#Kevin Conroy Merges With The Infinite

[signalwatch]

Kevin Conroy Merges With The Infinite

Here at The Signal Watch, we're absolutely heartbroken to hear that actor Kevin Conroy has passed.  

Conroy voiced Bruce Wayne/ Batman across innumerable cartoons, video games and other projects.  For generations of Bat-fans was the definitive portrayal of the character.  

In 1992, when Batman: The Animated Series hit the air, I was a Senior in high school, and - I don't think unreasonably - skeptical of any new Batman cartoons that might appear, believing that they'd be of about GI Joe or Transformer levels in quality of story and art, the same voice actors working from show to show.  I don't think it was snobbery.  I was just now older and stuff aimed at 8 year olds was not in my wheelhouse anymore.

You don't often remember the first time you saw a cartoon, but... boy, do I remember that one.  It was the pilot Man-Bat episode that was an absolute showcase for what they were doing stylistically and technically.  I had not heard of Bruce Timm at the time, but I knew someone had read and understood the comics.  And, look, I am a fan of the Michael Keaton/ Tim Burton Bat-films, but they're their own thing.  They bear almost zero relation to Batman of the comics.  This was the storytelling of the comics, but with a look and feel that borrowed one part from the Anton Furst designs and one part from Dick Tracy and one part from the Fleischer cartoons.  Absolutely gorgeous stuff no one had seen on TV before.

The point is, I don't know what I expected a Batman cartoon to be in 1992, but I remember Batman opening his mouth and a baritone, gravelly voice came out that was somehow exactly how Batman should sound.  Even more incredible, when he removed the cowl and spoke as Bruce Wayne - he had an actual alter-ego.  

And then my girlfriend at the time called and I remember "uh-huh"ing my way through the conversation as I watched this incredible show unspool in front of me.  And given the way shows worked back then, I lost my mind knowing this would be on five days per week.  How?  I do recall trying to explain what was happening on TV to my ladyfriend, and her saying "Ok, cool.  Anyway..."  You will note, that romance was not to last.

This was 1992, so social media didn't exist.  If BBS's covered it, I didn't know because my family hadn't had a computer since the Apple IIe was boosted in the infamous break-in in Spring of 1991.  

So, by myself I watched this show somewhat religiously. I didn't have friends into this stuff, so it took a visit by my brother from college before I could do the "LOOK.  LOOOOOOOOOK!!!" thing I wanted to do so badly.

My first year at the University of Texas, I found myself reunited with JAL (he of the podcast), a pal from my days growing up in Austin (I moved to Houston in 1990) and I think we'd been hanging out for maybe an hour when JAL said "you know the guy who plays Batman looks just like Scott Summers" (that's X-Men's Cyclops to you and me).  It was maybe 2-3 years before I saw a picture of Kevin Conroy, and, wow, was JAL right.

Kevin Conroy brought gravitas and drama to Batman.  While I understood the wild-eyed danger of Michael Keaton (who I think showed his true menace perfectly in the Spider-movies), he was not Batman as I understood him to be from multiple comics per month that I'd read for a few years now.  Nor were two 2-hour movies the same as 30 minutes, 5 days per week.  Timm's design, Dini's story aesthetic - all fantastic.  But it was in making Batman rumble through your TV's tinny speakers that Conroy brought the myth of a Batman to life.  

This was a voice that would send shivers up the spines of criminals, but Conroy also humanized it when it was right to do so.  He was genuinely acting, not reading off lines on a page.  In part, you can thank the always amazing Andrea Romano for working with the showrunners to find that sweet spot that went from that first episode of Batman to the final scenes of JLU.  And in the years to come, when Conroy would step back in front of the mic, he was both a reminder of the greatness of the era and a pointer to what WB could have done better in every project after Romano retired.  

By the early 00's, Conroy was appearing in DVD extras and then online, and at Cons.  His fans got to know who he was, and he did not disappoint.  While a mere mortal of good humor, he very much understood what it meant to be the voice of Batman to multiple generations of fans, and he never took it lightly or seemed to think it was silly or just a job.  He got what people looked for and heard in his performance.  

It was a nuanced performance over the years, including the surprisingly resonant Batman: Mask of the Phantasm to Batman sitting with Ace as she blinked out in that one episode of JLU.  No matter what the edgelords would think a *real* Batman was like - we'd know.  Conroy had brought it to life.

During the CW's daring Crisis on Infinite Earths riff, he actually did play Bruce Wayne, so the role was not limited to animation.

In those interviews, etc...  I genuinely liked the guy.  He seemed like the kind of person you'd want to include in your "you can have dinner with any six people" kind of conversation.  But, mostly, I don't think you can measure how much Conroy helped push Batman and superheroes from a novelty when it wasn't a campy disaster or mediocrity for undiscriminating kids to set the stage for everything that would come after - from video games to the MCU.  I'm not sure you get the recent Batman film without Conroy's Batman carrying Batman for decades and people growing up believing that taking Batman seriously is a normal thing to do.

I'm absolutely stunned at Conroy's passing.  He was only 66.  I'd heard nothing of illness, just what he might be up to next.  Like Chadwick Boseman passing, it's catching me totally by surprise.  

What I can say is that Bat-fans and comic folk are a bit like baseball fans.  Many consider Conroy the ideal version of Batman - myself included - and like a good baseball fan, we'll pass down the names of the greats for a hundred years.  And the good news is, there's so much of a record of that performance.  We'll be able to return to it again and again, and it will guide performers for generations.  

https://ift.tt/DOvEXL7

[fyeahbatcat]

Ashley Scott to reprise her role as Helena Kyle (Wayne)/Huntress for the CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths which will air Sunday, December 8.

