DC TV Panel w/ Flash, Arrow, Supergirl and more (Comic Con 2016)

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

For a while, the DC television universe was showing up their cinematic counterpart, offering up individual shows with their own unique identity that could still crossover successfully. Now with the addition of Supergirl to the lineup, the CW is primed to really give fans something special this fall. All four series brought panels to Comic Con this year, giving hints and future seasons and how they might all mix and mingle together.

SUPERGIRL

Since filming hasn’t started yet on the second season, the panel just showed a brief recap of the first season before the panel came out: executive producer Sara Schechter, Melissa Benoist, Chyler Leigh, David Harewood, Mehcad Brooks, Jeremy Jordan and new Superman, Tyler Hoechlin.

– Schechter said they’re glad to be moving from CBS to the CW. Aside from the possibility of doing crossovers with all four shows, the CW just gets superheroes more than the other network. “If you say meta human they know what youre talking about.”

– On the casting front, the panel revealed that Chris Woods would be the person in the pod teased at the end of the season and while they didn’t reveal his name, they did say he was playing a character in the DC universe. Floriana Lima will be playing Maggie Sawyer, another addition to the roster of “strong badass women on television.” And finally former Wonder Woman Lynda Carter would be playing the President of the United States, who enters the story because “big things happen when Superman and Supergirl get together.”

– How does Superman fit into the story? Clark has different experiences with having superpowers on earth, which leads to some headbutting and philisophical clashing between the two cousins. they will explore Hoechlin said he hadn’t tried on the suit yet, but he was taking the transition from “Wolf of Teen to Man of Steel” very seriously.

– Jimmy Olsen and Superman will get some “bro time” in Season 2. Especially since Olsen will have to break the news to Supes that he’s dating his little cousin.

– Kara will have a new boss in Cougartown star Ian Gomez. Schechter compared him to Lou Grant from the Mary Tyler Moore Show, saying everyone always at least likes Supergirl OR Kara, but his character doesn’t like either.

– David Harewoord had no idea he was going to be Martian Manhunter when he signed up. Even when he was promoting the series at Comic Con last year, he didn’t have a clue.

– Everyone talked about how great Melissa Benoist is with fans, especially young girls that look up to Supergirl. Except for a group of Girl Scouts that came to the set but had just met President Obama and could give two shits about the Woman of Steel.

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW

Unlike Supergirl, this panel actually had some big announcements to reveal. Guests included producers Marc Guggenheim and Phil Klemmer, and cast members Brandon Routh, Arthur Darville, Caity Lotz, Victor Garber, Franz Drameh and Dominic Purcell and new team members Nick Zano and Maisie Richardson-Sellers.

– The Justice Society of America teased at the end of first season is indeed being brought into the second, introducing some Golden Age characters like Dr. Midnight, Stargirl, Obsidian, Commander Steel, and Vixen.

– The addition of more heroes obviously means we need more bad guys too, and the producer are bringing in their own version of the Legion of Doom. You can expect Matt Letscher reprising his role as Eobard Thawne aka Reverse Flash, Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk, Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold and John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn. Barrowman made a surprise appearance on the panel when he was announced, saying, “I have some experience with time travel, so I think I’ll fit in just fine. Welcome home.”

– You can also expect an appearance by Mayor Oliver Queen and Damien Darhk (in 1942) in the season premiere. You’ll also see Jonah Hex returning in episode 6.

– Plot-wise, season 2 will find the team being “vIctims of their own success” after having defeated Vandal Savage. Now with time left unguarded, they’re the ones that are in charge of guarding all of history.

– The show is also not finished with the Hawks yet. With the right time and right story they would gladly bring back Kendra and Carter.

– Someone asked the panel if they could play any superhero, who would they choose? Cut to Brandon Routh: “Um, Superman.”

