Recap / Batwoman 2019 S 1 E 9 Crisis On Infinite Earths Hour Two

In the aftermath of the last battle, the heroes travel across the Multiverse in search of the Seven Paragons.

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Tropes:

• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Inverted; Earth-96 Superman—based on Kingdom Come Superman with regards to his physical appearance and backstory—is much more well-adjusted compared to his comic counterpart who sequestered himself from the world after losing his friends and family to the Joker. It helps that, unlike the comic, this Superman wasn't rejected by the world in favor of more brutal anti-heroes.
• Adaptational Villainy:
  • Kingdom Come Batman, from whom Earth-99 Bruce takes inspiration, had his darker tendencies (such as turning Gotham into a borderline police state and pretending to ally with the villains) but was still a hero. Earth-99 Bruce is at best a Knight Templar and at worst no different from the killers he once fought against. As for his other inspirations, the DC Extended Universe incarnation stopped at the last minute due to a Heel Realization and became a staunch ally of Superman.
  • Earth-18 Jonah Hex is more villainous than his Earth-1 counterpart, since he tries to waylay Sara and Mia. Sara gives him his scar in return.
• Ambiguously Gay: Given how the history of the Batman franchise has been connected with this trope for decades, combined with how the Arrowverse has no trouble whatsoever introducing LGBT characters, it can't be an accident that Earth-99 Luke Fox's appearance at Wayne Manor comes across like something out of a Slash Fic.
• Ambiguous Situation: Regarding the depowering of Earth-167 Clark Kent. On the one hand, Smallville demonstrated multiple methods of depowering that were voluntary and temporary, and the series finale introduced a permanent option that he was against. On the other hand, his syntax in this episode is ambiguous enough to suggest that it may be permanent. It seems the writers have left it ambiguous, so that the fans can choose their preferred outcome: Clark can either be permanently retired as a mortal man, or this is a temporary situation and he will don the cape again someday.
• Ambiguous Time Period: The Smallville portion of the episode, with regards to the original series. The Grand Finale of that series contains a 7-year Time Skip from 2011 (the year the episode aired, and in turn, that the majority of it takes place in) to 2018, where we learn that Lois and Clark have made their final wedding preparations. Upon their cameo in Crisis On Infinite Earths, dialogue reveals that roughly ten years have passed, the two have visibly aged and are now parents; and as mentioned above, Clark has chosen to give up his powers in order to live as a mortal man and raise his children. If we assume that Clark's depowering was a relatively recent occurrence, this would mean he was Superman for nearly 20 years before retiring. However, contrasting this is his reference to President Lex Luthor, which would set the time period somewhere between Lex's election in 2018 and the end of his final presidential term in 2026. The fact that, in the United States, it is customary to continue to refer to all living former presidents as "Mr. President" or "President [last name]" only muddies the waters further.
• Arbitrary Skepticism: Despite the wide variety of insanity they experienced over the course of Smallville, Earth-167 Lois writes off Clark's words about an alternate Lex and the impending end of the multiverse as a joke.
• Babies Ever After: Clark and Lois from Smallville are revealed to be parents to at least two daughters.
• Back from the Dead:
  • Kara learns the Monitor revived Lex Luthor and is understandably furious. Adding to her disgust is that he can't do the same for Oliver now that the Crisis is underway.
  • Oliver is resurrected by an Earth-18 Lazarus Pit, but as of the end of the episode, his soul has yet to be restored.
• Badass Boast: The owner of the mysterious voice that summoned Harbinger introduces himself this way:
  "Universe after universe has fallen before my power. World after world, consumed. With every death, I steal my mirror's strength, and mine grows ever stronger. Who am I? I am the Anti-Monitor."
• Batman Gambit: The Monitor recruited Lex knowing he'd try to use the Book of Destiny to kill the various Supermen of the multiverse, and intended for Lex to lead the others to the Paragon of Truth: Clark Kent/Superman of Earth-96.
• The Berserker: Courtesy of a Lazarus Pit, Oliver revives as a soulless monster that attacks both Constantine and Mia on sight. What's worse, with Constantine's magic affected by the Crisis, he seems likely to stay that way.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: Lex briefly uses the Book of Destiny to make Earth-96 Superman fight his Earth-38 counterpart. Even after Lex is taken care of, it takes an "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight from Earth-38 Lois to snap him out of it.
