Why Flashpoint should have been the next Arrowverse crossover

With news that Gal Gadot will be appearing in Flashpoint, the DCEU’s solo outing for the Flash, audiences and comic book fans will finally get to see one of the most iconic stories in DC’s history. Definitely situated in the camp of dark and graphic violence, the story involves Barry Allen going back in time to alter the events of his own past, inadvertently creating a sinister new reality.

If the DCEU follows through and depicts Flashpoint as it was originally written, then we’re going very different version of the Justice League or rather its members, since the League is never formed because of Flashpoint. However the story is unfolded, it is sure to polarise audience and fans alike when they are presented with mirror versions of their favourite heroes.

One can only hope we get a better depiction of Flashpoint than what we were given by the CW in Season 3 of The Flash.

I am a big fan of the Arrowverse, just as I was a fan of Smallville for decade. While Netflix continues to pound gritty realism into its Marvel content to the point they are almost depressing, joyless affairs, the Arrowverse makes no apologies for what it is. It revels in its comic book silliness and isn’t afraid to mine legacy actors for its cast, which I adore. I never imagined I would ever see King Shark, Gorilla Grodd or the Dominators on my television screen so I’m loving every minute of it even if some of the romantic storylines are groan inducing.

Still despite its deficiencies, the Arrowverse gets a lot done on a TV budget. As I mentioned earlier, they managed to pull off characters like King Shark and Gorilla Grodd on a limited budget. The effects on The Flash and then later on Legends of the DC Universe and Supergirl are particularly good with the idea of less is more in terms of CGI, meaning they have to innovate new ways to tell stories.

This is why I consider the Arrowverse Flashpoint such a disapointment.

At the end of Season 2, Barry returned to the scene of his mother’s death and prevented Nora Allen from dying; creating a new timeline comic book fans know as Flashpoint. Over the summer, the show's producers promised us a third season dealing with the fallout of his actions. Unfortunately, what we got when Season 3 opened was nothing remotely resembling the Flashpoint we were so anticipating

Without going into every detail about how The Flash failed when it came to Flashpoint, I am going to say this storyline needed more ground work than a quick introduction at the end of Season 2. Furthermore, this particular story was too ambitious to be limited to just one show. While we saw some consequences of Flashpoint in the Arrowverse, it was nothing like the jaw-dropping subversion of our favourite heroes in the original story.

This is why Flashpoint should have been the next Arrowverse crossover after Invasion.

Why? Let me elaborate.

1. Supergirl

This is particularly important because a major component of Flashpoint was the presence of Wonder Woman as the tyrannical leader of the Amazons.

Imagine instead if Kara had come to Earth 1 instead of becoming Kara Danvers, taking her place as leader of Astra's Fort Rozz army. Go even further than that, what if the Daxamites also found their way to Earth? Their battle for supremacy would allow us to see a version of the devastating war waged by the Amazons and the Atlanteans over Earth in Flashpoint.

Finally, considering how invested the audience is in the relationship between Kara and Alex, picture the gut punch that would be delivered if we were allowed to see Kara kill Alex in a scene similar to Diana's meeting with Steve Trevor in Flashpoint.

2. Green Arrow - Robert Queen?

In the same way Thomas Wayne becomes Batman in Flashpoint, we could have had Jamey Sheridan returning to the role of Robert Queen, now Green Arrow instead of Oliver. It would have been Oliver who died when the Queen's Gambit sunk, leaving his father to endure five years on Lian Yu before returning to Starling and discovering his wife's collusion with Malcolm Merlyn.

It is far more believable to accept Robert as a cold-blooded vigilante who has no difficulty killing his former partners in the Undertaking than Oliver's first year as the Arrow. Furthermore, unlike Oliver who was driven to save his city because of a promise, Robert's motivations would boil down to vengeance for his son's death. It would be an equally compelling reason for him to help Barry repair the timeline in an effort to restore Oliver's life.

3. The Legends as the Resistance

In Flashpoint, Cyborg leads a group of heroes to fight the invading forces, inviting Batman to join them. The same plot could have continued with Sarah and the Legends, which would also include John Diggle and Felicity Smoak, attempting to recruit Green Arrow to their cause.

Meanwhile, Harrison Wells with Lena Luthor could be working for the US government to develop a weapon to use against the two invading forces, powered by a trapped Stein and Jax in their fused state as Firestorm.

Additionally, it would be perfectly reasonable for Barry to seek out Cisco Ramone for help in devising a way to restore his powers and repaired the damaged timeline. I have no difficulty imagining Robert Queen's Green Arrow or Sarah Lance killing Eobard Thawne to ensure Barry is able to return to the night of his mother's death.

4. Martian Manhunter

One of the key elements of Flashpoint was the inclusion of Superman as a trapped prisoner of the US government, never found by the Kents. In the Arrowverse, it is probably best to ignore Superman's existence even if he could be played by the awesome Tyler Hoechlin. Mostly because the relationship between Kal-el and a tyrannical Kara would have required more character work than can be explored in a four-part crossover with so many other players.

Enter J'onn J'onzz who could step into the void easily. The Martian Manhunter would have arrived on Earth as an adult and be fully aware of his abilities, something Flashpoint Clark took time to develop. Furthermore, J'onn's telepathy would make it easier to signal the Legends for help and give them an ally capable of taking on a Kryptonian or a Daxamite.

Bear in mind, these ideas are based on the animated film, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and not the comic book series, which is a far more complex product to adapt.

But alas, Flashpoint in the Arrowverse has come and gone and now we're waiting on Ezra Miller's turn as the Flash to see if the DCEU is capable of giving this great story the cinematic treatment it deserves.