History Recap / Batwoman2019S1E9CrisisOnInfiniteEarthsHourTwo

* AnAxeToGrind: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Earth-167 Clark is serenely chopping wood when he is interrupted by Iris, Earth-38 Lois, and Earth-38 Clark, and continues holding the axe when Earth-38 Lex accosts him. It seems as if he's going to attack Lex with it, but instead just dismisses Lex and puts the axe down.

** Earth-167 Clark is introduced chopping wood with an axe. 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.

** Earth-167 Clark may have given up his superpowers, but he is literally twice the size of Earth-38 Lex Luthor (who also doesn't have his Harun-El powers) and, in his own words, "still stronger".

** Related to the above, despite the Monitor's warning, Kara can't resist the idea of using the Book of Destiny to restore Earth-38; a grieving person, presented with a magical means of getting back what they lost, would ''absolutely'' use it, consequences be damned, especially if they don't trust the person who warned them not to use it.

* GenreSavvy: After losing Oliver and the entirety of Earth-38, the assembled heroes ''immediately'' think to use the various ResetButton {{MacGuffin}}s they've encountered over the years, specifically the Lazarus Pits and the Book of Destiny, to bring them back.

* AbsenteeActor: Creator/RubyRose (Kate), Creator/CamrusJohnson (Luke), and Creator/RachelSkarsten (Alice) are the only ''Batwoman'' regulars to appear in the episode. With regard to Johnson and Skarsten, it's as [[AlternateSelf alternate versions]] of their characters. Even then, Skarsten only appears in a photograph.

* BittersweetEnding: 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.

** Earth-99 Bruce is a severely misguided FallenHero. His need for an exoskeleton isn't because of years fighting his RoguesGallery, just ''one'': Earth-99 Superman.

** ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' 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 KnightTemplar and at worst no different from the killers he once fought against.

* RealityEnsues:
** Oliver's HeroicSacrifice to save Barry and Kara doesn't go over well with Barry and Kara themselves; they both feel horrible that their friend traded his life for theirs, and wish they could take back what happened to him.
** Earth-167 Clark may have given up his superpowers, but he is literally twice the size of Earth-38 Lex Luthor (who also doesn't have his Harun-El powers) and, in his own words, "still stronger".
*** This also explains why Lex has to pit Earth-38 Superman against Earth-96 Superman; Earth-167 Clark tossed his shard of Kryptonite into one of his fields.
** The Monitor's manipulative, chessmaster ways are costing him the trust of his allies. When Kara sees he revived Lex, she loses all faith in the Monitor, and by the end of the episode, is willing to ignore his warnings and use the Book of Destiny to restore Earth-38. She also tries to sway Kate to the idea of not trusting the Monitor, in particular after discovering that Earth-99 Batman is a deranged FallenHero who murdered his Superman for racist reasons.
** Related to the above, despite the Monitor's warning, Kara can't resist the idea of using the Book of Destiny to restore Earth-38; a grieving person, presented with a magical means of getting back what they lost, would ''absolutely'' use it, consequences be damned, especially if they don't trust the person who warned them not to use it.
** Besides being a warning to Kate not to start (intentionally) killing her enemies, Earth-99 Bruce Wayne is a cautionary tale about what happens when hate takes precedence over [[IdiotBall your common sense]]:
*** A BadassNormal [[CareerEndingInjury isn't going to fare well against Superman]], even if they ''do'' manage to kill the Man of Steel.
*** His fate is sealed when Kate protects Kara from him. Enhanced strength or no, Bruce is a physically disabled man going up against an able-bodied military school dropout who only dropped out because she wasn't willing to pretend she wasn't a lesbian, and isn't affected by his Kryptonite because she isn't a Kryptonian. What's more, since he's planning to murder her friend, Kate isn't going to be holding back even though she has no intention of killing him, and he won't be able to recover if she puts him off balance. Bruce should have recognized the danger, but all he sees is an obstacle to him killing another Kryptonian "threat". [[CurbStompBattle It was never going to be a fair fight]], even if she had managed to avoid killing him.

