The Flash: Armageddon Brings Black Lightning Back to the Arrowverse

| December i, 2021 |

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This THE FLASH: ARMAGEDDON article contains spoilers.

The Flash Season 8 Episode 3

As crossovers go, The Flash's five-part Armageddon event is pretty low-key, then much so that it'south piece of cake to see why showrunner Eric Wallace doesn't actually like the thought of calling information technology a crossover at all. And maybe that'southward a good matter, in the end, because rather than going for the spectacle of, say, a Crisis on Space Earths or Crisis on World-X , the show has time to requite us quieter, richer character moments of the sort we so rarely get betwixt heroes from different shows.

"Armageddon, Pt. 3" brings Blackness Lightning's Jefferson Pierce dorsum to the Arrowverse, not to really fight any bad guys just to but help his friend. Manifestly, during i of the seemingly many times that the CW make Justice League got together in their drafty aircraft hanger pseudo-hall to hang out offscreen, they came up with a serial of protocols – code-named "Injustice" as a nod to the comics nerds among us – meant to bargain with the situation if any i of their squad goes rogue and needs to be stopped. It turns out that Jefferson is Barry's designated partner in this buddy system, meant to help him get rid of his powers if the situation calls for it.

When the original cast listing for the Armageddon event was released, I'll admit to feeling a bit skeptical about the assortment of heroes called for this upshot, but it must be said that Jefferson is precisely the perfect homo for this moment. The only other character I can recall of who can lucifer his unflappable calm and preternatural skill at pep talks is mayhap man ray of sunshine Ray Palmer, merely since nosotros only saw him a couple of episodes ago, it seems unlikely he'd exist back. (And is, technically not part of the JV Justice League anyway.)

Jefferson's rational approach makes for a refreshing contrast with Barry'south increasingly manic attitude – heck information technology'southward a calm heart in the story of the rest of this episode. (I practice truly like Danielle Nicolet, only asking her to have three separate emotional breakdowns over the course of this hour was just likewise much.) Obviously, the two take to spend a few minutes hurling lightning at each other when Barry tries to force Jefferson into removing his powers, considering this is a comic volume evidence and the visuals of Black Lightning versus The Flash, even for a few moments, are too good to turn down.

Merely Jefferson's at-home surety – nearly Barry's innate goodness, about the ways Oliver believed in him, about the fact that Barry is and always has been the all-time of all of this canaille crew of heroes – is not just necessary, information technology feels similar an adult has somehow stepped dorsum into the room once again after three episodes of slowly increasing chaos. (I also may have gotten a little teary near the return of Jefferson's "Where's the future?" mantra. I am not made of stone.)

Though Black Lightning ended back in May and Supergirl hung upward her greatcoat only a few short weeks ago, by including Jefferson and Alex the Armageddon event – every bit well as Arrow's Mia Queen, who is clearly showing up in the future next week and who hasn't been seen onscreen since early 2020 – it non only makes the Arrowverse experience more connected, it lets u.s.a., every bit viewers, experience like this universe is something total and complete, that keeps ticking on even when we're not watching it. Just because the terminal credits may have rolled on one hero's prove, that's not the cease of their story. And in that location'south something to desperately hopeful in that, in a way that really works for this universe. It's something I hope the remainder of the DC Boob tube universe manages to comprehend in the time to come. We don't need five-night megaevents all the time. This? This is the kind of thing this earth needs more of.

Happily, "Armageddon, Pt. 3" also confirms adequately quickly what nosotros all pretty much guessed terminal week, that something wonky is going on with The Flash's timeline, Joe'due south non meant to be dead, and Barry's impending madness seems to be being caused and/or manipulated by someone or something else. Also, while Despero may not be the person rewriting reality, he'south certainly non exactly helping things much, and it's probably fourth dimension that everyone on Squad Flash stopped assertive that he is annihilation other than a slightly less maniacal enemy.

To exist fair, I feel similar there had to be some way to do that without involving Still Force avatar/god/any Dion is and making u.s.a. relive any aspect of one of the worst storylines in the evidence's history. Sure, he seems to mean well and props for keeping Iris from dying of time sickness or whatever that is, just nothing about Dillon's existence or powers – why can the Still Force give Barry speed? – makes any sort of sense and information technology's exhausting so perhaps information technology'due south for the all-time if we just don't think about it too hard.

"Armageddon, Pt. iii" saves its best moment for last, nonetheless, as Barry runs to 2031 to try and effigy out who actually caused the cataclysmic event he's supposed to bring about, simply to discover that Iris is evidently somehow ready to marry Eobard Thawne. And a bunch of the superfriends, including Ryan Wilder, Ryan Choi, and Alex Danvers, are apparently fine with it? They're even angry at Barry for showing up! This is all and then incredibly ridiculous that it full rounds the bend straight into awesome, and though I accept no idea how Thawne is a.) live, b.) in 2031, or c.) marrying Iris, I also know that I cannot wait to find out. This bewilderment is the outset of this effect series that actually feels propulsive and unexpected even though we probably all predicted that whatsoever was actually going on, Thawne probably had something to exercise with it. It'south What else is this effect going to surprise us with?