Scott starred as the Huntress, the crime-fighting vigilante daughter of Batman and Catwoman, on the short-lived live action television series Birds of Prey. The show ran for just one season on the CW’s predecessor network, The WB, in 2002. Scott joins other Batman alumni Burt Ward in an unknown role, and Kevin Conroy as an aged Bruce Wayne. Ward is best known for playing Robin along side Adam West on the 1960s Batman series. Conroy voiced Bruce Wayne on the critically acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series in the ‘90s, as well as in more recent animated films and video games.

Crisis is based Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s 1985 twelve issue series Crisis on Infinite Earths. In the series, The Anti-Monitor, attempts to destroy all of the different universes with the goal of becoming the sole ruler of whatever is left. He’s eventually foiled but at a staggering cost: The surviving five universes are merged into one, and a huge number of classic DC characters are killed off, seemingly for good — including both Supergirl and Barry Allen/The Flash.

The entire Birds of Prey tv series is available to watch for free on CW Seed.

[afaimsarrowverse]

Crisis on Infinite Earths

So given what I have been reading and watching lately, I just can’t anymore. What some self-promclaimed experts and people who should know better are claiming ist just so wrong, it hurts

So here is a short list of the most common misunderstandings concerning the future of the Arrowverse and “Crisis on Infinite Earths”.

(By the way, only ever believe stuff that comes from offical sources, take even the stuff Pagey and Ben say with a grain of salt, there sources may be reliable or may not be reliable, and in the time between production and transmission a lot can change (they same goes for canadagraphs). And please listen to their whole videos, they are going to tell you were they got something from and how believable they think it is most of the time. If they don’t name sources, they are probably just speculating, please keep that in mind).

* “Crisis on Infinite Earths” will be a five night event.

No, while there are five episodes, the last two parts will air on the same night. So it’s four nights: Three in december and one in january.

* It will be the crossover-event that imbebds “Black Lightning” into the Arrowverse.

Kind of true. Black Lightning played by Cress Williams is in the crossover-event. However there will be no tie-in episode in “Black Lightning” and it’s unconfirmed if any other BL-characters will show up in the crossover. Furthermore “Smallville” and “Birds of Prey” will also crossover in the Arrowverse with this event. Does this make them part of the Arrowverse? I guess, that’s up to debate.

* Tom Welling will be the third Superman in “Crisis”.

Kind of true. There are two important versions of Superman in the crossover: The Arrowverse-One played by Tyler Hochelin and an aged up version played by Brandon Routh. However Tom Welling is reprising his Smallville-Character in the crossover as well. And he will be in a scene with Tyler and Brandon. But he is not heavily involved in the crossover, and it’s unknown if he actually is going to be in suit or not.

* Erica Durance and Tom Welling will reprise their “Smallville”-Characters, but Michael Rosenberg will not.

Probably true. Michael Rosenbaum did post a rather long explanation for him not being in the crossover. This explanation is most likley true, but it could have been a calculated lie an/or a ploy to get more money for a cameo, or he could have changed his mind after all and now be in the crossover anyway. However, none of this is very likely.

*Justin Hartley is the Smallville Green Arrow in “Crisis.”

Unconfirmed and probably not happening due to “This is Us”. If he is in it, it would be a very small cameo.

* Helena Wayne is the only “Birds of Prey”-Character in “Crisis.”

She is the only confirmed character in “Crisis” as of now. It would be kind of strange to not use the Black Canary, whose actress is a regular on one of the Arrowverseshows, but somehow no one ever confirmed her for that part, so maybe it’s just Huntress.

* “Crisis on Infinite Earths” confirms that “Birds of Prey” takes place in the same timeline as Tim Burtons Batman-Movies.

I really don’t think so. There will be a nod to the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton-Batman-Movies, but I don’t think that there will be a connection to “Birds of Prey”. The newspaper of the Keaton-Verse shows an article about Bruce Waynes relationship with Selena Kyle, yes, but this takes place in the present and the picture they used shows a young Michael Keaton, so where should the grown-up daughter come in? As nice as this would be, explaining it would distract from the actual storyline.

* Michael Keaton will be in “Crisis”.

You wish. I wish. We wish. I really doubt it.

* Kevin Conroy is Old Man Bats.

Yes, he is. That’s literally all we know about his role though. He spoke about a Bat-suit, so at least it looks like we finally get a proper look at a version of Batman during Crisis.

*The Titans in the crossover are not the Titans from “Titans”.

Okay, so about that. There was a scene involving the Titans which was marked as filmed. We don’t know who was in that scene, but it was a cameo-moment. So, the only version of the Titans that was ever shown in a non-animated adaption of DC Comics was the version from the DC-App. Now, there is the rumor/claim that the actors refused to shoot said scene for various reasons and that the scene was scrapped. Of course one could do a scene involving alternate versions of Wally West und Roy Harper posing as the “Titans” from any odd Arroverse-Universe. But why should anyone bother to do this? Also, it’s very likely that those two are not even showing up in Crisis at all, so why bother doing this scene at all? So unless it turns out to be an unexpected animated scene, the only Titans making sense appearing in Crisis would be the current Titans from the DC-Show with the same name.

* Tom Ellis is playing Lucifer in Crisis.

Oh, boy, that one. We have photos. And denials. So, the mostly likely scenario is, that Tom Ellis is going to play an unnamed angel or demon who is going to be summoned by John Constantine in order to do something (probably bring back Oliver from the dead). While the character is dressed like Lucifer Morningstar in “Lucifer”, my guess it that he won’t be named that onscreen. So this is going to be an indirect crossover, where everyone knows it’s Lucifer, but no one says it. Unless the sequence gets scrapped, because it leaked. However given that it is a scene of plot-importance that probably won’t happen.

