316

Flash 115-118 

• As the new hero The Atom Ray arrives in Central City with Felicity in 118. The continuity is not perfect, as we had seen the suit working and now he needs help with it, but it has to come here because the offer Oliver received in 316 starts a plotline in the next group of episodes that leaves no space for this break to occur there. Together Atom and Felicity will help Team Flash stop Brie Larvan.

Arrow 317-318

Flash 119-121, Arrow 319-321 

• In Flash 119 Cisco and Joe come to Star City to work a case with Quentin, and while there Cisco gives Laurel something she will use in future episodes of Arrow. This also takes place at this point in the timeline due to the status of the Hood and the police. 

Flash 122, Arrow 322-323, Flash 123 

• Arrow appears in Flash 122 to help Barry against the Reverse-Flash, but is still dealing with the events of season. Barry returns in Arrow 323 to help Team Arrow and return the favour, but Team Flash still have to deal with the Reverse-Flash in 123.

Chapter Two - Worlds and Time

Through multiversal exploration and time travel our growing cast of heroes comes together to face powerful new threats.

Arrow 401-404, Flash 201-205 

• These are concurrent events, but the opening episodes show that the debut of the Green Arrow in 401 takes place before Flash Day in 201.

Supergirl 101-107

• Supergirl takes place on Earth-38, another world in the multiverse, while Arrow and Flash take place on Earth-1. However just as this season of Flash will explore Earth-2 it will also link to Earth-38 and Supergirl before too long. 

Arrow 405-407

• 405 features the return of John Constantine.

Flash 206-207

Vixen: The Movie

• Originally released as two separate web-series a year apart, this animation was collected for home media as a single feature-length episode. Not only to Green Arrow and Flash appear, but the second half will also include cameos from Black Canary, Atom, Vibe, Firestorm and Weather Wizard.

HEROES JOIN FORCES: Flash 208, Arrow 408

• This particular crossover is the first proper one for the series, as the first part directly leads into the second, with both of them telling parts of the same story, unlike the previous one. Plenty of elements from earlier in both seasons are referenced or built upon, and numerous plot threads are dropped for the future, but the most prominent addition to the universe is the debut of Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and Vandal Savage, all three of which will go on to be important in Legends of Tomorrow. 

Flash 209, Arrow 409-410 

• The holiday episodes for both, but Arrow has a cliffhanger that needs to be resolved. 

Legends of Tomorrow 101-103 

• In January time master Rip Hunter gathers Atom, Firestorm, Sara Lance, Leonard Snart, Mick Rory, Hawkman, and Hawkgirl to hunt the immortal Vandal Savage and prevent his rise to power in the future. 

Flash 210-214

Arrow 411-413

Supergirl 108-114

Legends 104-105

Arrow 414-415, Flash 215-217 

• Vixen appears in 415 to help Team Arrow. Diggle then appears with his wife Lyla Michaels to help Team Flash against King Shark in 215.

Legends 106-108

Supergirl 115-117

Arrow 416-418

• Brie Larvan returns in 417 to seek revenge on Felicity.

Supergirl 118, Flash 218-221 

• Flash appears in Supergirl 118 after vanishing briefly in Flash 218, but the block fits better watching Flash afterwards as each episode4 leads into the next.

Legends 109-112

Supergirl 119-120

Arrow 419, Legends 113-116, Arrow 420-423, Flash 222-223 

• The events of Arrow 419 and what happens to a particular character have direct consequences in Legends 116 and Flash 222, and Flash appears in Arrow 420 as a response to the events in 419. Flash 223 has to come last because of actions Barry takes in the final moments.

Chapter Three - Cause and Effect

The effects of a drastic change in the timeline are explored as they ripple outward and affect our heroes.

Flash 301-303, Legends 201-202, Arrow 501-502 

• After Barry creates Flashpoint we learn over the next few episodes of its effects on the timeline as it's consequences are slowly revealed, rippling out into all the shows set on Earth-1. Green Arrow appears in Legends 201 to help Nate Heywood rescue the Legends of Tomorrow, and does this before starting his new mission in 501.

Supergirl 201-206

Flash 304-307

Arrow 503-507

Legends of Tomorrow 203-206 

Supergirl 207-208 

• The final scenes of 208 see Cisco and Barry come to Earth-38 to recruit Supergirl to help with Invasion. This scene is repeated in Flash 308 with more context. 