• Broken Pedestal: Kate's attitude toward her cousin upon learning Earth-99 Bruce Wayne is a murderer.
• Brought Down to Badass: Earth-167 Clark Kent might no longer have his powers, but he still has the broad and brawny physique one would expect of a Superman that has been maintained through years of farmwork, and is noticeably taller than Earth-38 Lex. After making it clear that he couldn't care less for what Lex has to say, he proceeds to catch a punch from Lex before decking him.
• Call-Forward: Sort of. Sara mentions Jonah Hex's scar, which he has on Earth-1 but has yet to get on Earth-18.
• Came Back Wrong: Barry, Mia, Sara, and Constantine try to revive Oliver using a Lazarus Pit. As to be expected, he's revived without his soul, but thanks to the Crisis, Constantine can't bring it back.
• The Cameo: Wentworth Miller voices the Earth-74 Waverider's AI, Leonard.
• Canon Welding:
  • In the Arrowverse, Smallville is set on Earth-167.
  • Earth-96 Superman is indeed the same character portrayed by Brandon Routh in Superman Returns and thus, as intended by the filmmakers, Christopher Reeve in the previous Superman films.
• Cassandra Truth: After driving away Lex, Earth-167 Clark tells Earth-167 Lois everything he learned. She laughs him off, believing he's joking.
• Chekhov's Gunman: The Paragons were first referenced by the Monitor in the Season 8 premiere of Arrow.
• The Chosen Many: The Seven Paragons.
• Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Earth-96 Superman's heat vision is red, as opposed to the blue heat vision of his Earth-38 counterpart.
• Composite Character: Earth-96 Superman. He's the Superman from the 1978-1987 Superman films and Superman Returns, having gone through the trauma of Kingdom Come (i.e. Lois and his friends dying from the Joker's poison gas) and wearing the Kingdom Come suit with the black-and-red Kryptonian crest as a result.
• Conflicting Loyalty: Kate ends the episode torn between her friendship with Kara and the potentially horrific consequences if she tries to use the Book of Destiny to restore Earth-38.
• Continuity Nod:
  • When Earth-38 Clark, Lois, and Iris mention their Lex, Earth-167 Clark asks if the president is in town. The epilogue to Smallville's Grand Finale revealed that Lex won the U.S. presidency.
  • When their Lex gets his chance to talk to Earth-167 Clark, he offhandedly mentions that their rivalry is "written in the stars". Clark and Lex being cosmically-destined enemies (and their discovery of the same) was a major plot point roughly halfway through Smallville.
  • Earth-96 Clark meets baby Jonathan and mentions his own son Jason from Superman Returns, commenting on the resemblance between the two.
• The Corrupter: The Anti-Monitor recruits Harbinger to his side in the episode's climax.
• Costume Evolution: Earth-96 Superman has changed his costume from the one he wore in Superman Returns. His new suit is taken from Kingdom Come.
• Dark Is Evil:
  • Earth-99 Batman is revealed to have become a ruthless killer who not only wiped out his Rogues Gallery, but also murdered his world's Superman.
  • The Anti-Monitor reveals himself as a hideous and corrupted version of the Monitor clad in dark armor.
• De-power: Earth-167 Clark gave up his powers so he could have a family.
• Dented Iron: Earth-99 Bruce requires a robotic full-body brace to move around. He tells Kate that it's the culmination of his career as Batman. Shortly afterward, however, Kara learns the truth.
  Kara: Bruce killed this Earth's Superman?
  Luke: Who do you think put him in that exoskeleton?
• Despair Event Horizon: The Bruce Wayne of Earth-99 is long past it, having lost any notions of being a hero or hope for a better future, describing himself as an old man held together by wires and metal. Upon being told that the multiverse is doomed to die, he bitterly replies that it should, and with his dying breath, tells Kate that there is no hope.
  Bruce: Yes...let it end, let it all end. This world's not worth saving in any universe. [...] Kate, listen to me. There is no hope.
• Doppelgänger Crossover: Brandon Routh, meet Brandon Routh.
• Downer Ending: For fans of the Reeve Superman films (and Superman Returns). As the characters from the Reeve films are the same as those in Returns, then the Margot Kidder/Kate Bosworth Lois Lane, the Marc McClure/Sam Huntington Jimmy Olsen, and the Jackie Cooper/Frank Langella Perry White are all dead thanks to the Joker gassing the Daily Planet.
