Superhero fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction examining the adventures , personalities and ethics of costumed crime fighters known as superheroes , who often possess superhuman powers and battle similarly powered criminals known as supervillains . The genre primarily falls between hard fantasy and soft science fiction in the spectrum of scientific realism. It is most commonly associated with American comic books , though it has expanded into other media through adaptations and original works.
229-430: The Arrowverse is an American superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series on CW Seed . The series were developed by Greg Berlanti , Marc Guggenheim , Andrew Kreisberg , Geoff Johns , Ali Adler , Phil Klemmer , Salim Akil , and Caroline Dries . Set in
458-654: A Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Tom Welling won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakout TV Star — Male in 2002. Allison Mack won the Teen Choice Best Sidekick award in 2006 and 2007, and in 2009 Welling received the Choice TV Actor Action Adventure award. Millar stated that Smallville "visually and aesthetically, was a celebration of Americana", with aspects such as Clark's red, white, and blue apparel. Being an "idyllic portrait of America", he said, helped
687-547: A cage match fight, with Black Canary and Arsenal vs. Dark Archer, Arrow vs. Ra's al Ghul, Flash vs. Captain Cold and Heat Wave, which is interrupted by Reverse-Flash, until Firestorm intervenes and the Atom makes an appearance at the end. In September 2016, The CW released the promo "Superhero Fight Club 2.0" to promote the start of the 2016–17 season with the addition of Supergirl to their lineup, as well as their new mobile app, where
916-448: A multiverse to allow "everyone to make the best possible product, to tell the best story, to do the best world." The second season of The Flash began to explore this concept of the multiverse, by introducing Earth-2, which features doppelgängers of the inhabitants of Earth-1. Supergirl was confirmed as an alternate universe, later designated Earth-38, with The Flash crossover episode "Worlds Finest" (2016). Freedom Fighters: The Ray
1145-520: A space opera story where the team goes to another planet to oppose the imperial forces of Blackfire and then return to Earth only to get involved in a relatively realistic urban crime story about runaways . The mythologies of many ancient civilizations feature pantheons of gods and goddesses with superhuman powers, as well as heroes such as Hanuman , Gilgamesh , Perseus , Odysseus and David and demigods like Heracles . Real life inspirations behind costumed superheroes can be traced back to
1374-494: A " rogues gallery " of such enemies. One of these supervillains might be the superhero's archenemy. Superheroes will sometimes combat other threats such as aliens, magical/fantasy entities, natural disasters, political ideologies such as Nazism or communism (and their proponents), and godlike or demonic creatures. Some superhero fiction portrays discrimination against superheroes, such as by the way of "Registration Acts" that mandate registration of superpowered individuals with
1603-574: A "Middle America landscape". The city provided a site for the Kent farm, doubled for Metropolis, provided a cheaper shooting location and was in the Los Angeles time zone. Smallville's Main Street is a combination of two locations in the town of Merritt and Cloverdale . Vancouver Technical School doubled as the exterior for Smallville High, since the school had the "mid-American largess" wanted by
1832-479: A "Superhero Registration Act" is passed, that requires superpowered individuals to not only register with the government, but to make themselves available to be drafted to respond to emergencies. The backlash against superheroes and metahumans in JLA: The Nail series has been compared to the real-life moral campaign against comic book superheroes in the mid-1950s. In an essay Ethan Faust argued that
2061-508: A "serialized show". According to Gough, although each succeeding season relied more on season-long story arcs, an occasional villain-of-the-week story was necessary. The villain-of-the-week stories were more harshly criticized by fans of the Superman mythology, but Gough wanted to please them and the WB's general audience (teenagers who preferred villain-of-the-week stories over episodes focusing on
2290-432: A "weird moment" that shows "the cracks [that] form when it's just two shows that have to work together on the regular." Tassi then noted the further complications of adding Supergirl , saying, "The more shows you have, the more heroes you introduce, the harder it is to keep explaining away why they're not constantly around to help each other. Supergirl already has that problem built-in with Superman, who it seems will not be
2519-462: A 2020 crossover would entail, with Guggenheim revealing in January 2020, that a general idea had been approved by Pedowitz and Berlanti. Guggenheim confirmed they had "no intention of trying something [as] ambitious" as the previous year's "Crisis on Infinite Earths", hoping "to really go back to the basics". He felt a crossover like "Crisis on Infinite Earths" was something "you've got to build to" and
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#17327731383692748-403: A Dramatic Series for "Sacred". Smallville's sixth season won a Best Dramatic Series Leo. James Marshall won Best Direction for "Zod", Caroline Cranstoun won Best Costume Design for her work on "Arrow" and James Philpott won Best Production Design for "Justice". In 2008, Smallville won Leos for Best Dramatic Series and Best Cinematography. The visual-effects team was recognized for its work on
2977-471: A French exchange student. Aspect published its final novel on March 1, 2004. Written by Devin K. Grayson , City follows Clark and Lex on a trip to Metropolis. In the city, they are caught between the Japanese Yakuza and a secret agent who thinks he has found an alien. In Little, Brown Young Readers' final novel, "Sparks" by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld, Chloe is hit by kryptonite sparks from
3206-449: A Series Emmy for season seven's "Bizarro". Smallville has received a number of Leo Awards . Make-up artist Natalie Cosco won two Leo Awards for Best Make-Up: for her work in the fourth-season episode "Scare" and in the sixth season's "Hypnotic" and "Wither". At the 2006 Leo Awards, Barry Donlevy won Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series for his work on the fourth-season episode "Spirit" and David Wilson won Best Production Design in
3435-614: A camp for disadvantaged youths. When a boy falls into Crater Lake, he develops the ability to foretell the future and Lionel tries to exploit this. Pete also tries to exploit Clark's abilities by tricking him into playing in a basketball game and betting on the outcome. Alan Grant returned to write Curse , about a gravedigger who unleashes a 150-year-old curse onto Smallville and Clark's attempts to put things right. On February 1, 2004 Little, Brown Young Readers published Suzan Colon's Temptation , where Clark uses red kryptonite in an attempt to impress Lana and Chloe when they are infatuated with
3664-616: A dark path. Roth appreciated Clark's conflict in dealing with the fact that his arrival caused so much pain. The creators also had to address why Lex Luthor would socialize with young people. They created a loneliness in the character which they felt would drive him to reach out to the teenagers, a loneliness echoed in Clark and Lana. Gough and Millar wanted a parallel to the Kents and created Lionel Luthor , Lex's father, whom they saw as conducting an "experiment in extreme parenting". They wanted
3893-418: A fictional universe where all of The CW series exist together. On September 22, 2020, it was announced that Supergirl would conclude after its sixth season. A backdoor pilot for a potential spinoff based on Painkiller was in development, directed by Salim Akil , and aired as the seventh episode of the fourth season of Black Lightning with Jordan Calloway reprising his role from the show. On November 16,
4122-466: A fireworks display. The sparks make Chloe the desire of every man, but when they wear off an admirer kidnaps her and she is rescued by Clark. Smallville ' s first venture into comics was "Elemental", a one-off story by Gough and Millar which appeared in TV Guide during the series' first season and set in that period. Before the start of season two, DC Comics published a one-off comic based on
4351-513: A five-part crossover with episodes of Supergirl , Batwoman , The Flash , Arrow , and Legends of Tomorrow . Additional crossovers include " Worlds Finest ", an episode which sees Barry Allen travel to Supergirl's Earth for the first time, and " Duet ", a musical crossover with The Flash and Supergirl . For the 2021–22 season, the eighth season of The Flash began with a five-episode event known as " Armageddon " that featured additional heroes and actors from other Arrowverse series. Pedowitz said
4580-411: A ghostly presence in a Smallville house. Little, Brown Young Readers then published Animal Rage by David and Bobby Weiss, about animal-rights activist Heather Fox (who can change into any animal she touches). Heather uses this ability to harm people who hurt animals until Clark discovers it and stops her. Aspect published Dean Wesley Smith 's Whodunit , in which Clark, Chloe, Lana and Pete investigate
4809-568: A global audience. The first original major shared superhero universe to develop on the Internet was Superguy , which first appeared on a UMNEWS mailing list in 1989. In 1992, a cascade on the USENET newsgroup rec.arts.comics would give birth to the Legion of Net. Heroes shared universe. In 1994, LNH writers contributed to the creation of the newsgroup rec.arts.comics.creative , which spawned
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#17327731383695038-541: A good time, but veteran viewers were rewarded with major storyline motion." Following the release of the first trailer for Supergirl , Paul Tassi wrote for Forbes about why he felt that series should be kept separate from the Arrowverse: He called the moment in the Arrow third-season finale where Barry Allen appears briefly, but abruptly leaves since " Arrow needs to let its own characters solve its problems",
5267-601: A hooded vigilante known as the Green Arrow. Crime-scene investigator Barry Allen awakens from a nine-month coma after being struck by lightning due to the S.T.A.R. Labs ' particle accelerator explosion and finds himself with superhuman speed. Barry vows to use his new powers to protect Central City as the Flash, a masked superhero, while he pursues his mother's murderer, the Reverse-Flash . Kara Zor-El , who
5496-422: A larger multiverse. Andy Muschietti , director of The Flash (2023), revealed that Gustin had been considered to make a cameo appearance in the film, but was ultimately cut. In The Flash episode " Welcome to Earth-2 " (2016), glimpses of the multiverse are seen, including an image of John Wesley Shipp as the Flash from the 1990 television series , implying that the series exists on an alternate Earth within
5725-467: A letter column of the pulp magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories , the word superhero was used to define the title character of the comic strip Zarnak by Max Plaisted. Historians point to the first appearance of Superman , created by Jerome "Jerry" Siegel and designed by Joseph "Joe" Shuster , in Action Comics #1 (June 1938) as the debut of the comic-book archetype of the superhero. Outside
5954-447: A live-action appearance on The Flash and/or Arrow as well. The next month, it was reported that another spin-off series, described as a superhero team-up show, was being discussed by The CW for a possible 2015–16 midseason release. Berlanti, Kreisberg, Guggenheim and Sarah Schechter would be executive producers of the potential series, which would be headlined by several recurring characters from both Arrow and The Flash . That May,
6183-437: A local multicultural festival. In Buried Secrets Clark and Lex fall in love with a mind-reading substitute Spanish teacher, jeopardizing their friendship. On September 9, 2004, Aspect published Diana G. Gallagher 's Shadows , about a girl and her father who move to Smallville; the father creates murderous monsters. Jonathan Kent assumes that the deaths are related to LuthorCorp, creating tension with his son. Clark discovers
6412-639: A moral crusade in which comics were blamed for juvenile delinquency and the United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency began. The movement was spearheaded by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham , who argued in Seduction of the Innocent , that "deviant" sexual undertones ran rampant in superhero comics . In 2012, his methodology was reviewed and his results were found to be misleading if not falsified. In response,
