From the jaws of defeat, our Arrowverse heroes fight to defeat the Nazi invaders in this thrilling conclusion. But their journey is not without sacrifice…
When we left our heroes, they were in dire straits. Barry, Oliver, Sara, Alex and Firestorm were trapped in a concentration camp on Earth X. Iris and Fecility are hiding out from the Nazis that invaded STAR Labs. And Kara was being prepped for surgery under a red sun lamp, for her heart to be transferred to the dying Overgirl. Things are not looking good!
The concentration camp on Earth X is about as horrible as you’d expect, with gay and Jewish prisoners imprisoned and sentenced to death. Sara even learns that her Earth X doppelganger’s bisexuality caused her death at the hands of her father, who runs the camp. With no powers and too many guards to possibly take out, it looks like our heroes are doomed, marched off to be executed. But who should show up at the last minute? None other than Leo Snart! Yep, Captain Cold’s counterpart is a resistance fighter, along with his romantic partner, Ray Terrill, AKA The Ray! Always cool to bring new heroes into the mix.
Back on Earth One at STAR Labs, all the remaining heroes are locked up in the Pipeline, with only Iris and Felicity having escaped. They have to rescue Kara from being killed in surgery by Reverse Flash, with the Dark Archer watching over the operation, while Overgirl’s unconscious. Not great odds! But unlike their efforts in “Girls Night Out,” the duo is smart, resourceful and almost pull off a rescue under the Nazis’ noses. It’s only the presence of Metallo that foils the escape. But they did manage to send out a distress beacon to the Legends. In a very cool sequence, The Atom shrinks down to stop Thawne’s scalpel, surprising the villain with a knock-out blast. Nate, Amaya and Zari rescue the rest of the heroes and they all use their powers to obliterate Metallo.
At the resistance’s base, led by a tougher, badass version of Winn, the team figures out a way back to Earth One, by going through a dimensional Gateway. As Barry and The Ray (not to confuse him with Ray Palmer), hold off the resistance’s weapon (Red Tornado!) to buy the team some time, Oliver pretends to be his Earth X counterpart, the Fuhrer of this world. He infiltrates and discovers that the Nazis have their own Waverider. Earth X Quentin Lance sees through his disguise, but is too late to stop him from disabling the base’s power dampeners. It’s an all-out brawl as our heroes try to activate the Gateway and get back to Earth One. They succeed, but not without sacrifice. Martin is shot in action as he flips the switch, opening the way home.
Back on Earth One, Jax fuses with Martin into Firestorm to get him to the Waverider and Gideon. When they separate though, Jax’s psychic connection with Martin is the only thing keeping him alive. If they stay linked, they’ll both die. In one of the most heartbreaking scenes of the Arrowverse, Martin asks Jax to give him the serum that will separate them, sacrificing himself for Jax, who he views as a son. It’s an absolute tearjerker of a scene, brought together by touching performances by Victor Garber and Franz Drameh. Martin Stein has been a key part of this universe since the first season of The Flash. His loss hits hard, not just for the audience but most of our heroes.
There’s little time to mourn though, with the Nazirider, Overgirl, Reverse Flash and Dark Archer attacking Central City with their army. Nearly every hero to appear in the special suits up, meeting the Nazis on the battlefield. It’s incredible to see all of them standing (or flying) side by side. Even Cisco, Felicity, Iris and Harry get in on the action, piloting the Waverider to face off against the Earth X version.
As you could imagine, the climactic battle is full of amazing moments. The Atom shrinks down and catches a ride on one of Mr. Terrific’s T-spheres. The Flashes fight while everything around them is frozen in time. Supergirl and Overgirl clash over the skies of Central City. Arrow and Dark Archer face off on top of a van. It’s all glorious to see in action and tops last year’s big fight against the Dominators. It’s especially nice to see such a diverse group of heroes from all walks of life win against the Nazis that hate all that they represent.
