The CW's now yearly crossover event between its four superhero shows Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow has become a highly anticipated one for fans. It's the best of everything -bringing the heroes and villains from across the different shows together into a huge, two-night must see TV event. Starting from meager beginnings with just a meeting between Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), the team-ups have since grown to include all the shows and characters equally. This year that was especially the case after the criticism from last year's Invasion!, which did not truly see any of the characters crossing into Supergirl.Crisis on Earth X was also extra special because it promised not just to unite our favorite characters, but also the wedding of Barry and his long time love (and comic book soul mate), Iris West (Candice Patton). But of course, no superhero wedding is complete without an interruption from some bad guys - in this case, Nazi versions of Oliver and Kara (Melissa Benoist) from Earth-X, where Nazi Germany won World War II.Related: Everyone Who Died In The Arrowverse CrossoverCrisis on Earth-X was the best of the crossovers to date with plenty of touching moments, surprises, amazingly choreographed fight scenes, and memorable character interactions. Here are the The Best Moments of Crisis on Earth-X.
The Wedding
Of course, the main event of Crisis on Earth-X was Barry and Iris' wedding, and it did not disappoint. From the moment Kara started singing, "Running Home to You" from The Flash and Supergirl musical crossover it was clear it was going to be something special. Barry and Iris have been through so much over the past four seasons, and it was nice for them to have a moment for themselves to celebrate their love in front of family and friends. Gustin did an amazing job in this scene capturing Barry's emotions as he watched the woman of his dreams walking down the aisle towards him, and Joe West's (Jesse L. Martin) rehearsal dinner speech about how Barry and Iris taught him how to love again was the perfect gift a father could give.
Reunited And It Feels So Good
One of the best parts of any Arrowverse crossover is seeing characters interact after spending time apart (or dead or on another Earth). Because many of the characters started on one show and moved to another, seeing these characters meet up again is a great way to bring up past events and show how far some of the characters have come. This crossover brought us several reunions, some touching and others eye-opening.
First there was Martin Stein (Victor Garber) and his old protegé Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker). It was great to see the two of them back together, sharing memories of Ronnie (Robbie Amell) and their love for science. Garber has such great chemistry with the younger members of the cast as a mentor and father figure and it was nice to see his relationship with Caitlin was not forgotten. Another emotional reunion came from Mick Rory (Dominic Purcell) and Leonard "Leo" Snart (Wentworth Miller). Seeing his old friend again brought emotions out of Mick not usually shown and it was funny watching Leo's reactions to a man he doesn't really know.
But not all reunions were happy ones. Oliver and Sara (Caity Lotz) were met with the Earth-X version of their loved ones. Sara had to face her father Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) while Oliver was met by his (dead on Earth-1) best friend Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell), in one of the crossover's more surprising moments. It was great to have Donnell back and his scenes with Amell provided some of Oliver's strongest emotional moments. Despite knowing it wasn't his Tommy, Oliver was forced to again confront his grief and guilt over his friend's death. Sara had to face the firing squad from her father, but did it bravely and while staying true to herself - not the easiest task.
No Damsels
Crisis on Earth-X might have been about Iris' wedding, but she wasn't just a blushing bride. When the other heroes are kidnapped and taken to Earth-X, Iris and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) team up to save Kara and help bring their loved ones home. The two women manage to fight off Nazis and override the security system at STAR Labs all while managing to stay away from Overgirl and the Dark Arrow. And it not just Iris and Felicity who have something substantial to do. Caitlin is also an integral character, fighting alongside the other heroes as Killer Frost- and totally in control of her powers. Zari (Tala Ashe) even gets her own leather uniform and becomes officially part of the team. It's refreshing to see none of the women needing to be rescued.
New Friends
One of the best parts of the crossover was the introduction to the newest Arrowverse hero: The Ray/Ray Terrill (Russell Tovey). From his partnership and romance with Leo Snart to his cool light powers, it was easy to be drawn to his character from the start. It is difficult for a new character to join a well established (and very crowded) cast of characters, but Tovey's charisma helped him fit right in and make a lasting impression with only a small amount of screen time. And while he may have left at the end of the episode, it surely won't be for good: he is off to star in his own animated series, Freedom Fighters: The Ray.
Familiar Faces
The villains of Crisis on Earth-X weren't just Nazis, but Nazis lead by the Earth-X versions of Kara (Overgirl) and Oliver (Dark Arrow), who also happened to be married. Doppelgangers are always a fun part of the Arrowverse; watching the characters fighting themselves is a good time, especially with a character as strong as Supergirl. Her final face off with Overgirl was a truly epic fight taking them all around the city and finally "up, up, and away" into space. It was great watching Benoist get to play play an evil and ruthless character so different from the sweet-natured Kara we all know. And while Oliver is brooding on any Earth, Amell too was able to show his more vulnerable side with his pure devotion to finding a cure for his wife.
Related: How The Nazis Won On The Arrowverse's Earth-X
Fight Club
Making these crossovers work requires hours of preparation across four different shows and a number of different departments. It's amazing they can make them happen at all, let alone make them look this good. The fight scenes were some of the most complex ever seen, with dozens of characters fighting at once and multiple characters using their powers at the same time. Each episode had an amazingly well choreographed fight scene that fit the style of the show. In the Arrow episode, directed by stunt coordinator turned director and producer James Bamford, acrobatics were on display with Oliver and company flipping and shooting their weapons with style. The final battle that took place in the Legends of Tomorrow episode was like an all out brawl with the action coming from every side complete with a Waverider dogfight.
Firestorm Feels
Earlier in the year, it was announced that Garber was planning on leaving Legends of Tomorrow. The episodes leading up to Crisis on Earth-X showed his character struggling with his desire to leave the team to spend more time with his family. It seemed a fitting send off for a man who had become a father figure to so many members of the Arrowverse team, including Jax (Franz Drameh) who he called his son. However, instead of going off into the sunset, Stein dies heroically after saving the other members of his team and sacrificing himself so Jax can live. Stein's death and funeral are some of the most emotional of the series despite knowing of his departure. The scene where Stein and Jax say their final goodbyes was expertly acted by Garber and Drameh and heart wrenching to watch. The episode was a touching send off for a character who has become a significat part of the Arrowverse over the years.
Give the People What They Want
Overall it felt like the writers, producers, and directors really listened to what fans hoped to see in a crossover episode. Many complaints about Invasion! like not giving Iris enough to do or having any interactions between Oliver and Kara were addressed. The episodes also had moments fans had been dying to see like the conversations (and one night stand) between Sara and Alex (Chyler Leigh) who finally got to meet, bond over their love for their sisters and whisky, and come to terms with the loss of their true loves. Plus there were plenty of pop culture references to keep Cisco (Carlos Valdes) happy, a cool new embiggening update to Ray's (Brandon Routh) suit, and an appearance by a vomiting Diggle (David Ramsey), which no crossover is complete without.
Crisis on Earth-X was the biggest and most fun Arrowverse crossover to date. The question now becomes: how can they possibly top themselves next year?