* SubvertedCatchphrase: On being told by his wife that their children have made a mess, Earth-167 Clark jokes that, "This is a job for...us." and they walk off hand-in-hand to deal with it.

-->'''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.

* SubvertedCatchphrase: On being told by his wife that their children have made a mess, Earth-167 Clark jokes that, "This is a job for... us." and they walk off hand-in-hand to deal with it.

* ArbitrarySkepticism: Despite the wide variety of insanity they experienced over the course of ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', Earth-167 Lois writes off Clark's words about an alternate Lex and the impending end of the multiverse as a joke.

-->'''Kara:''' Bruce killed this Earth's Superman?
-->'''Luke:''' Who do you think put him in that exoskeleton?

-->'''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.

** 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 [[BrainwashedAndCrazy tries to force one Superman to kill the other]].

* FiveStagesOfGrief: 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.

* ForTheGreaterGood: 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.
* ForWantOfANail: 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.

* MetaTwist: Earth-99 seems to be built up as the universe of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' 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 80's in ''Beyond'' but 60's 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 FallenHero. This universe was ultimately [[CanonForeigner invented for this episode alone]], though with some elements subtly adapted from other sources.
* MoeGreeneSpecial: Implied to be the means by which Earth-99 Superman met his end, given the damage to the glasses.

** Following on from Earths 16, 38, 66, & 89, Earth-99 would appear to draw its designation from the original air date of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', which was the first time Creator/KevinConroy 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.

* NotSoDifferent: 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.

* OhCrap: 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.

* SubvertedCatchphrase: On being told by his wife that their children have made a mess, Earth-167 Clark jokes that, "This is a job for...us." and they walk off hand-in-hand to deal with it.

--->"''I am the Anti-Monitor. Come, Harbinger. There is work to be done.''"

-->'''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.

-->'''Bruce:''' Yes... let it end, let it all end. This world's not worth saving in ''any'' universe. [...] [[FamousLastWords Kate, listen to me. There is no hope.]]

* AbsenteeActor: Creator/RubyRose (Kate), Camrus Johnson (Luke), and Creator/RachelSkarsten (Alice) are the only ''Batwoman'' regulars to appear in the episode. With regard to Johnson and Skarsten, it's as [[AlternateSelf alternate versions]] of their characters. Even then, Skarsten only appears in a photograph.

* AbsenteeActor: Ruby Rose (Kate), Camrus Johnson (Luke), and Rachel Skarsten (Alice) are the only ''Batwoman'' regulars to appear in the episode. With regard to Johnson and Skarsten, it's as [[AlternateSelf alternate versions]] of their characters. Even then, Skarsten only appears in a photograph.
* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Inverted; Brandon Routh's Superman - based on ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' 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.

** The Batman of ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'', from whom Earth-99's Bruce takes inspiration, had his darker tendencies (such as turning Gotham into a borderline police state and pretending to ally with the villains), but he was still a hero. Earth-99's Batman is, ''at best'', a KnightTemplar, and at worst, no different from the killers he once fought against.
** The Jonah Hex of Earth-18 is more villainous than his main Earth-1 counterpart, since he tries to waylay Sara and Mia. Sara gives him his scar in return.
* AmbiguouslyGay: Given how the history of the {{Franchise/Batman}} franchise has been [[UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode connected with this trope for decades]], combined with how the Arrowverse has had no trouble whatsoever introducing LGBT characters, it can't be an accident that Luke Fox's appearance at Wayne Manor comes across like something out of a SlashFic.
* AmbiguousSituation: Regarding the [[DePower depowering]] of Tom Welling's Clark Kent. On the one hand, '' {{Series/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 some day.
* AmbiguousTimePeriod: The ''Smallville'' portion of the episode, with regards to the original series. The GrandFinale of that series contains a 7 year TimeSkip 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 Inifinite 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 [[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/forms-of-address-how-to-a_b_2390778 it is customary]] to continue to refer to all living former presidents as "Mr. President" or "President [last name]" only muddies the waters further.
* AnAxeToGrind: Subverted. The Earth-167 Clark is serenely chopping wood when he is interrupted by Iris, Lois, and Clark, and continues holding the axe when Lex accosts him. It seems as if he's going to attack Lex with it, but instead just dismisses Lex and puts the axe down.

