It’s Crossover Week here in the UK, and we’re ridiculously excited. With Arrow’s sister shows stronger than they’ve ever been, it’s time for them to get their sparkle on and sprinkle it all over their oldest sibling.
We’ve decided it was about time we definitively ranked the crossovers big and small.
NB We haven’t included the fact that all the characters from Legends Of Tomorrow appeared in either Arrow or The Flash first (or later appearances). Nor have we included Barry’s voice from LOT as he wasn’t actually in the episode.
14) Oliver Queen appears in the Season 2 premiere of Legends Of Tomorrow
With how Season One of Legends Of Tomorrow ended and how Season Two therefore began, we kind of felt a bit like this was crossover for crossovers sake rather than being a bit more interesting with who they used. Maybe we’re just a bit cynical, but whatever. We didn’t get the same feeling out of this as the others!
13) Arrow helps Flash against Captain Cold
Honestly, we mostly think this is a bit pointless… or just lazy storytelling. They definitely couldn’t have defeated Cold (Wentworth Miller) and sorted themselves out without Arrow (Stephen Amell)… Also, when did Oliver even have time to pop 600 miles to Central City for this? Colour us baffled. (See point 8)
12) The Second Annual crossover of Arrow and The Flash
It’s not like the two episodes are bad in any way, but they’re obviously a setup for Legends Of Tomorrow and introducing the Hawkpeople who were not the greatest thing about the first season (let’s put it this way, you can see why they replaced them for Season Two). It’s all good and well, but it just wasn’t as good as the first crossover, or most of the little appearances.
11) Laurel and Quentin Lance appear in The Flash
When Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Joe (Jesse L Martin) head to (then) Starling City, in ‘Who is Harrison Wells?’ to find out more about him, Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) and her father, Quentin (Paul Blackthorne). In return, Cisco gives Laurel a helping hand to becoming the Black Canary, her sonic device known as the Canary Cry. We love it when instead of these things randomly getting referenced they actually get shown.
10) Oliver inspired Barry to be a hero
While it’s quite a nice reference, to see the two of them crossing over from the very beginning, and Oliver telling Barry (Grant Gustin) that he has what it takes to be a hero. It’s sweet, and we’re totally here for it, but its very fleeting, and feels a bit like “Look what we can do!”
9) Cisco and Caitlin appear in Arrow
We love Cisco and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) and we have from their first appearance on Arrow (Season Two’s ‘Man Under The Hood’). They give the team an update on Barry’s coma, there’s the first mention of Iris (Candice Patton) and Cisco gives a very mischievous nod to his future alter-ego, Vibe, “You getting bad vibes off this guy?” We see what you did there!
8) Barry saves the team in Nanda Parbat
Things look a big dodgy for Team Arrow on Nanda Parbat, and because Arrow went to help Flash with his problem with Captain Cold, Barry returns the favour (seemingly the actual point for Oliver’s visit, one would assume). With most of Team Arrow in a room and slowly but surely meeting their ends, Barry appears to save the day and the team while Oliver faces off with Merlyn. He helps with that too.
7) Vixen appears in Arrow
Now a regular in Season Two of Legends Of Tomorrow, Vixen (now played by Maisie Richardson-Sellers) actually started Arrowverse life as a part of the cartoon, Vixen. Voice actress Megalyn EK brought her character into Arrow episode ‘Taken’. They use her knowledge and powers to get a lock on Darhk and locate his totem, magic thing. It goes fairly well, but obviously that doesn’t last for long.
6) The First Annual crossover of Arrow and The Flash
It was a massive event at the time, but when we reflect, it’s the moments above this that we have more sentiment over. The first crossover was brilliant, and the benchmark for the four-way event. It involves Oliver literally shooting Barry in the back (disguised as ‘training’), Oliver and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) getting the Flash team to figure out their problems and having to deal with a Barry that have been infiltrated by the current meta of the week. The bombs placed all over the city need Barry to flash people all over the shop in order to disarm them all at the same time, and it’s tense and it’s great. Now we think of it, we do have a lot of affection for it.
6) Felicity and Ray appear in The Flash
We will lay it out that we (and by ‘we’ I mean, me…) have a lot of love for Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh). So when he comes to Central City to get help from Team Flash on his ATOM suit, we love it. Plus, Ray and Felicity as a couple are underrated. The general plot of the episode if a bit ropey (we don’t care for the sheer amount of bee puns) but we love Ray and Cisco being massive nerds with each other. And Caitlin’s dig at “What is it with billionaires being superheroes?” always makes us chuckle.
5) Felicity makes her first appearance in The Flash
Felicity and Barry, the adorkably, awkward nerds, are perfectly perfect for each other. They said it themselves (like actually). But we know that they are never going to be. Barry is destined to be with Iris, and the Arrow writers have made it abundantly clear that Olicity (Oliver/Felicity to those not in the Tumblr world) are their endgame (despite recently developments). But Felicity’s first visit to Central City once she hears that Barry has woken up will always have a soft spot in our hearts. Just the group of them (Felicity, Barry, Caitlin and Cisco) being shamelessly nerdy is always heartening to watch.
4) Constantine appears in Arrow
While Constantine didn’t get the greatest ratings, and it was treated badly by NBC (if it was still on The CW and has been expressly listed as an Arrowverse show it would still be on air), when Matt Ryan appeared in Arrow episode ‘Haunted’, does some magic, makes some English quips, and leaves again. We’re still a bit mad that he didn’t show up later to help them defeat Damien Darhk, but Vixen is pretty cool, so we’re allow it.
3) Barry makes his first appearance in Arrow
It’s safe to say we fell for Barry’s awkward charms fairly quickly, his appearance (and subsequent setting him up as the Flash) in Arrow brought him to the forefront and Grant Gustin was a pleasure to watch. His instant connection to Felicity, his figuring out everything about Arrow from the clues, he’s a CSI after all. He knows, and he leaves Oliver with a mask at the end, because – let’s face it – the face smudge was a terrible idea. It could have been the start of something beautiful, if Barry and Felicity hadn’t been firmly in love with somebody else. And, of course, it ends with Barry getting struck by lightning.
2) Felicity informs Barry of the Flashpoint affects on the Arrowverse
We might be bias because ‘Paradox’ is one of our favourite episodes of The Flash, but Barry heading over to Starling City to having Felicity talk him through what he did – stop time travelling Barry, seriously – and we discover that the only seeming affect that Flashpoint had on Arrow was fact that Diggle has a son rather than a daughter. We’ll miss you Sara. We’re just suckers for Barry and Felicity’s friendship… we’ll just go and play with our Pop Funko’s in the corner now…
1) Barry crosses over into Supergirl
Nothing was ever going to beat this. The two of them out-adorabling each other was addictive and ridiculous and we are so excited for more of it. Gustin and Melissa Benoist have ridiculous chemistry with each other, bouncing back and forth like excitable puppies that have drank too much coffee. More of this please and thank you (less of the James (Mehcad Brooks) and Winn (Jeremy Jordan) being weirdly jealous of Barry, though, it’s a bit tired now…)
Do you agree, disagree? Think we’re completely mad? Will this new crossover completely blow this out of the water? Find out on Sky1 all this week at 8pm!
For more on Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and Legends Of Tomorrow and all the latest news, reviews and more get the new issue of SciFiNow.
