PREVIEW: SUPERWOMAN #1

“Who Is Superwoman?” part one! Lois Lane takes flight! Now powered up with the abilities of Superman, Lois pledges to carry on the super-legacy as Superwoman! There’s only one problem: Lois’ new powers are killing her, and neither she nor her friend and confidant Lana Lang know what to do about it. Will Lois even survive long enough to learn the deadly secret of Ultra Woman?

POWER RANGERS ACTRESS CAST AS LEGENDS OF TOMORROW'S STARGIRL

Justice Society of America member, as IGN can confirm that Sarah Grey (to be seen in the upcoming Power Rangers movie) will star as the character Stargirl in the show's upcoming second season. Stargirl will serve alongside Hourman (played by Patrick J. Adams, who appeared in Legends of Tomorrow's season 1 finale), as well as Dr. Mid-Nite and Obsidian, who have both yet to be cast.

Matthew MacCaull was also confirmed by EW last week to be playing Commander Steel in the Justice Society of America in the upcoming season, while the new Vixen Amaya Jiwe will also be part of the team.

Stargirl's comic book roots stem back to the character of Courtney Whitmore, who, as Stargirl, wields Starman's cosmic staff and wears the Cosmic Converter Belt, which offers her enhanced agility and strength among other abilities.

Stargirl has actually appeared in live action before — actress Britt Irvin portrayed the character in several episodes of Smallville.

Grey will appear in the upcoming 2017 Power Rangers film as Amanda and has previously appeared on The CW in iZombie.

Legends of Tomorrow's San Diego Comic-Con panel this year revealed that the Justice Society of America would join the heroic side of the show's equation, while the Legion of Doom will be the season's villains. The show's iteration of the legion features familiar Arrow and The Flash foes: John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn, Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold, Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk, and Matt Letscher as Reverse Flash.

The Flash Season 3: Barry Allen Will Forget His Powers

When The Flash returns this fall for it’s third season, the events of Flashpoint will change everything we know about the Scarlet Speedster. In the finale of season 2, Barry Allen made the decision to travel back in time to save his mother from certain death, changing the entire timeline as we know it. Even though series star Grant Gustin already told us that the Flashpoint story arc won’t take up the entire season, we can expect a huge fallout with permanent ramifications, even bleeding over into the rest of the Flarrowverse.

The Comic-Con 2016 trailer offered a few glimpses of what’s to come on The Flash season 3: Wally West (Keiynan Lonsdale) will become Kid Flash, Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) is “the richest man in America,” and Barry Allen (Gustin) is a complete stranger to both his adopted father Joe (Jesse L. Martin) and his best friend Iris West (Candice Patton). Barry also seems to be having some serious memory problems in this new alternate universe that he created. But, at least his parents are still alive, right?

In the most recent episode of DC All Access (above), Grant Gustin explains that his memories aren’t the only thing Barry is having trouble with, but that he will also forget his speedster powers:
“In the same sense that he’s forgetting a lot of memories, it means he’s forgetting his powers too. It’s like he’s having a full ‘Back to the Future’ moment, where essentially his hand is disappearing in front of him.”

Gustin goes on to explain The Flash’s memory loss and how it will affect him and his relationships with others, ultimately leading to his mission of “fixing” everything:

“Barry is the only one that knows the timeline is different, and his memories are starting to get replaced from the previous timeline with new memories, like graduating high school and graduating college, moments with his family. When he realizes those memories are replacing other memories, that’s when he starts to realize how selfish of a decision this was and that maybe he should try to put things back the way they were.”

Martin added that the relationship dynamics of the characters we have grown to love will be completely different:

“This Flashpoint thing is just…blowing my mind because yes, we’re all the same people, the same characters, but everything is a little different. It’s almost like playing a new character.”

And a bit on Kid Flash:

“Wally is definitely in Joe’s life and he’s definitely Joe’s son. But Wally has a completely different life that Joe knows nothing about.”

With all of these big changes coming in The Flash season 3, Flashpoint is sure to be an an exciting story. But, if Barry can’t remember his own powers how will he attempt to put everything back together the way it was before he saved his mother? The fact that his core memories are being replaced by false ones might prove to be quite a lofty nemesis when Barry finally tries to own up to his mistake. And don’t forget our favorite speedster will also be dealing with two main villains this season, as well. For now, we’ll have to wait and see what lies ahead for Barry and the rest of Team Flash.

‘The Flash’ Season 3 Spoilers: Actor Tom Felton to Portray Barry’s Evil Twin?

