The Central City connection in Superman & Lois episode 14 may have set up one of The Flash’s upcoming crossovers in season 8. Superman & Lois season 1, episode 14, “The Eradicator” dropped a seemingly innocuous reference to the Flash’s city, but there’s a chance it could actually serve as buildup for something important.
It was revealed a while back that in contrast to previous years, the 2021-2022 season of the Arrowverse will take a different approach to crossovers. Rather than having another Arrowverse-wide event, The Flash season 8 will open with five crossover episodes. Each one is expected to see him either fight or team up with other characters from the Arrowverse. This opens the door for all sorts of possibilities, including guest appearances from characters connected to cancelled shows like Arrow and Supergirl. Also on the table are alliances with heroes from shows that are still on the air, such as Batwoman, Legends of Tomorrow, and of course, Superman & Lois. For the time being, there’s no word on which characters Team Flash will encounter when season 8 kicks off.
One of the most obvious options would be Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman, considering that he co-leads the Arrowverse’s most popular show right now. How it could work may have been teased in episode 14 by Jonathan’s conversation with his love interest, Tegan (Kayla Heller). She told Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) that before the move to Smallville, she and her mother lived in Central City. They relocated two years ago after her father was arrested. A reveal such as this normally wouldn’t raise eyebrows, but since Central City is the birthplace for the Arrowverse’s metahumans, it does raise suspicions about her father’s identity. If he’s a metahuman criminal, he could have history with Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen. He may even be an existing villain from the show. Alternatively, he could be a villain that Team Flash defeated and jailed off-screen at some point in the post-Crisis timeline.
Regardless, Tegan’s dad being a Central City metahuman would indeed set the stage for a crossover with the Flash. If he breaks out of prison, Barry could be sent to find him. If he’s an extremely dangerous foe, the authorities alone may not be enough to deal with him. Barry’s search for this criminal could very well lead him to Smallville, since that’s where his family now lives. The Flash arriving in Smallville and Tegan’s proximity to one of Clark’s sons could result in the two Arrowverse heroes working together.
It’s not often that Superman needs help beating a villain, but it is at least possible that this particular metahuman may have a power that Clark may have some difficulty countering. If that happens, assistance from the Flash would be in order. A team-up between the Last Son of Krypton and the Scarlet Speedster would promise to be an exciting adventure, especially since it’s never been properly done in the Arrowverse. The two have had plenty of crossovers in the comics, but their interactions have been limited thus far in the shows. Hopefully, The Flash season 8 will take steps to change that.