"Invasion!" is the third
Arrowverse
The Arrowverse is an American Superhero fiction, 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 ...
crossover event, with episodes of the television series ''
The Flash
The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
'', ''
Arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
'' and ''
Legends of Tomorrow
''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, ...
'' on
The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
, and is inspired by the 1989 comic miniseries ''
Invasion!''. Events at the end of the ''
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...
'' episode "
Medusa
In Greek mythology, Medusa (; ), also called Gorgo () or the Gorgon, was one of the three Gorgons. Medusa is generally described as a woman with living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her wa ...
" on November 28, 2016, marked the beginning of the crossover, which began on November 29 with ''The Flash'', continued on ''Arrow'' on November 30, and concluded on ''Legends of Tomorrow'' on December 1. Each of the main three episodes were titled "Invasion!". In the crossover,
Barry Allen
Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second character known as the Flash, following Flash (Jay Garrick), Jay Garrick. The character first appeared in ''Showcase (comic ...
recruits
Kara Danvers / Supergirl from Earth-38 to Earth-1 to help his team,
Oliver Queen
Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...
and his team, and the
Legends to defeat the alien race known as the
Dominators.
Development of a crossover between the three series and ''Supergirl'' began in May 2016, when it was learned that ''Supergirl'' would move to The CW from
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
for its second season. By the following September the scripts for each episode were written, and were filmed in October 2016. The premise and episode titles were also announced in September. In "Invasion!", the main cast members of each series appear in (at least) their own series;
Melissa Benoist
Melissa Marie Benoist ( ; born October 4, 1988) is an American actress and singer. Her first major role was Marley Rose on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox musical comedy drama ''Glee (TV series), Glee'' (2012–2014), in which she was a serie ...
appears as Supergirl in the entire crossover. A number of actors and characters from previous ''Arrow'' seasons returned to reprise their roles, since ''Arrow''s episode doubled as its
100th.
The three episodes of the crossover received positive reviews, with critics praising the interaction among the actors in each series and each episode's advancing season storylines as part of the crossover. The Dominators storyline was regarded as its weakest link, with reviewers finding the alien race's motivations unclear. Ratings for the episodes were high, with each breaking records in viewership and the 18–49 rating and contributing to the most-watched week on The CW in six years. A fourth crossover, "
Crisis on Earth-X
"Crisis on Earth-X" is the fourth Arrowverse Crossover (fiction), crossover event, featuring episodes of ''Supergirl (TV series), Supergirl'', ''Arrow (TV series), Arrow'', ''The Flash (2014 TV series), The Flash'', and ''Legends of Tomorrow' ...
", occurred the following year.
Plot
Barry Allen
Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second character known as the Flash, following Flash (Jay Garrick), Jay Garrick. The character first appeared in ''Showcase (comic ...
investigates a meteor crash outside
Central City, which turns out to be a spaceship from which aliens emerge.
Lyla Michaels tells the team that the aliens are known as the
Dominators, and that they had landed on Earth during the 1950s, but mysteriously departed. Barry assembles the original members of Team Arrow,
Thea Queen
Thea Dearden Queen, also known as Speedy, is a fictional character portrayed by Willa Holland on The CW television series ''Arrow'', created by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg. She is the maternal half-sister of series prot ...
, the
Legends, and
Kara Danvers
Kara Danvers, also known as Kara Zor-El on her homeworld, is a fictional character in the Arrowverse franchise, mainly the television series Supergirl (TV series), ''Supergirl''. Adapted for television by Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler and Andrew Kre ...
, Supergirl of Earth-38. The team begins training at a
S.T.A.R. Labs facility, sparring with Supergirl to prepare for the aliens. Kara struggles to earn
Oliver Queen
Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...
's trust, and
Cisco Ramon finds and reveals a message Barry's future self sent to
Rip Hunter
Rip Hunter (Michael Jon Carter Jr.) is a time-traveling superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jack Miller and artist Ruben Moreira, the character first appeared in ''Showcase (comics), Showcase'' #20 ...
