While Crisis on Infinite Earths helped reset the Arrowverse, it also set up several spinoffs, both confirmed ones as well as potential options for the franchise. Not only did the 5-part event become The CW’s biggest crossover of all time, but also a historical moment for Warner Bros.’ DC properties. From all the past and present TV shows as well as the many films that have come before, the Arrowverse crossover managed to solidify everything into one connected live-action Multiverse. With Arrow coming to an end, the crossover served as a departure for the Green Arrow while celebrating the accomplishment of over 40 years of DC TV movies and TV shows.
Thanks to Crisis on Infinite Earths, anything that is coming to the big or small screen from DC will automatically be set within the Arrowverse’s new Multiverse. But as the franchise progresses forward, old shows will come to an end eventually while new ones are coming up. The CW and HBO Max are now currently the two main destinations for the small screen, with DC Universe set to transfer its original shows to the new WarnerMedia streaming service. 2021 will see the arrival of several new shows that will extend the longevity of the Arrowverse. However, thanks to Crisis on Infinite Earths and its special DC cameos, there are additional ideas for spinoffs that can happen down the line.
While The CW already has a packed line-up of DC TV shows for 2021, some of the older ones could conclude within the next 3 years. With most of them being in their 6th or 7th seasons by now, the network will eventually find new characters from the DC realm to take their places. The Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow are now the only 3 DC TV shows on The CW that have passed their fifth seasons. As they conclude in the coming years, this is every Arrowverse spinoff that Crisis on Infinite Earths setup, both confirmed ones as well as potential candidates for the future.
Superman & Lois
The latest Arrowverse series is Superman & Lois, with Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch reprising their roles as Clark and Lois from Supergirl, but this time as the leads. The Crisis crossover, while primarily focused on Arrowverse veterans like Green Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl, managed to do a little bit of setup for the Man of Steel drama. With the spinoff set to follow the iconic couple as parents and them dealing with the challenges of raising a family, a major element changed when Oliver Queen rebooted the Multiverse. When Earth-Prime was created, the Kent-Lane history was changed from them having baby Jonathan to suddenly have two teenage boys, Jon and Jordan. As Lois calls Clark to tell him that he has to return to Metropolis to help her deal with the boys, it definitely seems like they have quite the challenge ahead of them: the drama that comes with teenagers.
Green Arrow & The Canaries
As Arrow was coming to an end with its eighth and final season, it used its penultimate episode to launch its final spinoff: Green Arrow and the Canaries. Set to follow Oliver’s daughter Mia as the new Emerald Archer and the two Black Canaries, Laurel Lance and Dinah Drake, Crisis on Infinite Earths actually played a part in setting up the team-up show. While not revealed specifically during the crossover, the backdoor pilot revealed how different Mia’s life was in Star City 2040 thanks to Oliver’s actions in rewriting the past, present, and future of Earth-Prime. While The CW has yet to decide if they’re picking it up to series, the actors and creators are remaining optimistic that a decision will come in the near future.
The Spectre
One of the big elements of Crisis on Infinite Earths was Oliver’s 8-year long mantra finally coming to fruition. As he joined his allies for one final adventure, Oliver did, in fact, become something else as he always says in the opening monologue of the majority of Arrow episodes. However, his Spectre came into play thanks to the introduction of Jim Corrigan while being in Purgatory. Despite how big Oliver’s actions as the Spectre were, Jim’s debut did come out of nowhere with very little setup done previously. A potential spinoff idea that they could explore is a The Spectre TV show following Jim’s adventures as the titular hero. Whether it’s done as a prequel leading up to his role in the Crisis or perhaps him reclaiming the title somehow post-crossover, the Spectre would be a solid addition to The CW. With the exception of Constantine on Legends of Tomorrow, the Arrowverse lacks a solid supernatural focused show and the Spectre would be the right character to fill that role.
Wonder Twins
The final surprise in Crisis on Infinite Earths was the sound of an exciting monkey escaping the Hall of Justice, offscreen as the newly formed Justice league was left confused. The cameo was none other than Gleek the Space Monkey, an ally to the Wonder Twins who were originally in earlier drafts of the crossover. Due to how much was packed into the 5-hour event, the teen heroes ended up not being part of it and are now up for grabs on any of the Arrowverse shows. However, as The CW has had recent success with teen superheroes like Stargirl, a Wonder Twins spinoff could be the better option. With Zan and Jayna now being out there somewhere, Crisis on Infinite Earths basically seeded the idea for the iconic twins to come to the small-screen following Gleek’s escape.