* Given that Brandon Routh is leaving “Legends” Ray Palmer will die in Crisis and stay dead.

Okay, this is what prompted me to right this article. Yes, Brandon is leaving “Legends of Tomorrow” alongside his wife. He filmed his last scenes a short while ago (Probably). BUT THE LEGENDS TIE-IN EPISODE IS THE FIRST ONE OF SEASON 5 AND TAKES PLACE BEFORE THE REST OF THE SEASON. A SEASON THAT RAY PALMER IS VERY MUCH IN FOR THE FIRST HALF SO UNLESS HE IS UNDEAD FOR THE REST OF SEASON 5 HE CAN’T DIE FOR GOOD IN CRISIS! Rays last episode is most likely to either be 5.7 or 5.8 because “Crisis” is not even the official first episode of the season, but more like episode 5.0 or a special between seasons. Yes, they filmed it between the episodes 5.7. und 5.8 along the other shows for technical reasons, but it takes place before the events of season 5.

* Mick might die in Crisis.

Like I said, Dominic is very much in season 5. The Legends Tie-In of Crisis takes place before the events of season 5, even though it was filmed as episode 8.

* Zari Tomaz is in Crisis.

Again: Crisis takes place before the events of season 5. During the season finale of season 4 Zari was erased from the Legends-Timeline and her brother Behard took her place. The Legends can’t remember Zari, they think Behrad has been their teammate all along. There will be a new version of Zari in Season 5. But this version will under no circumstances debut during Crisis. However another version of Zari Tomaz from another universe could be in the crossover for a brief cameo.

*Behrad Tomaz is in Crisis.

I thought so too, because he is in the current Legends-Team. however the only Legends we know for sure to be in Crisis are Ray, Sara, Mick und John. It was pointed out to me that including Behrad could be to confusing for the general audience. So he might just sit this one out, like Evelyn did the Arrow-Tie-In of “Invasion!”.

* Batwoman ist the only Batwoman-Character in Crisis.

Possible, but unlikley.

*Batwoman will catch up to the other shows timeline-wise before Crisis

Not necessarily. Given the Waverider, Harbinger, and the Monitor and the events of Arrow 8.4 time travel is very much on the table. Batwoman could just be taken from her current late 2018/early 2019 timeline for the crossover. Or the Tie-In-Episode takes place later than the episodes after it.

* Crisis will end with all universes merging in one.

I hope not. It’s possible, but would be a very stupid move. As in any adaption this one will be very different from its source, so don’t bet on it.

* “Superman and Lois” und the Arrow Backdoor-Pilot will be the new Arrowverse Series for the next season.

At this point a pilot for “Superman and Lois” has been commissend and the Backdoor-Pilot for the Mia/Canaries-Show has been flimed and will be transmitted in January. Neither show has been picked up yet. This won’t happen before pilot-season, which means we won’t know for sure until mid 2020.

* “Supergirl” will be cancelled because of “Superman and Lois”.

While it is entirely possible that “Supergirl” will end after Season 6 (given that standart US-television-contracts run for six years), the show won’t be cancelled for a potential Superman-show, that might not even be picked up. If “Supergirl” ends, it will be because Melissa wants to move on, not because of Superman.

* Next season is going to bring a six part/ seven show crossover.

I have nightmares about this already. But we can’t know until we know the 2020/21 programm of The CW.

[davidmann95]

So it's official, there's nothing left between now and Crisis on Infinite Earths. Any last thoughts before it starts?

A list of wishes, classified by likelihood:

Here’s hoping!

* Brandon Routh and Kevin Conroy get a scene together and are preferably addressed as the World’s Finest, since they’re almost certainly from the same Earth and the clear idea there is positioning the Donnerverse Superman and DCAU Batman as literal peers to match the power of their iconography.

* Earths 1 and 38 merge but the multiverse remains (perhaps reorganized; no reason for Jay Garrick for instance not to be on Earth-2 now that the original trick of switching 2 and 3 no longer serves a purpose).

* The odd contradictory stuff with the Monitor that we’ve seen is revealed to be a product of him and the Anti-Monitor actually being two aspects of the same being.

* Some sort of note of the major Batwoman timeskip given I think everything in that series so far takes place pre-Elseworlds.

* Danny Trejo, a multiversal cop who was already recently brought back, sticks his head in during the final battle to be Danny Trejo in Crisis on Infinite Earths stabbing and shooting the death of all things.

* Lynda Carter shows up even if she likely can’t be acknowledged directly as Wonder Woman. Probably also on the Kingdom Come Earth?

* That guy who we all know is John Stewart becomes a Green Lantern, and he throws up the first time he flies as the culmination of that running gag.

* A solid first onscreen confrontation between Hoechlin’s Superman and Cryer’s Luthor (and for that matter Luthor with Tulloch’s Lois).

* Other DCAU voice actors who have played assorted roles in these shows briefly appear as live-action versions of their animated counterparts, or at least Mark Hamill (at minimum a recording or echoey memory of him laughing on the Kingdom Come Earth, for the love of god).

* Since I hear Black Lightning is set on a relatively realistic Earth without other superheroes, play a lot with him being caught up in all this nonsense with characters who he’d known as fictional.

* Speaking of which, the episode of Black Lightning that I just saw apparently ties in is accessible, since I’ll want to check that out. I hear that show’s really good!

* There’s some sort of at least minor bit of the Supermen comparing costumes, laying the groundwork for improvement on the side of the ‘prime’ guy.

Wouldn’t count on it, but it’s not impossible either!