, which exposes Barry's manipulation of the timeline and its effect on other team members. As a result, only Oliver, Kara,
Felicity Smoak,
Martin Stein,
Jefferson "Jax" Jackson, and
Caitlin Snow still trust Barry.
After the Dominators abduct the President of the United States, the team goes to rescue him, with Barry sitting the mission out and Oliver staying behind in support of him. Kara leads the group, but the Dominators kill the President and activate a
mind control Mind control may refer to:
Psychology and neurology
* Brainwashing, the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques
* Brain–computer interface
* Hypnosis
* Neuroprosthetics, the technology of cont ...
device to take over the group. The controlled heroes return and attack S.T.A.R. Labs, where Barry and Oliver confront them. While Oliver holds them off, Barry lures Kara to the device and tricks her into destroying it, freeing everyone from the Dominators' control. When the team regroups,
Ray Palmer Raymond or Ray Palmer may refer to:
* Raymond A. Palmer, science-fiction writer and editor
* Raymond F. Palmer, medical professor
* Raymond Palmer, 3rd Baron Palmer (1916–1990), British peer and businessman
* Ray Palmer (pastor), American pastor ...
tells Barry that everyone forgives and trusts him.
Sara Lance
Sara Lance, also known by her alter-ego White Canary, is a fictional character in The CW's Arrowverse franchise, first introduced in the 2012 pilot episode of the television series ''Arrow'', and later starring in '' Legends of Tomorrow''. The ...
, Ray,
John Diggle, Thea, and Oliver are then abducted by the Dominators.
They are held in pods on a Dominator ship, each unconscious except for a shared
hallucination
A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...
of a
simulated reality
A simulated reality is an approximation of reality created in a simulation, usually in a set of circumstances in which something is engineered to appear real when it is not.
Most concepts invoking a simulated reality relate to some form of compu ...
. In the hallucination, Oliver is living at Queen Manor,
having never gotten on the ''Queen's Gambit'', and is about to marry
Laurel Lance. His parents are alive, and Diggle is operating as the Hood instead of Oliver. The captives begin seeing flashes of their real lives, and realize what has been done to them. Their escape attempt is blocked by personifications of their enemies:
Malcolm Merlyn,
Deathstroke
Deathstroke is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as Deathstroke the Terminator. In his co ...
and two of his Mirakuru soldiers, who killed Ray's fiancée Anna Loring, along with
Damien Darhk and two of his
H.I.V.E.
The Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination (H.I.V.E.) is a fictional terrorist organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
The H.I.V.E. organization has appeared in ''Teen Titans (TV series), Teen Titan ...
soldiers. The adversaries are defeated, and the five awaken in the Dominators' ship and escape in a shuttle. Felicity,
Curtis Holt, and Cisco try to hack into the Dominators' mainframe. Aided by Barry and Kara, they recover a device to locate the captives, who are rescued by
Nate Heywood in the Legends' timeship, the ''Waverider''. Aboard the ''Waverider'', Ray deduces that the Dominators were gathering information about
metahumans
In the DC Universe, a metahuman is a human with superpowers. The term is roughly synonymous with the terms ''mutant'', '' inhuman'' and ''mutate'' in the Marvel Universe and ''posthuman'' in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. In DC Comi ...
, using the hallucination as a distraction, to help them build a special "weapon". Meanwhile, the Dominator
mothership
A mother ship, mothership or mother-ship is a large vehicle that leads, serves, or carries other smaller vehicles. A mother ship may be a maritime ship, aircraft, or spacecraft.
Examples include bomber aircraft, bombers converted to carry exp ...
heads towards Earth.
Nate says that the first Dominator invasion occurred in 1951 in
Redmond, Oregon
Redmond is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. The population was 33,274 at the 2020 census, and according to 2023 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 37,009.
The city is on the eastern side of Oregon ...