INVASION: Flash 308, Arrow 508, Legends 207

• The protagonists of all of shows come together to oppose the Dominators. 508 is also the 100th episode of Arrow and features many references to the history of the show. 

Supergirl 209-215

Legends 208-214

Flash 309-316

Arrow 509-516

Supergirl 216, Flash 317 

• Supergirl 216 leads directly into a crossover with Flash in 317, which is also a musical!

Flash 318-319

Supergirl 217-222

Arrow 517-520

Legends 215-217, Arrow 521-523, Flash 320-323 

• Malcolm Merlyn, as a recurring villain this season in Legends, returns to Arrow after that series concludes, and the conclusion of Flash takes place a week after Arrow. 

Chapter Four - Sins of the Past

Our heroes deal with ramifications of their past actions as they continue to face new threats. 

Arrow 601-602, Legends 301-302, Flash 401-402 

• Arrow chronologically returns first, then Legends, then Flash.

Supergirl 301-305

Legends 303-305

Arrow 603-604

Flash 403-405, Arrow 605-607 

• Felicity guest stars in Flash 405 as we gear up for a wedding, before returning in Arrow 605.

Legends 306-307

Supergirl 306-307

Flash 406-407

CRISIS ON EARTH X: Supergirl 308, Arrow 608, Flash 408, Legends 308

• The first real four part crossover as our heroes come together for Barry's wedding, only for the wedding to get attacked by Nazis from Earth-X. What follows is a great series of episodes as all of our heroes eventually come together to face this threat. Not every character is in every part, but Green Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Sara Lance, Firestorm, Mick Rory, Alex Danvers, Felicity, Iris, Killer Frost, Vibe, and the Reverse-Flash all have prominent roles across the entire story. 

Legends 309-310

• These two episodes function as the most direct Crisis on Earth X epilogue.

Supergirl 309-316

Arrow 609-612

Flash 409-411

Legends 311-313 

Black Lightning 101-106

• While starting on another world in the ArrowVerse, similar to Supergirl, the concurrent events of Black Lightning's return to crimefighting begin here. 

Flash 412-414, Arrow 613-615

• Barry cameos in 613 to help Oliver, but this must be after the events of 413. 

Legends 314-316

Flash 415-420

Black Lightning 107-113

Arrow 616-621

Supergirl 317-323

Legends 317-318, Arrow 622-623, Flash 421-423

• Kid Flash has been helping the Legends in the second half of their show, and returns from Legends before the end of Flash. Sara also appears in Arrow after the end of Legends, followed by Diggle appearing in Flash after the conclusion of Arrow. 

Chapter Five - A Crisis is Coming

Our heroes are given multiple glimpses of dark futures, and their biggest Crisis is fast approaching.

Flash 501-504

Black Lightning 201-204

Legends 401-402

Supergirl 401-405

Arrow 701-704

Legends 403-404

Black Lightning 205-207

Flash 505-508

Supergirl 406-408

Legends 405-406

Arrow 705-708

Batwoman 101-103

• Batwoman debuts prior to the Elseworlds crossover, which she plays a key role in, but has not been around long. The issue is that the Batwoman season debuted the following year, with her appearance in Elseworlds acting almost as a backdoor pilot similar to what happened with Flash in Arrow S2, and so the origin episodes technically take place before Elseworlds, and while nothing on screen suggests this is the case the rest of the first half of the first season must be scattered over the rest of the year leading up to the next year's crossover, and so I have spaced them out accordingly.

ELSEWORLDS: Flash 509, Arrow 709, Supergirl 409

• This crossover directly sets up the upcoming Crisis, features references to Smallville (although not confirming that show to be part of the ArrowVerse yet), and does establish Earth-90, the setting for the 1990 Flash TV show starring John Wesley Shipp, who reprises his role here, although we see the destruction of Earth-90 here. Also introduces the Monitor, and Lois Lane who arrives with Superman, who meets Arrow and Flash for the first time here. In a similar way to the last crossover there is a main cast of characters with prominent roles across all three episodes, consisting of Green Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Superman, Lois Lane, Killer Frost, Vibe, Diggle, Monitor and John Deegan.

