ENTER: MAGOG
Thus begins the final issue of DC’s Earth-Prime, the six-issue comic book limited series that brought together the heroes of the publisher’s CW TV universe in a story set in the Arrowverse canon. Characters like Batwoman, Flash and more starred in each of the six issues of the series, challenged by the machinations of a shadowy Big Bad. Now that Big Bad is becoming the center of attention to finalize his plan, it spells chaos for Earth-Prime’s heroes.
Earth-Prime’s superheroes came from their television home to the comics for this multiversal adventure in continuity, so it would make sense for the story to spill over into the Arrowverse in the future. But how much and if it will is apparently a mixed bag.
Since the series finale went on sale June 21, we’ll start with one of these before explaining:
Spoilers ahead for Earth-Prime #6: Hero’s Twilight.
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Earth-Prime #6: Hero’s Twilight is drawn by Will Robson, written by Jeff Hersh and Thomas Pound, colored by Alex Sinclair, and written by Tom Napolitano. If you’ve been keeping up with Newsarama’s coverage of Earth-Prime, you know that the great comic book villain is Magog, originally introduced in the pages of the landmark comic series. kingdom come.
Unlike its comic book counterpart, the CW-verse iteration of Magog seeks to end humanity’s dependence on superheroes. To do so, he’s assembled a team of villains including the mind-warping Evil Eye, the shape-shifting Clayface, the Flash villain Bloodwork (he stuck a pin in that), and an alternate reality version of Kal- The. Together, they become a threat that will require every one of Earth-Prime’s heroes to be defeated.
Unfortunately, most of them have disappeared.
After each hero vs. villain showdown, a strange green mist causes the protagonists of the CW-verse (and the stars of Earth-Prime) to disappear from their reality. By the time the Magog himself descends on Central City in the year 2049, the only heroes left to stop him are recent additions to the Flash family: Nora West-Allen, aka XS, and Bart West-Alen, aka Impulse. .
Doing what little they can to prevent Magog’s assault on Earth-Prime, XS and Impulse finally manage to track down an older Clark Kent from Superman & Lois. Retired from his Superman identity, Clark still manages to give the best advice in the multiverse, prompting the two speedsters to lead one last desperate attack against the head of the invasion: Magog himself.
XS and Impulse discover that the source of Magog’s power is in his golden spear. The heroes manage to splinter it, negating Magog’s abilities. Just then, before Magog’s army of supervillains can regroup, a strange green cloud brings Earth-Prime’s superheroes back. With the might of the CW heroes behind them, XS and Impulse defeat Magog for good and the world is saved.
Or is that it?
As the returning heroes round up the villains, they discover a problem. No one can find the evil Kal-El dressed in black from another reality. This evil Kryptonian, who sought to “save” the world from him by brutally murdering all those he considered evil or weak, has completely disappeared. The heroes decide not to deal with it just yet, with Jay Garrick calling it “a mystery for another day.”
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But that’s not even the main trick. On the final page of Earth-Prime #6, a mysterious green-cloaked figure who appeared throughout the story is revealed to be the late Oliver Queen in his Arrowverse role as the Specter. Oliver / the Specter reveals that he was behind the appearance and reappearance of the heroes during the battle with Magog, and his purpose was to teach XS and Impulse to trust each other and prepare them for something to come in the future. future.
“You must be prepared for what lies ahead,” Ollie-Spectre warns ominously.
Earlier in the Earth-Prime saga, Newsarama speculated that Kingdom Come was coming to CW, with Magog as his main antagonist. And while it’s still a possibility, the events of Earth-Prime #6 make it seem like this evil Kal-El will be a more immediate threat in the heroes’ future.
But with the Arrowverse shrinking through a string of recent cancellations, does all the foreshadowing mean anything? The final pages of Earth-Prime #6 are clearly meant to tease a future event. The story actually ends with the copy “The End… For Now”.
But not so fast, says DC. The publisher tells Newsarama that nothing in Earth-Prime’s main story is connected to any kind of future Arrowverse crossover.
Interestingly, however, the ending of Earth-Prime also hints at something that will immediately affect the Arrowverse, specifically The Flash’s upcoming season 9.
A Hersh and Pound backup story with art by Pablo M. Collar, colors by John Kalisz, and lyrics by Napolitano (continued from a backup in Earth-Prime #5L The Flash by writers Jess Carson and Emily Palizzi, Collar , Kalisz and Andworld Design) takes place in 2022, at the ARGUS headquarters, where Cisco Ramon trains the new Phantom Girl to take on the role of a superhero.
When a breakout begins in the security room, it’s up to the duo to stop a group of villains from breaking out of ARGUS HQ. And while they manage to stop them (for the most part), there is one fugitive who gets the better of them. That’s Bloodwork, Dr. Ramsey Rosso (portrayed by actor Sendhil Ramamurthy in the Arrowverse), one of the most monstrous villains to ever exist in The Flash, who was seen in the year 2049. And the back-up story ends with an explicit confirmation of his return to television.
“It will continue in season 9 of The Flash,” the story promises.
So fans of The Flash should look forward to Bloodwork/Ramurthy in the new season of the series, perhaps even as its big bad. But as for Oliver Queen’s prophecy and preparations, not so much.