* Conroy as Batman also meets Welling and Hoechlin, as Welling getting to meet a Batman would be the fulfillment of a longtime dashed dream, and Hoechlin as the best Superman should get to meet the best Batman.

* Some sort of resolution to the occasional light hints that there’s an important reason there isn’t a Superman or Supergirl on Earth-1.

* There’s specification or at least room for interpretation that Lois didn’t necessarily die on Earth Kingdom Come, it seems likely but I’d prefer it didn’t hew quite to that aspect of the source material.

* John Shea’s Lex Luthor shows up, that dude ruled.

* Green Arrow’s “The entire universe needs you” line to Superman isn’t (just) a reinforcement that he’s got an important job he’d better not fuck up or a bolster at a low moment, but a pep talk and/or acknowledgement that he as Superman (and a lead of an upcoming series) is the guy they need at the front on this.

* Since they’re paired in the poster, Superman and Constantine are forced to work together and absolutely hate each other.

* Routh either survives to occasionally guest star as the equivalent of the old Earth-2 Superman on Superman and Lois - maybe he just could be on Earth-2 in a reordered multiverse alongside Conroy, Carter, and Shipp’s Garrick - or plays a suitably major role in saving the multiverse with his heroic sacrifice.

* Lucifer from that show is in this after all and is very pointedly confirmed to have fucked John Constantine.

* Conroy growls “I was Batman”.

* Speaking of Batman Beyond, have Will Friedle make a cameo as Terry, if only in voiceover on a comm link.

* I don’t know the exact limitations of how Batman can appear in the non-Fox TV shows; clearly it’s somewhat porous. Would Conroy in the Kingdom Come Bat-armor be permissible?

* The gathering of heroes here is directly referred to as the Justice League.

* Smallville Clark mentions having dealt with Monitors before in passing acknowledgement of Smallville Season 11, which the writers mentioned they know of and at least won’t actively contradict.

* Welling wears a damn super-suit.

* Everything about the Legion of Superheroes is completely changed; all their history is revised and all actors are recast. I actually have no idea whether this would be a good or bad thing, but tradition’s tradition.

* A subtle shot at Dean Cain given why he’s not showing up.

Sigh. A boy can dream.

* Welling sees Routh and - since it’s technically supposed to be Christopher Reeve - exclaims “Doctor Swan?!”

* The Monitor displays ‘viewscreens’ of other universes, and someone leaps back in shock when George Reeves’ Clark Kent looks directly at said screen and winks.

* Uncle Sam is in this and tells everyone to stop for a second so he can give a speech about how saving the multiverse from the Anti-Monitor is really...about freedom, and Cryer’s Luthor exclaims ‘I hate his guts, but by god he’s right!’ Otherwise this will never be a spiritually true adaptation.

* Ezra Miller puts his money where his mouth is and makes a little cameo.

* The Monitor appears before Barry Allen as he’s about to sacrifice himself and confirms that the actual reason he’s lured him into this is as rightful punishment for his disrespectful Superman impression, and as he’s agonizingly torn apart atom by atom Flash’s final screamed utterance is “I objectively deserve this!”

* Justin Hartley shows up but as Aquaman.

* Oliver Queen survives in spite of cosmic odds to the contrary through naught but his wits and his will, and nothing seems to be standing in the way of him resuming his life and career after all. Except remember when he hilariously puffed out his chest in naked insecurity upon meeting Superman? That, except he meets Conroy’s Batman, and he just starts sobbing and runs away, never to be seen again, and that’s how Arrow for-real ends.

* Burt Ward puts on DKR Bat-armor to join the final battle and kicks an utterly stupendous amount of ass.

* Now that Roy Harper’s doing a Rise of Arsenal, (which is how I learned I am a maniac, given my what I can only describe as childlike glee when I realized what was about to happen in the last episode of Arrow) he injects a shitload of whatever that super strength drug is that gives him Bloodlust™ and goes ham on the Anti-Monitor with a dead cat.

* An unsubtle shot at Dean Cain given why he’s not showing up.

* I can get the damn Walmart tie-in comics. Most of the time the place near me is reliable with those, but they still haven’t gotten the last issue of King/Kubert Superman and I’ll probably just have to give in and get Superman: Up In The Sky #6 to get the final chapter Saturday or Sunday. I’m assuming my luck will hold steady with this.

[dcentertainmenttv]

Kevin Conroy To Play Bruce Wayne in Crisis on Infinite Earths

Kevin Conroy, star of Batman: The Animated Series and its spinoffs, will join the cast of "Crisis on Infinite Earths," presumably in the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The actor, who has been voicing the Dark Knight in almost too many projects to count for over 25 years, is the definitive voice of Batman for two generations of fans. The addition of Conroy comes on the heels of announcements at Comic Con that Burt Ward (Batman) would appear, and Brandon Routh would reprise his role from Superman Returns. Yesterday, news broke that Cress Williams will appear as Black Lightning in "Crisis on Infinite Earths."

"Crisis on Infinite Earths" will be the biggest crossover event that The CW's DC Universe TV series have attempted yet, with five series (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman) participating over two quarters, presumably in December and January. The story will, at least according to the onscreen canon established so far and comments by cast and producers at Comic Con, feature the death of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), who struck a mysterious deal with The Monitor during last season's "Elseworlds" crossover in order to save the lives of Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist), who were "destined" to die in the event.

While Batman has been alluded to several times over the years, and eventually named outright during "Elseworlds" and in the Batwoman pilot, fans of the Arrowverse have never seen Bruce Wayne or Batman in the flesh. Given his age relative to Ruby Rose's (who plays his cousin Batwoman), it seems unlikely that Conroy will play "our" Batman, and may instead be the Batman of an alternate Earth. Several of the characters, particularly Black Lightning and Brandon Routh's Superman, are already established to be from different Earths.