Black Lightning 208-210

Legends 407-410

Flash 510-512

Supergirl 410-413

Arrow 710-711

Batwoman 104-105

• 105 mentions the events of Elseworlds as taking place two weeks ago.

Legends 411-413

Arrow 712-714

Black Lightning 211-214

Flash 513-515

Supergirl 414-418

Arrow 715-717

Flash 516-519

Legends 414-416

Black Lightning 215-216

Arrow 718-722

• Sara appears in 718 of Arrow, so best watched after the conclusion of the season arc of Legends.

Flash 520-522

Supergirl 419-422

Batwoman 106-107

Supergirl 501-504

Flash 601-603

Arrow 801-804

Black Lightning 301-305

Flash 604-606

Arrow 805-806

Supergirl 505-508

Batwoman 108

• When we next see Batwoman after this episode she will still be very influenced by the events here, which are still clearly very fresh and raw for her, meaning this needs to take place here. 

Flash 607-608

• These episodes are stated to be taking place the day before the Crisis. 

Black Lightning 306-309 

• 309 takes place during the Crisis and leads directly into Part 3 of Crisis, which it aired alongside.

Arrow 807

• This is the most direct prelude to Crisis, with its final moments placing Oliver, his team, and especially Lyla and the Monitor in the positions in which they will go straight into Crisis.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS

Supergirl 509, Batwoman 109, Flash 609, Arrow 808, Legends 500

• This is it. The big crossover that everything has been building towards this whole time, adapting one of the most impactful DC comic storylines ever. The Legends episode is a special episode that aired before Season 5. Many cameos and references to other DC live-action adaptations confirm that they all exist as part of the ArrowVerse's multiverse, but I'll elaborate a bit more on those below. Like with previous crossovers not every character is in every episode, but like a miniseries of its own it does feature a cast of central characters from most series that appear in most episodes, and in this case the main characters are Monitor, Oliver Queen, Flash, Supergirl, Sara Lance, Atom, John Constantine, J'onn J'onzz, Batwoman, Lex Luthor, the Superman of Earth-96, the Superman of Earth-38, Lois Lane, Pariah, Mia Smoak, Diggle, Ryan Choi, and Lyla Michaels. During the story the old multiverse is destroyed and a new one is created. 

Arrow 809-810 

• These episodes serve as the conclusion to Arrow's story and serve as an epilogue for Crisis, especially 610. 609 serves as a pilot of sorts for a spin-off that was unfortunately not picked up. 

Interlude - Elseworlds

As a result of Crisis it is confirmed that several other contemporary DC projects are a part of the ArrowVerse's connected Multiverse, and several other connections were planned but unable to be made for various reasons. However before we return to the new Earth-Prime of the ArrowVerse I wanted to discuss each of those connections briefly. 

Stargirl

• Another show that aired on The CW, with a lot of crew crossover with the ArrowVerse shows, Stargirl is confirmed to take place on the new Earth-2. The scene establishing this in Crisis is taken from episode 106, suggesting that the first 5 episodes of the series take place pre-Crisis, however as we know that the old multiverse had a very different Earth-2 it is possible that in the old multiverse this world had a very different designation, in a similar way to how Earth-38 has obviously changed drastically as the old Earth-38 was incorporated into Earth-Prime. It is probably more likely that the entirety of the show, which ran for three seasons, takes place after the Crisis. However later episodes feature a new iteration of Jay Garrick, who appeared on Earth-3 in the previous multiverse, and the actor said he played as the same character as before, so perhaps the first 5 episodes take place on Earth-3, and the universe changed its designation in the reboot.

Titans

• Titans ran for 4 seasons as a DC Universe original, and was seen as part of both the old and new Multiverse as Earth-9. If you want to watch it alongside the ArrowVerse then based on the release order then Seasons 1 and 2 of Titans take place pre-Crisis and seasons 3 and 4 take place after the Crisis, however unlike Earth-1 there seems to be no drastic changes to Earth-9 as a result of the resetting of the Multiverse. This divide also coincides with the show moving from DC Universe to HBO Max.

Green Lantern

• Due to this film's producer being involved with the ArrowVerse, Earth-12 of the new Multiverse is shown to be the universe of the Green Lantern film from 2011 starring Ryan Reynolds, although Reynolds's character Hal Jordan is not seen directly. 

