Long-established as fan favorites in the DC universe, the New Gods were introduced by Jack Kirby in the 1970s through the planets of New Genesis and Apokolips. Part of Kirby’s “Fourth World” series, these planets are ruled by god-like beings, including Darkseid on Apokolips, and New Genesis heroes such as Big Barda and Mister Miracle. While being a part of the DCEU, including Ava DuVernay’s upcoming New Gods movie, their presence in the Arrowverse has seemingly been referenced via the ongoing “Crisis on Infinite Earths” event.
The “Crisis,” which is set to wrap up on January 14th, has already introduced many cameos, returning characters and other twists as it ends one chapter of the Arrowverse saga. What many perhaps missed though, at least according to FandomWire, was the inclusion of the New Gods as part of Arrowverse canon. The evidence for this claim comes in the third part of the “Crisis,” wherein the Anti-Monitor faced the Monitor, with the former addressed as “Mobius.”
For those not in the know, Mobius was created in the Sixth Dimension along with Mar Novu (the Monitor) and Alpheus to create a new Multiverse. After a long-running conflict, Mobius returned in the Antimatter universe and built the Mobius Chair as a way of traveling across and between the universes. The New Gods connection comes when Mobius is cursed by the Anti-Life Equation, a significant element in that series’ continuity, becoming the Anti-Monitor. Mobius eventually gives the Chair to the New God Metron and has variously been involved in stories with Darkseid and other characters from the Fourth World.
While the theory that Mobius’ naming explicitly confirms the New Gods in the Arrowverse is questionable, given that the character is more adjacent to than part of that mythology, it certainly contributes to how the “Crisis” has broadened the cosmic side of The CW series. Of course, DC haven’t been cautious about throwing the New Gods into previous television properties, from Smallville to the DC animated universe, so we wouldn’t be surprised if they get more name-checks going forward.
For now, we can look forward to the conclusion of “Crisis on Infinite Earths” later this month, with the final two episodes of the event already promising to contain more surprises. Whether this means we’ll get appearances by the New Gods is unknown, but we’re certainly keen to see what’s in store as the storyline wraps up.