• Due to the Dead: Sara, Kate, and Kara raise a glass for Oliver at the beginning, though only Sara seems to be accepting his death.
• Eating the Eye Candy:
  • Both Kate and especially Kara are impressed with Earth-99 Luke Fox's physique.
  • Lois compliments Earth-167 Clark's body, to her husband's irritation. Iris also checks him out.
  • Kara is impressed with Earth-96 Clark's physique.
• Entertainingly Wrong: Lex thinks Clark is only Superman on Earth-167, because it would be ridiculous if it also applied to his own Clark who "can't see past his glasses".
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite how far gone he is, Earth-99 Bruce is genuinely happy to see Kate again, accepting her even though he knows she's not the Kate from his universe who is long dead. He also keeps a picture of his beloved adult cousins Kate and Beth Kane posing together happily (saddening Kate who wishes she'd had the same relationship with her twin sister in her world).
• Evil All Along: Bruce from Earth-99 is not the Paragon of Courage; he killed his world's Superman out of paranoia and is willing to let the entire multiverse die, convinced it's beyond saving.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good:
  • Earth-38 Lex cannot believe Earth-167 Clark would give up his powers for a family.
  • Earth-99 Bruce is confused and angry to see Kate defending Kara, saying his Kate would never have trusted a Kryptonian. He also doesn't seem to understand that it is possible to stick to a moral code.
• Evil Is Petty:
  • The Joker of Earth-96 killed most of the staff of the Daily Planet — Lois, Perry, and Jimmy included — because he didn't like the fact that they didn't cover him enough.
  • Lex Luthor steals the Book of Destiny with intent to wipe out all the Supermen across the multiverse, so that none can oppose him once the Crisis ends. Eventually he gets bored and tries to force one Superman to kill the other.
  • To further compound this issue, Lex has rather infamously been The Resenter towards Superman, viewing the hero's godly abilities as an indictment upon the human race. When he encounters the Superman of Earth-167 who willingly gave up his powers to live a normal life, that resentment becomes disdain over the idea that someone as powerful as Superman has now chosen what Lex calls "a little slice of mediocrity".
  • Earth-99 Bruce Wayne didn't just kill Superman; he kept his broken glasses in a trophy case alongside mementos from his other slain enemies.
• Exact Words:
  • The Monitor revives Lex Luthor, stating that he has "a role to play". It turns out he was betting on Lex's duplicity and factored it into his plans. The previews also imply that Lex has some larger role to play, likely involving an Enemy Mine situation, later in the crossover.
  • The Monitor tells Kate that going to Earth-99 will lead her to the Paragon of Courage, whom he describes as "The Bat of the Future". Turns out Kate was not meant to find the Paragon, but to become it.
• Facial Horror: Sara gives Jonah Hex of Earth-18 his trademark scar. She even hangs a lampshade on it in the process.
• Fallen Hero: Earth-99 Bruce has completely abandoned his moral code.
• Fantastic Racism: Racism against Kryptonians is on full display from Lex and Earth-99 Bruce in this episode.
• Five-Second Foreshadowing:
  • Earth-167 Clark is introduced chopping wood with an axe and wiping sweat off his forehead. Earth-38 Clark notes that he can do the same task with one bare hand. Earth-167 Clark also doesn't notice the group approaching him until they speak up, and is wearing gloves to protect his hands from splinters. Just a while later, it is revealed that Earth-167 Clark no longer has his powers.
  • Kate worries she might turn out like Earth-99 Bruce shortly before its revealed that she kept some of his kryptonite.
• Five Stages of Grief:
  • Everyone is in different stages of grief following Oliver's death. Sara is quick to accept his death; as a result, she is already in the Acceptance stage. Kara tries to accept but becomes furious upon learning that Lex has been resurrected by the Monitor when the latter could have saved Oliver, so she's somewhere between the Anger and Bargaining stages. Barry and Mia, on the other hand, are stuck in the Denial phase; they vehemently refuse to accept Oliver's death and plan to resurrect him using the Lazarus Pit.
  • Meanwhile, Kara is firmly in Denial over the destruction of Earth-38.