** Kara learns that 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.

* BadassBoast: The owner of the mysterious voice that summoned Harbinger introduces themselves this way:

* BatmanGambit: 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.

* BittersweetEnding: 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 before being stopped, 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 her. And possibly worst of all, the Anti-Monitor has revealed himself and swayed Harbinger into helping him end the multiverse.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Lex briefly uses the Book of Destiny to make the Earth-96 Superman fight his Earth-38 counterpart. Even after Lex is taken care of, it takes an IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight from Lois to snap him out of it.
* BrokenPedestal: Kate's attitude toward her cousin, upon learning that Earth-99's Bruce Wayne is a murderer.
* BroughtDownToBadass: The Clark Kent of Earth-167 might no longer have his powers, but he still has the broad and brawny physique one would expect of a Superman, and is noticeably taller than Earth-38's Lex Luthor. 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.
* CallForward: Sort of - Sara mentions Jonah Hex's scar, which he has on Earth-1 but has yet to get on Earth-18.

** In the Arrowverse, ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' is set in Earth-167.
** Earth-96's Superman is indeed the same character portrayed by Creator/BrandonRouth in ''Film/SupermanReturns'' - and thus, as intended by the filmmakers, Creator/ChristopherReeve in the previous ''Film/{{Superman}}'' films.
* CassandraTruth: After driving away Luthor, Earth-167 Clark tells his wife Lois everything he learned. She laughs him off, beleiving that he was joking.
* ChekhovsGunman: The Paragons were first referenced by the Monitor in the Season 8 premiere of Arrow.

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Earth-96 Superman's heat vision is red, as opposed to the blue heat vision by his Earth-38 counterpart.
* CompositeCharacter: Earth-96 Superman; he's the Superman from the 1978-1987 ''Superman'' films & ''Superman Returns'', having went through the trauma of ''Kingdom Come'' (i.e. Lois and his friends dying at the poison gas of the Joker) and wearing the "Kingdom Come" suit (with black Kryptonian crest) as a result.

** 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 GrandFinale revealed that Lex won the presidency.
** Earth-96 Clark meets baby Jonathan and mentions his own son Jason, from ''Film/SupermanReturns'', commenting on the resemblance between the two.

** Earth-99's Batman is revealed to have become a ruthless killer who not only wiped out his rogue's gallery, but also [[HeroKiller murdered his world's Superman]].
** The Anti-Monitor reveals himself as a hideous, corrupted version of the Monitor, clad in dark armor.

* DentedIron: Bruce from Earth-99 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?

-->'''Bruce:''' Yes, let it end, let it all end. This world's not worth saving in ''any'' universe. [...] [[FamousLastWords Kate, listen to me. There is no hope.]]

* DownerEnding: 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.
* DueToTheDead: Sara, Kate and Kara raise a glass for Oliver at the beginning, though only Sara seems to be accepting his death.

** Both Kate and especially Kara are impressed with Earth-99's Luke Fox's physique.

** Earth-38 Lex cannot believe Earth-167 Clark would give up his powers for a family. For that matter, he thinks Clark is only Superman on ''this'' Earth, because it would be ridiculous if it also applied to his own Clark, who "can't see past his glasses".
** Earth-99 Bruce is confused and angry to see Kate defending Kara, saying that his Kate would never have trusted a Kryptonian. He also doesn't seem to understand that it ''is'' possible to stick to a [[ThouShaltNotKill moral code]].