In addition to being the Arrowverse's first Batman (at least as far as we know; obviously another one may appear onscreen earlier in "Crisis on Infinite Earths"), this will be Conroy's first time playing the character-defining character in live action. Given his build, and the recent revelation that Routh will be playing a Kingdom Come-inspired version of Superman, it is not much of a leap to wonder whether Conroy will play the Batman opposite Routh's Superman, and be using a cane or an exoskeleton a la Batman Beyond or Kingdom Come.

In the comics, Crisis on Infinite Earths centered on a battle between the combined superheroes (and even some villains) of the DC multiverse and an immortal, cosmic threat known as the Anti-Monitor. Like The Monitor, the Anti-Monitor will be played by LaMonica Garrett in the Arrowverse. As the Anti-Monitor destroys realities, he replaces their positive matter energy with antimatter, growing his own power and sphere of influence. He was eventually stopped by the sacrifices of several heroes, including The Flash and Supergirl, as well as the merging of multiple universes to save reality by becoming a single, unified timeline. Fans have long wondered whether the events of "Crisis on Infinite Earths" might bring Supergirl and possibly even Black Lightning to Earth-1, where the rest of the series take place.

"Crisis on Infinite Earths" will air on The CW this winter.

[supergirlmelbenoist]

Crisis on Infinite Earths Exclusive: First Look at Audrey Marie Anderson as Harbinger Audrey Marie Anderson, the former The Walking Dead star who first appeared on Arrow in the 2013 episode "Unfinished Business," will reprise her role as Lyla Michaels in "Crisis on Infinite Earths" -- but with a twist. Lyla will trade in her black ARGUS tactical suit for a super-suit in the mega-crossover, transforming into Harbinger, her superhero identity from the comics. In the original "Crisis on Infinite Earths," Harbinger was a baby when she was taken in by The Monitor. By the time we meet her, she has lived a lifetime as essentially his daughter before being possessed and forced to betray and kill him. The costume doesn't have the strange cuts and one-of-a-kind helmet that Harbinger did in the comics, but it looks more or less like the most comics-accurate version you could get within the world of the Arrowverse (and without making Anderson look a little ridiculous, as some things are really only ever meant to exist on the comics page). The skirt and some of the design work is very reminiscent of the comics version, although the more practical top (and her lack of a helmet) would make her harder to identify quickly as Harbinger, if we hadn't already had more than half a decade of Anderson's take on Lyla Michaels. AD BY DELTA AIR LINES Delta changing the game for international customer service Long-haul international flights on Delta are more enjoyable than ever thanks to all-new economy cabin service. "Lyla Michaels as Harbinger is a key component of the original Crisis on Infinite Earths that we were determined to honor in our crossover," executive producer Marc Guggenheim said in a statement. "What makes this particularly satisfying for us is that we introduced Lyla Michaels and her Harbinger codename all the way back in Arrow Season 1." You can check it out below. Lyla was originally introduced as John Diggle's ex-wife, but the two reconciled and had a daughter, whom they named after the then-recently-deceased Sara Lance. Not long after that, Barry Allen accidentally broke reality in the "Flashpoint" storyline and one of the ripple effects that remained in place even after he fixed it was that Sara had been transformed into John Diggle, Jr., one of the stars of the flash-forwards which are the setting for a planned Arrow spinoff after the series is done. It is not immediately clear whether Lyla will become the Harbinger -- as in, this is Earth-1's Lyla taking on a new role -- or whether Harbinger will be a Lyla from an alternate Earth. Either one seems plausible enough in "Crisis on Infinite Earths." It's easy to lean toward Harbinger being a Lyla doppelganger given how many there are in the story, but since Arrow's last season will center on Oliver Queen working with The Monitor in order to save the multiverse from the Crisis, nothing seems off the table. "Crisis on Infinite Earths" has loomed over the Arrowverse for years. The series premiere of The Flash featured an allusion to the hero disappearing amid red skies in the year 2024. During the original comics event, red skies were a sign of doom to come to a world during the Crisis. At the end of last season, a couple of things happened: The Monitor (LaMonica Garrett), who had appeared in "Elseworlds," reappeared and revealed that Oliver Queen was destined to die in the Crisis...and the future newspaper at STAR Labs rolled back the expected date of the Crisis from 2024 to 2019. 0 COMMENTS In the comics, Crisis on Infinite Earths centered on a battle between the combined superheroes (and even some villains) of the DC multiverse and an immortal, cosmic threat known as the Anti-Monitor. Like The Monitor, the Anti-Monitor will be played by LaMonica Garrett in the Arrowverse. As the Anti-Monitor destroys realities, he replaces their positive matter energy with antimatter, growing his own power and sphere of influence. He was eventually stopped by the sacrifices of several heroes, including The Flash and Supergirl, as well as the merging of multiple universes to save reality by becoming a single, unified timeline. Fans have long wondered whether the events of "Crisis on Infinite Earths" might bring Supergirl and even Black Lightning to Earth-1, where the rest of the series take place. The crossover will also feature guest appearances by Tom Welling as Clark Kent, Erica Durance as Lois Lane, John Wesley Shipp as the Flash of Earth-90, Johnathon Schaech as Jonah Hex, Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne, and Ashley Scott as The Huntress. “Crisis on Infinite Earths” kicks off on Sunday, December 8 on Supergirl, runs through a Monday episode of Batwoman and that Tuesday’s episode of The Flash. That will be the midseason cliffhanger, as the shows go on hiatus for the holidays and return on January 14 to finish out the event with the midseason premiere of Arrow and a "special episode" of DC's Legends of Tomorrow, which launches as a midseason series this year and so will not have an episode on the air before the Crisis.