• Foil: Clark Kent of Earth-96 and Bruce Wayne of Earth-99. Both are alternate versions of well-known heroes, based in part off how they were depicted in Kingdom Come, both older than they are normally portrayed, and both portrayed by actors who are famously connected to the characters. They've also both suffered terrible losses, but they handle those losses very differently; Clark managed to live with what he'd lost and go on living, even becoming editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, but Bruce became a broken and insane old man haunting Wayne Manor with only Luke for company. Clark remained the beloved and kind-hearted hero he was while Bruce descended into a bloodthirsty Knight Templar who grew to be feared and despised by the people he once protected. Clark embraces the mission to save the multiverse, rising to greater heights of heroism, whereas Bruce writes off not only his Earth but every Earth as not worth saving and dies in despair after one last act of villainy.
• Foreshadowing:
  • As the Monitor discusses the Paragons, Earth-38 Clark volunteers to find the Paragon of Truth who turns out to be another Superman. More subtly, after details about the Paragon of Courage are provided, the camera lingers on Kate for the last minute of the scene.
  • The voices Harbinger hears demand that she stop Lex Luthor from stealing the Book of Destiny, which is later revealed to be part of the Monitor's plan, foreshadowing The Reveal that the voice belongs to someone who doesn't want the Monitor's plans to succeed: the Anti-Monitor.
• For the Greater Good: The Monitor revived Lex Luthor in order to find Paragon Superman, knowing Lex would try to kill him. Kara feels that it wasn't worth the loss of the parallel Supermen Luthor offed along the way.
• For Want Of A Nail: On Earth-99, Beth was either rescued from the imprisonment that befell her Earth-1 counterpart or was never imprisoned at all. Whatever the case may be, she never became Alice in this reality and had a good relationship with Kate well into their adulthood.
• Fully Absorbed Finale: Downplayed, as Smallville had already ended its run on its own terms 7 years earlier. However, Tom Welling and Erica Durance's extended cameos act as a final coda to Smallville, exploring what became of their iterations of Clark and Lois.
• Friend to All Children: Earth-74 Mick has a way with Jonathan, being the only one to successfully calm him down, and reads him his book like it's a bedtime story.
• Go Through Me: Kate protects Kara from Earth-99 Bruce this way.
• Gotta Catch Them All: The Monitor tells the heroes of seven Paragons that need to be gathered to save The Multiverse.
• Gotta Kill Them All: Lex steals the Book of Destiny and goes on a killing spree of alternate Supermen.
• Happily Ever After: The fate of Earth-167 Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Fans of Smallville will tell you after everything that Clark went through, this was well earned.
• Heroic Willpower: Earth-96 Superman lost pretty much everyone close to him due to the Joker's gas attack, yet he still remains The Paragon to his world.
• He Who Fights Monsters: Earth-99 Bruce confesses to having become homicidal, to the point of killing the Superman of his Earth for being a hidden alien.
• High-Voltage Death: Earth-99 Batman is fried by his own exoskeleton when Kate, acting to protect Kara, accidentally kicks him into the Batcomputer. Kara restrains Kate in turn, pointing out she would die from the shock if she got too close.
• Hope Bringer: Kara is revealed to be the Paragon of Hope.
• Hope Crusher: Earth-99 Bruce spends a decent chunk of his screentime despairing about the state of his Earth to Kate, bitterly expressing the belief that the entire multiverse should just end. With his final breath, he tells Kate there is no hope, words that clearly affect her by the end of the episode.
• Identical Stranger: Earth-96 Superman's similarity to Ray Palmer doesn't go unnoticed by Iris, Kara, and Lex.
  Lex: Congratulations. You're a ringer for a filthy Kryptonian. Mom must be so proud.
• Hope Spot: Four of the seven Paragons have been found (Kara, Sara, Earth-96 Clark, and Kate), the heroes have the means to find the rest of them, and Oliver has been resurrected. However, Oliver's resurrection has left him a soulless animal, Constantine can't restore his soul because of the Crisis, Lex Luthor killed several Supermen, and Kara plans to risk her sanity to use the Book of Destiny to restore Earth-38. Kate, shaken from her horrific encounter with Earth-99 Bruce, is left wondering if she should use kryptonite to stop Kara. And possibly worst of all, the Anti-Monitor has revealed himself and swayed Harbinger into helping him end the multiverse.
• Incompatible Orientation: Kara finds Luke attractive; Kate, not so much.
• Innocently Insensitive: Mia telling Sara to basically shut up about trying to talk her out of resurrecting Oliver, since he's not her father. Little does she know that Sara also lost her father not long ago.