6641-545: A more somber tone. Superboy ran from 1988 to 1992 in syndication. In the 1990s, the Power Rangers , adapted from the Japanese Super Sentai , became popular. Other shows targeting teenage and young adult audiences that decade included Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman . In 2001, Smallville retooled Superman 's origin as a teen drama. The 2006 NBC series Heroes tells
6870-571: A nightmare to try and do both shows. We had to facilitate one." Gustin was optimistic that the crossover in 2016 would allow another crossover the following year with the rest of the Arrowverse shows. In May, it was announced that Supergirl would move from CBS to The CW for its second season, and that production would move from Los Angeles to Vancouver, where the CW Arrowverse series film. The second season premiered on October 10, 2016. It
7099-409: A nostalgic treatment in the 2004 Disney / Pixar release The Incredibles , which utilized computer animation . Original superheroes with basis in older trends have also been made for television, such as Disney's Gargoyles by Greg Weisman and Cartoon Network 's Ben 10 franchise and Nickelodeon 's Danny Phantom . Beginning 1940s, the radio serial Superman starred Bud Collyer as
Arrowverse - Misplaced Pages Continue
7328-471: A number of opportunities to try different music to enhance an episode's storyline. Pyken and Wade-Reed chose and coordinated music on the show when Snow and Febre's scores were not used. In season three's "Slumber", producer Ken Horton wondered if they could get a band to provide music for the entire episode. During a breakfast meeting with the music department of Warner Bros. R.E.M. was suggested, and Pyken and Wade-Reed immediately saw an opportunity to connect
7557-428: A number of original superhero shared universes. Magazine-style websites that publish superhero fiction include Metahuman Press , active since 2005, and Freedom Fiction Journal . Superhuman fiction has also appeared in general science fiction / speculative fiction web publications, such as the weekly Strange Horizons , a publication that pays its contributors. Two examples there are Paul Melko's "Doctor Mighty and
7786-612: A plot device developed by Gough and Millar. Smallville ' s first season primarily dealt with Clark Kent 's coming to terms with his alien origin and the revelation that his arrival on Earth was connected to the death of Lana Lang 's parents. After the first season the series had fewer villain-of-the-week episodes, focusing instead on individual-character story arcs and exploring Clark's origins. Major storylines include Clark's discovery of his Kryptonian heritage and Lex Luthor 's escalating conflict with his father, Lionel. The disembodied voice of Clark's biological father, Jor-El ,
8015-529: A potential Supergirl / Arrowverse crossover, so "Watch and wait and see what happens." The following month, it was announced that Gustin would appear on the Supergirl episode " Worlds Finest ". Berlanti and Kreisberg, also Supergirl executive producers, thanked "the fans and journalists who have kept asking for this to happen. It is our pleasure and hope to create an episode worthy of everyone's enthusiasm and support." In "Worlds Finest", Supergirl
8244-490: A prestigious university, with Diggle overseeing their education and training. Ramsey would also direct the pilot if ordered, with Berlanti, Schechter, David Madden, and Johns executive producing alongside Narducci and Clack. In March 2022, The Flash and Superman & Lois were both confirmed for a ninth and third season respectively, carrying them through the 2022–23 television season . In April 2022, Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow were both canceled. On August 1, 2022, it
8473-458: A ratings record for a WB debut, with 8.4 million viewers. Over ten seasons, the series averaged about 4.34 million viewers per episode, with season two the highest-rated at 6.3 million. By the end of its run, Smallville passed Stargate SG-1 as the longest-running North American science fiction series by episode count. Since its first season , the series has received accolades ranging from Emmys to Teen Choice Awards . Smallville spawned
8702-421: A regular fixture on the show, and I'm sure there will be many excuses as to why he's too busy to help Supergirl fight her latest battle. Add in Arrow , The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow mythology, and it's probably too much to juggle....I think Supergirl deserves to launch without Arrow and The Flash on its shoulders, and be allowed to find itself before being assimilated into an existing universe." With
8931-565: A relatively minor Marvel Comics character that premiered at over $ 100 million in February, a time of year generally considered poor for movie audience interest . It was an observation further confirmed in 2018 when Black Panther was an even grander success with a $ 235 million debut in the same time of year, and later became the first superhero film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture . Avengers: Endgame became
9160-614: A secret identity; such characters as the Green Hornet and the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh , would follow. Likewise, the science-fiction heroes John Carter of Mars , Buck Rogers , and Flash Gordon , with their futuristic weapons and gadgets; Tarzan , with his high degree of athleticism and strength, and his ability to communicate with animals; Robert E. Howard 's Conan the Barbarian and the biologically modified Hugo Danner of
9389-664: A series centered on the Yara Flor version of Wonder Girl was in development from Gerg Berlanti and Dailyn Rodriguez. On November 20, 2020, Black Lightning was announced to conclude after its fourth season. The CW officially passed on the Arrow -spinoff Green Arrow and the Canaries in January 2021, passed on Wonder Girl in February 2021, and passed on the Black Lightning -spinoff Painkiller in May 2021. In February 2021,
Arrowverse - Misplaced Pages Continue
9618-473: A series of young adult novels , a DC Comics bimonthly comic book, soundtracks , and series-related merchandise. All ten seasons are available on DVD in regions 1, 2, and 4 . After the series finale in 2011, the story resumed in comic book form, with 22 issues of Season 11 from April 2012 to November 2013. The regular cast is introduced in season one , with storylines involving a villain deriving power from kryptonite exposure. The one-episode villains were
9847-445: A series on a young Superman. That year, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar developed a pilot based on the film Eraser . After watching the pilot, Roth approached Gough and Millar about developing a pilot about a young Superman; the two made a "no tights, no flights" rule that Clark would not fly or wear the Superman suit during the series. Gough and Millar wanted to strip Superman to his "bare essence", exploring why Clark Kent became
10076-408: A series regular across any of the shows in the Arrowverse. The deal was initially focused on Miller and his characters of Leonard and Leo Snart appearing on The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow . Berlanti stated that Miller's deal was "the first contract not applicable to just one show," adding "In success we hope to continue with other characters finding their way across all the shows." Barrowman signed
10305-519: A shared fictional multiverse much like the DC Universe and DC Multiverse in comic books, it was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast and characters that span six live-action television series and two animated series. The franchise began with Arrow , based on the character Green Arrow , which debuted in October 2012. It was followed by The Flash in 2014, and
10534-456: A similar deal to Miller in July 2016, allowing him to continue being a series regular on Arrow as well as The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow , followed by Cassidy for her character Laurel Lance. List indicators Yearly crossover events in the Arrowverse began in the 2013–14 television season , when Barry Allen was introduced in the eighth episode of Arrow ' s second season ahead of
10763-952: A special kind of hero and turned it down. The storyline was concluded in 2022 in The Flash ' s season 8 episode " The Man in the Yellow Tie ". After the revelation that Superman & Lois is set in an adjacent universe, the Diggle appearing in that series was confirmed to be an alternate version of the Arrowverse character. In the Superman & Lois episode, Diggle is seen in Smallville aiding Superman and Lois Lane. In October 2014, Johns explained that DC's approach to their films and television series would be different from Marvel Studios ' cinematic universe , stating that their film universe and TV universes would be kept separate within
10992-406: A supernatural weapon, Penny dreadfuls , shilling shockers , dime novels , radio programs , and other popular fiction of the late 19th and early 20th centuries featured mysterious, swashbuckling heroes with distinct costumes, unusual abilities and altruistic missions. The 1903 play The Scarlet Pimpernel and its spinoffs further popularized the idea of a masked avenger and the superhero trope of
11221-604: A supervillain to advance the plot. Comic book writer Gail Simone has coined the term " Women in Refrigerators " (named after an incident in Green Lantern #54 where Kyle Rayner 's girlfriend Alex DeWitt is murdered by the supervillain Major Force and stuffed into Rayner's refrigerator ) to refer to this practice. Many works of superhero fiction occur in a shared fictional universe , sometimes (as in
11450-545: A through-line between each appearance. The Batwoman , Flash , Superman & Lois , and Supergirl episodes explore what Diggle has been up to since the end of "Arrow" when he encountered a glowing green box. Ramsey spoke to the grounded nature of Diggle as a character, and given that, "he refused the invitation of whatever was in the box" since the last thing he would want to do is "receive an invitation from something otherworldly". However, there are consequences for Diggle with that decision. His appearance on Superman & Lois
11679-411: A video about the production of Vixen ' s first season, Guggenheim referred to the series' shared universe as the "Arrowverse". Kreisberg confirmed that this was the name the producers used for it. The universe has also been referred to by the media as the "Flarrowverse", "Berlanti-verse" and "DC TV-verse". In September 2020, The CW released a trailer for the various series that would be airing on
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#173277313836911908-408: A week. After the series concluded, TNT began airing episodes on October 3, 2011. Smallville began streaming on Hulu on October 1, 2016. Smallville set a WB record as its highest-rated series debut, with 8.4 million viewers tuned in for the pilot. Its premiere set a WB record for adults aged 18–34 and finished first among viewers aged 12–34, with Warner Bros. president Jordan Levin crediting
12137-408: A weekly TV show. It gives it a lot more production value and inventiveness than I thought I was going to see when I first heard about the series. I think the show is doing a really good job following the mythology, and Tom is doing a good job following the tradition. According to MTV's Karl Heitmueller, Smallville's Clark Kent was a better representation of the original material and remained "true to
12366-514: A wide variety of story genres such as Fantasy , Science fiction , Mystery , Horror , Crime fiction etc. that put superhero characters in a vast variety and combinations of story settings and fiction tropes with their presence the major common element. As such, it has become an expected element to superhero fiction for the heroic characters to be placed in nearly any story situation, including relatively down-to-Earth drama with their personal lives out of costume. For instance, The New Teen Titans
12595-464: A world in the multiverse where the Nazis won World War II. This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in at least two series and as a member of the principal cast for at least one of those, or appearing across at least three series. After Miller's exit as a series regular during Legends of Tomorrow ' s first season, it was revealed he signed a deal with Warner Bros. to become
12824-416: A young actress who wants to attend Juilliard . Dawn, who can become invisible, wants to get revenge on the people who have been talking behind her back but is stopped by Clark. See No Evil was one of the original storylines for season one's "Shimmer". On November 1, 2002, Aspect published Alan Grant's Smallville: Dragon , about an ex-convict who assumes the abilities and appearance of a dragon after he
13053-422: A younger Kent couple, to be involved in Clark's life and help him on his journey. Chloe Sullivan (another character created for the series) was considered the "outsider" the show needed to ensure that someone would notice the strange happenings in Smallville rather than a "precursor to Lois Lane ". Smallville has been described by Warner Bros. as a from-the-roots reinterpretation of Superman mythology. Since
