CW

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Wednesday, February 15, 2017

SUPERGIRL - INFINITE CRISIS!


On the CW, four DC superhero shows are out there telling really cool stories. On Arrow, there is the gritty crime drama, The Flash deals with metahumans and meta-threats, Legends of Tomorrow is the wacky time travel show, and Supergirl deals with aliens and strange visitors from other planets. Basically, we get the best of all these different comic book stories on a weekly basis. It's pretty exciting! The best part, at least to me, is that for as much as these shows have done, there is still a lot more that they can cover. We've seen the Multiverse, the future, the past, alternate timelines, and even the big man himself:

So dreamy . . . 

These are all things I thought I'd never get to see during a live action TV series. All of these shows, while crafting their own stories, have remained true to the spirit of the DC Comics that inspired them. Since this has been going on, it's made me wonder - what's next? There are unconfirmed, but probably true, reports of Booster Gold being the next DC hero on TV along with the usual crop of lesser known heroes and villains popping up across all the shows on right now. 

Recently, I reread one of my favorite comics written by my main man Geoff Johns, Infinite Crisis. When the story opens, the Trinity of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are barely speaking to each other, the Justice League and Society have disbanded, Superboy unwillingly turned against the Teen Titans, Magic is in disarray, there's an intergalactic war, and the villains seem more unified than the heroes! It's total chaos man! 


There were five characters that were at the center of this event - Superman and Lois Lane from Earth 2, Alexander Luthor from Earth 3, Superboy from Earth Prime, and Power Girl from our Earth, later revealed to be the Supergirl from Earth 2. They were all survivors from Crisis on Infinite Earths. They lived in a safe space created by Alexander to protect them from being erased from existence. After seeing how disparate the world has become, Superman decides to break them out and try to bring his Earth back. It's later revealed that Alex and Superboy have been secretly sneaking out of their sanctuary to rearrange the universe so that they create their own perfect Earth. It's a pretty wacky, out there type of story but it's also super awesome and a little trippy. I highly recommend it to anyone that loves to read stories where the heroes are forced to rise above tragedy.

While I was reading the comic I couldn't help but think about Supergirl. It occurred to me that she has traveled through different dimensions like the Phantom Zone and to Earth 1 during the last crossover.

It was awesome!

While it may be a bit of a stretch, I think it would be really cool to incorporate elements of Infinite Crisis on Supergirl. We've had their version of Superman, but it would be really cool to see what would happen with different versions of each character. An older, wiser Superman, a seemingly friendly but still manipulative Alex Luthor, a rash, impulsive, and dangerous Superboy, and Power Girl, Kara's doppelganger from another Earth. I'd love to see these characters make their way to Supergirl season 3 or maybe even the next crossover. Let's examine each character and what they could bring to Supergirl and the DC-CWverse in general.

SUPERMAN OF EARTH 2 - KAL L 

On Earth 2, Superman was the first and best of all the heroes. His story is just like the Superman story we know - hailed from Krypton, raised by the Kents, fights for Truth, Justice, yadda yadda yadda. At the beginning of Infinite Crisis, Kal believes that during the last Crisis they rescued the wrong Earth and wants to work to save his Earth, He also believes that if he saves his Earth that Lois's health will be restored. He's later convinced by Earth 1's Trinity that there is no such thing as a perfect Earth because a perfect Earth wouldn't need a Superman. He decides to fight with the Justice League against a rogue Superboy-Prime. He dies stopping Superboy and is able to rest in peace with his beloved Lois. 

I think an older Superman with a mysterious agenda would be the perfect way to surprise the characters and the audience. Earth 2 Superman was my favorite character during Infinite Crisis because he represented the old DC Comics but he didn't feel outdated. His arc was really well done in the story. As with most portrayals of Superman, he wants nothing more than to save the world and bring the light to those in darkness. He learns that darkness is a part of life and that sometimes the darkness wins. However, it's never too late to find the light again. That's what Superman is all about.

Plus, it's hard to see in the image I shared, but his costume is hilarious. The sleeves look like my grandpa's sweater. Ha ha . . . I love it.

