10 Biggest Differences Between DC’s New Crisis On Infinite Earths Movie & Arrowverse’s Event

The Tomorrowverse‘s adaptation of the renowned Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline from DC Comics has released, and it’s already drawing some interesting comparisons to the Arrowverse’s previous adaptation of the same event. The seventh installation in DC’s new animated continuity that began with Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One is a strong start for the franchise’s task of adapting one of the most revered comics in the company’s history. Though it’s only the first of a planned trilogy, the trajectory of the story already makes some significant deviations from the story’s last major adaptation.

The Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths was a gargantuan effort in TV show crossover spectacle, spanning across episodes of each of The CW’s live-action DC series. Surprisingly, compared to its animated counterpart, the Arrowverse’s Crisis is overall more fantastical, not afraid to delve into the nitty-gritty of the universe’s cosmic lore and mind-mending parallel universes and timelines. While it’s interesting for the animated adaptation of the famed event to be the more subdued take, only time can tell how the Tomorrowverse’s next two films color the comparison.

10 Earth-3 Replaces Jay Gerrick With The Crime Syndicate

Both Crises depict Earth-3 in a very different light

An integral part of the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline is the inclusion of parallel universes, the whole event originally being an exercise for DC Comics to unify its many continuities in the first place. As a result, both the Arrowverse and Tomorrowverse depict a multitude of different Earths, including Earth-3. Whereas Earth-3 in the Arrowverse is a retrofuturistic world that sees Jay Gerrick’s classic version of the Flash acting as the Earth’s premiere hero, the Tomorrowverse’s Earth-3 is the home of a dark reflection of the Justice League, the Crime Syndicate, including villainous Flash doppelgänger Johnny Quick.

9 The Flash Is The One To Build The Tower In The Tomorrowverse

The structures’ significance varies greatly between adaptations

One of the most important sub-plots within the Crisis on Infinite Earths is the erection of quantum towers across the surfaces of different Earths, drafted by the Monitor as a way to temporarily stave off the effects of the Anti-Matter waves on the planet in order to buy the heroes some more time. In the Arrowverse, the Monitor constructs a tower on his own fairly easily, but the Tomorrowverse isn’t quite so lucky. In order to put the finishing touches on the tower, the Flash uses his powers to pause time, working with Iris and Amazo to finish the device at the cost of their lives.

8 Oliver Is Much More Important In The Arrowverse

Unsurprisingly, the universe bearing his name gives Green Arrow a bigger role

Being named after his show, Arrow, and featuring him as an unusually integral DC character in the first place, it’s no wonder that Oliver Queen gets a much bigger role in the Arrowverse’s adaptation of the Crisis on Infinite Earths compared to the Tomorrowverse’s. While Green Arrow is certainly a core Justice League member in the animated movie, he doesn’t have the same level of importance as Oliver in the Arrowverse. It’s difficult to justify a human archer’s significance in such a cosmic story, but the crossover managed to make it work by imbuing him with the powers of the Spectre.

7 The Tomorrowverse Heavily Features Amazo

The power-absorbing robot is absent in the Arrowverse’s Crisis

Despite being the first entry in the Tomorrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths saga, much of the action revolves around Amazo, a powerful robot with the ability to store and reproduce meta-human abilities. The android’s character arc and ultimate sacrifice, forming the tower that saves Earth-1 from sure destruction, is a unique, but surprisingly effective change to the story’s formula. While Amazo has appeared in the Arrowverse’s earlier crossover event, Elseworlds, he is nowhere to be seen in the franchise’s take on the Crisis.

6 The Movie Has A Much More Jumbled Timeline

The Tomorrowverse employs some non-linear storytelling

Between time-travel shenanigans and constant jumping between parallel universes, any version of the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline can be confusing at times. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One leans into this with a fragmented presentation of events that hops back and forth along the timeline of the journey, using the framing device of the Flash’s slipping through time. While the Arrowverse certainly uses a hefty dash of time travel in its Crisis on Infinite Earths recepie, it doesn’t even approach the movie’s twisted timeline in terms of ambition.

5 The Arrowverse Crisis Slates Barry As Fated To Die

Barry’s fate is far more ambiguous in the Tomorrowverse

Due to his connection to the Speed Force and latent ability to leap back and forth through time and between parallel universes, The Flash is a major player in the Crisis on Infinite Earths no matter how it’s adapted. However, the Arrowverse decided to add an extra layer of weight to his importance with the inclusion of a prophecy slating him to die in defense of Earth-1, creating a looming doomsday timer that follows him throughout much of the event. The Tomorrowverse opts to neglect this prophecy, leaving things much more open-ended for the Flash and his various multiversal variants.

4 The Book Of Destiny Makes No Appearances In The Tomorrowverse

The Cosmic Log of Souls has no room for appearances in the already crowded tale

Thus far, the Arrowverse’s climactic finale had a lot more time to include various details from the DC comics that the format of an animated movie simply doesn’t allow time for. One of these inclusions was the Book of Destiny, a powerful magical tome that is integral to the plot of the event in the Arrowverse, most notably used by Mar Novu to form the Paragons. Neither the source material nor the Tomorrowverse movie made use of the Book of Destiny, which needed less of a reason to justify the gathering of the world’s best heroes compared to the Arrowverse’s co-existing cast of various leads.

3 Iris’ Death Is Different In The Tomorrowverse

It’s less likely Barry Allen’s wife will get a repeat performance in future films

Both the Arrowverse and Tomorrowverse’s adaptations of the Crisis on Infinite Earths feature the death of Iris West as a critical, poignant moment, devastating Barry while he’s already fit to burst from the stress of the multiverse’s fate resting upon his shoulders. The Tomorrowverse movie handles this death much more thoughtfully, however, allowing Iris to slowly age in stopped time alongside her husband, having enjoyed a solitary life with him and Amazo. Conversely, the Arrowverse event has her unceremoniously blasted with Anti-Matter, only for the franchise to resurrect and re-kill her several more times.

2 The Anti-Monitor And His Demons Are Present In The Arrowverse

The all-powerful cosmic being is a much more active threat in the CW

Despite being the primary protagonist of the Crisis on Infinite Earths event, The Anti-Monitor is still yet to even make an appearance in the Tomorrowverse, likely to appear in the second part of the animated trilogy instead. While the effects of his Anti-Matter waves are certainly felt throughout the multiverse, it would’ve been nice to at least get a bigger tease of the story’s iconic mastermind by at least the end of the first film. Meanwhile, the Anti-Monitor and his demonic army are very active in the Arrowverse, frequently attacking the heroes during their attempts to rescue their worlds from sure destruction.

1 The Tomorrowverse Replaces Lyla With Supergirl

The Harbinger’s identity makes use of a pre-existing character

The Arrowverse didn’t differ from the comics when it came to incorporating the Harbinger, an important character within the context of the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Really an orphan named Lyla, the Harbinger begins the story as an assistant to the Monitor, only to be corrupted by his evil counterpart, the Anti-Monitor. While her real identity remains the same in the Arrowverse, the Tomorrowverse instead incorporates Harbinger’s role into Supergirl, utilizing the heroine’s increased notoriety and continuing romantic sub-plot with Braniac into the fold as one of the Tomorrowverse‘s biggest changes from the comics.