'Crisis on Infinite Earths' introduces a major change for the CW's superhero shows

Warning: This recap contains spoilers about the final two parts of the Arrowverse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover, which aired Tuesday.

The Powers That Be promised that nothing will ever be the same after the ���Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover — and they weren’t lying.

In the Arrow hour of the crossover, the Paragons fought the Anti-Monitor at the Dawn of Time and rebooted the entire universe. In this new universe, as revealed by the Legends of Tomorrow episode, all of the CW’s superhero shows — Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Black Lightning — now reside on the same planet, which is called Earth-Prime. In other words, Barry Allen no longer needs to use an extrapolator to see Kara and vice-versa.

Apparently, this was always the end goal of “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”

“We knew from last year, quite frankly, that we were going to merge and create Earth-CW basically, but Earth-Prime sounds better,” crossover executive producer Marc Guggenheim told reporters at a screening in December. “Even though in the comics, Earth-Prime is our Earth, I just personally like the sound of Earth-Prime. So all of the CW [superhero] shows will be on the same Earth.”

In fact, the Arrowverse starts embracing the possibilities of Earth-Prime in tonight’s episode. At the end of Legends , White Canary, the Flash, Supergirl, Superman, Martian Manhunter, and Black Lightning convened at the old S.T.A.R. Labs hangar/Hall of Justice from “Invasion,” which has been transformed into a superhero hangout spot with a JLA-style conference table in case they ever need to team-up again. (Oh and Gleek, the Wonder Twins’ pet alien monkey from the Super-Friends show, is also on the loose in the building, as revealed by a shot of an empty cage with his name on it.)

And Earth-Prime isn’t the only change. The original Crisis on Infinite Earths comic, which the crossover is based on, destroyed the multiverse, leaving only one Earth in existence, but the Arrowverse didn’t follow that example. In the TV crossover, the multiverse was reborn following the Dawn of Time battle, and the Legends episode revealed what those news Earths are:

Earth-2: Home of Stargirl, the forthcoming superhero show that will air on both DC Universe and the CW. Executive produced by Greg Berlanti and showrunner Geoff Johns, the show stars Brec Bassinger as the titular hero and Luke Wilson as her sidekick in a giant robot suit.

Earth-12: This is where 2011’s Green Lantern movie, which crossover executive producers Marc Guggenheim and Greg Berlanti co-wrote, is now set. What a retcon!

Earth-19: Home of the shortlived Swamp Thing series on DC Universe.

Earth-9: Home of DC Universe’s Titans, which was renewed for a third season last year.

Earth-21: Home of DC Universe’s Doom Patrol. Placing Doom Patrol on a separate Earth from Titans helps explain the discrepancies between the show and the “Doom Patrol” episode in Titans season 1.

Earth-96: Brandon Routh’s Man of Steel from Superman Return lives!

Related content:

• ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ Part 4 recap: Battle at the Dawn of Time
• ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ features surprise cameo from big-screen DC actor