The Arrowverse's next crossover, "Crisis on Infinite Earths," is highly likely to kill off a superhero according to The CW's president. Since 2014, the Arrowverse has had one major crossover between its superhero series per year, usually right before the midseason break. The practice started with just Arrow and The Flash, but has since ballooned to include nearly every DC show on the network. The most recent crossover, "Elseworlds," even helped launched a potential Batwoman show.
More than just introduce Batwoman, though, "Elseworlds" was a prologue to the next crossover. The 2019 Arrowverse event will adapt the classic comic storyline Crisis on Infinite Earths, which consolidated DC's multiverse into one streamlined universe. The comic Crisis saw the death of not only entire worlds but major heroes as well. It's a twist that the TV adaptation evidently will follow.
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Firm details about the Arrowverse's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" are slim as the event is still rather far off. It's not even clear what shows will participate, but at the TCA (Television Critics Association) winter press tour it was announced that all of The CW's superhero shows will be back for another season. According to THR, The CW's president Mark Pedowitz also revealed that the next crossover is "highly likely" to feature a character death. Pedowitz obviously didn't reveal who, but it was suggested that could be a "remix" of a death from the comics.
That might sound like noncommittal TV executive hype, but it actually reveals quite a bit due not only to the source material but what's been hinted at in the Arrowverse so far. There are several major character deaths in the comic version of Crisis on Infinite Earths. The two most prominent deaths are The Flash and Supergirl - two characters who are suspiciously prominent in the Arrowverse. "Elseworlds" even hinted at the characters' imminent doom by having both nearly sacrifice themselves during the crossover's climax. The TV version of Crisis isn't likely to kill off both Barry Allen and Kara Danvers because it would cause two series to be drastically rewritten, if not end altogether. However another Arrowverse lead could meet their end in "Crisis on Infinite Earths."
During "Elseworlds," Oliver Queen made a mysterious deal with The Monitor that supposedly ensured the survival of both Barry and Kara. Oliver's reasoning was that the world needs Supergirl and The Flash, but it doesn't need Green Arrow. This suggests that Oliver's deal includes trading his life for the lives of Barry and/or Kara. Unlike Supergirl and The Flash, Arrow has also been setting up a series without its lead by focusing more on the ensemble and even introducing a brand-new Green Arrow. If Oliver Queen died in "Crisis on Infinite Earths," it would be shocking and heartbreaking but manageable within the lore of the Arrowverse.
Of course it's equally, if not more, likely that the character who dies in "Crisis on Infinite Earths" won't be a series lead. The Arrowverse has never shied away from killing off characters that have emotional impact even if they aren't series leads. The crossover previous to "Elseworlds," "Crisis on Earth-X" saw the sacrifice of one half of Firestorm. Victor Garber's Martin Stein gave up his life to save the world despite being a series regular on Legends of Tomorrow and being with the franchise since The Flash season 1. With so many heroes running around in the Arrowverse, someone could easily die in "Crisis on Infinite Earths" and it would have enormous meaning, even if their name isn't Oliver Queen.
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"Crisis on Infinite Earths" is slated to air sometime in late 2019 on The CW. Arrow season 7 will continue Monday at 8pm on The CW with "Emerald Archer."