POWER GIRL - KAREN STARR (KARA ZOR L)

For many years, DC didn't know how to explain Power Girl's presence in the comics. She seemed to have all of Superman's powers but Kryptonite didn't really affect her. She was given a few different origin stories but none of them seemed to stick. It wasn't until Infinite Crisis that she was finally given a backstory. She was actually one of the few survivors of the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. She had literally fallen through the cracks in reality and therefore her memories were wiped. Kal comes to her and shows her the truth - she's Kara Zor L, his cousin from their version of Krypton. He and Lois had raised her like a daughter and she became a hero on Earth 2. She finally figured out where she belonged and wanted to work with Superman to save his Earth and hers. However, she was betrayed by Alex and Superboy-Prime and used to bring back the multiverse for Alex's weird experiments. I mean it's cool, it's comic book stuff, but it was weird. Alex is weird.

Power Girl is a character that I was always hoping to see on the CW at some point. The producers said that they had thought of introducing her, played by Melissa Benoist, during one of the shows while Supergirl was on CBS. I think now that Supergirl is on the CW where she belongs, there is still room for his idea. It's not out of the realm of story ideas that Power Girl is the Supergirl of a different Earth that either Kara or even the Flash could travel to. Heck, the Justice Society was in Legends of Tomorrow! What's to say she wasn't a member on our Earth back in the 40s? Either way, I think she's a great character that should make an appearance and meet her doppelganger.  

ALEXANDER LUTHOR

Alexander Luthor, Jr. is the son of Alexander Luthor, the only hero on Earth 3. Earth 3 is run by the Crime Syndicate of America, evil versions of the Justice League. When the original Crisis on Infinite Earths happened, Earth 3 was destroyed but Alexander was saved by his parents to help fight the Anti Monitor. He was the one that created the safe "heaven" (pocket dimension) that Kal, Lois, Superboy-Prime, and himself lived in before the events of Infinite Crisis. He seemed to be a friend to Kal and Power Girl but later revealed that his plan was not to bring back Earth 2, but to create his own perfect world. He says that while Lois and Kal were very kind to him he felt that when a Luthor stands next to a Superman they would "always be at odds." 

Alexander didn't survive the events of Infinite Crisis, which was a real shame because he was actually one of the best characters in it. True he shared a lot of similarities with our version of Lex but he was far more powerful and arguably, much smarter. I think if Supergirl were to introduce this version of Lex they could have their cake and eat it too. They could have an actual Lex Luthor on the series but it wouldn't necessarily be the "real" Lex Luthor. In the same way that Tyler Hoechlin's Superman could give fans the Superman they knew and loved if they were disappointed with the film version, Alex Luthor could do that for those fans as well. That gold armor might be tough to replicate on their budget, but then again it could be really awesome! Either way, I'd love to see Alexander cross over to the real world instead of just the comics. 

SUPERBOY-PRIME - CLARK KENT

Ah, Superboy-Prime . . . one of DC's best characters if for no other reason than he's a parody of angry fans and 90s themed over the top villains. He's originally Clark Kent from Earth-Prime where there are no superheroes. All the superheroes we know exist in comic books but there are no real life heroes. He grows up as Clark Kent, a normal boy that grew up reading those comics. One day, his powers are activated and he becomes Superboy, the only hero on Earth-Prime. After the Anti-Monitor's attack he's the only survivor of Earth-Prime. He also grows increasingly frustrated and restless at the state of the world he and the other heroes decided to save. He decides to confront Earth's new Superboy, Conner Kent, and ends up attacking him and killing a few Teen Titans. He's then trapped in the Speed Force by Wally West, Bart Allen, Jay Garrick, and even a few speedsters from the past. Eventually, he escapes and tries to set off a new Big Bang by blowing a hole through the planet Oa. He's stopped by Kal and Superman and the Green Lantern Corps. Before the New 52, Superboy-Prime came back a few times, usually under Geoff Johns pen like in Sinestro Corps War and Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds

While the character isn't exactly my favorite, I would love to see him on Supergirl. We've seen rogue Kryptonians but we've never see an out of control Superboy with all the powers of Superman and Supergirl but none of their morals. It's a life lesson we all know well, "With great power comes great responsibility." I'd love to see that type of story unfold on Supergirl. It would give the writers an excuse to troll their fans a little bit by poking fun at them but also it would be a fun character to see brought to life in all his obnoxious glory. 


Infinite Crisis was the first DC event book I ever read. I learned so much about the history of the characters and the multiverse in general. The story blew my mind and rereading it so many years later as made me excited to know that DC is attempting to bring back that sense of legacy that was lost during the New 52. These four characters were so important to the story and I think they definitely have a place on the CW with Supergirl


Till Next Time!


JJ - the Comic Junkie! 


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