. He goes there with fellow Legends
Mick Rory and
Amaya Jiwe and Felicity and Cisco to kidnap a Dominator for information. Although they are successful, the three Legends and their alien captive are taken prisoner by
N.S.A. agents. The Legends learn from the Dominator that the aliens have arrived to assess humanity's threat, now that metahumans have appeared and formed the
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...
. Felicity and Cisco rescue the Legends, and also set the Dominator free, carelessly altering history. In 2016 Central City, the team learns that the Dominators know about Barry's manipulation of the timeline, deem him a threat, and are demanding his surrender in exchange for peace. After the Legends return, the team discovers that the Dominators' weapon is a bomb that will kill all metahumans on Earth, with millions of collateral human casualties. The teams dissuade Barry from surrendering, and he and Cisco reconcile. The team manage to destroy the bomb and force the Dominators to retreat with a pain-inflicting
nano-weapon. As the heroes celebrate their victory, Oliver offers Kara his friendship, and Cisco gives her a device which will enable interdimensional travel and communication between Earth-1 and Earth-38. Martin persuades Jax not to tell the others that his daughter Lily's existence is the result of a
temporal paradox
A temporal paradox, time paradox, or time travel paradox, is a paradox, an apparent contradiction, or logical contradiction associated with the idea of time travel or other foreknowledge of the future. While the notion of time travel to the futu ...
he inadvertently caused when the Legends were in 1987.
Cast and characters
Main and recurring
Despite being credited,
Josh Segarra does not appear in the ''Arrow'' episode.
Guests
''The Flash''
*
Audrey Marie Anderson as
Lyla Michaels
*
Jerry Wasserman
Jerry Wasserman (born November 2, 1945) is an Americans, American professor and film and television actor.
Wasserman was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
He was a professor of English and Theatre at the University of British Columbia. He was also a f ...
as the President of the United States
*
Vigilante
Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority.
A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice ...
''Legends of Tomorrow''
* Lucia Walters as President Susan Brayden
''Arrow''
*
John Barrowman as
Malcolm Merlyn / Dark Archer
*
Neal McDonough
Neal McDonough (born February 13, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Lieutenant Lynn Compton, Lynn "Buck" Compton in the HBO miniseries ''Band of Brothers (miniseries), Band of Brothers'' (2001), Deputy District Attorney ...
as
Damien Darhk
*
Katie Cassidy
Katie Cassidy (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films ''When a Stranger Calls (2006 film), When a Stranger Calls'' (2006 ...
as
Laurel Lance
*
Susanna Thompson as
Moira Queen
*
Rick Gonzalez
Rick Gonzalez (born June 30, 1979) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Timo Cruz in the motion picture ''Coach Carter'', as Spanish in ''Old School (2003 film), Old School'', as Ben Gonzalez on the The CW Television Network, CW su ...
as
Rene Ramirez / Wild Dog
*
Joe Dinicol
Joe Dinicol (born December 22, 1983) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his portrayal of Rory Regan / Ragman in a recurring role in the fifth season of ''Arrow''.
Life and career
Dinicol was born in Stratford, Ontario, the son of Emma () an ...
as
Rory Regan / Ragman
*
Jamey Sheridan
James Patrick Sheridan (born July 12, 1951) is an American actor known for playing a wide range of roles in theater, film, and television. He is known for Randall Flagg in ''The Stand'' (1994), Captain James Deakins on ''Law & Order: Criminal I ...
as
Robert Queen
Quakemaster
Quarmer
Question
Emiko Queen
Moira Queen
Moira Queen is the mother of Green Arrow, Oliver Queen/the Green Arrow. She and her husband Robert were killed by lions during an African safari.
Moira Queen in other media
Moira Quee ...
*
Erica Luttrell as Laura Washington
*
Colin Donnell as
Tommy Merlyn
*
Colton Haynes
Colton Lee Haynes (born July 13, 1988) is an American actor and model. He is known for his starring role as Jackson Whittemore in the MTV supernatural drama series ''Teen Wolf (2011 TV series), Teen Wolf'' and as Roy Harper (Arrowverse), Roy Har ...
as
Roy Harper
An uncredited stand-in portrays
Deathstroke
Deathstroke is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as Deathstroke the Terminator. In his co ...