• In Spite of a Nail:
  • Despite all the other differences in their lives, all three of the Supermen are parents. And as Earth-38 Lex points out, they're all destined to fight a Luthor.
  • It may not have come from a denizen of his own universe, but Jonah Hex still gets his facial scar. Sara even hangs a lampshade on it when she gives the mark herself with his own knife.
    Sara: Guess you were gonna get this scar eventually, Hex.
  • Despite Bruce not disappearing and Beth not becoming Alice, Earth-99 Kate Kane still ended up becoming Batwoman.
• Internal Reveal:
  • Lex's survival is revealed to the heroes.
  • Everyone learns that Bruce Wayne is Batman.
  • Lex learns that Earth-167 Superman is actually Clark Kent, but it verges into Comically Missing the Point when he decides this cannot be true of his own version, nor does he think to check all the others he killed for a repeating pattern.
• It Gets Easier: Earth-99 Bruce lampshades it gets a lot easier to kill after the first time.
  Bruce: You start with a code, you hang onto it with every self-righteous breath. But then you take one life, then another, then another, then another. You'll see.
• It Was with You All Along: In the end, the Monitor reveals the Paragon of Courage wasn't Earth-99 Bruce; it was Kate.
• Karmic Death: Not long after Earth-99 Batman is revealed to be an unhinged Knight Templar who murdered that world's Superman out of racist paranoia, he decides to murder Kara as well. Kate's attempt to protect Kara leads to Accidental Murder.
• Kick the Dog:
  • Although she's clearly grieving, Mia takes shots at Sara's past relationship with Nyssa and (possibly unintentionally) Quentin's death.
  • Lex sinks to ever deeper levels of petty cruelty, using the Book of Destiny to force Earth-96 Superman to kill Earth-38 Superman, as well as Iris and Lois.
• Killed Offscreen: On each Earth the characters visit, a number of people have already been killed.
  • Earth-75 Superman is killed by Earth-38 Lex before Earth-38 Lois and Clark get the chance to reach him, and all they can do is to see that Earth's Lois hold the dead Superman (played by the same actors) in the news.
  • On Earth-99, Bruce killed the Joker, the Riddler, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Clayface, and even Superman himself during his murderous rampage. That world's version of Kate Kane also died five years prior to the events of this episode, after donning the cape and cowl to try and redeem Batman's legacy.
  • Lois, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, and numerous Daily Planet employees were gassed to death by the Joker on Earth-96.
• Knight Templar: Earth-99's Batman fell off the deep end and began killing his enemies, moving on to killing even Superman for the supposed "threat" he posed. By the time he was finally stopped, he was feared and despised, and Gotham celebrated Batman's downfall.
• Kung-Fu Sonic Boom: When the two Supermen collide in mid-air, the shockwave blows out the windows of at least two skyscrapers.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: When talking about how they needed the Waverider, Sara comments she and Ray promised their crew they wouldn't be involved in anymore crossover events.
• Leitmotif: Earth-96 Superman is accompanied by pieces inspired by John Williams' score from the original Superman film. In addition to the iconic theme song, a variation of "Can You Read My Mind?" plays following his Crash-Into Hello with Earth-38 Lois Lane.
  Earth-96 Clark: I'm sorry, you seem so familiar. Have we met before?
• Let's Split Up, Gang!: Once again, so many heroes, yet most of them were left to their own devices.
  • Kate and Kara go to Earth-99 to recruit that universe's Batman.
  • Iris, Lois, and Clark go universe-hopping to find another Superman and stop Lex's schemes.
  • Barry, Mia, Sara, and Constantine look for a functioning Lazarus Pit to revive Oliver.
  • Ray stays aboard the Waverider to program its computer into finding the rest of the Paragons.
  • Mick's on babysitting duty.
• Let's You and Him Fight: Lex mind-controls Earth-96 Superman to fight his Earth-38 counterpart.
• Like Parent, Like Child: This time, it's Sara who points out how similar Mia and Oliver are.
• Mask of Sanity: Earth-99 Bruce Wayne seems rational at first, albeit broken and more cynical than ever, seeming to just be a logical conclusion to his lifetime of fighting crime in Gotham. The mask starts to slip when he admits to Kate he's killed too many people to count, and it's gone completely by the time Kara confronts him in the Batcave, revealing the embittered, racist, nihilistic monster he's become.
