C’mon, isn’t it nicer to see our heroes getting along with each other? Do we really want to see Batman trying to take down Superman? Or Captain America and Iron Man beating the crap out of each other? Admit it, there’s something refreshing in two heroes coming together enthusiastically and embracing the “cool” factor of each other. Such is the case in “World’s Finest”, the episode of Supergirl that brings Grant Gustin’s title character from The Flash over to not only a different series, but, in America, a different network as well. The episode airs March 28th in the US.
How It Came Together
Executive producer Greg Berlanti explains that following the Christmas holidays, the creative staff of Supergirl began plotting out the second half of the season, and felt that the time was right to give the fans what they were hoping for. Once that decision was made, the biggest challenge was navigating the logistics of Gustin coming down from Vancouver to Los Angeles twice in the midst of The Flash’s production season.
"One of the things that really kept the flame and the torch for it alive was a lot of journalists and the fans online, that consistent feedback throughout the year and enthusiasm for the idea," he says. "We always wanted to do it, from the day we cast Melissa. It was exciting to see them onscreen together. But a few things had to go right. We were introducing the multiverse on The Flash and that had to work."
Infinite Crisis On Multiple Earths
One of the tropes from the history of DC Comics is the notion of parallel Earths; worlds where things are similar but different and where characters oftentimes hold different positions in life than they do “here”. It’s a concept that has been explored in depth during season two of The Flash and came into play in “World’s Finest”, with Gustin’s Barry Allen traveling to what is revealed to be yet another Earth.
Notes Berlanti, “Flash and Arrow exist in a universe where there is no Superman or you would have heard about him, and certainly Supergirl as well. And then there was the notion that it was two separate networks, so it was definitely more challenging in that way, because it's not convenient. It's two separate cities that they shoot in. And you wanted the story to work and stand on its own on CBS, and have its own audience."
What It’s About
From official channels: “Kara gains a new ally when the lightning-fast superhero The Flash suddenly appears from an alternate universe and helps Kara battle Siobhan, aka Silver Banshee, and Livewire in exchange for her help in finding a way to return him home.”
Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg insists that this is not just a gimmick episode; that Supergirl is dealing with a lot, particularly a crisis of conscience after an exposure to Red Kryptonite which brought out her darker impulses. “The Flash coming to Supergirl really helps Supergirl overcome the challenge that she had been dealing with. His advice to her about how she should be living her life is about to have repercussions as far as Jimmy [Olsen] is concerned.”
In an interview with Variety, actress Melissa Benoist, who plays the dual role of Kara Danvers and Supergirl, adds, “At the point that he shows up in National City, Kara’s kind of lost – this fallen hero, in a way. The city doesn’t trust her and she doesn’t know how to gain it back. She has no idea what to do next or how to redeem herself. He comes in and they have this lovely relationship of helping each other and exchange advice in what they’ve both experienced.”
For his part, Gustin admits that he was surprised that his appearance on the show actually impacted on his character's attitude for the remaining episodes of The Flash in that Barry was going through some heavy things when, in an episode of that show, he disappeared and found himself on another Earth. The experience, he says, “helped give him some confidence knowing he had this other ally out there. He just came back with a more positive outlook than I would’ve expected him to after breaking the dimensional barrier and disappearing for a full day.”
Meet The Villains
In “World’s Finest", the two heroes go up against a pair of villains from Supergirl’s rogue’s gallery. The first is Livewire (Brit Morgan), a shock jock struck by lightning that passed through Supergirl as a conduit, endowing her with electricity-based super powers and unleashing her inner homicidal tendencies. The other is Silver Banshee, former Catco Media employee Siobhan Smythe (Italia Ricci), who develops a super sonic screaming ability.
Clips From “World’s Finest”
Trailer
Supergirl airs in the US on CBS and The Flash on the CW. In the UK, both series air on Sky 1.