Swamp Thing

• This ran for a single season on DC Universe, and is shown as Earth-19 of the new Multiverse. It had concluded by the time of the Crisis, so presumably the entirety of it takes place pre-Crisis, with the universe continuing afterwards.

Doom Patrol

• Several of the main cast members originally appeared in Titans 104 as a backdoor pilot, however when Doom Patrol was turned into a series it had no connection to the version of the group seen in Titans. Crisis confirms the show is set on Earth-21 of the new multiverse. Technically the first season takes place before the Crisis, with the final three taking place afterwards.

Batman 66

• Burt Ward reprises his role as Dick Grayson, the former boy wonder Robin, from the 1966 Batman series, which is revealed to be on Earth-66 of the old multiverse. However it is still very likely that the universe continued, recreated after the Crisis as part of the new Multiverse. Either way the events of the series and film took place decades before the Crisis. 

Batman 89

• Alexander Knox, a reporter from the 1989 Batman film by Tim Burton, is seen on Earth-89 of the old multiverse. Production planned to incorporate a picture of Michael Keaton's Batman, which also would have referenced Catwoman from Batman Returns, however Keaton was unavailable. It is possible that Earth-89 was restored in the new multiverse, and that this world contains not just Batman and Batman Returns, but also the Joel Schumacher films Batman Forever and Batman and Robin.  

The Flash 1990

• As I said above when talking about Elseworlds, the Flash series from the 90s takes place on Earth-90. Now Earth-90 was destroyed as part of Elseworlds, and it gets a send-off of its own in Crisis, but it is likely that the universe could have been restored as part of the new Multiverse.

Superman Returns

• Brandon Routh, already starring in the ArrowVerse as Ray Palmer/Atom, reprises his role from Superman Returns as Clark Kent/Superman on Earth-96. Superman Returns was designed to be a direct sequel to Superman and Superman II, both of which starred Christopher Reeve, and so they can also be presumed to be canon to this universe. In the old multiverse this Superman has gone through tragedy, similar to that of the comic storyline Kingdom Come, however the new multiverse suggests that Superman has not suffered those same tragedies on the new iteration of Earth-96.

Smallville

• A notable scene on Earth-167 in Crisis establishes that this is the world that all ten seasons of Smallville took place on, however in the decade or so since that series concluded Clark and Lois have settled down and raised a family, and Clark has given up his powers as Superman. Presumably this universe was destroyed and rebooted in the same way as the others in the multiverse.

Birds of Prey

• Birds of Prey ran for a single series in 2002, and Helena Kyle and Oracle both briefly cameo in Crisis as Earth-203 is destroyed, years after their show concluded. However as with others it is assumed that this universe is restored in the new multiverse.

Lucifer

• During the Crisis Constantine calls in a favour from Lucifer Morningstar on Earth-666. Word from the production and actor Tom Ellis is that this is Lucifer prior to the events of his own show, which ran for three seasons on Fox before moving to Netflix for a further three seasons. As a result the entirety of that show should be watched post-Crisis, despite the timeline not aligning completely.

The DC Extended Universe

• While no designation is given a late addition cameo for Ezra Miller's Flash confirms that the DCEU exists somewhere in the Multiverse, and as Flash references Victor it can be safely assumed that the events of Justice League had taken place in that universe pre-Crisis. Now there are two versions of Justice League and it is unclear which version of the Flash is present here, but both versions of the film depend on the prior existence of Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman in both of their timelines. Many fans have taken to referring to the DCEU as the new Earth-1 in the post-Crisis Multiverse. Zack Snyder's Justice League does not officially continue, so perhaps it is the Flash from that universe that is present here? The DCEU does continue into several further films, including a Flash film that makes its own multiverse connections.

Now several of these projects also feature their own multiverse connections, but most especially The Flash film from the DCEU and episode 409 of Titans (Dude, Where's My Gar?), which also features extended guest roles from Stargirl of Earth-2 and Victor Stone/Cyborg of Earth-21. As a result of these extra connections it can also be assumed that the following all exist on worlds in the ArrowVerse's new multiverse.

Shazam

• The first Shazam film is seen as existing on a world in the Multiverse via Titans 409. It is unclear if this is the same unidentified world as the DCEU Flash that appeared in the Crisis, or what other films are canon with this world. 

Teen Titans Go!