• Meta Twist: Earth-99 seems to be built up as the universe of Batman Beyond given the designation '99' (1999 being the premiere year of the series) and the fact that it supposedly houses the "Bat of the Future". This is gradually revealed to not be the case, given numerous factors: The age difference (Bruce is in his 80s in Beyond but 60s here), the presence of Luke here but not in Beyond, the complete absence of Terry here, and most importantly, the fact this Bruce has become a Fallen Hero. This universe was ultimately invented for this episode alone, though with some elements subtly adapted from other sources.
• Mood Dissonance: Mar Novu tries to make a dramatic Rousing Speech, only for baby Jonathan to constantly interrupt him by crying.
• Mythology Gag:
  • In the comics, Earth-18 is the universe designated for Wild West versions of the Justice League, the Justice Riders. In the Earth-18 of the Arrowverse, a version of Jonah Hex appears. Ironically, Hex is absent from the Justice Riders comic.
  • Earth-99 Bruce's reasons for killing Earth-99 Superman are similar to Batman's motivations in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He even borrows a couple of that Batman's quotes which were ultimately derived from Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
  • Earth-96 Superman mentions that this isn't the first time he's gone nuts and fought himself (despite Superman Returns treating the film where that happened as Canon Discontinuity). He also lost his loved ones to "a reject from Gotham", which calls to mind Kingdom Come and more loosely Injustice: Gods Among Us. The picture showing the infamous attack directly uses an Alex Ross panel from Kingdom Come. In addition, his fight with the Earth-38 Superman has shades of Kal-El vs. Kal-L from Infinite Crisis.
  • Both the appearances of Earth-96 Clark and Earth-99 Bruce are taken from Kingdom Come^note 1996 was the year the miniseries came out, explaining the designation of the former Earth, though both of their personalities are significantly different.
  • Quintessential Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy portraying a never-before-seen live-action version of Batman is itself this, as well as a Casting Gag.
  • The Smallville version of Clark has voluntarily given up his powers after a successful career as Superman to retire to the Kent Farm with Lois and start a family. This is almost identical to the ending of Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?. Thankfully, this version of Clark is missing the pencil mustache. He also has daughters instead of a son like the mainline Clark, which brings to mind Superman: Secret Identity.
  • When Lois, Clark, and Iris mention to Earth-167 Clark that Lex Luthor is coming to kill him, he wonders why the President would bother. During the Time Skip finale of Smallville, Lex was elected President.
  • Earth-Clark catches Earth-38 Lex's punch and socks him in the face in a reversal of what happened the last time a depowered Clark fought his Lex.
  • Earth-75, one of the Earths that loses its Superman to Lex, is very likely a reference to the infamous Issue #75 of Superman where the title character was killed by Doomsday, reinforced by the image on TV.
  • Following on from Earths 16, 38, 66, and 89, Earth-99 would appear to draw its designation from the original air date of Batman Beyond, which was the first time Kevin Conroy played an older Bruce Wayne forced into retirement due to his physical limitations, although that is really the only similarity between the two former Batmen.
    • The Monitor saying that the "Bat of the Future" would seem to further the connection, as Batman Beyond had the Market-Based Title of Batman of the Future in some regions.
    • The "Bat of the Future" destined to be the Paragon of Courage is actually Kate, whose Batwoman costume has the same color scheme (mostly black with a red bat-logo on the chest) of the new Batman of Batman Beyond, Terry McGinnis.
  • Earth-99 Bruce lived to see himself become the villain.
  • While Earth-38 Clark and Earth-96 Clark fight, Lois and Iris lean out the window of the Daily Planet to watch, in much the same way that Margot Kidder's Lois Lane and another female Daily Planet employee watched Superman and Non fight in Superman II (Earth-38 Lois doesn't have to angrily shove Iris for making an insensitive comment during the fight, however).
• Needle in a Stack of Needles: Constantine looking for a surviving alternate Earth that still has a functioning Lazarus Pit.
• Noodle Incident:
  • Earth-96 Superman says this is the second time he's fought another version of himself.
  • Felicity has somehow earned the wisdom of a magic book called the Tome of the Guardians, comparable to the Book of Destiny.
• No-Sell: Kryptonite doesn't work on Earth-167 Clark because he's given up his powers. When Luthor brandishes a piece in front of him, he simply takes it and chucks it into the nearby field.