[karazor--el]

Crisis on Infinite Earths Exclusive: First Look at Audrey Marie Anderson as Harbinger

Russ Burlingame

Audrey Marie Anderson, the former The Walking Dead star who first appeared on Arrow in the 2013 episode "Unfinished Business," will reprise her role as Lyla Michaels in "Crisis on Infinite Earths" -- but with a twist. Lyla will trade in her black ARGUS tactical suit for a super-suit in the mega-crossover, transforming into Harbinger, her superhero identity from the comics. In the original "Crisis on Infinite Earths," Harbinger was a baby when she was taken in by The Monitor. By the time we meet her, she has lived a lifetime as essentially his daughter before being possessed and forced to betray and kill him.

The costume doesn't have the strange cuts and one-of-a-kind helmet that Harbinger did in the comics, but it looks more or less like the most comics-accurate version you could get within the world of the Arrowverse (and without making Anderson look a little ridiculous, as some things are really only ever meant to exist on the comics page). The skirt and some of the design work is very reminiscent of the comics version, although the more practical top (and her lack of a helmet) would make her harder to identify quickly as Harbinger, if we hadn't already had more than half a decade of Anderson's take on Lyla Michaels.

"Lyla Michaels as Harbinger is a key component of the original Crisis on Infinite Earths that we were determined to honor in our crossover," executive producer Marc Guggenheim said in a statement. "What makes this particularly satisfying for us is that we introduced Lyla Michaels and her Harbinger codename all the way back in Arrow Season 1."

Lyla was originally introduced as John Diggle's ex-wife, but the two reconciled and had a daughter, whom they named after the then-recently-deceased Sara Lance. Not long after that, Barry Allen accidentally broke reality in the "Flashpoint" storyline and one of the ripple effects that remained in place even after he fixed it was that Sara had been transformed into John Diggle, Jr., one of the stars of the flash-forwards which are the setting for a planned Arrow spinoff after the series is done.

It is not immediately clear whether Lyla will become the Harbinger -- as in, this is Earth-1's Lyla taking on a new role -- or whether Harbinger will be a Lyla from an alternate Earth. Either one seems plausible enough in "Crisis on Infinite Earths." It's easy to lean toward Harbinger being a Lyla doppelganger given how many there are in the story, but since Arrow's last season will center on Oliver Queen working with The Monitor in order to save the multiverse from the Crisis, nothing seems off the table.

"Crisis on Infinite Earths" has loomed over the Arrowverse for years. The series premiere of The Flash featured an allusion to the hero disappearing amid red skies in the year 2024. During the original comics event, red skies were a sign of doom to come to a world during the Crisis. At the end of last season, a couple of things happened: The Monitor (LaMonica Garrett), who had appeared in "Elseworlds," reappeared and revealed that Oliver Queen was destined to die in the Crisis...and the future newspaper at STAR Labs rolled back the expected date of the Crisis from 2024 to 2019.

In the comics, Crisis on Infinite Earths centered on a battle between the combined superheroes (and even some villains) of the DC multiverse and an immortal, cosmic threat known as the Anti-Monitor. Like The Monitor, the Anti-Monitor will be played by LaMonica Garrett in the Arrowverse. As the Anti-Monitor destroys realities, he replaces their positive matter energy with antimatter, growing his own power and sphere of influence. He was eventually stopped by the sacrifices of several heroes, including The Flash and Supergirl, as well as the merging of multiple universes to save reality by becoming a single, unified timeline. Fans have long wondered whether the events of "Crisis on Infinite Earths" might bring Supergirl and even Black Lightning to Earth-1, where the rest of the series take place. The crossover will also feature guest appearances by Tom Welling as Clark Kent, Erica Durance as Lois Lane, John Wesley Shipp as the Flash of Earth-90, Johnathon Schaech as Jonah Hex, Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne, and Ashley Scott as The Huntress.

“Crisis on Infinite Earths” kicks off on Sunday, December 8 on Supergirl, runs through a Monday episode of Batwoman and that Tuesday’s episode of The Flash. That will be the midseason cliffhanger, as the shows go on hiatus for the holidays and return on January 14 to finish out the event with the midseason premiere of Arrow and a "special episode" of DC's Legends of Tomorrow, which launches as a midseason series this year and so will not have an episode on the air before the Crisis.

ComicBook.

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Arrowverse: Crisis On Infinite Earths Air Date, Story & Cast Details

Here's everything to know about 2019's Arrowverse crossover, Crisis On Infinite Earths. Based upon the seminal 1985-1986 Crisis On Infinite Earths DC Comics maxi-series created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez, this year's Arrowerse crossover will be the superhero universe's biggest event yet and will span every Arrowverse series on The CW: The Flash, Supergirl, Arrow, Batwoman, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

Since the original Arrowverse crossover, Flash Vs. Arrow, in 2014, the annual crossover events have escalated in size and scope as The CW's superhero shared universe has grown. In 2016, The Flash and Arrow were joined by Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow in Invasion! as the heroes teamed up to repel an attack by the alien Dominators. 2017's Crisis On Earth-X saw the wedding of Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and Iris West (Candice Patton) interrupted by the heroes' Nazi doppelgangers from Earth-X. In 2018's Elseworlds, the Arrowverse grew even more by introducing Batwoman (Ruby Rose) and Gotham City, setting the stage for her new solo series. Elseworlds not only featured Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) and the Flash switching bodies, but the debut of the Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) also laid the groundwork for 2019's Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover event.