Overgirl’s radiation overwhelms her, causing her to go supernova. Dark Archer gets distracted by her death enough for Oliver to put an arrow through his chest. Barry beats Thawne, but spares him, resuming their neverending feud. Earth One wins, but it’s bittersweet with the death of Martin. His funeral gets across how many lives he’s touched. We do end on a happy note though. Not only do Barry and Iris get married (with John Diggle zoomed into to officiate), but Oliver and Felicity decide to tie the knot as well!
“Crisis on Earth X” was a superb special that brought the best elements of all four shows. It had action, drama, humor and heart. It not only showcased the many strengths of our heroes, but it was also a reminder of what makes them heroic in the first place.
Show Notes
- While The Ray returns to Earth X, Leo Snart decides to stick around Earth One for a bit, which means we get a few more future appearances of Wentworth Miller!
- Apparently, in the future, Thawne fights Superman…….CAN WE SEE THIS NOW PLEASE?
- In another awesome scene, Leo Snart runs into Mick on the Waverider. Mick learns that his doppelganger died saving cops from a burning building. Mick…handles the news as expected.
- The Nazi Waverider’s Gideon is voiced by none other than Susanna Thompson, who played Moira Queen on Arrow!
- When Supergirl confronts Overgirl, she says “General, would you care to step outside?” Superman II fans everywhere just laughed gleefully.
The Super Cinco
- Martin Stein – Martin sacrifices himself twice in this special, first taking a couple of bullets to activate the Gateway and get the team home. Then, when Jax’s life is threatened by their psychic bond, he drinks the serum that severs it, so Jax could survive. He died not just a hero, but a Legend.
- Oliver Queen / Green Arrow – Oliver successfully executes several plans to defeat the Nazis, including going undercover as the Fuhrer to lower the Gateway’s defenses, and leading the team into the final battle. He also kills his evil doppelganger and finally gets married to Felicity.
- Barry Allen / The Flash – Barry works with The Ray to slow down Red Tornado, giving the team time to escape Earth X. Once they make it back home, Barry confronts and defeats Thawne in an excellent one-on-one fight. He also succeeds in getting married to Iris!
- Kara Danvers / Supergirl – While red sunlight weakens her body, Kara’s spirit remains defiant as she’s taunted by Overgirl. She’s willing to sacrifice herself to save Felicity, but the team rescues them both. After some yellow sunlight, she fights off Overgirl and carries her into space to explode safely away from the planet.
- Jefferson “Jax” Jackson – His engineering skills are essential in opening the Gateway to get our heroes home. He fuses into Firestorm with the injured Martin to try and save his life, willing to give up his own life. But Martin chooses to die instead. Jax is devastated but as Lily says, Martin will always be part of him.
- Ray Palmer / The Atom – Ray Palmer is essential to Kara’s rescue. By shrinking down, he’s able to sneak onto the surgery table, blocking Thawne’s scalpel before knocking him out and bruising Dark Archer. In the big finale, he shrinks down, catches a ride on a T-Sphere and runs circles around the Nazis.
- Caitlin Snow / Killer Frost – Both sides of Caitlin’s personality help take out the Nazi threat. She uses her frost abilities to help destroy Metallo and create a path to the Nazi Waverider, where she works with Amaya and Zari to lower the ship’s shields, letting the Earth One Waverider destroy it.
- Sara Lance / White Canary – While Sara is rattled by her father’s Nazi doppelganger and crushed by Martin’s death, she stays focused on the fight at hand, helping to lead the team and taking out waves of Nazis on her own. Plus, she works out her awkwardness with Alex, ending things between them on a positive note.
- Iris West – Nazis may have ruined her ceremony, but Iris does get to marry Barry after all! Before she gets to “I do,” she works with Felicity to try and rescue Kara and the team trapped in the Pipeline. She keeps a level head and proves why she’s Central Command for Team Flash.
- Felicity Smoak – She kicks Nazi ass, she sets off a distress beacon for the Legends, she finds a way around the Nazi Waverider’s shields and she overcomes her fear of marriage, getting hitched alongside Barry and Iris.