• Not Himself: Lex brainwashes Earth-96 Superman to kill Earth-38 Superman by switching all the love in his heart to hate. Iris and Lois manage to bring him back by using the Book of Destiny, as Lois reminds him of feelings of love.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Kate fears this is the case between herself and Earth-99 Bruce. Despite Kara's reassurance, it's revealed that Kate kept some of Bruce's kryptonite, adding some weight to her fears.
• Not So Omniscient After All: The Monitor's powers are waning as a result of the Crisis, and as such, he can't simply identify the Paragons. The vague descriptions Felicity got from the Tome of the Guardians are all he has to go on, meaning Novu is nearly as lost as the heroes.
• Not Worth Killing: Luthor decides killing a depowered Superman wouldn't be any fun, especially when his universe is likely to be erased soon anyway.
• Oh, Crap!: Lex, when the depowered Earth-167 Clark just calmly holds a piece of kryptonite with no effect. This is also why Lex has to have other Supermen battle each other. Earth-167 Clark casually tossed it into a field on the Kent Farm.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Once she's over the shock of seeing him alive, Kara fires up her heat vision, clearly ready to incinerate Lex. This isn't necessarily surprising when you consider Lex is all but solely responsible for Lena's Face–Heel Turn, on top of the many other atrocities to his name, but it's still a shocking moment from someone as kind and merciful as Kara.
• Powered Armor: Earth-99 Batman is in an exoskeleton due to "a lifetime of injuries".
• Pretender Diss: Earth-167 Clark is completely unimpressed by Luthor and flatly tells him, "You're not Lex."
• Properly Paranoid: Kate comes off as this as it's shown she pocketed a chunk of Kryptonite from Earth-99's Bruce, around the same time Kara decides they could use the Book of Destiny to restore everything.
• Psychopathic Manchild: Lex writes off killing a powerless Superman as "no fun" and shifts to forcing Supermen to kill each other because he finds it more entertaining than doing it himself. His departure from Earth-167 also comes off as very childish, as he runs off after Earth-167 Clark proves he wasn't intimidated by Lex and could still easily kick his ass.
• Punch Catch: Even without his powers, Earth-167 Clark is still strong enough to catch Luthor's punch and send him stumbling with a single swing.
• Rapid-Fire Interrupting: While the Monitor is telling the assembled heroes about the Seven Paragons, he keeps getting interrupted by Jonathan's crying. Unlike other cases, he patiently waits until the baby is settled down before resuming his speech.
• Red Skies Crossover: The crossover with Smallville is mostly irrelevant. Iris West, Clark Kent, and Lois Lane try to recruit that world's Clark (who is ultimately revealed to be powerless and thus unable to help), only to be teleported away by Lex Luthor.
• Redemption Rejection: After hearing of Earth-99 Bruce Jumping Off the Slippery Slope, Kate offers him a chance to become a hero again by joining the fight to stop the Anti-Monitor. He turns it down, bitterly claiming the multiverse doesn't deserve to be saved.
• Retcon: Brandon Routh's Superman, presented as an older version of the character originated by the late Christopher Reeve, casually references the events of Superman III at one point. The problem is that everyone involved in Superman Returns claimed the movie was just a continuation of the first two films that completely ignored the events of Superman III and IV. It's likely a similar event took place regardless.
• Retired Badass: All the Legends on Earth-74 and Earth-167 Clark are retired.
• The Reveal:
  • Eight real-time years after their Grand Finale, we learn what happened to the Smallville versions of Lois Lane and Clark Kent: Clark depowered himself permanently, and now he and Lois tend to the Kent Farm.
  • Earth-99 Bruce is a severely misguided (at best) Fallen Hero. His need for an exoskeleton isn't because of years fighting his Rogues Gallery, just one: Earth-99 Superman.
• Screw Destiny: Iris mentions that since Oliver's fate was different than what the Monitor expected, it's possible that he's also wrong about Barry's.
• Seen It All:
  • Earth-167 Clark reacts to the sight an alternate Lex wielding a magic book with slight annoyance at worst. It's mostly a sign of Character Development, as this Clark spent 10 years getting over his insecurities and general anxiety.
  • Earth-96 Clark takes the revelations of the Multiverse and him being a paragon in stride, saying it's actually one of the least insane things he's ever heard.
• Self-Disposing Villain: Earth-99 Bruce is accidentally electrocuted during his scuffle with Kara and Kate, both of whom obviously had no intention of killing him despite being beyond disgusted with the bastard at this point.