.
Production
Development
In May 2016, after it was announced that ''
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...
'' would air its second season on
The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
instead of
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
, CW president
Mark Pedowitz
Mark Pedowitz is an American entertainment executive. From 2011 to 2022, he was the president, and then chairman and CEO of The CW, after replacing the former president of entertainment Dawn Ostroff. During his time at The CW, Pedowitz oversaw al ...
said that all four series—''
Arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
'', ''
The Flash
The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
'', ''
Legends of Tomorrow
''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, ...
'', and ''Supergirl''—would cross over during the
2016–17 television season.
In September 2016,
Greg Berlanti
Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', ''Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series), Brothers & Sisters'', ''Everwood'', ''Political ...
, creator and executive producer of all four series, said that the crossover event would only involve ''The Flash'', ''Arrow'', and ''Legends of Tomorrow'';
the event begins at the end of the ''Supergirl'' episode "
Medusa
In Greek mythology, Medusa (; ), also called Gorgo () or the Gorgon, was one of the three Gorgons. Medusa is generally described as a woman with living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her wa ...
", with Barry and
Cisco Ramon arriving on Supergirl's Earth to recruit her.
Andrew Kreisberg, executive producer on ''Arrow'', ''The Flash'', and ''Supergirl'', explained why the crossover did not include ''Supergirl'': since "Medusa" was the mid-season finale for ''Supergirl'' and the other three series had theirs in episodes after the crossover, they "wanted to make sure that
Medusa"spoke to what had been happening on the first seven episodes of ''Supergirl'' and not just as a tie in". He added that it would have been logistically difficult to incorporate the four series, noting that finding the time for
Melissa Benoist
Melissa Marie Benoist ( ; born October 4, 1988) is an American actress and singer. Her first major role was Marley Rose on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox musical comedy drama ''Glee (TV series), Glee'' (2012–2014), in which she was a serie ...
to shoot material for the other three series was complicated. Benoist did not appear in much of "
The Darkest Place", the episode before "Medusa", to make her available to appear in each of the crossover episodes.
He expanded on the difficulties, saying that "built-in shut-down days" for ''Supergirl'' were not planned on, in part because the series switched from CBS to The CW, and that this inability to shut down normal production prevented it from having a larger role in the crossover.
It was announced the following September that the villains in the event would be the
Dominators, in a story inspired by the 1989 comic miniseries ''
Invasion!''
The Dominators were chosen because the writers "collectively wanted the superheroes to face an external threat," meaning "a threat that came from outside of the shows", rather than extraterrestrial.
The following month, ''Arrow'' and ''Legends of Tomorrow'' creator and executive producer
Marc Guggenheim
Marc Guggenheim (born September 24, 1970) is an American screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer, and novelist. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''Eli Stone'' (2008–2009), ''Arrow'' (2012–2020), and ''Lege ...
said that the title of each episode of the crossover would be "Invasion!".
In November 2016, Kreisberg said that the Dominators would appear during the later part of ''Supergirl''s season after the crossover event.
Guggenheim said that in the initial script for ''The Flash'',
Lynda Carter
Lynda Jean Carter (born July 24, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and beauty pageant contestant, best known for her portrayal of Wonder Woman in the television series ''Wonder Woman'', aired on ABC and later on CBS from 1975 to 1979. Befo ...
appeared as the Vice President (becoming President after his death in the episode); Carter appears as President Olivia Marsdin on ''Supergirl''. This did not occur because a note from the studio felt it would have been too confusing, having Marsdin appear as president on one series (and another Earth) and vice president on the others. Guggenheim added, "In the midst of time travel and aliens, it was just one sci-fi problem too much" and conceded that "if people at the studio were confused by the script, it was probably not particularly friendly to casual fans."