Related: Why A Smallville Crossover In Crisis On Infinite Earths Is So Difficult

It could be said that the Arrowverse has been building to Crisis On Infinite Earths for many years, in the same way that the Marvel Cinematic Universe culminated with Avengers: Endgame. Indeed, it's hard to imagine an Arrowverse event bigger than Crisis On Infinite Earths, which could potentially alter The CW's shared universe in fundamental ways - just as the comic book series redefined the DC Universe in the 1980s. Further, Crisis On Infinite Earths will honor previous superhero movies and TV series that influenced the Arrowverse by bringing in special guest stars, which should create major fan service moments. Here is everything to expect from Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Crisis On Infinite Earths Air Dates

Keeping with the monumental scope of the comic book story, Crisis On Infinite Earths will be the biggest Arrowverse crossover yet. The mega-event will span all five Arrowverse series and will be broken up into segments, with the first three hours airing on three consecutive nights in December 2019 and then the final two hours wrapping up the Crisis on the same night in January 2020 after the annual holiday hiatus. Here's how Crisis On Infinite Earth's schedule breaks down:

Supergirl: Sunday, December 8 @ 8pm - Crisis On Infinite Earths, Part 1

Batwoman: Monday, December 9 @ 8pm - Crisis On Infinite Earths, Part 2

The Flash: Tuesday, December 10 @ 8pm - Crisis On Infinite Earths, Part 3

Arrow: Tuesday, January 14 @ 8pm - Crisis On Infinite Earths, Part 4

Legends of Tomorrow: Tuesday, January 14 @ 9pm - Crisis On Infinite Earths, Part 5

Note that this Crisis schedule moves Supergirl up to 8pm on December 8; it otherwise airs at 9pm during the 2019/2020 Arrowverse season. Batwoman, which will normally air Sundays at 8pm, moves to Monday night for the Crisis. Also, the final two hours of Crisis on Tuesday, January 14 bumps The Flash from its normal night and moves Arrow up an hour from its normal 9pm slot this season. Additionally, Legends of Tomorrow's Crisis conclusion is considered a "special episode", with the time-traveling series getting a proper season 5 premiere later in January.

Related: Crisis on Infinite Earths: Why Kevin Conroy Is NOT Playing Batman

Crisis On Infinite Earths Story Details

The Crisis On Infinite Earths comics series eliminated the DC Comics Multiverse and merged all of its disparate continuities into one Prime universe. It involved the superheroes banding together to defend their various worlds as they're caught in the middle of a war between two cosmic beings who are siblings and opposites: the Monitor and the Anti-Monitor (both will be played by LaMonica Garrett). Given that the Crisis is about entire worlds being destroyed and merged into one reality, many fans speculate that Crisis On Infinite Earth's endgame is to do the same to the Arrowverse, specifically that it will bring Supergirl, which is set in Earth-38, into Arrow's Earth-1.

The Arrowverse's Crisis will pick up story threads that began with 2018's crossover, Elseworlds, where the Monitor made a secret bargain with Oliver Queen after the Green Arrow sacrificed himself to save Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) and the Flash. Arrow season 7 ended with Oliver leaving with the Monitor to prepare for the Crisis, the ramifications of which will be seen in Arrow season 8. Crisis On Infinite Earths will also pay off The Flash's story since season 1 in which a Central City newspaper's headline dated 2024 read "Flash Missing - Vanishes in Crisis". The events of The Flash season 5's finale moved the timeline of the Crisis up to 2019. Meanwhile, the Monitor made appearances in Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow's season finales as well, setting up their roles in the Crisis.

Crisis On Infinite Earths also ominously teases major deaths: Oliver Queen could meet his demise since Arrow is ending with season 8. However, in the comics, both the Flash and Supergirl died saving the universe during the Crisis - could their tragic fates be echoed in the Arrowverse crossover as well?

Which Arrowverse Shows Are Crossing Over?

Not only are all five Arrowverse series - Supergirl, Batwoman, Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow - taking part in Crisis On Infinite Earths but characters from Black Lightning will also join the crossover. Black Lightning, which was originally developed for another network like Supergirl, isn't part of the Arrowverse but Crisis On Infinite Earths could end up changing the reality of the superheroes of Freeland as well.

Related: Crisis on Infinite Earths: Predicting Burt Ward's Arrowverse Character

Elseworlds also introduced Batwoman into the Arrowverse, setting the stage not just for her solo series on The CW but for the red-haired vigilante's role in Crisis On Infinite Earths. This will include a team-up with Batwoman and Supergirl since the two World's Finest heroines really hit it off when they met in Elseworlds.

Superhero Actors Returning For Crisis On Infinite Earths

The Arrowverse is already bursting at the seams with superheroes across the five series, but Crisis On Infinite Earths will bring in even more heroes and villains to honor past DC Comics TV series and movies.

First, Crisis On Infinite Earths will feature more than one Superman: Tyler Hoechlin's Man of Steel from Supergirl will be joined by the Kingdom Come Superman, with Brandon Routh reprising the role he played in 2006's Superman Returns (Routh will likely also play Ray Palmer/The Atom from Legends of Tomorrow in Crisis). In addition, Supergirl's Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) and Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer) will have major roles in Crisis On Infinite Earths and the crossover is also expected to debut Lois and Clark's baby, paying off how the Super couple has been off the planet since Supergirl season 4.

Batman, whose whereabouts remain a mystery in Batwoman's Earth-1, will also be represented in Crisis On Infinite Earths: Kevin Conroy, who voiced the Dark Knight in Batman: The Animated Series and numerous other projects, will portray an older Bruce Wayne from the future. In addition, Burt Ward, who played Robin the Boy Wonder in the classic 1960s Batman TV series, will also appear in an unspecified role in Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Related: Kingdom Come Superman Explained: How Brandon Routh's New Version Is Different

Lastly, Tom Cavanagh, who plays multiple versions of Harrison Wells in The Flash, will play another new character: Pariah. In the comics, Pariah is a tragic being who is forced by the Anti-Monitor to watch every world be destroyed. Crisis On Infinite Earth's version of Pariah will play an integral role in unleashing the Anti-Monitor onto the Arrowverse.