Actor Tom Felton might portray the antagonist Cobalt Blue in The Flash Season 3. Is this the effect of Barry’s actions that lead to Flashpoint? According to moviepilot.com, actor Tom Felton will be playing the character Julian Dorn in The Flash Season 3. He is a CSI at the Central City Police Department and suspects there might be more to the protagonist Barry Allen (Grant Gustin). There has been no further information about his role, leading to fans wondering what the character will bring. Furthermore, there is a high chance that Julian will have superpowers as a work rival would not be enough for the show. Thoughts about his alter ego range from the character Mirror Master to the unknown villains like Doctor Alchemy. However, there is also the possibility of the actor taking the role of the villain Cobalt Blue aka Malcolm Thawne. In line with this, the character is actually the twin brother of Barry who was given to Charlene Thawne after the doctor accidentally killed her baby. The swap was kept quiet with the doctor giving the fake baby to the Allen family, pronouncing him dead. In the future, Malcolm discovers his true family and his brother’s fame, making him furious. He kills the doctor out of anger and seeks comfort in his grandma. She then teaches him how to control “the blue flame” which can absorb The Flash’s speed. Since Felton looks like the character from the comics, this supports the theory that the actor might take up Malcolm’s role. Also, it is highly unlikely that any characters from the DC: Rebirth will appear in the upcoming episodes, including Godspeed. Finally, International Business Times, India Edition claims that this could be another effect of Flashpoint. He could actually be the brother of Eddie Thawne (Rick Cosnett) who might still be alive in the new timeline. Because of this, Flashpoint might cause Julian to realize that he is actually Barry’s twin instead of Eddie.

AN ESTABLISHED HISTORY OF CROSSOVERS

Since his debut in Arrow‘s second season, the Flash essentially created what we now call the Arrowverse, with the shared TV universe becoming a complex and interesting undertaking. Barry Allen’s ability to connect with the Speed Force and jump about through time and even across the multiverse allows for all kinds of marvelous character exchanges across parallel dimensions.

With four concurrently running DC series, CW has a great opportunity to explore DC’s rich collection of superheroes – both major and minor. Television, unlike film, is a long-form medium, capable of delving into the nuances of the characters. And while it’s highly unlikely that the cast of FOX’s Gotham would ever join up with the Arrowverse (due more to inter-network intellectual property rights, as well as temporal continuity issues), Marc Guggenheim and the DC TV producers do have a time machine at their disposal.

FOX and CBS probably aren’t capable of coming to a shared-universe arrangement (like Sony and Disney in the MCU), but that doesn’t necessarily negate a Gotham City presence in the Arrowverse. The characters portrayed Gotham are significantly younger than their standard-issue comic book selves. As such, the standard versions of DC heroes are probably fair game for use in the overall televised DCEU.

IT’S ALL BARRY ALLEN’S FAULT

So what changed DC Entertainment’s mind? As many DC fans are well aware of, the second season of The Flash climaxed with a major comic book connection. Saving his mother’s life created a parallel world, one originally documented in the major story arc, Flashpoint. Superman, Batman, and many other major DC players were thought off limits or simply didn’t exist in the Arrowverse – despite rumors of an overarching organization.

However, Flash’s alteration of the timeline could have revised the shared universe in an inclusive way. In the comic version of Flashpoint, Barry Allen’s life-saving time-trip has several adverse effects, including killing Bruce Wayne and rerouting Superman’s baby rocket. As a result the Man of Steel grows up a prisoner of the U.S. government, and Thomas Wayne dons the cape and cowl of Batman. Although this is merely speculation, Barry’s alteration of the timeline could potentially allow Superman to soar again and Batman to regain his life and his mantle. Supergirl could also step into a role as Earth One’s protector.

To be continued

SUPERMAN FLIES IN FOR A VISIT

The specter of Superman hung over the entire first season of Supergirl. An elephant in the room, the producers understood what the Man of Steel meant to the program. Not only would his introduction to the show potentially undermine Kara’s development, but he could tear open the fabric of the DCEU for other major superheroes.

Originally, part of the reason Supergirl remained separate from her previously cross-network cohorts was due to Superman. Supposedly, The Man of Steel doesn’t technically exist in the Arrowverse. However, when Flash caught a ride from the Speed Force to transition into Kara’s world, the damage was done. Despite initial uncertainty, Supergirl was now a part of the shared universe.

Now, the second season is set to feature Superman in a two-episode story arc. Not only will it mean Clark Kent’s alter-ego could pop up in further episodes of the series, but he could also find himself in other areas of the previously forbidden Arrowverse. Bringing another major league player into the fold could open the door for other big shots in the DC shared universe, perhaps even a series or a massive TV event to rival that of the DCEU’s Justice League extravaganza (more on that later).

To be continued