• An animated series designed for children, which also connects to the 2003 Teen Titans animated series, which also gets involved in its own animated Crisis on Infinite Earths in a series of original movies, creating further connections to other universes including the Super-Friends, Batman Beyond, and the DC Animated Movie Universe. 

Harley Quinn

• An animated show on DC Universe/HBO Max for adults focused on the character of Harley Quinn, which has also generated a spin-off around the character of Kite Man. 

The Joker

• The Joaquin Phoenix starring film that has recently had a sequel released.

Superman and Supergirl

• The classic Christopher Reeve Superman and Helen Slater Supergirl share the screen in a cameo, confirming that their films all exist together on at least one world in the multiverse. It is unclear if this is a different world to Earth-96, or which of the four Christopher Reeve Superman films would be a part of its history.

Adventures of Superman

• The classic George Reeves led Adventures of Superman show is shown on its own world in the multiverse, with its own version of Jay Garrick's Flash confirmed to be present as well. 

Superman Lives

• An unproduced film from the 90s that was set to star Nicolas Cage as Superman. The actor was approached about appearing in Crisis on Infinite Earths but was unavailable, but The Flash film confirmed that it exists somewhere in the multiverse. 

There are also several other DC live-action shows whose status as part of this Multiverse is implied as a result of the Crisis, however is not confirmed, namely:

Wonder Woman

• The Lynda Carter starring series from the 70s is presumably set on some world somewhere in the Multiverse, in a similar way to the classic Batman and Superman series. It's first season is set during World War 2, while the second two seasons are set in the then-modern day of the show in the lates 70s.

Naomi

• Naomi aired on The CW after Crisis in 2022, but only ran for a season before it was cancelled, despite its critical success. It is not clear what Earth the show takes place on, but the main character is revealed to hail from Earth-29. Production officially distanced it from the ArrowVerse prior to launch though, suggesting it does not take place on Earth-Prime, especially as in this world Superman is fictional, however that was also the case with Black Lightning when it began.

Gotham Knights

• Also airing on The CW, this show released in 2023 before also being cancelled after its first season. Again it was distanced from the ArrowVerse so does not take place in Earth-Prime, but shared DC elements such as Gotham City, Batman and Bruce Wayne suggest it is also a part of the same multiverse. 

Pennyworth/Gotham

• Gotham ran for five seasons on Fox and focused on a younger Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth and Lt James Gordon of the GCPD in the fallout of the Wayne's murder. The series introduced many core elements of the Batman mythos throughout its run, but as the show never left the confines of Gotham it is unclear what other superheroes may be present on this world or what Earth in the Multiverse it could be. The final episode takes place years after the rest of the series, with Bruce fully established as Batman. Years later a prequel series, Pennyworth, also got three seasons of its own, exploring Alfred's history as a younger man and even incorporating elements of the film V for Vendetta as a prequel to that film, suggesting that it also takes place in this universe. 

Krypton

• Cameron Cuffe, the actor who played Seg-El, was planned to appear in Crisis, perhaps suggesting that this series served as a prequel to Supergirl on Earth-38. As it is, it is unclear if this is still the case, if it is a prequel to another iteration of Superman established in the multiverse, or if it exists in its own universe. 

Powerless

• A series from NBC that only aired 9 of its 12 produced episodes before being cancelled. Included some DC heroes not seen in the ArrowVerse, and also made reference to Bruce Wayne and Batman, LexCorp and Atlantis. It is unclear what Earth the series takes place on. 

Finally there is a show that needs to be discussed as it was seemingly intended as part of the ArrowVerse at first, but later decisions were made to set it on a different Earth in the Multiverse, leading to new castings and iterations of several previous ArrowVerse characters, and that show is Superman & Lois, but before I get to that let's return to Earth-Prime.

Earth-Prime - The New World

Post-Crisis all of the characters we had been following were placed on a new shared world, Earth-Prime, and their series would continue on this world. However several issues behind the scenes meant that the ArrowVerse was winding down, and that the crossovers of the past would be almost non-existent, partly because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact a crossover between Batwoman and another show was cancelled directly because of the pandemic. There were also several pilots for shows that were not picked up, including Green Arrow & the Canaries, Painkiller, Wonder Girl, and Justice U, the first two of which got backdoor pilots in the penultimate episodes of their parent series, Arrow and Black Lightning. Unfortunately due to this the franchise was not as connected as it had been in the past, but many characters get satisfying conclusions as their shows wrap up, however there are some abrupt endings so be warned.