Writing
Scripts for "Invasion!" were written in mid-September 2016, with Berlanti creating the story for the event and Kreisberg helping to craft the story of ''The Flash'' episode.
The teleplay for ''The Flash'' was written by
showrunners
A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
Aaron and Todd Helbing;
''Arrow''s was written by showrunners Guggenheim and
Wendy Mericle
Wendy Mericle is an American television writer and television producer, producer. She is known for her work on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC dramedy ''Desperate Housewives'' and The CW's Superhero (genre), superhero series ''Arrow (TV se ...
,
and showrunners
Phil Klemmer and Guggenheim wrote the teleplay for ''Legends of Tomorrow''.
When the Dominators were chosen as the threat for the crossover, the writers were able to justify the heroes' uniting; since Supergirl "is knowledgeable about these particular enemies, the Legends can help better understand the last time the Dominators visited Earth thanks to their time travel capabilities, and both Teams Flash and Arrow have a diverse array of capable heroes who are able to understand and counter just about every imaginable threat."
''Arrow''s episode in the crossover was also the series' 100th. Guggenheim said that Berlanti's idea for the episode "allow
dus to have our cake and eat it too" in respecting ''Arrow'' as a whole and incorporating it into the crossover, with Guggenheim calling it "a love letter" to the series as a whole. The producers were able to incorporate many actors from earlier in the series, with others who could not appear because of scheduling conflicts still represented.
At the end of ''The Flash'' episode, Oliver, Thea, Sara, Diggle, and Ray are captured by the Dominators and held in stasis with their minds experiencing a "shared hallucination"; this allowed the writers "to revisit footage from the previous 99 episodes" in the characters' memory flashes.
Filming
The three episodes were filmed from September 23 to October 12, 2016.
They were filmed concurrently, with some cast members shooting scenes for several series each day. Filming was done at the
Boundary Bay Airport
Boundary Bay Airport or Vancouver/Boundary Bay Airport is located beside Boundary Bay and east of Ladner, British Columbia, Ladner in Delta, British Columbia, Delta, British Columbia, Canada, south southeast of Vancouver and close to the Poin ...
.
''The Flash''s episode was directed by
Dermott Downs,
''Arrow''s by
James Bamford
James Bamford (born September 15, 1946) is an American author, journalist and documentary producer noted for his writing about United States intelligence agencies, especially the National Security Agency (NSA). ''The New York Times'' has calle ...
,
and ''Legend of Tomorrow''s by
Gregory Smith.
Visual effects
The crossover's visual effects were by Encore Post and
Zoic Studios
Zoic Studios is an American visual effects company based in Culver City, California, specializing in visual effects for feature films, episodic television, commercials, video games, advertising design, and interactive online media, the company ...
.
The Dominators were created with "cutting-edge prosthetics and computer effects ... to achieve a feature film-quality look which is faithful to ''Invasion!'' artist
Todd McFarlane's interpretation of the characters."
Although they originally wore the green robes of the comics, Guggenheim said that when it was decided to create the species in
CGI, the robes "made animating them prohibitively impossible".
The
S.T.A.R. Labs facility where the heroes initially meet was made to look like the
Hall of Justice in the ''
Super Friends
''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of Am ...
'' animated series. Stock footage of the building in Cincinnati that was used as the basis for the Hall of Justice,
Union Terminal, was altered by Encore for the crossover.
Colin Donnell and
Colton Haynes
Colton Lee Haynes (born July 13, 1988) is an American actor and model. He is known for his starring role as Jackson Whittemore in the MTV supernatural drama series ''Teen Wolf (2011 TV series), Teen Wolf'' and as Roy Harper (Arrowverse), Roy Har ...
appear as holograms, reprising their roles as
Tommy Merlyn and
Roy Harper, at the end of the ''Arrow'' episode. They appeared as holograms (not physically) due to other commitments which prevented their being re-shot. Guggenheim said that Zoic Studios had to
rotoscope
Rotoscoping is an animation technique that animators use to trace over motion picture footage, frame by frame, to produce realistic action. Originally, live-action film images were projected onto a glass panel and traced onto paper. This pr ...
them from older episodes noting "It was hard, obviously because they had to work with preexisting footage. Yes, they had
anyepisodes to choose from, but it was a lot harder than that makes it sound."