Next: Predicting What 2020's New Arrowverse Show Will Be

source https://screenrant.com/crisis-infinite-earths-crossover-airdate-story-characters-updates/

[signalwatch]

Arleen Sorkin Merges With The Infinite Actor and voice actor Atleen Sorkin has passed. When Batman: The Animated Series premiered back in the early 1990's, I was a skeptical Bat-reader, but literally by the end of the credits, I was in.  By the time I saw Batman getting dragged behind Man-Bat through the skyline of Gotham, I was out of my mind.  In many ways, I think the show is the epitome of Batman as a concept, but it also went beyond adapting a comic and movie concept to a cartoon, it restored and built upon the decades of Bat-mythology.  And chief among those addition was Dr. Harleen Quinzel, aka: Harley Quinn.   We're still reeling from that addition.  And brought to brilliant life through writing, art, animation and the unforgettable voice of Arleen Sorkin.   Sorkin was probably best known as an actress as Calliope Jones on Days of Our Lives, where she appeared for decades across hundreds of episodes.    As much as comic characters could be identified by their silhouettes, cartoon characters need to be specific and memorable to really work - and that was something voice director Andrea Romano brought to fore with BTAS.  But with Harley Quinn, they'd found absolute gold in Sorkin.  A face of a Bat-villain might drive a certain thought process, but Harley was new, an invention of the show, and maybe the logical extrapolation of what the difference is between comics and animation - suddenly you can do new things with a voice alone.   For comic fans and Batman fans, Sorkin's voice and character would be the magical ingredient.  A kind of Brooklyn-ese taken to extremes.  Funny, crazy, a little sad.  High energy, with the potential for violence.  A crack in the voice here or there could say it all.  An octave jump something else.   Anyway, as soon as the show hit and Harley appeared, the doors of fandom were thrown wide open to Harley as a new addition, and she was soon appearing in comics as well as the show.  If there was resistance by die-hard Batfans, those voices were drowned out.  Harley became so popular, DC eventually realized they had to transform her.  No more chasing after a killer clown, seeking his love.  She'd become a sort of agent of chaos within the DCU, sometimes on the side of the angels, and sometimes... less so. The voice of Harley by Sorkin would go on to survive art changes, changes in leadership in WB animation, and make the jump to video games.  She's the voice you hear in your head when reading the comics, and what Margot Robbie borrowed across three feature films as a live-action version of the character.   Like Kevin Conroy before her, she passed way too young.  But she also will have left millions of people with the memory of her voice, instantly recognizable, and which will be imitated by others for decades to come. https://ift.tt/OXokRAc via The Signal Watch https://ift.tt/RX4NlTW August 27, 2023 at 10:57PM

[karazor--el]

Kevin Conroy To Play Bruce Wayne in Crisis on Infinite Earths

Russ Burlingame

Kevin Conroy, star of Batman: The Animated Series and its spinoffs, will join the cast of "Crisis on Infinite Earths," presumably in the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The actor, who has been voicing the Dark Knight in almost too many projects to count for over 25 years, is the definitive voice of Batman for two generations of fans. The addition of Conroy comes on the heels of announcements at Comic Con that Burt Ward (Batman) would appear, and Brandon Routh would reprise his role from Superman Returns. Yesterday, news broke that Cress Williams will appear as Black Lightning in "Crisis on Infinite Earths."

"Crisis on Infinite Earths" will be the biggest crossover event that The CW's DC Universe TV series have attempted yet, with five series (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman) participating over two quarters, presumably in December and January. The story will, at least according to the onscreen canon established so far and comments by cast and producers at Comic Con, feature the death of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), who struck a mysterious deal with The Monitor during last season's "Elseworlds" crossover in order to save the lives of Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist), who were "destined" to die in the event.

While Batman has been alluded to several times over the years, and eventually named outright during "Elseworlds" and in the Batwoman pilot, fans of the Arrowverse have never seen Bruce Wayne or Batman in the flesh. Given his age relative to Ruby Rose's (who plays his cousin Batwoman), it seems unlikely that Conroy will play "our" Batman, and may instead be the Batman of an alternate Earth. Several of the characters, particularly Black Lightning and Brandon Routh's Superman, are already established to be from different Earths.

In addition to being the Arrowverse's first Batman (at least as far as we know; obviously another one may appear onscreen earlier in "Crisis on Infinite Earths"), this will be Conroy's first time playing the character-defining character in live action. Given his build, and the recent revelation that Routh will be playing a Kingdom Come-inspired version of Superman, it is not much of a leap to wonder whether Conroy will play the Batman opposite Routh's Superman, and be using a cane or an exoskeleton a la Batman Beyond or Kingdom Come.

In the comics, Crisis on Infinite Earths centered on a battle between the combined superheroes (and even some villains) of the DC multiverse and an immortal, cosmic threat known as the Anti-Monitor. Like The Monitor, the Anti-Monitor will be played by LaMonica Garrett in the Arrowverse. As the Anti-Monitor destroys realities, he replaces their positive matter energy with antimatter, growing his own power and sphere of influence. He was eventually stopped by the sacrifices of several heroes, including The Flash and Supergirl, as well as the merging of multiple universes to save reality by becoming a single, unified timeline. Fans have long wondered whether the events of "Crisis on Infinite Earths" might bring Supergirl and possibly even Black Lightning to Earth-1, where the rest of the series take place.

ComicBook.