** 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 also qualifies. He 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 [[BrainwashedAndCrazy tries to force one Superman to kill the other.]]
** To further compound this issue, Lex Luthor has rather infamously been TheResenter 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.

** Kate worries that she might turn out like Earth-99 Bruce shortly before its revealed that she kept some of his kryptonite.
* FiveStagesOfGrief: Everyone is in different stages of grief following Oliver's death. Sara is quick to accept his death and as a result is already in the Acceptance stage. Kara tries to accept, but she becomes furious upon learning that Luthor 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.

* {{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 ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'', both older than they are normally portrayed, and both [[Creator/BrandonRouth portrayed]] [[Creator/KevinConroy 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, insane old man haunting Wayne Manor with only Luke for company. Clark remained the beloved, kind-hearted hero he was, while Bruce descended into a bloodthirsty KnightTemplar 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.

* ForWantOfANail: 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.

** As the Monitor discusses the Paragons, 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.
* FriendToAllChildren: Earth-74 Mick has a way with Jonathan, being the only one to successfully calm him down, and later reading him his book like it was a bedtime story.
* GenreSavvy: After losing Oliver Queen and the entirety of Earth-38, the assembled heroes ''immediately'' think to use the various ResetButton {{MacGuffin}}s they've encountered over the years - specifically the Lazarus Pits and the Book of Destiny - to bring them back.
* GoThroughMe: Kate protects Kara from Earth-99 Bruce.

* HappilyEverAfter: The fate of Earth-167's Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Fans of ''Smallville'' will tell you after everything that Clark went through, [[EarnYourHappyEnding this was well earned]].
* HeroicWillpower: Earth-96's Superman lost pretty much everyone close to him due to the Joker's gas attack, yet he still remains TheParagon to his world.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Earth-99's Bruce confesses to having become homicidal, to the point of killing the Superman of his Earth [[FantasticRacism for being a hidden alien]].
* HighVoltageDeath: Earth-99's 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 that she would die from the shock if she got too close.

* HopeCrusher: 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 breaths, he tells Kate that there is no hope, words that clearly affect her by the end of the episode.
* IdenticalStranger: Earth-96 Superman's similarity to Ray Palmer doesn't go unnoticed by Iris, Kara and Lex.
-->'''Luthor:''' Congratulations. You're a ringer for [[FantasticRacism a filthy Kryptonian]]. Mom must be so proud.

* ItGetsEasier: Earth-99 Bruce lampshades that 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. [[EvilCannotComprehendGood You'll see]].
* ItWasWithYouAllAlong: In the end, the Monitor reveals that the Paragon of Courage wasn't Earth-99 Bruce, it was Kate.

* KilledOffscreen: On each Earth that the characters visit, a number of people have already been killed.
** Earth-75's Superman is killed by Earth-38's Lex before 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.

** Lois, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, and numerous Daily Planet employees were gassed to death by the Joker on Earth-96.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: When talking about how they needed the Waverider, Sara comments that 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 [[Film/SupermanTheMovie the original Superman film]]. In addition to the iconic theme song, a variation of ''Can You Read My Mind?'' plays following his CrashIntoHello with Earth-38's Lois Lane.
-->'''Clark:''' I'm sorry, you seem so familiar. Have we met before?

** Iris, Lois and Clark go universe-hopping to find another Superman and stop Lex from his 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.