Marketing
Despite "Invasion!" being the title of only three of the four The CW series airing at that time, the event, marketed as "Heroes v Aliens", was called a "four-night crossover event", as it begins with the final scene of the ''Supergirl'' episode.
In Canada, where ''The Flash'', ''Arrow'' and ''Legends'' aired on
CTV Television Network
The CTV Television Network, commonly known as CTV, is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. Launched in 1961 and acquired by BCE Inc. in 2000, CTV is Canada's largest privately owned List of Canadian ...
, while ''Supergirl'' aired on
Showcase, the single scene on ''Supergirl'' was not mentioned, and the crossover was marketed as a three-night event entitled "Heroes United".
A faux
classified U.S. government video was released, set about 70 years in the past, detailing the Dominators' first attempt to conquer Earth.
The crossover's trailer was released on November 23, 2016.
Release
Broadcast
After beginning in the final scene of the November 28, 2016 episode of ''Supergirl'', the first part on ''The Flash'' aired on November 29, followed by part two on ''Arrow'' on November 30, and concluding with part three on ''Legends of Tomorrow'' on December 1, all on The CW.
Home media
The episodes, the rest of ''Legends of Tomorrow''s second season, ''The Flash''s third season and ''Arrow''s fifth season were released separately on
Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
and
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
in
Region 1 on August 15, 2017,
September 5
and September 19, respectively.
The three episodes, accompanied by three "Allied: The Invasion Complex" behind-the-scenes featurettes (included separately in each series' home media release), were released together on a separate DVD on August 17, 2017, in
Region 2 and September 20 in
Region 4.
The episodes are available for streaming on
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
and The CW app in the United States.
Reception
Ratings
"Invasion!" gave The CW its most-watched week in six years.
''The Flash'' episode had a season-three-high viewership (the series' largest since December 9, 2014) and a season-three-high 18–49 rating, the highest since February 16, 2016. The episode improved 40 and 36 percent in viewership and the 18–49 rating, respectively, on the previous episode, "Killer Frost".
It increased by five percent in total viewers and seven percent in the 18–49 demographic from the previous year's crossover with ''Arrow''.
The ''Arrow'' episode had a season-five-high viewership and 18–49 rating, with viewership on a par with the previous year's crossover and the 18–49 rating the best since then.
The episode improved by 120 and 86 percent in viewership and the 18–49 rating, respectively, from the previous episode, "Vigilante". The ''Legends of Tomorrow'' episode had a series-high viewership and a season-two-high 18–49 rating, which tied the rating set by the pilot on January 21, 2016.
The episode improved by 80 and 83 percent in viewership and the 18–49 rating, respectively, from the previous episode, "Outlaw Country",
and contributed to the most-watched Thursday on The CW in four years.
Critical response
About the crossover as a whole, Oliver Sava of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' said that the episodes did "admirable work advancing the overarching narrative while maintaining each show's distinct perspective" along with being "a hell of a lot of fun, and it's significantly expanded the scope of the Arrowverse by bringing in an extraterrestrial enemy ... There's an entire universe to explore, and this crossover has opened the door for The CW's DC shows to go cosmic in the future."
According to Ed Gross of ''
Empire
An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' felt "Invasion!" was a "proverbial mixed bag". He felt "Invasion!" did an effective job of bringing the characters from each series together since "the rapport between them feeling natural and oftentimes genuinely funny". Gross took issue to how the crossover was promoted as "a massive adventure" when it turned out to be "rather underwhelming. Part of that is creative—it would have been better to get a fuller understanding of who these beings really are and how they're able to know the long-term effects of Flashpoint; plus the resolution seems awfully pat ... and lacks the resolutionary scope that was expected." Gross gave the crossover four out of five stars.