13282-502: Is Sarutobi Sasuke , a superhero ninja from children's novels in the 1910s. By 1914, his abilities included superhuman strength, chanting incantations, appearing and disappearing, jumping to the top of the highest trees, riding on clouds, conjuring the elements (water, fire and wind), and transforming into other people or animals. In 1938, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster , who had previously worked in pulp science fiction magazines, introduced Superman . (Siegel, as
13511-405: Is a type of stock character possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers" and dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes—ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas—have dominated American comic books and crossed over into other media. The word itself dates to at least 1917. A female superhero
13740-459: Is being abused by her father, and teach her to overcome her fear of flying so she can find her mother. Flight (like See No Evil ) was a planned episode, but the crew was uncertain that they could get the flying effects right and the idea was scrapped. Nancy Holder wrote the third novel in the Aspect series. Published on January 1, 2003, Hauntings follows Clark and his friends as they investigate
13969-602: Is established as being in an alternate universe where the Flash helps Kara fight the Silver Banshee and Livewire in exchange for her help in returning home. The events of the episode intersect with the events of the eighteenth episode of The Flash season two, "Versus Zoom". The crossover required "a lot more logistical trickery" than the usual Arrowverse crossovers, due to Gustin filming The Flash in Vancouver alongside Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow , while Supergirl
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#173277313836914198-423: Is exposed to kryptonite in a cave; the mutation drives him to try to kill everyone who testified against him. In the novel, Clark is hypnotized into believing that he is a normal teenager with no special abilities. A month after the publication of Grant's novel Bennett and Gottesfeld wrote Little, Brown Young Readers' Flight , about a young girl (Tia) who Clark discovers has wings. He and his friends believe that Tia
14427-786: Is introduced; he communicates to Clark through his spaceship, setting the stage for plots involving his role in fulfilling Clark's earthly destiny. In a fourth-season arc Clark, instructed by Jor-El, searches for three Kryptonian stones which contain the knowledge of the universe and form his Fortress of Solitude . Clark battles Brainiac in his attempts to release the Kryptonian criminal General Zod , and must capture (or destroy) other escaped Phantom Zone criminals. His cousin Kara arrives, and Lex Luthor discovers Clark's secret. The eighth season introduces Davis Bloome ( Smallville ' s version of Doomsday ), and Tess Mercer replaces
14656-430: Is rarely permanent, as characters who die are often brought back to life through supernatural means or via retcons (retroactive changes to the continuity), the alteration of previously established facts in the continuity of a fictional work. Fans have termed the practice of bringing back dead characters " comic book death ". Another common trait of superhero fiction is the killing off of a superhero's significant other by
14885-433: Is safe at home, the colors are "warm and gentle" earth tones and the camera movement is "very gentle". When Clark is keeping his secret and not in danger, the lighting is more neutral and the camera more mobile. When danger is present, the lighting becomes colder and the camera is handheld to allow for more "extreme angles". In Metropolis "clean, hard-lined architecture" predominates, with blues, purples and reflective metals
15114-402: Is set on Earth-X. The 2019 crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths", inspired by the comic of the same name , destroyed all of the universes within the Arrowverse multiverse, both on- and off-screen. At the time, the highest-numbered universe to be referenced was Earth-898, (later 1938) though the multiverse contained an infinite number of universes. The end of "Crisis on Infinite Earths" saw
15343-637: Is sometimes called a superheroine (also rendered super-heroine or super heroine). In the United States, the term "SUPER HEROES" is a registered trademark co-owned by DC Comics and Marvel Comics . By most definitions, characters do not strictly require actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes, although terms such as costumed crime fighters or masked vigilantes are sometimes used to refer to those such as Batman and Green Arrow without such powers who share other common superhero traits. Such characters were generally referred to as "mystery men" in
15572-583: The Daily Planet and introducing other DC comic book superheroes and villains . Before the production, Bruce Wayne , a drama series chronicling the young protagonist's journey toward Batman , was proposed first. Although that series failed to generate interest, it inspired the idea of a Superman origin story , which later became Smallville . Gotham later used that idea three years after Smallville ' s conclusion. Series developers Gough and Millar pitched their "no tights, no flights" rule to
15801-649: The 2019–20 television season . On March 6, 2019, it was announced that the eighth season of Arrow would be the final season of the series, with an abbreviated ten-episode season. On May 7, The CW ordered Batwoman to series. Discussing a potential Black Lightning crossover with the Arrowverse in July 2019, Cress Williams revealed that "there's been lots of talk [...] nothing official, but at this point, I wouldn't be surprised." Two weeks later in August, Williams confirmed reports that characters from Black Lightning would appear in "Crisis on Infinite Earths". Also in August, it
16030-500: The Arrowverse franchise: Arrow , The Flash , Supergirl , Legends of Tomorrow , Black Lightning , and Batwoman . All series in total amount to 699 episodes across 37 seasons of television. Billionaire playboy Oliver Queen returns home after being stranded on a deserted island for five years. Upon his return to Starling City , Oliver rekindles his relationships and spends his nights hunting down wealthy criminals as
16259-589: The Batwoman characters in this crossover after she "was really protective of them in 'Crisis' because it was like blowing open a whole genre world to our characters, but now people are a little bit more integrated" to the larger Arrowverse. In August 2020, Berlanti reiterated that "aspirations aren't quite as large" for the crossover, particularly with the COVID-19 pandemic necessitating additional safety precautions and guidelines for filming. However, by January 2021,
16488-539: The Silver Age of comic books . The Flash , Green Lantern , Hawkman and several others were recreated with new origin stories. While past superheroes resembled mythological heroes in their origins and abilities, these heroes were inspired by contemporary science fiction . In 1960, DC banded its most popular heroes together in the Justice League of America , which became a sales phenomenon. Empowered by
16717-642: The X-Men , and the Justice League , have been published, often marketed in association with TV series , as have Big Little Books starring the Fantastic Four and others. In the 1990s and 2000s, Marvel and DC released novels adapting such story arcs as " The Death of Superman ", " Planet Hulk ", " Wonder Woman: Earth One ", " Spider-Man: Birth of Venom " and Batman 's " No Man's Land ". Original superhero or superhuman fiction has appeared in both novel and short story print forms unrelated to adaptations from
16946-516: The comic-strip hero The Phantom , starting with 1943's Son of the Phantom . The character likewise returned in 1970s books, with a 15-installment series from Avon Books beginning in 1972, written by Phantom creator Lee Falk , Ron Goulart , and others. Also during the 1970s, Pocket Books published 11 novels based on Marvel Comics characters. Juvenile novels featuring Marvel Comics and DC Comics characters including Batman , Spider-Man ,
17175-530: The government , or laws that regulate extra-legal vigilante activity. For example, in the alternate universe of the Watchmen , first published in 1986, a backlash against superheroes leads to the passage of the "Keene Act", a federal law that prohibits "costumed adventuring" except by superheroes working for the government. A similar device was used in the Marvel Comics universe in the mid-2000s, where
17404-419: The highest-grossing film of all time . In 2017, the film Sign Gene featured about deaf superheroes who use sign language . Several live-action superhero programs aired from the early 1950s until the late 1970s. These included Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves , the action-comedy Batman series of the 1960s (often interpreted as being campy ) starring Adam West and Burt Ward . In
17633-612: The " masked vigilantes " of the American Old West such as the San Diego Vigilantes and the Bald Knobbers who fought and killed outlaws while wearing masks. The character of Spring Heeled Jack , who first emerged as an urban legend of the early 19th century, was re-conceived as a masked and costumed adventurer during the 1890s. The hero's journey is a well-known archetypal story type in which
17862-585: The 1940s with the first film adaptation of a comic book superhero being The Adventures of Captain Marvel in 1941. The decline of these serials meant the death of superhero films until the release of 1978's Superman , a critical and commercial success. Several sequels followed in the 1980s. 1989's Batman was also highly successful and followed by several sequels in the 1990s. Yet while both franchises were initially successful, later sequels in both series fared poorly both artistically and financially, stunting
18091-424: The 1940s. When Fawcett Comics went out of business as such, DC Comics, which had been embroiled in a bitter copyright dispute with Fawcett Comics over Captain Marvel, bought out the copyright to not only the character but also his ancillary "Marvel Family" of heroes and villains. During World War II , superheroes grew in popularity, surviving paper rationing and the loss of many writers and illustrators to service in
18320-433: The 1960s, superhero cartoons have been a staple of children's television, particularly in the U.S.. However, by the early 1970s, US broadcasting restrictions on violence in children's entertainment led to series that were extremely tame, a trend exemplified by the series Super Friends . Meanwhile, Japan's anime industry successfully contributed its own style of superhero series, such as Science Ninja Team Gatchaman . In
18549-420: The 1970s however, the genre would find a newfound credibility in the medium with the original series, The Six Million Dollar Man and its spinoff, The Bionic Woman , being sustained successes. This led to direct adaptations of comic-book superheroes such as ABC / CBS drama series Wonder Woman of the 1970s starring Lynda Carter . The Incredible Hulk of the late 1970s and early 1980s, however, had
18778-580: The 1980s, the Saturday morning cartoon Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends brought together Spider-Man , Iceman , and Firestar . The following decade, Batman: The Animated Series , which was aimed at somewhat older audiences, found critical success in mainstream publications. This series led to the successful DC Animated Universe franchise and other adaptations such as Teen Titans , which Marvel emulated with X-Men and Spider-Man: The Animated Series . Comics' superhero mythos itself received
19007-623: The American comics industry, superpowered, costumed superheroes, such as Ōgon Bat (1931) and the Prince of Gamma ( ガンマ王子 ) (early 1930s), were visualized in painted panels used by kamishibai oral storytellers in Japan. They both anticipated elements of Superman and Batman. Prince of Gamma, for example, had an extraterrestrial origin story and a secret identity (his alter ego was a street urchin ), much like Superman. An earlier example from Japan
19236-435: The Arrowverse multiverse; Shipp reprised his role as Barry Allen / The Flash from the 1990 series in the annual crossover events " Elseworlds " (2018), and " Crisis on Infinite Earths " (2019). His native universe was designated Earth-90 in the pre-Crisis multiverse. By May 2015, Amell had had discussions with DC Entertainment about portraying Queen on NBC ' s Constantine , starring Matt Ryan ; saying, "The reason that I
19465-595: The Arrowverse's longest crossover, and that the five parts would not air on consecutive nights, as with previous crossovers. Instead, three episodes would air in December 2019 and two in January 2020. It would also include Batwoman and Legends , which were not part of the "Elseworlds" crossover. In January 2019, Batwoman received a pilot pick-up from the CW. On January 31, 2019, the four series already running on The CW were confirmed for further seasons, carrying them through