* LetsYouAndHimFight: Lex mind-controls the Earth-96 Superman to fight his Earth-38 counterpart.
* LikeParentLikeChild: This time it's Sara who points out how similar Mia and Oliver are.
* MaskOfSanity: Earth-99's Bruce Wayne seems rational at first, albeit broken and more cynical than ever, seeming to just be a logical conclusion to [[DentedIron his lifetime of fighting crime in Gotham]]. The mask starts to slip when he admits to Kate that he's killed too many people to count, and it's gone completely by the time Kara confronts him in the Batcave, revealing the [[DespairEventHorizon embittered]], [[FantasticRacism racist]], [[StrawNihilist nihilistic]] monster that he's become.
* MetaTwist: Earth-99 seems to be built up as the universe of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' 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 80's in ''Beyond'', but 60's here), the presence of Luke here but not in ''Beyond'', the complete absence of Terry here, and most importantly, the fact that this Bruce has become a FallenHero. This universe was ultimately [[CanonForeigner invented for this episode alone]], though with some elements subtly adapted from other sources too.
* MoeGreeneSpecial: Implied to be the means by which Earth-99's Superman met his end, given the damage to the glasses.

** 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, Jonah 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 ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice''. He even borrows a couple of that Batman's quotes, which were ultimately derived from ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns''.

** Quintessential Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy portraying a never before seen live-action version of Batman is itself this, as well as a CastingGag.

** When Lois, Clark and Iris mention to Clark-167 that Lex Luthor is coming to kill him, he wonders why the President would bother. During the time-skip finale of ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', Lex was elected President.
** Clark-167 [[PunchCatch catches Earth-38 Lex's punch]] and socks him in the face in a reversal of what happened [[Recap/SmallvilleS05E02Mortal the last time a depowered Clark fought his Lex]].

** Following on from Earths 16, 38, 66 & 89, Earth-99 would appear to draw its designation from the original air date of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', which was the first time Creator/KevinConroy 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 MarketBasedTitle 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=].

** 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 ''Film/SupermanII'' (Earth-38 Lois doesn't have to angrily shove Iris for making an insensitive comment during the fight, however).

** Earth-96 Superman says that this is the second time he's fought another version of himself.

* NotHimself: Lex brainwashes Earth-96 Superman to kill Earth-38's 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 [[ThePowerOfLove feelings of love]].
* NotSoDifferent: Kate fears that 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.
* NotSoOmniscientAfterAll: 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 that Novu is nearly as lost as the heroes.
* NotWorthKilling: Luthor decides that killing a depowered Superman wouldn't be any fun, especially when his universe is likely to be erased soon anyway.
* OhCrap: Lex, when the depowered Clark just calmly holds a piece of Kryptonite with no effect.
** This is also why Lex has to have other Supermen battle each other. Clark-167 casually tossed it into a field on the Kent-167 farm.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Once she's over the shock of seeing him alive, [[AllLovingHero Kara]] fires up her heat vision, clearly ready to incinerate Lex. This isn't necessarily suprising when you consider that Lex is all but solely responsible for Lena's FaceHeelTurn, 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.

* ProperlyParanoid: 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 that they could use the Book of Destiny to restore everything.
* PsychopathicManchild: Lex writes off killing a powerless Superman as "no fun", and he 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 Clark proved that he wasn't intimidated by Lex and could still easily kick his ass.

** The Clark of Earth-167 may have given up his superpowers, but he is literally twice the size of Earth-38's Lex Luthor (who also doesn't have his Harun-El powers) and in his own words "still stronger".
*** This also explains why Lex has to pit Clark-38 against Kal-96; Clark-167 tossed his shard of Kryptonite into one of his fields.
** The Monitor's manipulative, chessmaster ways are costing him the trust of his allies; when Kara sees that he revived Lex, she loses all faith in the Monitor, and by the end of the episode, is willing to ignore his warnings and use the Book of Destiny to restore Earth-38. She also tries to sway Kate to the idea of not trusting the Monitor, in particular after discovering that Earth-99's Batman is a deranged FallenHero who murdered his Superman for racist reasons.

