Crossovers have become a staple of the CW’s growing collection of DC superhero shows, uniting the actors and characters across a multi-part story, with last year culminating in the huge Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Thanks to COVID-19, though, that annual event is off–at least for this year.
After the Crisis event last year, the CW had been looking to go with a smaller crossover according network president Mark Pedowitz, who said in May that the crossover would be a two-hour event, most likely including Batwoman and the upcoming Superman & Lois show.
In a new interview with EW, though, Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries confirmed what we’d already assumed.
“When we were getting crossed with Superman & Lois, I was really looking forward to seeing Batwoman on the Kent farm,” Dries said to EW.
“We’re not really able to cross over because physically, we can’t cross crews due to the fear of exposure to COVID,” Dries told TVLine, who said that the anticipated meeting between Batwoman and Supergirl is off, too. “If Supergirl weren’t ending this year, I would say there would be more of a possibility. But I’m afraid that at least this year, we’re not going to be able to tap into that dynamic.”
The lack of a crossover is understandable due to the severity of the ongoing pandemic, but it’s heartbreaking for everyone–the fans, cast, and crew of these shows alike. Even without the pandemic, the upcoming season of CW’s superhero shows was set to be complicated. Batwoman’s sophomore season had to contend with the departure of series star Ruby Rose and her character Kate Kane, and the arrival of the new Batwoman, Javicia Leslie’s Ryan Wilder. Meanwhile, both Black Lightning and Supergirl will air their final seasons this year.
“I’m so heartbroken about the COVID situation because I know that it’s Black Lightning’s last season, and I would have loved to do a crossover with them. Nafessa [Williams] and Jordan [Calloway] are really good friends of mine, and it would have been great to play with them and be superheroes all on the same show. That would have been epic,” Leslie said to TVLine. “Whatever show that has Black people on it, I’m going to do these crossovers because I just want it to be a super Black crossover.”
The Batwoman Season 2 premiere airs on Sunday, January 17 at 8PM, followed a few weeks later by Black Lightning Season 4 on February 8 at 9PM. Flash Season 7 premieres on Tuesday, February 23 at 8PM, with Superman & Lois’s series premiere right after at 9PM the same night. Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow do not yet have air dates. Supergirl’s filming is dependent on star Melissa Benoist’s pregnancy, while Legends of Tomorrow has typically aired later in the season anyway.
