The Arrowverse is in transition right now. I have no doubt that they will rise up on the other side of that transition stronger than they’ve ever been. But, in the meantime, things are going to get emotional, and maybe a little bit messy. The team’s SDCC showing was odd this year, with Arrow acting more as an emotional farewell to Stephen and the team, and no Legends of Tomorrow to be found. With that in mind, they gave us plenty to chew on at the big show. Let’s take a look at what we learned from the respective panels. There’s a few sizzle reels in there for you, too!
ARROW
Arrow is the shortest, so we’ll kick things off with the show that started it all. More important than any news: young Sarah, the cancer survivor who is now making her third return to SDCC made it to the panel. In her first year, she asked Stephen when he’d be doing his next Fuck Cancer campaign, and revealed that she was currently fighting. Amell hopped off stage and gave her his arrowhead necklace, telling her the only caveat is that she must come back the following year to return it. She did. When they met up again the following year, Stephen gave her one of his bows.
Sarah returned for Arrow’s final panel to say farewell with the rest of the show's key players. Upon her visit, Stephen gave her one last gift: his season one hood. If you’re wondering why I’m sharing all of this in a news roundup, it’s because Sarah’s story perfectly embodies what these shows mean, as well as what their cast and crew have chosen to do with their fame. It’s surprisingly hard to say goodbye to Arrow after so much narrative struggle in the middle of their story. But, here we are.
Now, onto the news! As you can imagine, there was very little from Team Arrow as they go into their last season with a short arc. We did learn that adult JJ has been cast. Charlie Barnett will don what Guggenheim claimed to be a costume that fans would be surprised by. Show us what you got, JJ!
Crashing the panel was also one Brandon Routh (since, you know, they didn’t bother to give Legends of Tomorrow their own slot this year). It was recently announced that Routh would be donning the cape once more, but not which iteration of The Man of Steel he’d be playing. Routh dropped a hint during his visit, revealing a Kingdom Come Superman logo underneath his button up.
THE FLASH
So, what about Team Flash? They’re not going anywhere anytime soon, and they’ve got plenty to reveal about the upcoming season. This year’s story will be broken up into two big bads, with the show arcs playing out in a sort of graphic novel-style format. The first of those two villains will be Doctor Ramsey, AKA Bloodwork. He seeks to eradicate all death, and his manifesto will be super relevant to the team mourning the loss of Nora last season.
Cisco fans can take a deep breath. Carlos Valdez remains heavily involved in the show, returning to his tech specialist roots of yore. We may even see him lean more into hacking, as the DCTV’s Justice League just lost their version of Oracle (miss you forever, Felicity). Killer Frost? She’ll be around a lot more this season. Panabaker dropped hints that her presence may not be as helpful as the team hopes for.
Hartley Sawyer’s Ralph Dibney will be ramping up his involvement as we head into next season. Sawyer teased that yes, Sue is coming. When, why, or how? Well they can’t be giving away all the details at once!
We got some interesting tidbits about Tom Cavanaugh’s involvement this year as well. There’s no news on when or how Thawne/Wells will return, but we do know that this year’s Wells iteration will be a more, and this is Cavanaugh’s word, “sensual” version of the character. He’ll be an adventurer and swashbuckler type. No word on whether or not he’ll have an accent.
Two characters weren’t enough for Cavanaugh this year, it seems. That’s great news, as he’s one of the strongest actors in a team full of exceptional performers. It’s been revealed that Cavanaugh’s role in the Crisis event will be as Pariah, a character with strong ties to the Anti Monitor. Do with that as you will!
SUPERGIRL
And then there was The Girl of Steel. Kara Danvers expected a lot more to come of her takedown of the corrupt government and the fascist team that had been supporting it. Instead, the world’s lost themselves in their phones. The next season will focus strongly on technology, its role in our lives, and how it can be used to hurt people. Not gonna lie, the below trailer has a bit of a snooze worthy thesis, but Supergirl has gained enough of my trust over the years.
With Mehcad Brooks exiting the series, we’ll need a new head of Catco. That new leader will be none other than one William Day, played by Julie Gonzolo. Joining the new roster will also be Jesse Rath’s sister, Megan. Megan will be taking on a female version of the Brainiac race, but we don’t have much more information on her involvement at this time.
Some other tidbits include the confirmation that Lex Luthor will be revived at some point, and Miss Tessmacher’s triple agent self is pregnant. Is it Lex’s? No one’s confirming anything. Showrunner’s gave a simple “do the math” when asked. We’ve also gotten more hints that Lena’s going dark side (not Darkseid), which is more exhausting than interesting. Here’s hoping it’s yet another tease and she manages to work things out with the team. Unfortunately, the below trailer doesn’t leave much room for that to be true.
BATWOMAN and LEGENDS OF TOMORROW
Batwoman did have a panel, but it was mostly to reveal the show’s pilot. We unfortunately don’t have any details on that pilot, but you can expect a review once the show airs. In the meantime, the show’s newest trailer is below.
In peak Legends of Tomorrow fashion, the team wasn’t even invited to the party. Caity Lotz, Dominic Parcel, and Brandon Routh were all on-site, but there was no panel featuring what is clearly the Arrowverse’s strongest show. It’s fine, we’re not bitter.
That’s a wrap on this little roundup. Shout out below on what you hope to see from the coming season of Arrowverse madness!