''
Collider
A collider is a type of particle accelerator that brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Compared to other particle accelerators in which the moving particles collide with a stationary matter target, collid ...
''s Allison Keene enjoyed the interaction of the cast members between the four shows, with ''The Flash'' setting the tone of the crossover, with the others incorporating "its light-hearted, witty banter and a fast-paced action and editing". However, the crossovers also have the ability to "starkly highlight each show's weaknesses". Keene concluded, "There are things "Invasion!" as a whole did really well, and others it didn't, with each series' strengths and weaknesses being highlighted and tested. But with each new expansion, there are things the shows can learn from, and it remains fun for fans".
''The Flash''
The
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
reported a 100% approval rating, based on 10 reviews for the episode. The website's critical consensus reads, "The CW marshals its lovable roster of superheroes all together to quell an ''Invasion!'' in a sprawling crossover event that makes great use of each series headliners' charms."
Jesse Schedeen of ''
IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' gave ''The Flash'' episode an 8.4 out of 10, noting the appeal of seeing many of the Arrowverse characters joining forces. He was critical of the Dominators, feeling they were not "well-defined... to unify these heroes", resulting in the Flashpoint-related character drama to propel the first act. Schedeen continued, "Everyone had their moment to shine, even more minor players like Felicity and Thea. But if there was one subplot that felt unnecessary and out of place, it was Wally's", calling it "forced". Schedeen appreciated the focus on the fallout from Flashpoint, calling it "one of the biggest flaws of Season 3 so far" on ''The Flash'', and hoped that more of the Dominators' comic backstory would appear in the crossover's other two episodes.
''The A.V. Club''s Scott Von Doviak gave the episode a B+, calling the episode an "absurdly overstuff kickoff" to "Invasion!" He enjoyed that the episode "continues to advance the story arcs of this season of ''The Flash'' and finds a way to weave those ongoing conflicts into the multi-series story of an alien invasion." Von Doviak questioned some of the episode's events, such as Barry's knowledge of the Legends adventures and his not caring about secret identities, and said that viewers "who don't necessarily follow the other three shows religiously are at a disadvantage".
On ''Collider'', Carla Day gave ''The Flash'' episode five out of five stars and called it "brilliant", saying, "With so many characters on the scene, it would have been easy for the show to get overwhelmed by them all and lose ''The Flash''s unique look and tone. But the writers effectively incorporated the other DC series' characters into the episode while keeping the show's light-hearted and funny demeanor." Day's only complaint was about the Dominators' unclear motivations.
''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
''s Chancellor Agard gave ''The Flash'' episode an A−, feeling "Based on tonight's episode alone, this year's crossover is looking like it'll be the best one yet... This is really the first time Berlanti and Co. can tell a cohesive story, and it seems like it's paying off." Agard felt the focus on the Team Flash drama made the episode "drag a bit" and, like Schedeen, his "biggest problems were with the Wally stuff" but conceded it was included "for viewers who might only watch ''The Flash'', and the episode does a good job of appeasing both kinds of fans."
''Arrow''
Rotten Tomatoes reported an 86% approval rating, based on seven reviews for the episode.
Schedeen gave ''Arrow''s episode an 8.7 out of 10, saying "This ''Arrow'' episode worked much better as a 100th episode celebration than it did the middle act of the "Invasion" crossover," calling the shared hallucination premise "an emotionally rich and action-packed way to celebrate the show's first 100 episodes." Schedeen was critical of the Cisco and Team Arrow subplot that "did little to advance the larger narrative", as well as the overall pacing of the crossover up to this point.
Alasdair Wilkins of ''The A.V. Club'' gave ''Arrow'' an A, stating that while "Invasion!" could have been "an unholy mess" trying to fit ''Arrow''s 100th episode celebration in the middle of the crossover, by focusing on ''Arrow''s past and including former cast members "ends up giving the show a way to develop the power and the threat of the Dominators without this crossover just being three straight episodes of heroes and aliens punching each other." Wilkins concluded, "If this is how ''Arrow'' marks 100 episodes, then here's to 100 more. If this isn't the best episode in ''Arrow''s history, it's damn close."