19694-406: The Arrowverse's name, that fans and the media would not "suddenly start" using the name, and if The CW kept using the term, could "lead to a situation where the universe is called one thing officially, but another entirely by the majority of people who watch it". In May 2021, when discussing the 2021–22 season of shows, Pedowitz referred to the series as the "CWverse". Six television series make up
19923-572: The Arrowverse, but because a lot of the other shows are sadly no longer going to be on the air, it felt like the right thing to do." In April 2015, to celebrate the season three finale of Arrow and season one finale of The Flash , The CW released a short promo titled "Superhero Fight Club". The short features characters from Arrow and The Flash battling each other in a hero vs. villain showdown. Characters include The Arrow, Flash, Arsenal , Black Canary , Dark Archer , Reverse-Flash, Captain Cold , Heat Wave , Firestorm , Ra's al Ghul , and Atom in
20152-480: The Arrowverse, that were slowly removed. Once they were, it "became a can of worms" to try to tie into the universe, with Helbing discussing with DC during the first season that the series would instead be on an alternate earth, which he could not reveal publicly until the end of the second season, which concluded in June 2022. At that time he said, "I totally understand DC's position... This wasn't meant to alienate us from
20381-410: The Arrowverse. He said the two were the same character with "the same DNA", and likened each appearance to that of different comic book writers and artists working with the character: "He has the same outline, but he looks different. The hair is slightly different. He has a slightly different cadence sometimes. Different artists and different writers write him in different ways." Ryan also noted that while
20610-564: The CW officially confirmed DC's Legends of Tomorrow for a January 2016 premiere. Pedowitz later stated, "There is no intention, at this point, to spin anything else off" to add to the universe, though after Vixen was renewed for a second season he said, "Hopefully, that character could actually spin itself out, if not, maybe join as one of the Legends" in Legends of Tomorrow . In October, additional Arrow showrunner Wendy Mericle revealed that
20839-754: The Case of Ennui" and Saladin Ahmed's "Doctor Diablo Goes Through the Motions". The web serial Worm began publication in 2011 and completed in 2013 while its sequel, Ward , began in November 2017 and completed in May 2020. Smallville Smallville is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar , based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster . The series
21068-817: The Coast Discoveries imprint, 2008); Austin Grossman's Soon I Will Be Invincible ( Pantheon Books , 2007); Lavie Tidhar 's The Violent Century (Hodder & Stoughton, 2013), David J. Schwartz's Superpowers: A Novel ( Three Rivers Press , 2008); Matthew Cody's Powerless ( Knopf , 2009); Van Allen Plexico 's Sentinels series of superhero novels (Swarm/Permuted Press, beginning in 2008); and Marissa Meyer 's Renegades trilogy. Collections of superhuman short stories include Who Can Save Us Now?: Brand-New Superheroes and Their Amazing (Short) Stories , edited by Owen King and John McNally (Free Press, 2008), and Masked , edited by Lou Anders (Gallery, 2010). With
21297-535: The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) in "Crisis on Infinite Earths" opened up more possibilities for crossovers between the DC films and Arrowverse. DC Films president Walter Hamada revealed prior to "Crisis", DC had been structured in a way that the television division had to clear the use of characters with the film division. Now, the company could "really lean into this idea of [the multiverse] and acknowledge
21526-563: The God of War " and " Daddy Darhkest ", with the appearance taking place chronologically after "Haunted", revisiting the setting of Arrow ' s fourth season and the events following that season's final episode. Klemmer described the tone of the episodes as " The Exorcist meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ". Ryan was made a series regular for the fourth season of Legends of Tomorrow . Jesse Schedeen of IGN felt in October 2018 that none of
21755-602: The Golden Age and the Sub-Mariner , from Marvel Comics (then called Timely Comics and later re-branded Atlas Comics ), and Plastic Man and Phantom Lady from Quality Comics were also hits. Will Eisner 's The Spirit , featured in a comic strip , would become a considerable artistic inspiration to later comic book creators. The era's most popular superhero, however, was Fawcett Comics 's Captain Marvel , whose exploits regularly outsold those of Superman during
21984-496: The Man of Steel. They felt that because they were not comic book fans or familiar with the universe, they would have an unbiased approach to the series. Gough and Millar learned about the characters, researching the comics and choosing what they liked. They pitched their idea to the WB and Fox on the same day. A bidding war between the networks followed, with the WB committing to thirteen episodes. Although Roth, Gough and Millar knew
22213-456: The Man of Steel. The first four seasons focus on the high school life of Clark and his friends, his complicated romance with neighbor girl Lana Lang ( Kristin Kreuk ), and his friendship with future nemesis Lex Luthor ( Michael Rosenbaum ). From season five onwards, Smallville ventures into Clark's early adult years, eventually focusing on his career alongside Lois Lane ( Erica Durance ) at
22442-569: The November 2004 reacquisition of Superboy by the Siegel family , a copyright infringement dispute has arisen over ownership of the fictional town of Smallville and a claimed similarity between Superboy and Smallville ' s Clark Kent. According to the Siegel heirs, " Smallville is part of the Superboy copyright" (which they hold). In April 2008, after seven seasons with the series, Gough and Millar left Smallville . The developers thanked
22671-487: The Superman mythology). Christopher Reeve , star of the Superman films , expressed his approval of the show: I was a little bit skeptical when I heard about [ Smallville ] at first, but I must say the writing, the acting, and the special effects are quite remarkable. In 1977, a big stunt scene would have taken us a week to film—it's pretty impressive what they are able to do with computers and effects technology today on
22900-531: The TV series, there was an occasional continuity overlap because of differences in production schedule between the comic and the series. In one instance, the comic book showed Clark robbing an ATM and the season-three premiere showed him robbing multiple ATMs. The series tied into the TV series, the Chloe Chronicles webisodes and Smallville -related webpages, with cast and crew interviews and information on
23129-525: The Vampire Slayer , Angel , The Phantom Captain Nice , Mr. Terrific , The Green Hornet , Electra Woman and Dyna Girl , The Greatest American Hero , Dark Angel , No Ordinary Family and Alias . In the 1940s, Fleischer / Famous Studios produced a number of groundbreaking Superman cartoons, which became the first examples of superheroes in animation . Since
23358-403: The actor cast as Raymond "Ray" Terrill would appear in the live-action series, much like Mari McCabe / Vixen. In May 2017, The CW ordered Black Lightning to series. The series had previously been in development at Fox , at which point Berlanti had stated Black Lightning would not crossover with his other DC Comics television properties on The CW, nor would it exist in the Arrowverse. With
23587-459: The animated web series Vixen in 2015. The franchise further expanded in January 2016 with the debut of Legends of Tomorrow , starring characters who previously appeared on both Arrow and The Flash . Later that year, the CBS series Supergirl , having already crossed over with The Flash , moved to The CW for the remainder of its run. A second animated web series, Freedom Fighters: The Ray ,
23816-404: The animated web series, Freedom Fighters: The Ray , and featured characters and concepts from that series. The 2018–19 crossover, " Elseworlds ", included Supergirl , The Flash , and Arrow and saw the introduction of Batwoman ahead of her debut in her own series. At the end of "Elseworlds", it was revealed that the 2019–20 television season crossover would be " Crisis on Infinite Earths ",
24045-560: The armed forces. The need for simple tales of good triumphing over evil may explain the wartime popularity of superheroes. Publishers responded with stories in which superheroes battled the Axis Powers and the patriotically themed superheroes, most notably Marvel's Captain America as well as DC's Wonder Woman . Like other pop-culture figures of the time, Superheroes were used to promote domestic propaganda during wartime, ranging from
24274-691: The bulk of their properties to the copyright owner's, Disney , to its own streaming service, Disney+ . DC series include Shazam! , The Secrets of Isis , The Flash (1990 TV series) , Birds of Prey and Gotham . Arrowverse series include The Flash (2014 TV series) , Supergirl , Legends of Tomorrow and Constantine . Marvel series include The Amazing Spider-Man , Spidey Super Stories and Mutant X . Netflix series include Daredevil , Jessica Jones , Luke Cage , Iron Fist and The Defenders . Japanese tokusatsu series include Ultraman , Spectreman and Kamen Rider . Other series include- Buffy
24503-476: The cases of the DC and Marvel Universes ) establishing a fictional continuity of thousands of works spread over many decades. Changes to continuity are also common, ranging from small changes to established continuity, commonly called retcons , to full reboots , erasing all previous continuity. It is also common for works of superhero fiction to contain established characters and setting while occurring outside of
24732-475: The cast and crew for their work, acknowledging that they never stopped fighting for what they saw as "their vision" of the show. The reason for their departure was not provided. Gough and Millar were replaced as showrunners by Todd Slavkin , Darren Swimmer , Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson. All began writing for the series at the start of the second season, and were executive producers by the seventh season. In 2009, after one season, Swimmer and Slavkin took over
24961-435: The chance to extend Matt Ryan's run as Constantine by at least one more hour of television. I think you'll see he fits very neatly into our universe. It never feels forced". In July 2017, Guggenheim indicated that "really good conversations" had taken place with Ryan to appear again in the Arrowverse, and in October 2017, it was revealed that Ryan would appear in two episodes of the third season of Legends of Tomorrow , " Beebo
25190-466: The character Green Arrow and developed by Andrew Kreisberg , Greg Berlanti , and Marc Guggenheim . Stephen Amell was cast in the titular role. When developing the series, Guggenheim said that the creative team wanted to "chart [their] own course, [their] own destiny", and avoid any direct connections to the series Smallville , which featured its own Green Arrow ( Justin Hartley ). In July 2013, it
25419-422: The character debuted in the " Elseworlds " crossover event. The series, if picked up, would be written by Caroline Dries , with plans to air in 2019. In August, Ruby Rose was cast as Kate Kane / Batwoman. In December, it was announced that " Crisis on Infinite Earths " would be the fifth annual crossover, following the "Elseworlds" crossover. Further details explained that "Crisis" would run for five hours, marking
25648-547: The character's Arrowverse appearances thus far "really directly reference the events of the Constantine series, leaving it up in the air as to whether this John Constantine is the same character from that series or if Ryan is merely playing a different, very similar version of his character." In November 2018, Ryan spoke to the relationship between the character seen in the NBC series and the one seen on Legends of Tomorrow and in
25877-418: The comic book crossover event series Earth-Prime was released. The six-issue event features five issues focusing on each current series ( Batwoman , Superman & Lois , Legends of Tomorrow , Stargirl , and The Flash , respectively) with the sixth issue being a crossover between the series. Actors, writers, and executives from each of the series were involved in their creations, with the stories approved by
26106-559: The comic book industry adopted the stringent Comics Code . By the mid-1950s, only Superman , Batman and Wonder Woman retained a sliver of their prior popularity, although effort towards complete inoffensiveness led to stories that many consider silly, especially by modern standards. This ended what historians have called the Golden Age of comic books . In the 1950s, DC Comics , under the editorship of Julius Schwartz , recreated many popular 1940s heroes, launching an era later deemed
