“Crisis on Infinite Earths” will be bringing on board many DC legacy stars to reprise their famous superhero roles, including Brandon Routh as Superman, Kevin Conroy as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin (probably). It’d make sense, then, if the Arrowverse’s very first crossover actor appeared in the event, too.
According to our sources, the same ones who told us Black Mask will be gay in Birds of Prey and that Marvel was planning a She-Hulk show, both of which turned out to be true – John Wesley Shipp is returning for “Crisis.” Shipp’s been part of the franchise since The Flash season 1, playing Barry’s dad Henry Allen. After Henry died in season 2, he’s occasionally portrayed Jay Garrick, the Flash of Earth-3. However, in last year’s crossover “Elseworlds,” he finally reprised his original DC role as Barry Allen from Earth-90, referencing his leading turn in 1990’s The Flash TV series.
Earth-90’s Flash helped the Arrowverse heroes fight Deegan and the Monitor for a while, before the cosmic being caused him to vanish. It was left unclear whether he’d been disintegrated or displaced in time and space, though. If it’s the latter, there’s a good chance Shipp could be playing this same character in “Crisis,” which would fit with the vibe of bringing all the different corners of the DC multiverse together.
Chalk that up as speculation for now, though, as our sources can’t specify who’s he’s going to be playing just yet. We’ve also been told that Shipp’s old co-star Mark Hamill will be appearing in the crossover as well, but as with Shipp, we’re not sure who he’s set to portray. Will it be his established Arrowverse role the Trickster? Or could he star as the Joker in live-action for the first time ever? Time will tell.
“Crisis on Infinite Earths” is set to stretch across five episodes of all five Arrowverse shows, beginning on December 8th and concluding on January 14th.