– Routh also met new Superman Tyler Hoechlin last night and said the “biggest part is getting fit and he’s got that down.“

Everything in Barry’s world has changed to become…Flashpoint. #TheFlash premieres Tuesday, October 4 on The CW.https://t.co/GW6rbebXQG

— The Flash (@CW_TheFlash) July 24, 2016

THE FLASH

Bring on Flashpoint! The panel introduced fans to the new changes coming from the emotional, time-altering season 2 finale and present were producers Todd Helbing and Aaron Helbing and cast members Grant Gustin, Jesse L. Martin, Candice Patton, Tom Cavanagh, Danielle Panabaker, Keiynan Lonsdale, Carlos Valdes and Harry Potter’s Tom Felton who joins the cast this season.

First up was a new trailer, which you can watch above. Further highlights:

– After saving his parents, the new season will find Barry living in blind bliss three months later, ignoring all the other changes to his world. Biggest of all is the fact that Iris and Joe are now just casual acquaintances.

– In this timeline, everyone is playing a different version of their character and every character has different relationships with everyone else. The Flashpoint paradox will also affect Arrow, with the biggest change happening to Diggle.

– There two big bads this season, one is a speedster to be revealed later and the other is Doctor Alchemy, a black hooded masked person to be voiced by SAW’s Tobin Bell

– Fans that are sick of Iris and Barry’s romance continually being pushed back can rest assued knowing that “In any timeline, Barry and Iris will always find each other.”

– Cisco in the new timeline is an ostentatious billionaire who loves showing off how rich he is.

– Tom Felton pointed out, “The last time i was here I was also representing a franchise symbolized by a lightning bolt.” On whether his character was a threat or not: “Any character I play you should see as a threat.”

– As far as crossovers go, they already have two lined up. One will involve Felicity showing up to give advice to Barry and the other is a massive multi-part. Most of the panel said if they had to choose, they wanted to crossover with Supergirl the most.

– Grant Gustin and Jesse L. Martin finished out the panel by having a tap dance contest. Nobody expected that to happen at the Flash panel.

Forced to rebuild, Oliver tries to make vigilantes into heroes on the new season of #Arrow, premiering October 5.https://t.co/e1PjxxIwOv

— Arrow (@CW_Arrow) July 24, 2016

ARROW

After the death of Laurel Lance at the end of last season, Season 5 will obviously show case some big changes for Team Arrow. The panel consisted of producer Wendy Mericle and Mark Guggenhiem, as well as actors Stephen Amell, Paul Blackthorne, Emily Bett Rickards, Daniel Ramsey, Willa Holland, Echo Kellum, and John Barrowman. They debuted the new trailer for Season 5, found above.

– The big bad for the year, seen at the end of the trailer, is a new villain that they’ve been calling Prometheus (not the Justice League villain of the same name). No details were shared about him except that he’s “pretty badass.”

– Despite being dead, it was confirmed that you WILL see Katie Cassidy’s Laurel Lance again in the DC TV universe, as early as episode 501. Due to the varying timelines she can come back in both Flash and Legends of Tomorrow.

– Amell said that though it’s not the last season (as far as they know), season 5 feels like the end of a saga. They had a five year plan from the beginning and will be wrapping up this long chapter in the Arrow saga.

– By episode 5, we’ll find out more about Oliver and Felicity and their relationship, picking up where they left off last season. Amell: “It’s clear Oliver loves Felicity, but I don’t know if that means they’ll be together.” His first love is Star City.

– Diggle will be in Chechyna with special forces this season, still dealing with the death of Black Canary and having to shoot his own brother.

– Amell admitted that Oliver is a terrible mayor, since all his focus is on his life as Arrow. Thea is essentially running the city.

– Now that John Barrowman is a series regular on all four shows, he said it will be interesting to see what Malcolm (the “troubled hero”) is like in other timelines on Legends and Flash and how he will behave.

– At one point, the creators considered making Malcolm Oliver’s dad, but decided it was too “Darth Vader” and decided to make Thea his daughter instead.

– Being a dancer, John Barrowman would throw punches and then finish with a little flourish. The director had to keep yelling at him.

– Asked about playing a different superhero, Amell said he would choose John McClane. “He’s been a superhero in five movies,three of which were really good.”