26335-401: The creation of a new multiverse, most notably the new Earth-Prime, a world featuring inhabitants from the pre-Crisis Earth-1, Earth-38, and Black Lightning ' s Earth, combining all of the CW series at the time and moving forward with all of them on one fictional earth. Six additional Earths within this new multiverse were revealed in the crossover. Ezra Miller 's cameo as Barry Allen from
26564-464: The crossover episodes "fun" and said positively that "too much happened that was unrelated to one show or the other – and that's a good thing. While the crossover episodes were definitely open to new viewers of either The Flash or Arrow (or both, presumably), with each episode wrapped up tidily by the end of its hour, plenty of show-specific plot stuff was advanced without spelling it out for newbies. New viewers to either show could follow along and have
26793-417: The crossover was no longer moving forward because of the pandemic, with Dries explaining they could not have the crews of each series interact for fear of COVID-19 exposure. In December 2020, David Ramsey was revealed to be reprising his role of John Diggle on Superman & Lois , Supergirl , The Flash , and Batwoman , as well as on Legends of Tomorrow as "a historical Western character". Ramsey directed
27022-455: The debut of The Flash . The next year, the eighth episodes of the third season of Arrow and the first season of The Flash formed a two-part event known as " Flash vs. Arrow ". In January 2015, The CW president Mark Pedowitz said that there would be an Arrowverse crossover every season. In the 2015–16 television season , a two-part event, " Heroes Join Forces " between the eighth episodes of
27251-472: The departing Lex Luthor. Justin Hartley becomes a series regular as Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) after being a recurring guest in season six . In the ninth season Major Zod ( Callum Blue ) and other members of Zod's military group are revived (without their Kryptonian powers) by Tess Mercer, and their efforts to regain their powers are the season's central conflict. The final season revolves around Clark's attempts to lose his doubts and fears and become
27480-410: The depiction of superheroes in the 2004 film The Incredibles is used to examine societal attitudes towards those with disabilities, first by showing them through the prism of ableism in providing unwanted help to people they view as unable to help themselves and later as those forced to hide their differences that are now an object of discrimination. A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of
27709-455: The detriment of the other shows involved." Walker felt that audiences knowing which characters would appear in Legends , and how, took "the thrill out of the story" of the other series as such information spoiled some of their upcoming plot twists, including the resurrection of Sara Lance or the fact that Ray Palmer "could never really pose a threat to Oliver [Queen] and Felicity [Smoak]'s relationship, or run Palmer Technologies long term, since it
27938-418: The dominant scheme. The same concept is used for the characters; Lex usually has a "glass, steel background", and Lionel has a white or "clinical blue" background. Lex typically wears black, grey and "cool tones" (purples and blues). Clark is represented by red, yellow and blue, similar to the traditional Superman costume, and "All-American" red, white and blue. From season two onward, Entity FX produced all of
28167-418: The end of season one. DC Comics then began publishing a bimonthly comic with stories about Smallville characters. Writer and script coordinator Clint Carpenter called the comic a companion to the series rather than a non-canonical version. According to Carpenter, the series expands on events in the series (such as season-ending cliffhangers) and gives "additional depth" to characters with limited screen time on
28396-463: The episode's featured band with its story (which revolved around REM sleep ). That season, Al Gough wanted to use Johnny Cash 's cover of the Nine Inch Nails song " Hurt " for the final scene of "Shattered" (when Lionel Luthor looks at Lex through a one-way mirror at Belle Reve sanitarium) as soon as he read the episode's script. Cash died while Wade-Reed was trying to obtain the rights for
28625-492: The episode's final scene, telling Wade-Reed that he saw the song as being about mothers. In that scene Clark tells Martha that his first childhood memory was of his mother, Lara . Season three's "Velocity" provided the music editors with the opportunity to use hip-hop , rarely used in the series. The episode, similar to The Fast and the Furious , focused on Pete. Wade-Reed heard of British hip-hop artist Dizzee Rascal , and
28854-507: The episodes of Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl he starred in. According to Superman & Lois showrunner Todd Helbing, Ramsey's return was originally conceived as a five-episode story across the various series that was "pretty cool". However, because of the production difficulties that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic, his appearances were adjusted since it would have been "impossible to make it make sense", though there would still be
29083-425: The episodes would "not quite be a crossover, but it will have a crossover-type feel". The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace noted that these event episodes were meant to be a temporary replacement for the yearly crossovers because of the various COVID-19 production protocols, saying, "we want to deliver the same feeling to the audience [with the event episodes] that you would get with a crossover kind of story". In 2022,
29312-613: The fact there can be a Flash on TV and one in the movies, and you don't have to pick one or the other, and they both exist in this multiverse." Berlanti agreed, feeling that "moving forward, there's more opportunity to do more things like this". In February 2021, Casey Bloys, chief content officer for HBO and HBO Max , indicated that DC and WarnerMedia were working to ensure the creative decisions for their shows on HBO Max and The CW, as well as their films, were aware of each other "so that there's nobody overlapping" and everything worked to make sense together. Bloys added everything would exist in
29541-471: The few to also publish superhero poetry, ceasing to do so as of 2011. Superhero poems there included Philip L. Tite's "Brittle Lives", Mark Floyd's "Nemeses", and Jay Macleod's "All Our Children". Novels with original superhuman stories include Robert Mayer's Superfolks ( St. Martin's Griffin , March 9, 2005); James Maxey's Nobody Gets the Girl ( Phobos Books , 2003); Rob Rogers's Devil's Cape ( Wizards of
29770-698: The film crew (which had to shoot when school was in session), and when a class was dismissed the crew stepped aside so the students could move the equipment to get to their lockers for the next class. The Kent farm is a working farm in Aldergrove . Owned by the Anderlinis, the crew painted their home yellow for the show. Exterior shots of Luthor Mansion were filmed at Hatley Castle in Victoria . The interiors were filmed at Shannon Mews in Vancouver, also
29999-524: The filmmakers and was in keeping with Millar's idea that Smallville should be the epitome of "Smalltown, USA". Templeton Secondary School was used for Smallville High's interior. During season one, the production team repainted most of Templeton in Smallville High's red and yellow and distributed large Smallville High Crows logos; so much of the school was painted that it adopted red and yellow as its school colors. The students became accustomed to
30228-429: The five series running on The CW ( The Flash , Supergirl , Legends of Tomorrow , Batwoman , and Black Lightning ) were confirmed for further seasons, carrying them through the 2020–21 television season . Superman & Lois was also ordered to series. At the end of "Crisis on Infinite Earths", the new Earth-Prime was formed, which saw Black Lightning ' s earth merge with the former Earth-1 and Earth-38, creating
30457-424: The fourth season of Arrow and the second season of The Flash was used to set up a new team-up series, Legends of Tomorrow . For the 2016–17 television season , the " Invasion! " crossover included The Flash , Arrow , and Legends of Tomorrow , with the event beginning at the end of Supergirl . A true four-part crossover occurred in the 2017–18 television season with " Crisis on Earth-X ", which also tied into
30686-602: The fourth season of Legends of Tomorrow mentions the Astra storyline from the NBC series, it would not explore the Brujeria storyline, though Constantine "still carries that baggage around with him". Although initially conceived as a spin-off of Supergirl with many of the cast in the universe reprising their roles, the series' second-season finale established it as set in an adjacent universe. Showrunner Todd Helbing explained his initial pilot script included multiple references to
30915-523: The game. This has changed due to popular franchises: The Silver Age -inspired Freedom Force (2002), City of Heroes (2004), Infamous series and Champions Online (2009), a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (or MMORPG), all of which allow players to create their own superheroes and/or villains. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Internet allowed a worldwide community of fans and amateur writers to bring their own superhero creations to
31144-466: The goal of the next crossover was to "return to the roots" of the Arrowverse crossovers. In May 2020, Pedowitz revealed the crossover would be two hours, occurring on episodes of Batwoman and Superman & Lois , with an expected air date in Q1/Q2 of 2021. Pedowitz added that the event would also see other Arrowverse characters appear. Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries was excited to integrate more of
31373-484: The growth of superhero films for a time. Hit films such as 1998's Blade , 2000's X-Men and Unbreakable , and 2002's Spider-Man have led to sequel installments as well as encouraging the development of numerous superhero film franchises in the 21st century, both successful (such as 2005's Batman Begins , a reboot of the Batman film series ) and unsuccessful (such as 2004's Catwoman ). With that resurgence,
31602-452: The heart of the story" by showing Clark's selflessness and his struggle between his desires and his obligations. However, Heitmueller wrote that the series would have a difficult time addressing why no one in Smallville (including Lex Luthor) recognized Clark when he put on the suit. TV Guide's Michael Schneider called it one of the best examples of a superhero adaptation for television, but Christopher Hooton of Metro wrote that Smallville
31831-471: The hero he is meant to be, while confronting his biggest challenges: the coming of Darkseid and the return of Lex Luthor. Tollin/Robbins Productions originally wanted to do a series about a young Bruce Wayne, but the feature-film division of Warner Bros. decided to develop an origin movie for Batman and did not want to compete with a television series. In 2000, Tollin/Robbins approached Peter Roth, president of Warner Bros. Television , about developing
32060-411: The joint workload of Smallville and Ghost Whisperer , but would return for the latter. Reminiscing about his work on the show, Snow said that much of the music had not changed during the series and agreed with Larson that it was "more [about] maintaining the heroic concept and the mythology than progressing through specific changes". Louis Febre, who worked closely with Snow from the beginning, became
32289-413: The latter, in addition to continuing storylines from the former series. In 2023, the franchise concluded with the ninth and final season of The Flash. The 2018 and 2019 crossovers, " Elseworlds " and "Crisis on Infinite Earths", saw multiple DC television series and films retroactively added to the franchise's multiverse. "Crisis on Infinite Earths" also rebooted the multiverse, with Supergirl joining
32518-449: The live-action series of the Arrowverse have taken place, beginning with " Flash vs. Arrow " in 2014 and concluding with " Crisis on Infinite Earths " between 2019 and 2020. Additionally, Matt Ryan has reprised his role as John Constantine from the NBC series Constantine , initially in guest appearances in episodes of Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow , before becoming a series regular for
32747-693: The main canon for those characters. Crossovers often occur between characters of different works of superhero fiction. In comic books, highly publicized "events" are published featuring crossovers between many characters. In previous eras, especially in the Bronze Age of Comic Books , Marvel and DC had dedicated series in which their marquee characters such as Spider-Man and Superman would meet various characters in single stories such as Marvel Team-Up and DC Comics Presents . However, that publishing fashion has fallen away in favor of occasional limited series and guest appearances in regular series when
