As Crisis on Infinite Earths began the next chapter for the Arrowverse, the final moments of the crossover set the foundation for the Wonder Twins to eventually show up. During the final scene at the Hall of Justice, Gleek the Exxorian Monkey was heard in the distance while making his escape. Early drafts of the crossover initially had Zan and Jayna slated to appear before being cut. Despite not appearing, the door was officially opened for any of the series to introduce the iconic twins and Gleek down the line. Whenever the time comes for the Arrowverse to pay off that Easter egg, there are two sources of inspiration that TPTB should look to.
The twins actually made their live-action debut on The CW prior to the Easter egg in Crisis on Infinite Earths. In season 9 of the Superman prequel series Smallville, David Gallagher and Allison Scagliotti brought the Exxorian siblings to life in the episode “Idol." The show’s spin helped modernize the Wonder Twins while keeping their youthful and ambitious spirits alive. The story had them trying to do heroic deeds in the name of The Blur (Tom Welling) later known as Superman, but instead caused more problems for Clark Kent’s hero persona. This was the best example of Smallville representing heroism through the POV of young aspiring heroes like Zan and Jayna while giving them role models to follow.
The area where Zan and Jayna have shined the strongest is when viewers or readers get to see heroism through their eyes to represent the younger demographic. Through Earth-Prime’s new continuity, the age of heroism is now known on an even larger scale than before. With the Arrowverse bound to expand over the next few years, bringing the twins in would add a new refreshing layer to the franchise. Their perspective would also allow the present characters to give birth to new young heroes, directly inspired by the current generation. The Wonder Twins have evolved with time since their The All-New Super Friend Hour days before debuting in comics. A large generation still sees them as some of the cheekier characters in the DC Universe, for better and worse.
When looking at the best comics to pull inspiration from for the Arrowverse take, the new Wonder Twins run by writer Mark Russell and artist Stephen Byrne is a solid interpretation to look at. The series has Zan and Jayna tackle the themes of heroism and the universal challenges of being a teenager. Approaching them as misfits trying to fit into this world, it’s a strong introduction for new readers as well as re-introducing them to long-time fans. There’s still the element of pure fun as this adaptation allows Zan and Jayna to be put in a more grounded spotlight, helping them to be fleshed out as characters. With all of the Arrowverse shows renewed for next season along with picking up Superman and Lois, there are six options for the characters to appear on.
The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow is where the franchise is more comic book-y while Batwoman, Supergirl, and Black Lightning focus more on grittier stories. Whether it’s later this season or the next, the best story approach for either series would be to set up the next generation of heroes. As some of the main heroes have gotten far in their journeys, letting them take on roles as mentors for future characters like Zan and Jayna would open up the potential for refreshing and entertaining stories. With the great VFX work that was done for Gorilla Grodd and King Shark, Gleek would have a solid on-screen introduction. Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, viewers will hopefully see the addition of the Wonder Twins in the Arrowverse sooner rather than later.