Flash 610-613

Black Lightning 310-313

Batwoman 110-111

Supergirl 510-512

Black Lightning 314-316

Legends 501-507

Flash 614-615

Supergirl 513-516

Batwoman 112-116

Flash 616-619

Supergirl 517-519

Batwoman 117-120

Legends 507-514

Batwoman 201-203

Black Lightning 401-404

Batwoman 204-206

Flash 701-703

Supergirl 601-604

Batwoman 207-209

Black Lightning 405-409

Flash 704-707

Batwoman 210-214

Flash 708-711

Black Lightning 410-411

Supergirl 605-607

Flash 712-714

Black Lightning 412-413

Batwoman 215-218

• As part of a loose series of crossovers, John Diggle appears in several series to continue his plotline, starting here with 216.

Flash 715-718

• Diggle appears in 716.

Legends 601-608

Supergirl 608-610

Legends 609-610

Supergirl 611-615

• Diggle appears in 612.

Legends 611-615

Supergirl 616-620

Batwoman 301-307

Legends 701-707

Flash 801-805

• In lieu of a normal crossover event Flash did a crossover as part of its first storyarc, featuring guest appearances from Alex Danvers, Black Lightning, Ryan Choi, Atom, Mia Smoak, Batwoman, and Damien Darhk.

Batwoman 308-311

• Diggle appears in 309

Legends 708-711

Batwoman 312-313

Legends 712-713

Flash 806-820

• While there is some division of story arcs, by this point of its run Flash was the only ArrowVerse series still airing, and so can be watched alone from here. Diggle and Atom appear in 818.

Flash Season 9

• The final season of TV set on Earth-Prime, there are several appearances from other characters as the show approaches its conclusion, including Batwoman, Dreamer, Diggle and Oliver Queen.

What About Superman & Lois?

Superman & Lois, a joint production of The CW and HBO Max featuring Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch reprising the roles they originated in the ArrowVerse, has had a complicated relationship with the rest of the ArrowVerse. 

Its clear that at one point it was very much intended to be spin-off from the ArrowVerse, with the appearances of the characters in the final parts of Crisis On Infinite Earths clearly intended as a set-up for their new status quo in this show. During its first year the show had plans for a crossover with Batwoman that was unfortunately ruined by the pandemic, and Diggle even appeared in both 112 and 215, reprising his role from the ArrowVerse, with the first of these episodes being part of the characters ongoing storyline on Earth-Prime. There was even an attempt at continuing other castings from the ArrowVerse, as Jenna Dewan reprised her role of Lucy Lane from Supergirl S1, and the tie-in comics for the ArrowVerse released in lieu of a crossover during the Covid pandemic featured Superman and Lois joining the heroes of the other shows to face a new enemy (however that series also featured Stargirl, who is on Earth-2).

However 215 was also the finale of season 2, and in it a line from the character of Sam Lane, himself played by a new actor in the show, reveals that Superman is the only superhuman on his world, a line that precludes the show existing on Earth-Prime, as that world also features Flash, Supergirl, Black Lightning, Martian Manhunter, Dreamer, Vibe and others as known metahuman or alien heroes, as well as many villains. The last two seasons of the show go even further, including a new version of iconic Superman nemesis Lex Luthor, who is distinctly different from the version that had previously appeared in Supergirl and Crisis played by Jon Cryer.

As a result, while I, and many fans, would have preferred the show to also be set in Earth-Prime, and it can align with the Watch Order above, it is unfortunately clear that this intention is no longer the desire of the people making the show, including DC themselves, and so Superman & Lois must be considered to be existing on another Earth in the new multiverse.

And so that is as complete a breakdown as I can make not just for the entire ArrowVerse both before and after Crisis on Infinite Earths, but also an exploration of all of the other DC television and film projects that are connected to its multiverse. I hope you have enjoyed reading, and if you have any feedback them please let me know.

Until I return my friends please take the best care of yourself as you can, including both your mental and physical health, and I hope to see you in the next blog. Also new podcast episodes are on the way and you can find all the links in my Linktree.

Until next time. Bye for now.

___

Garhdo.