32976-430: The main universe of Arrow , The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow , and would continue to exist in a parallel universe. The Earth the Supergirl series inhabits is Earth-38 in the broader multiverse, and has been informally referred to as "Earth-CBS" by Guggenheim, named for the network where Supergirl first aired. In August, the CW announced the animated web-series Freedom Fighters: The Ray for CW Seed, intending that
33205-400: The major comic-book companies. It has also appeared in poetry. Print magazines devoted to such stories include A Thousand Faces: A Quarterly Journal of Superhuman Fiction , published since 2007 in print and electronic form, and online only as of 2011 and This Mutant Life: Superhero Fiction , a bimonthly print publication from Australia , published since 2010. The latter magazine was one of
33434-415: The move to The CW, Pedowitz said the series "at this time, is not part of the Arrowverse. It is a separate situation." Showrunners Salim Akil later clarified that they were not ruling out eventual crossovers, but wanted to establish the series and its own world first. In July 2018, it was revealed that the CW was developing a script for a potential series centered on Batwoman , intending to launch it after
33663-562: The murder of a boy and his sister while Lex tries to decide whether to ransom his kidnapped father or try rescuing Lionel himself. Little, Brown Young Readers published the next two books in April and June 2003. The first, Speed , was written by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld. The second, Buried Secrets , was written by Suzan Colon. In Speed , a boy uses an hourglass his father gave him for his birthday to stop time and commit hate crimes without being caught. Clark stops him before he disrupts
33892-476: The music for the first six seasons was composed by Mark Snow , who incorporated elements of John Williams 's musical score from the Superman film series . Louis Febre (who worked with Snow from the beginning) became the series' primary composer in season seven . Smallville was generally positively received when it began. Former Superman star Christopher Reeve approved of the series, making two guest appearances before his death. The pilot episode set
34121-503: The names National and All-American at the time, received an overwhelming response to Superman and, in the years that followed, introduced Batman , Wonder Woman , The Green Lantern , The Flash , The Hawkman , Aquaman , and The Green Arrow . The first team of superheroes was DC's Justice Society of America , featuring most of the aforementioned characters. Although DC dominated the superhero market at this time, companies large and small created hundreds of superheroes. The Human Torch of
34350-427: The network in 2021, which featured the name "The CWverse" in it. Many outlets felt the change was due to Arrow having ended and the character no longer a part of the shared universe. However, Matt Webb Mitovich of TVLine felt that with the inclusion of Stargirl in the trailer, which exists on a parallel earth to the Arrowverse, the name was perhaps a way to discuss all of the superhero series airing on network at
34579-558: The new CW series Melrose Place and did not return for Smallville ' s ninth season; Souders and Peterson would continue as showrunners. Tom Welling became co-executive producer of the series that July. In March 2010, Millar, Gough and co-producer Tollin/Robins Productions filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. and The CW charging that Hollywood's " vertical integration " cost Millar and Gough millions of dollars. The suit claimed that Warner Bros. failed to "maximize profits" in marketing Smallville , misrepresented production costs and sold
34808-416: The novel Gladiator , were heroes with unusual abilities who fought sometimes larger-than-life foes. The word " superhero " itself dates to at least 1917. The most direct antecedents are pulp magazine crime fighters such as the masked and caped Zorro (introduced by Johnston M. McCulley in 1919 with The Curse of Capistrano ) with his trademark "Z", the technologically advanced "Black Sapper" (1929),
35037-413: The only difference between the two is that the hero uses his extraordinary powers to help others, while the villain uses his powers for selfish, destructive or ruthless purposes. Both superheroes and supervillains often use alter egos while in action. While sometimes the character's real name is publicly known, alter egos are most often used to hide the character's secret identity from their enemies and
35266-451: The opening song " Save Me ", for their contributions to the series; the award was given to individuals who wrote the theme (or underscore) for the highest-rated television series in 2001 for their network. The American Society of Cinematographers awarded David Moxness for the sixth season's "Arrow", giving Glen Winter the same award the following year for his work on "Noir". Series regulars have also won awards; in 2001, Michael Rosenbaum won
35495-420: The other live-action series on a new Earth-Prime along with the series Black Lightning , which had been separate up to this point. The franchise has been successful, creating a large fandom around the world, and has received positive reviews; critics have praised the themes, acting, action sequences, direction and character development. In January 2012, The CW ordered a pilot for Arrow , revolving around
35724-453: The other television series which aired during primetime hours. During its ten seasons, Smallville won awards ranging from Emmys to Teen Choice Awards . In 2002, the series won an Emmy for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series for its pilot episode. Four years later, it received an Emmy for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series for the fifth-season episode "Arrival". In 2008, Smallville again won an Outstanding Sound Editing for
35953-484: The pieces are in place, except for that one final piece, which is what's the fate of Constantine ? That's the tricky thing. But it comes up in the writers' room constantly—we have a number of ideas, one idea that's particularly exciting to me. We're in a little bit of a wait-and-see mode". In July 2015, Mericle added on the subject, "It's something we've been talking to DC about and it's just a question of some political things, but also [Ryan]'s schedule." In August 2015, it
36182-489: The pilot with a 2002 Best Visual Effects Leo, and received 2004 VES Awards for Outstanding Compositing in a Televised Program, Music Video or Commercial for the second season's "Accelerate" and Outstanding Matte Painting in a Televised Program, Music Video, or Commercial for "Insurgence". In 2002 the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers honored composer Mark Snow and Remy Zero , who provided
36411-474: The powers of animals, using them to fight as Vixen to stop threats like those that claimed her family. Raymond "Ray" Terrill is a reporter who gains light-based powers after being exposed to a genetic light bomb. Ray discovers the bomb in his investigation of a secret government project attempting to harness the power of light and weaponize it. The Ray is a member of the Freedom Fighters on Earth-X,
36640-477: The premiere of Legends of Tomorrow , Screen Rant's Alice Walker discussed how the series "has hurt Arrow and The Flash ", noting that the latter required minimal setup when it was spun-off from the former and had an element of mystery surrounding its quality with "a "wait and see" attitude" from audiences, while Legends was instead met with much excitement long before its release leading to each piece of news concerning it being "publicized and met with fanfare – to
36869-410: The president of Warner Bros. Television, reducing the Man of Steel to the bare moral essentials and examining what led Clark Kent to become the iconic superhero. After seven seasons with the show, Gough and Millar departed with little explanation. Smallville was primarily filmed in and around Vancouver, British Columbia , with local businesses and buildings substituting for Smallville locations. Most of
37098-638: The preternaturally mesmeric The Shadow (1930), the "peak human" Doc Savage (1933), and The Spider (1933), and comic strip characters such as Hugo Hercules (1902), Popeye (1929), the Phantom (1936) and Olga Mesmer (1937). The first masked crime-fighter created for comic books was writer-artist George Brenner 's non-superpowered detective the Clock , who debuted in Centaur Publications ' Funny Pages #6 (Nov. 1936). In August 1937, in
37327-549: The price of keeping such a secret. In addition, this narrative trope can allow fantasy characters to be in occasional realistic stories without the fantasy element of the sub-genre appearing. With supervillains, by contrast, the duality of their identities is kept a secret and closely guarded to conceal their crimes from the general public, so that they may inflict greater harm on the general public, and to enable them to act freely, and hence illegally, without risk of arrest by law-enforcement authorities. Death in superhero fiction
37556-433: The producers and considered in-canon to the series. The Batwoman issue, released on April 5, was written by show writers Natalie Abrams and Kelly Larson, and actor Camrus Johnson, with art by Clayton Henry. The Superman & Lois issue, released on April 19, was written by show writers Adam Mallinger, Jai Jamison, and Andrew Wong, with art by Tom Grummett and Norm Rapmund. The Legends of Tomorrow issue, released on May 3,
37785-504: The producers for replicating the success of Arrow but with "a lighter tone" and "a hero with genuine super powers" in The Flash , and calling the crossover an appropriate moment for everyone concerned to take a short but well-deserved victory lap." Lowry also said that the crossover "does a nifty job of bringing the two series together, although probably not in a manner likely to boost the shared audience between them much more than already exists." Meredith Borders at Birth.Movies.Death. called
38014-538: The producers had begun having someone track all the characters and plots used by each series, in order to make sure everything lines up, but the following April, The Flash executive producer Aaron Helbing noted that "sometimes the schedules don't line up exactly...and that stuff is out of our control", such as when Barry was shown using his abilities on Arrow , while not having them the same week on The Flash . In January 2016, Tassler's successor Glenn Geller said "I have to be really careful what I say here" in regards to
38243-400: The promo "Suit Up", featuring the various heroes putting on their costumes in order to promote the return of Arrow , The Flash , Legends of Tomorrow , and Supergirl from their first mid-season break, as well as the premiere of Black Lightning . After the first Arrow / Flash crossover, Brian Lowry of Variety talked about the spin-off series and the crossover, applauding
38472-421: The promo could exclusively be viewed initially. The new Superhero Fight Club sees Green Arrow, Flash, Atom, Firestorm, White Canary , and Supergirl go up against a new fight simulator created by Cisco Ramon and Felicity Smoak , while John Diggle and Martian Manhunter observe. After defeating the simulator, Cisco releases Gorilla Grodd into the arena for the heroes to face. In January 2018, The CW released
38701-493: The protagonist undertakes a quest to achieve both material advantage and psychological and ethical maturity, and is generally considered to function as a metaphor and guide for children transitioning to adulthood or from egoism to altruism as the core concept of the self . Antecedents of the superhero archetype include such folkloric heroes as Robin Hood , who adventured in distinctive clothing, and King Arthur , who possessed
38930-426: The public. With superheroes, the duality of their identities is kept a secret and closely guarded to protect those close to them from being harmed and to prevent them from being called upon constantly, even for problems not serious enough to require their attention. This can be a source of drama with the superhero being forced to devise means of getting out of sight to change without revealing their identity, or bearing
39159-413: The purchasing of war bonds . Following superheroes's popularity during this time, those characters' appeal began to dwindle in the post-war era. Comic-book publishers, casting about for new subjects and genres, found success in, particularly, crime fiction , the most prominent comic of which was Lev Gleason Publications 's Crime Does Not Pay , and horror . The lurid nature of these genres sparked
39388-483: The return of the superhero at DC, Marvel Comics editor/writer Stan Lee and the artists/co-writers Jack Kirby , Steve Ditko and Bill Everett launched a new line of superhero comic books, beginning with the Fantastic Four in 1961 and continuing with the Incredible Hulk , Spider-Man , Iron Man , Thor , the X-Men , and Daredevil . These comics continued DC's use of science fiction concepts ( radiation
