[SPOILERS for The Flash 'Invasion!' ahead]
After it was announced earlier in 2016 that Supergirl would make the leap from CBS to The CW for the show's sophomore outing, CW head Mark Pedowitz was quick to assure fans that Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist) would suit up with the heroes of Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow in a massive crossover event. Now, teased briefly in Supergirl's most recent episode, 'Medusa', and officially kicked off in The Flash's latest episode, 'Invasion!', The CW's four-show crossover has begun.
As revealed earlier this year, the Arrowverse crossover is adapting the DC Comics 1980s limited series event titled Invasion!, during which an alien race known as the Dominators arrive on Earth ostensibly to eliminate the world's metahumans. During The Flash's entry in the TV crossover, the Dominators made their official debut in The CW's DC TV universe, starting off somewhat peacefully before capturing the President of the United States.
In an interview with ComicBook Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim revealed that the story thread concerning the POTUS was originally more complicated. As showcased in 'Invasion!', the POTUS of Earth-1 is not the same as on Earth-38 (Supergirl's home universe), where Olivia Marsdin (guest star Lynda Carter) occupies the Oval Office. According to Guggenheim, the original plan for The Flash's 'Invasion!' episode included Carter appearing as Earth-1's Vice President:
In the first draft of the script, she was the vice president who becomes the President, and we got a note from the studio which we think was pretty fair, which was that it was a bit too confusing. You get into the parallel Earths of it all but she’s not the President on our Earth but the Vice President. In the midst of time travel and aliens, it was just one sci-fi problem too much.
Carter, a veteran of superhero television in her own right having starred in the 1970s Wonder Woman series, was introduced on Supergirl earlier in the show's second season as President Marsdin. During her one-episode stint, President Marsdin signed an Alien Amnesty Act, though it was met with criticism from certain anti-alien groups, including CADMUS. Although Supergirl saved the day, the episode ended on a mysterious note concerning Carter's character when it was revealed President Marsdin herself was an alien.
Certainly, fans of The CW's DC TV universe would have likely enjoyed seeing Carter return since her guest starring role on Supergirl was well received. It would have added another fun element even if Carter's character only returned for a brief appearance during the massive crossover as Earth-1's U.S. Vice President. But with that said, The Flash's 'Invasion!' episode was already chock full of characters from Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, and only the Girl of Steel herself representing Supergirl.
Even though The Flash's installment of the crossover didn't include Team Arrow or Team Legends' newest recruits, the episode was packed with superheroes. As such, a Carter cameo may not have packed the punch fans would hope for, or it may have gotten lost among the rest of the crossover action. Still, Guggenheim's confirmation that Marsdin was Vice POTUS on Earth-1 paves the way for Carter to potentially appear on The Flash, Arrow, or Legends of Tomorrow in later episodes.
Next: The Flash: Invasion! Review & Discussion
Invasion! continues tomorrow night @8pm on the CW with Arrow, followed by Legends of Tomorrow on Thursday, December 1st @8pm. The Flash returns next Tuesday @8pm with ‘The Present’.
Source: ComicBook