''Collider''s Kayti Burt said that the ''Arrow'' episode "gets enough nostalgic hits in to make it work, while also giving us an exciting (batshit crazy) final act to launch us into the final part of the superhero crossover." Burt felt the shared hallucination "works because of the performance of all of the actors (including many returning ones) and the sentiment that this show has genuinely inspired in people." Burt "was a bit sad" that the series would not have the opportunity to have a 100th episode outside the crossover, with the demands of moving the crossover "sometimes at odds with what this episode was trying to do ... This episode was trying to do far too much and was therefore a bit of a mess, but it's hard to dislike an hour of TV that is earnestly trying to please its fans in so many different ways". She gave the episode three out of five stars.
Sara Netzley of ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave the episode an A, saying, "We get enough cross-team action to make it a treat for viewers of the Berlanti-verse while still forwarding the "Invasion" story line—and honoring the characters, plots, and themes that have made ''Arrow'' such a satisfying show over the last four and a half seasons. It was a tall order, but the episode pulled it off."
''Legends of Tomorrow''
Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating, based on 9 reviews for the episode. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Arrowverse gang is back together. What more could you want?"
Rating the episode an 8.8 out of 10, Schedeen said the crossover "ended on a strong note. This episode delivered the most on the promise of superheroes joining forces to battle alien invaders. And even if there were a few points of frustration (mainly involving a lack of Supergirl early on), it made the most of the premise and delivered a rousing final battle." He enjoyed the final back story of the Dominators, which gave them clearer motivations so they no longer felt like "a completely faceless, generic alien threat", and Cisco's creation of a device for Supergirl to travel between universes, which would allow for more frequent crossovers between the characters.
Sava graded the ''Legends of Tomorrow'' episode A−, feeling it did not have the same "emotional punch" of ''Arrow''s episode, but was still "a strong conclusion that has the good guys saving the day and learning more about themselves in the process." He called the final battle "anticlimactic", noting it would have been more satisfying if there was a "more creative use of all the different powers in this group working together, and... a stronger sense of collaboration among the human/metahuman fighters."
''Entertainment Weekly''s Shirley Li gave the episode a B+, as "it didn't feel at all like a ''Legends of Tomorrow'' episode, despite all the quips from Mick and the blue chyron and the time traveling"; she said that it was more like a second ''Flash'' episode. Li also added that the "budgetary constraints were glaring", and gave as examples Thea's failure to appear in the episode and Kara's absence from the confrontation with the elderly glasses-wearing official after Oliver lashed out at her. Despite this, Li felt much of the episode worked, with each character getting a chance to shine "and though the Dominators' motive
asstill somewhat muddled, the invasion sparked fun rapport among the teams... This might not drive any non-''Legends'' viewers to watch ''Legends'', but the episode gave plenty to Arrowverse fans."
Accolades
''
Comic Book Resources
''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
'' ranked ''The Flash'', ''Arrow'', and ''Legends of Tomorrow'' episodes 2016's 16th, 10th, and 3rd best episodes of comic book-related television series, respectively.
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Supergirl (TV series)
2016 American television episodes
Arrow (TV series) episodes
Arrowverse crossover episodes
Television episodes about mind control
The Flash (2014 TV series) episodes
Hive minds in fiction
Mythology in popular culture
Fiction about telepresence
Television episodes about alien abduction
Television episodes about alien invasion
Television episodes about cyborgs
Television episodes about nanotechnology
Television episodes about parallel universes
Television episodes about simulated reality
Television episodes about telepathy
Television episodes about time travel
Television episodes set in Oregon
Television episodes set in outer space
United States presidential succession in fiction
Television episodes directed by James Bamford (stunt coordinator)
Television episodes written by Greg Berlanti
Television episodes written by Andrew Kreisberg
Television episodes written by Marc Guggenheim