39617-400: The rise of e-book readers like Kindle and Nook, a host of superhero stories have been self-published, including R. R. Haywood's Extracted (2017), R. T. Leone's Invinciman (2017), and Mike Vago's Selfdestructible (2018). While many popular superheroes have been featured in licensed video games, up until recently there have been few that have revolved around heroes created specifically for
39846-409: The same universe as Arrow and The Flash , and in January 2015, The CW president Mark Pedowitz revealed that he was also open to a crossover among the series and networks. However, CBS president Nina Tassler stated that month that, "those two shows are on a different network. So I think we'll keep Supergirl to ourselves for a while." In August 2015, Tassler revealed that while there were no plans at
40075-560: The series aired in Canada a day earlier than it did in the United States. In May 2009, Smallville ' s ninth season moved to Friday at 8:00 pm, considered the " death slot " for television programs. By the end of its tenth season it was the longest-running science-fiction TV show in the United States, breaking the record held by Stargate SG-1 . Syndication rights became available in October 2004 when it began airing alongside Gilmore Girls on ABC Family (now Freeform ) five nights
40304-409: The series or whose storylines needed additional explanation. Carpenter was not the first person asked to oversee the comic; Mark Verheiden, who co-wrote the one-off comic, was originally intended to be in charge of the bimonthly series. Verheiden's commitment to the TV series kept him from working on the comic books, so he asked Carpenter to take them on. Although the comic book was intended to expand on
40533-563: The series with invigorating the network's Tuesday-night lineup. Smallville appeared on the cover of Entertainment Weekly as one of five new shows to watch. After its first season, the series was sixth on the Parents Television Council 's 10-best list of broadcast programs. Levin, acknowledging early concerns that Smallville had become a villain of the week series, said that season two would introduce "smaller mini-arcs over three to four episodes" and become less of
40762-532: The series. Titled Smallville: The Comic , it has two stories. The first, "Raptor" by Mark Verheiden and Roy Martinez, is about an abused boy who mutates into a velociraptor (thanks to kryptonite) and tries to get revenge on the Luthor family. Michael Green and John Paul Leon wrote "Exile and The Kingdom", with insight into why Lex remains in Smallville after his father offers him a position in Metropolis at
40991-639: The set for the Dark Angel pilot and the film Along Came a Spider . Clova Cinema, in Cloverdale was used for exteriors of the Talon, Smallville ' s coffeehouse. Reeve's guest appearances in the second and third seasons were filmed in New York City . The story is told from Clark's point of view, so color schemes and camera selection illustrate how he interprets his environment. When he
41220-489: The short-lived action comedy, Misfits of Science . In the 2010s, Warner Brothers created a successful adaptation of the Green Arrow , Arrow , that began the successful Arrowverse television franchise. Marvel meanwhile had a successful television spin-off of their Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , while creating a number of series on the streaming service Netflix , before moving
41449-505: The show to foreign markets at "well below the value of the series", not specifying the amount of compensation sought by the plaintiffs. The lawsuit ended with an undisclosed settlement in May 2013. Tom Welling was appointed an executive producer for Smallville ' s tenth season in May 2010. The series was filmed at BB Studios in Burnaby , British Columbia. Although production was initially planned for Australia, Vancouver had more of
41678-400: The show would be action-oriented, they wanted to reach 7th Heaven ' s "middle America iconography". To create atmosphere, the team decided the meteor shower bringing Clark to Earth would be the ironic foundation of the show. The primary source of his life on Earth and the super-powered beings Clark must fight, it would take away the parents of the girl he loves and start Lex Luthor down
41907-669: The show's popularity after the September 11 attacks on the United States. Actors reported that many United States military veterans told them of watching the show as a distraction from combat while serving overseas. Smallville has generated other media and spin-offs, from young-adult novels and comic books to Internet-based mini-episodes with characters from the series. It influenced the British TV series, Merlin . Two series of novels have been published since Smallville ' s second season. A series of eight young-adult novels
42136-403: The so-called Golden Age of Comic Books to distinguish them from characters with super-powers. Normally, superheroes use their powers to counter day-to-day crime while also combating threats against humanity by their criminal counterparts, supervillains. Long-running superheroes such as DC's Batman , Superman and Wonder Woman and Marvel's Spider-Man , Captain America and Iron Man have
42365-448: The sole composer for Smallville in season seven. Febre said that since he began composing for Smallville there was a shift to "thematic development" in the score, paralleling the characters' growth: "As Clark grew emotionally and intellectually more complex, I found a need to comment musically on his growth, and as he drew closer to his Superman persona, it became obvious that a 'Superman' theme would be required". The creative team had
42594-493: The song and his heirs, believing that the song's use in the episode would honor his memory, gave Smallville the rights. For season three's "Resurrection" and "Memoria", songs were chosen as symbolism for the characters. In "Resurrection", The Rapture 's " Infatuation " was used during a scene with Lex and Lana to symbolize the question, "Are we ever going to figure out what these two people think of each other?" For "Memoria" Gough wanted to use Evanescence 's " My Immortal " for
42823-407: The song's lyrics. Smallville premiered at 9:00 pm on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 on the WB. For five seasons, the series aired on the WB, moving from Tuesday at 9:00 pm to Wednesday at 8:00 pm and eventually to Thursday at 8:00 pm. In 2006, before the start of Smallville ' s sixth season, the WB and UPN merged into The CW and the series continued in its lineup. During its seventh season,
43052-439: The soundtrack. Their choices were discussed by the producers, who decided which songs they wanted and secured their rights. Although Snow said it initially seemed odd to combine two types of music on a "typical action-adventure" television show, "the producers seem to like the contrast of the modern songs and the traditional, orchestral approach to the score". I get a locked picture on a videotape which syncs up with all my gear in
43281-410: The story of several ordinary people who each suddenly find themselves with a superpower. The British series Misfits incorporates super-human abilities to undesirables in society. In this case, young offenders put on community service all have super powers and each use them to battle villains of sorts. In the 1980s, an unsuccessful attempt was made to realize this last concept in the United States with
43510-601: The streets of Gotham as Batwoman and becoming their symbol of hope. From the second season onward, after Kate's plane mysteriously crashes and she is believed to be dead, Ryan Wilder takes up the mantle of Batwoman . Two television series make up the Arrowverse web series franchise: Vixen , and Freedom Fighters: The Ray . All series in total amount to 24 episodes across four seasons of television. After her parents were killed in Africa by local corruption, Mari McCabe inherits her family's Tantu Totem, gaining
43739-469: The studio. I write the music, finish it up, mix it up, send it through the airwaves on the internet, and the music editor puts it in. They call up usually and say, 'Thank you, well done'. Sometimes they call and say, "Thank you, not so well done—can you change this or that?" I say "Sure", make the changes and send it back. —Mark Snow, on composing music for each episode. The main Smallville theme
43968-418: The subgenre has become a major element of mainstream film production with outstanding successes like 2008's The Dark Knight , 2012's The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises , 2013's Iron Man 3 , and 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron attracting major revenue and critical plaudits. This trend was reinforced in 2016 with the outstanding success of the critically lauded Deadpool , a film adaptation of
44197-408: The superhero archetype. Superheroes occasionally have been adapted into prose fiction , starting with Random House 's 1942 novel The Adventures of Superman by George Lowther . In the 1970s, Elliot S! Maggin wrote the Superman novels, Last Son of Krypton (1978) and Miracle Monday , coinciding with but not adapting the movie Superman . Other early adaptations include novels starring
44426-495: The supervillain often possesses a genius intellect that allows him to draft complex schemes or create fantastic devices. Another common trait is possession of considerable resources to help further his aims. Many supervillains share some typical characteristics of real-world dictators, mobsters, and terrorists and often have aspirations of world domination or universal leadership. Superheroes and supervillains often mirror each other in their powers, abilities, or origins. In some cases,
44655-513: The three remaining series that were not set to conclude at the time ( The Flash , Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman ) were confirmed for further seasons, carrying them through the 2021–22 television season . In March 2021, Superman & Lois was renewed for a second season. In January 2022, Justice U was in development from Michael Narducci and Zoanne Clack. It would star David Ramsey reprising his role as John Diggle, in which Diggle recruits five young meta humans to live undercover as freshmen at
44884-479: The tie, the shirt...the whole wardrobe is being taken out for [ sic ] storage and shipped up to Vancouver [where Arrow shoots]." John Badham , a director on Constantine , directed the episode that Constantine appears in. Mericle confirmed that this version of Constantine would be the same character that had appeared in Constantine . On filming the episode, Guggenheim referred to it as "a Constantine / Arrow crossover" and felt that "we got
45113-399: The time to do story crossovers, the three series would have crossover promotions. In January 2015, the CW announced that an animated web-series featuring the DC heroine Vixen would debut on CW Seed in late 2015 and be set in the same universe as both Arrow and The Flash . Amell and Gustin would reprise their respective roles in the series, and the character of Vixen was expected to make
45342-423: The time. Mitovich also pointed out the term had been used a year prior in a similar trailer, which had featured the Arrowverse series plus Black Lightning , which was not part of the universe at that time. Jake Abbate of SuperHeroHype also referred to the name as encompassing the "programming block" of superhero shows on the network. Daniel Gillespie from Screen Rant felt if this was The CW's attempt to change
45571-539: The titular hero. Fellow DC Comics stars Batman and Robin made occasional guest appearances. Other superhero radio programs starred characters including the costumed but not superpowered Blue Beetle , and the non-costumed, superpowered Popeye . Also appearing on radio were such characters as the Green Hornet , the Green Lama , Doc Savage , and the Lone Ranger , a Western hero who relied on many conventions of
45800-505: The truth to prove Lex's innocence, stopping the creatures before they can kill again. Colon returned to write Runaway , in which Clark runs away to the city and lives with other homeless teenagers; he falls in love with one of the girls before returning home. In Smallville: Silence by Nancy Holder, the characters investigate zombies in town. Little, Brown Young Readers published its eighth book, Greed , by Bennett and Gottesfeld in which Clark and his friends take summer jobs as counselors at
46029-611: The two shows; it now had to serve the much larger purpose of setting up an entirely new world." Walker stated that the premiere of Legends "means that Arrow and The Flash can finally stop dedicating so much time and plot to laying the groundwork for the spin-off, and start focusing on the fundamentals of their own shows again." Superhero fiction A superhero is most often the protagonist of superhero fiction. However, some titles, such as Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross , use superheroes as secondary characters . A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero)