Kingdom Come Superman
Brandon Routh may primarily be the Arrowverse’s The Atom, but he is also one of the many actors to have played Superman on the big screen. After having portrayed the role in Superman Returns back in 2006, Routh got the chance to don the costume again 13 years later in Crisis on Infinite Earths. This time, however, he came back with a new look as his Christopher Reeve’s based Man of Steel was now sporting the Kingdom Come costume from the iconic Mark Waid and Alex Ross graphic novel. While Earth-96 was restored in the end, Routh’s Man of Tomorrow left viewers wanting to see more of him, even in his own spinoff show. Thanks to the reboot of the Multiverse, Routh’s Superman was seen hopeful again as he flew into space and smiled at the camera. But what was changed on Earth-96 post-Crisis is what his spinoff could follow or even see a full adaptation of Kingdom Come as a limited event series. That way there could be two Superman shows at the same time that are vastly different from one another.
Lucifer/Constantine
Despite denying the rumors that he was in it, Lucifer’s Tom Ellis did show up in Crisis on Infinite Earths, reprising the role of the Devil himself, thus making the Fox-now-Netflix Vertigo drama part of the Arrowverse. Being set on Earth-666, Lucifer and Constantine finally shared the screen together, something that a lot of longtime fans of the comic characters had wished to see happen. From the few minutes that Lucifer and Constantine were bantering with each other, it became evident that they need to come together at some point again. As Lucifer will end after its 6th and final season, a limited series between the Devil and Hellblazer would be a fun spinoff that could explore their relationship more. Given that Lucifer owed Constantine a favor because of Maze, the show could explore how the two gentlemen ended up finding each other.
Green Lantern
When it was announced that Arrowverse creator Greg Berlanti was producing a Green Lantern series for HBO Max, it was initially not really tied to his franchise on The CW. However, during the reveal of the new Multiverse, the upcoming Emerald Knights-based series was confirmed to be part of the Arrowverse by being set on Earth-12. This became the first official gateway for The CW and HBO Max to cross paths with their respective DC TV properties down the line. So far very little is known about Berlanti’s second take on Green Lantern other than that it will feature Sinestro and two specific human Lanterns. Since Diggle’s final scene in Arrow hinted at him becoming a Green Lantern, this could be a way for the HBO Max series and the Arrowverse to properly crossover. Regardless of what happens, Crisis on Infinite Earths set up Green Lantern by establishing its place in the Arrowverse.
Batman Beyond
Kevin Conroy, who has voiced Bruce Wayne/Batman in multiple projects since Batman: The Animated Series, finally got a chance to portray the iconic DC hero in live-action during Crisis on Infinite Earths. Portraying a homicidal Dark Knight from Earth-99, Conroy’s Bruce ended up dying when trying to murder Supergirl as Kate protected Kara. It’s still unknown if Earth-99, which is a reference to Batman Beyond, was ever restored when Oliver rebooted the Multiverse. Assuming that it did, the crossover did pave the way for Conroy to come back as an older Bruce in the form of a Batman Beyond spinoff and bringing Terry McGinnis to live-action at last. Not only does it allow The CW to have a DC TV show set in the future, but it opens the way to see other versions of the Arrowverse characters on Earth-99.
Smallville: Super-Daughters
While Superman & Lois will become The CW’s primary show for the last son of Krypton, Smallville was the network’s first venture into exploring Clark Kent. After ending the series in 2011, Tom Welling and Erica Durance reprised their versions of Clark and Lois for the massive crossover as viewers got to see their lives almost 10 years later. The twist that came with their appearance was that Clark had given up being Superman by getting rid of his powers in order to have a family with Lois. Even though Earth-167 was destroyed, Marc Guggenheim confirmed that Oliver restored the Smallville universe. As there has always been hope for a Smallville revival, having the show return in a limited capacity and focus on them raising their two daughters would be a compelling premise.
Just because Clark doesn’t have his powers anymore, doesn’t mean that his daughters didn’t get them. As Superman & Lois explore them raising two (presumably) Super-Sons, a Smallville revival could follow Welling and Durance’s Clark and Lois raise their Super-Daughters. Additionally, should they want to explore ever want to explore a Superman & Lois/Smallville crossover, it’d be a lot of fun to see the Super-Kids come together for an adventure while the Lois and Clarks of two worlds meet each other as well. There’s a lot of potential for all of these Arrowverse spinoffs that Crisis on Infinite Earths setup and with the potential ones, it’s up to The CW if they want to make it happen.