• Sensory Overload: Harbinger is plagued by visions throughout the episode. The climax reveals that the Anti-Monitor is responsible for them, and trying to sway her to his side.
• Skewed Priorities: Faced with a multiverse-ending Crisis, Lex decides to go on a Superman killing spree instead of helping to end the Crisis. It's implied he doesn't even care that the multiverse is ending; he just wants to kill as many Supermen as possible and seems to consider living through the Crisis to be an afterthought.
• Subverted Catchphrase: On being told by his wife that their children have made a mess, Earth-167 Clark jokes that, "This sounds like a job for...us." and they walk off hand-in-hand to deal with it.
• Suicide by Cop: Bruce-99 doesn't care if the multiverse ends, as he wants his miserable existence to just end. It's later also implied he is glad that Kate (accidentally) finishes him off.
• Superdickery: One of the earlier leaks show Earth-96 Superman giving Earth-38 Superman a Neck Lift. It is revealed in this episode that he was being controlled by Luthor with the Book of Destiny.
• Surprise Incest: Almost. When Kara and Kate rejoin the group aboard the Waverider, Kara sees who she thinks is Ray Palmer and mentions how much buffer he is since the last time they met. Earth-38 Clark informs her that "Ray" is really "her cousin, sort of." It's immediately awkward for everyone; even Kate looks away in embarrassment.
• Taking the Bullet: Earth-38 Superman shields Lois and Iris from the brainwashed Earth-96 Superman's heat vision.
• Tap on the Head: Iris and Lois knock out Lex from behind.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Lex Luthor quickly makes his usual impression upon the Monitor's champions; Kara has to be talked out of incinerating him on sight, Kate takes an instant disliking to him, and even the Monitor seems like he'd rather that Lex's presence wasn't necessary.
• Time for Plan B: After the unexpected loss of Oliver, the Monitor traveled back to the Elseworlds Incident to recover the Book of Destiny before it was destroyed, in order to learn how to stop the Anti-Monitor. Barry even says "So, Plan B".
• Walk-In Chime-In: Lois assures Earth-96 Superman they won't let Lex kill him.
  Lex: [walks through the door] Oh, I've moved on from that.
• With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: The Monitor warns that using the Book of Destiny to restore an entire world from destruction could almost certainly drive the user insane. Despite this, Kara is willing to try to restore Earth-38.
• Wham Line:
  • The revelation of Earth-99 Bruce Wayne's real state.
    Bruce Wayne: I've lost track of how many people I've killed.
  • The owner of the voice summoning Harbinger is revealed at the end of the episode:
    "I am the Anti-Monitor. Come, Harbinger. There is work to be done."
• Wham Shot:
  • Among Earth-99 Bruce's "trophies", Kara spots Clark's glasses.
  • Just as Earth-99 Bruce reveals his true murderous self, his exosuit starts glowing green, revealing it's powered by kryptonite.
  • At the end of the episode, Kate reveals she has Earth-99 Bruce's kryptonite.
• What Happened to the Mouse?:
  • Following Earth-99 Bruce being inadvertently killed by Kate, we don't learn what became of Earth-99 Luke, as he isn't seen again after Kara discovers Clark's glasses.
  • Earth-96 Clark mentions his wife, presumably Lois, his son, Perry White, and Jimmy Olsen. No mention of Richard, who ended their movie still in a relationship with Lois.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Mar Novu gets repeatedly called out on his bullshit, like resurrecting Lex or sending Kate and Kara to an Earth with a murderous Batman.
• Worf Had the Flu:
  • The growing power of the Anti-Monitor weakens the Monitor, limiting Novu's powers; his omniscience is increasingly limited, and he can't simply resurrect Oliver the way he did with Lex Luthor.
  • The anti-matter is affecting Constantine's magic; he can't enter limbo to recover Oliver's soul the way he did with Sara.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are:
  • After the collective blows of Oliver's death, the loss of Earth-38, and the reveal of Lex's resurrection, Kate reassures Kara and encourages the newly-revealed Paragon of Hope to have hope.
  • Despite his broken body and spirit and tarnished morals, Kate assures Earth-99 Bruce he can still be a hero. Unfortunately, she's very, very wrong about him; he's not as bad as he seems, because he's worse.
  • Returning the favor from the start of the episode, Kara reassures Kate she won't turn out like Earth-99 Bruce, and that she's more than capable of being a hero and of living up to her role as the Paragon of Courage.

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