46258-418: The villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies, and science fiction in various media. They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other heroes. Whereas superheroes often wield fantastic powers, the supervillain possesses commensurate powers and abilities so that he can present a daunting challenge to the hero. Even without actual physical, mystical, superhuman or superalien powers,
46487-531: The visual effects for Smallville , including the view of the Metropolis skyline. Composer Mark Snow worked with producer Ken Horton to create Smallville ' s score. Snow composed music as he watched the picture, and tweaked his performance when he reviewed his initial recordings. He then sent the music to the producers, who sent it back for recomposition if needed. Individual episodes have their own soundtrack, comprising one (or more) songs. Jennifer Pyken and Madonna Wade-Reed of Daisy Music looked for songs for
46716-409: The war against Godspeed. Cecile Horton tells Diggle she senses pain in his head from an infinite presence, and during a fight, Diggle has a dizzy spell and collapses to the ground, hearing the repeated phrase "worlds await". He leaves Central City soon after. Finally, Diggle heads to National City to help Kelly Olsen with her decision to become the new Guardian, telling her he had an opportunity to become
46945-477: The world and time itself. High school principal Jefferson Pierce, who retired from his superhero persona Black Lightning nine years ago after seeing the effects it had on his family, is forced to become a vigilante again when the rise of the local gang called The 100 led by Tobias Whale leads to increased crime and corruption in his community of Freeland. After the disappearance of Batman, Kate Kane must overcome her own demons before being able to protect
47174-544: The writer, actually created the central and supporting characters; Shuster, as the artist, designed these characters, and gave Superman the first version of his now-iconic uniform.) The character possessed many of the traits that have come to define the superhero: a secret identity , superhuman powers and a colorful costume including a symbol and cape. His name is also the source of the term "superhero", although early comic book heroes were sometimes also called mystery men or masked heroes . DC Comics , which published under
47403-410: The writers felt the character's presence was justified. Intercompany crossovers , between characters of different continuity, are also common. Over the history of the comic book genre, writers for major characters' series were required to produce material to strict regular publishing schedules that often ran for years. As such to fulfill this strenuous creative requirement, superhero stories have used
47632-608: Was a common source of superpowers) but placed greater emphasis on personal conflict and character development. This led to many superheroes that differed from predecessors with more dramatic potential. For example, the Fantastic Four were a superhero family of sorts, who squabbled and even held some unresolved acrimony towards one another, and Spider-Man was a teenager who struggled to earn money and maintain his social life in addition to his costumed exploits. Superhero films began as Saturday movie serials aimed at children during
47861-419: Was a mainstream superhero series which had characters that were a mix of fantasy ( Raven , Wonder Girl ), science fiction ( Cyborg , Starfire , Changeling , Kid Flash ) and crime fiction ( Robin ). Furthermore, their series had such a variety of stories, such as in a year-long period of 1982-3 where in rapid succession, the team would face Brother Blood , a costumed supervillain cult leader, then promptly have
48090-433: Was a story which did not need to be told: "No-one bothered to follow Bruce Wayne's tedious years spent manufacturing microchips before he became Batman, so why must we endure a decade of flannel shirt-wearing Clark Kent bucking hay?" The following is a table for the seasonal rankings, based on average total estimated viewers per episode, of Smallville on the WB and The CW. "Rank" refers to how Smallville rated compared to
48319-405: Was also announced that Supergirl would appear on Arrow , The Flash , and Legends of Tomorrow during the 2016–17 season crossover episodes, though Guggenheim cautioned that "She is going to be coming over but we're not going to do a full on Supergirl crossover". Kreisberg also confirmed that, despite the series moving to The CW, the title character's universe would not be integrated into Earth-1,
48548-410: Was announced that The Flash would be concluding with its upcoming ninth season, which also acted as the conclusion of the Arrowverse, due to Superman & Lois having been confirmed to take place in an adjacent universe. In May 2023, The CW officially passed on Justice U . The Arrowverse concluded with the series finale of The Flash , " A New World, Part Four ", on May 24, 2023. In August 2015, in
48777-472: Was announced that Berlanti, Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns would be creating a spin-off television series based on The Flash . The character, played by Grant Gustin , was set to appear in three episodes of Arrow ' s second season. The third episode was supposed to act as a backdoor pilot for the new series, but a traditional pilot was eventually ordered instead. In November 2014, Berlanti expressed interest in making his CBS series Supergirl exist in
49006-419: Was confirmed that Ryan would appear in Arrow ' s fourth-season episode " Haunted " for a "one-time-only-deal". Guggenheim said, "This is something the fans were clamoring for," praising DC for being so "magnanimous and generous in giving us this one-time dispensation." Due to Arrow and Constantine sharing the same studio, the producers of Arrow were able to use Ryan's original outfits: "The trench coat,
49235-653: Was described by Helbing as "more of a one-off" while still touching on the overall story thematically. Ramsey appeared in " Rebirth " on Batwoman , " Stressed Western " on Legends of Tomorrow , " P.O.W. " on The Flash , " Through the Valley of Death " on Superman & Lois , and " Blind Spots " on Supergirl . While in Gotham City for a neurological exam, Diggle crosses paths with Luke Fox and gives him some advice. Diggle then assists Team Flash in Central City with
49464-478: Was going to guest star on Constantine ...was [Constantine's] an expert when it comes to the Lazarus Pit, which is now something that is a part of and will continue to be a part of Arrow ." Amell stated that, even though Constantine was not renewed for a second season, a crossover "was and is still on the table". Guggenheim revealed a desire to integrate John Constantine into the Arrowverse, saying, "A lot of
49693-471: Was more "heroic" and "in-your-face". Snow was told during season two that the closing credits needed new music, since the show had evolved and the existing music was no longer suitable, and he created a new, toned-down score with a more "melodic" sound. Snow has also reworked music from the previous Superman films . John Williams 's musical score for the Krypton sequence in the opening credits of Superman
49922-414: Was not composed by Snow, although he composed opening themes for other shows (including The X-Files ). The series' opening theme is the short version of " Save Me " performed by Remy Zero . Snow composed the closing-credits music, which was intended as Smallville ' s theme. During the first two seasons, the closing-credits music was a potential theme for the series (before "Save Me" was selected); it
50151-526: Was produced by Millar/Gough Ink , Tollin/Robbins Productions , DC Comics , and Warner Bros. Television . Initially broadcast by the WB , the show premiered on October 16, 2001. After its fifth season , the WB and UPN merged to form The CW , the series' later United States broadcaster until its tenth and final season ended on May 13, 2011. Smallville follows the coming-of-age adventures of teenage Clark Kent ( Tom Welling ) in his fictional hometown of Smallville , Kansas , before he formally becomes
50380-479: Was produced in Los Angeles . The producers chose to use the Flash as the character to crossover, due to his ability to travel between various Earths, and because it was "a little more fun at first to bring the veteran from that show to the chemistry of a new show." Berlanti stated that "in a perfect world", the crossover would have featured both Gustin and Amell's Green Arrow, "but logistically that would have been
50609-434: Was published by Aspect Publishing from October 2002 to March 2004, and a second series of ten young-adult novels was published by Little, Brown Young Readers from October 2002 to April 2004. A bimonthly comic book series, which often tied into the series, was also published. Three novels were published on October 1, 2002: one by Aspect and two by Little, Brown Young Readers. The Aspect novel ( Smallville: Strange Visitors )
50838-501: Was released in 2017, which followed Ray Terrill / The Ray , who would make a live-action appearance during that year's crossover event " Crisis on Earth-X ". In addition to the live-action and web-based series, the franchise has spawned three promotional tie-in live-action web series: Blood Rush , Chronicles of Cisco and The Flash: Stretched Scenes ; released in 2013, 2016 and 2017 respectively. A fifth series, Batwoman , premiered in 2019. Six ensemble crossover events involving many of
51067-585: Was reported that another untitled spin-off has been plotted. In September 2019, it was reported that The CW was developing a female led spin-off series with Katherine McNamara , Katie Cassidy and Juliana Harkavy as the leads. The following month, Marc Guggenheim released an image indicating Green Arrow and the Canaries as a potential name for the show. The same month, a Superman & Lois spinoff series entered development with Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch reprising their roles as Clark Kent / Superman and Lois Lane from Supergirl . In January 2020,
51296-478: Was sent to Earth from Krypton as a 13-year-old and taken in by the Danvers family, must learn to embrace her powers after previously hiding them. After an unexpected disaster, Kara is forced to reveal her powers, and becomes National City 's protector. Rip Hunter travels back in time to the present day where he brings together a team of heroes and villains in an attempt to prevent Vandal Savage from destroying
51525-489: Was the first person in the United States to secure the rights to Rascal's album. Greg Beeman directs episodes, and sometimes scenes, with particular songs in mind. For "Vortex" in season two, he used Coldplay 's " In My Place " for the final scene. In the season-two finale "Exodus", Beeman directed the scene where Lana shows up at the Kent barn before Lex's wedding to Matthew Good 's "Weapon". The lyrics speak of an angel and devil "by my side", and Beeman timed specific shots to
51754-406: Was used in season two's "Rosetta" (which featured a guest appearance by Christopher Reeve ) and several times in the season-two finale. To save money Snow recorded his version of Williams's score, since using the original version would have required the team to pay Williams's orchestra. In an interview with Randall Larson in May 2008, Snow said that he would not be returning to Smallville , citing
51983-408: Was widely known that he would be a huge part of Legends ." Additionally, the annual Arrow / The Flash crossover suffered from also trying to set up Legends , which was "too much to ask from the already crowded storylines and ended up feeling like an exercise in synchronicity, with producers planting more seeds than they could reap. The crossover event was no longer a fun way to contrast
52212-436: Was written by Roger Stern , with Clark and his friends trying to uncover the truth about two religious con men who set up shop in Smallville and use kryptonite in their spiritual seminars to rob the townspeople. Little, Brown Young Readers first published Arrival by Michael Teitelbaum, chronicling the series' pilot . The second novel ( See No Evil , by series writers Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld ) follows Dawn Mills,
52441-611: Was written by show writers Lauren Fields and Daniel Park, with art by Paul Pelletier and Andrew Hennessy. The Stargirl issue, released on May 17, was written by show writers James Robinson and Paula Sevenbergen, with art by Jerry Ordway . The 2019 crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths" incorporated several DC Entertainment properties into the Arrowverse multiverse, including those that had already been established in previous series and crossovers. The new properties that appeared in "Crisis on Infinite Earths" included: By November 2019, Guggenheim, Berlanti, and Pedowitz had discussed what
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