* RedSkiesCrossover: The crossover with ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' is mostly irrelevant. [[Series/TheFlash2014 Iris West]], [[Series/Supergirl2015 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.
* RedemptionRejection: After hearing of Earth-99 Bruce JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, 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 that 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 ''Film/SupermanIII'' at one point. The problem is that everyone involved in ''Film/SupermanReturns'' claimed that the movie was just a continuation of the first two films that completely ignored the events of parts 3 and 4. It's likely [[BroadStrokes a similar event took place regardless]].
* RetiredBadass: All the Legends on Earth-74 and Clark of Earth-167 are retired.

** Eight real-time years after their GrandFinale, we learn what happened to the ''Smallville'' versions of Lois Lane and Clark Kent: Clark depowered himself permanently, and now he and Lois [[CallToAgriculture tend to the Kent farm]].
** The Bruce of Earth-99 is a severely misguided FallenHero. His need for an exoskeleton isn't because of years fighting his RoguesGallery, just ''one'': Earth-99 Superman.

** Earth-167 Clark reacts to the sight an alternate-universe Lex wielding a magic book with slight annoyance at worst. It's mostly a sign of CharacterDevelopment, as this Clark spent 10 years getting over his insecurities and general anxiety.

* SelfDisposingVillain: Earth-99's Bruce Wayne is accidentally electrocuted during his scuffle with Kara and Kate, both of whom [[ThouShaltNotKill obviously had no intention of killing him]] despite being beyond disgusted with the bastard at this point.

* SkewedPriorities: 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 that 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.

* SuicideByCop: Bruce-99 doesn't care if the multiverse ends, as he wants his miserable existence to just end. It's later also implied that he is glad that Kate (accidentally) finishes him off.

* SurpriseIncest: 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. Kal-38 informs her that "Ray" is really [[AlternateSelf "her cousin, sort of."]]. It's immediately awkward for everyone, even ''Kate'' looks away in embarrassment.
* TakingTheBullet: Earth-38 Clark shields Lois and Iris from the brainwashed Earth-96 Clark's heat vision.

** The revelation of Bruce Wayne of Earth-99's real [[KnightTemplar state]].

** Just as Bruce reveals his true murderous self, his exosuit starts glowing green, revealing it's powered by kryptonite.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: 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.

** Despite his broken body and spirit and tarnished morals, Kate assures Earth-99's Bruce that 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 that she won't turn out like Earth-99's Bruce, and that she's more than capable of being a hero and of living up to her role as the Paragon of Courage.

** Earth-99 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.

* AccidentalIncest: Downplayed. Kara sees what looks like Ray in ordinary clothes, and compliments him on his buff physique. Then she's told it's actually Kal-El, her cousin, from an alternate Earth. It's immediately very awkward for everyone, even ''Kate'' looks away in embarrassment.

* SurpriseIncest: 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. Kal-38 informs her that "Ray" is really [[AlternateSelf "her cousin, sort of."]].

* SubvertedCatchphrase: On being told by his wife that their children have made a mess, Earth-167 Clark jokes that, "This is a case for...us." and they walk off hand-in-hand to deal with it.

* SeriesContinuityError: Novu tells Mia that the Book cannot bring back Oliver, even though back in ''Elseworlds'' Malcolm Merlyn was briefly resurrected (until Deegan was defeated and the Book of Destiny restored things back to normal).

* EvilAllAlong: 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.

** Earth-38 Lex cannot believe Earth-167 Clark would give up his powers for a family. For that matter, he thought Clark was only Superman on ''this'' Earth, because it would be ridiculous if it also applied to his own Clark, who "can't see past his glasses".

** Earth-38 Lex cannot believe Earth-167 Clark would give up his powers for a family. For that matter, he thought Clark was only Superman on this Earth, because it would be ridiculous if it also applied to his own Clark, who "can't see past his glasses".

* SeriesContinuityError: Novu tells Mia that the Book cannot bring back Oliver, but last crossover Malcolm Merlyn was resurrected until the BigBad Deegan was subdued and the Book of Destiny restored things back to normal, returning Merlyn to death.