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"Invasion!"
Arrowverse crossover event
Tetraptych promotional posters for "Invasion!" for (L to R) Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow
Episode nos.	The Flash (part 1) Season 3, Episode 8 Arrow (part 2) Season 5, Episode 8 Legends of Tomorrow (part 3) Season 2, Episode 7
Directed by	Dermott Downs (Flash) James Bamford (Arrow) Gregory Smith (LoT)
Teleplay by	Aaron Helbing (Flash) Todd Helbing (Flash) Marc Guggenheim (Arrow & LoT) Wendy Mericle (Arrow) Phil Klemmer (LoT)
Story by	Greg Berlanti Andrew Kreisberg (Flash)
Production codes	T27.13108 (Flash) T27.13208 (Arrow) T13.20007 (LoT)
Original air dates	November 29, 2016 (2016-11-29) (Flash) November 30, 2016 (2016-11-30) (Arrow) December 1, 2016 (2016-12-01) (LoT)
Episode chronology
The Flash ← Previous "Killer Frost" Next → "The Present" List of The Flash episodes Arrow ← Previous "Vigilante" Next → "What We Leave Behind" List of Arrow episodes Legends of Tomorrow ← Previous "Outlaw Country" Next → "The Chicago Way" List of Legends of Tomorrow episodes

"Invasion!" is the third annual Arrowverse crossover event, crossing over episodes of the Arrowverse television series The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow on The CW, and is inspired by the 1989 comic miniseries Invasion!. Events at the end of the Supergirl episode "Medusa" on November 28, 2016, will mark the beginning of the crossover, which will officially begin on November 29 with The Flash, continue on Arrow on November 30, and conclude on Legends of Tomorrow on December 1. Each of the latter three episodes are also titled "Invasion!".

Development for a crossover between the three series, along with Supergirl, began in May 2016 after it was revealed that Supergirl would move to The CW from CBS for its second season. By the following September, the scripts for each episode had been written, with filming occurring shortly after, in October 2016. The premise and episode titles were also revealed that month. "Invasion!" sees all of the main cast members for each series appear in at least their own series, with Melissa Benoist appearing as Supergirl across the entire crossover. Multiple actors and characters from previous Arrow seasons also return to reprise their roles in the Arrow episode, as it is the series' 100th.

Premise

When the alien race known as the Dominators attack Central City, Barry Allen seeks the help of Oliver Queen to stop them. They quickly realize the threat is bigger than they can both handle, and set out to find the Legends of Tomorrow, as well as recruiting Kara Danvers from her Earth. With all the heroes assembled, a plan is made to defeat the Dominators, only to be sidetracked when a secret related to Flashpoint is revealed, forcing the team to doubt who they can trust. Martin Stein, with help from others, is eventually able to find a way to defeat the Dominators. Additionally, Oliver wakes up to a life where he never got on The Queen's Gambit, with his parents, Robert and Moira, alive, and Laurel Lance his fiancée. However, Oliver begins to notice imperfections in this new reality that makes him question it. Meanwhile, Stein becomes distracted by an aberration he created in 1987.

Cast and characters

Main and recurring

1. ^ Barry and Cisco both appear at the end of the Supergirl episode "Medusa", to recruit Supergirl.

Guest

The Flash

• Audrey Marie Anderson as Lyla Michaels

Arrow

• Jamey Sheridan as Robert Queen
• Rick Gonzalez as Rene Ramirez / Wild Dog
• Joe Dinicol as Rory Regan / Ragman
• Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance / Black Canary
• Deathstroke
• Susanna Thompson as Moira Queen
• John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn / Dark Archer
• Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk

Legends of Tomorrow

Production

Development

Yearly crossover events in the Arrowverse have occurred on The CW since the 2013–14 television season, when Barry Allen was introduced in the eighth episode of Arrow's second season ahead of the debut of The Flash. The next year, the eighth episodes of the third season of Arrow and the first season of The Flash formed a two-part event. In the 2015–16 television season, a two-part event between the eighth episodes of the fourth season of Arrow and the second season of The Flash was used to set up the new team-up series Legends of Tomorrow. In January 2015, The CW president Mark Pedowitz stated the intention to have an Arrowverse crossover every season.

In May 2015, after it was announced that Supergirl would air its second season on The CW instead of CBS, Pedowitz revealed that all four series—Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl—would crossover in the upcoming 2016–17 television season. In September 2016, Greg Berlanti, creator and executive producer on all four series, clarified that the crossover event would only officially involve The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow, though the event starts at the very end of Supergirl, with Barry and Cisco Ramon arriving on Supergirl's Earth to recruit her. It was also announced that the villains of the event would be the Dominators, in a story inspired by the 1989 comic miniseries Invasion!. Marc Guggenheim, creator and executive producer on Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, stated that "cutting-edge prosthetics and computer effects" would be used for the Dominators "to achieve a feature film-quality look which is faithful to Invasion! artist Todd McFarlane's interpretation of the characters." The following month, Guggenheim revealed the title of each episode in the crossover would be "Invasion!".

Writing

Scripts for "Invasion!" were written in mid-September 2016, with Berlanti creating the story for the event, and Andrew Kreisberg also helping to craft the story of The Flash episode. The teleplay for The Flash was written by showrunners Aaron Helbing & Todd Helbing, with Arrow's written by showrunners Guggenheim & Wendy Mericle, and showrunners Phil Klemmer & Guggenheim writing the teleplay for Legends of Tomorrow. Arrow's episode of the crossover is also the series' 100th. Guggenheim felt Berlanti "came up with an idea that really does allow us to have our cake and eat it too" in terms of respecting Arrow as a whole, while incorporating it into the crossover, adding "It is a love letter to the show. It draws on all previous 99 episodes, pretty much. Everyone who we could have in the episode from a scheduling point of view is in the episode. Even the people who we couldn't have because of conflicting schedules are represented."

Filming

Filming of the three episodes occurred from September 23, 2016, until October 12, 2016. The Flash's episode was directed by Dermott Downs, Arrow's by James Bamford, and Legend of Tomorrow's by Gregory Smith.

Broadcast

After beginning in the ending scene of the November 28, 2016 episode of Supergirl, the first part on The Flash will air on November 29, followed by part two on Arrow on November 30, and concluding with part three on Legends of Tomorrow on December 1, all on The CW.

Marketing

Despite "Invasion!" only occurring in three of the four CW series, the event, marketed as "Heroes v Aliens", was still called a "four-night crossover event". In addition, a faux classified U.S. government video was released, set approximately 70 years in the past, detailing the Dominators first attempt to conquer Earth. A full trailer for the crossover was released on November 23, 2016.

In Canada on the CTV Television Network it was advertised as a 3-night event, marketed as "Heroes Unite".

References

1. ^ Marc Guggenheim (September 19, 2016). "We're in prep. @GBerlanti @MericlesHappen @JamesBamford" (Tweet). Retrieved September 19, 2016 – via Twitter.
2. ^ Marc Guggenheim (September 27, 2016). "Production begins today on Part 2 of this year's Arrow/Flash/Legends/Supergirl crossover. @philklemmer @GBerlanti @gregorythesmith" (Tweet). Retrieved September 28, 2016 – via Twitter.
3. Abrams, Natalie (November 16, 2016). "New CW superhero crossover details revealed!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
4. ^ Jensen, Jeff (November 9, 2016). "This Week's Cover: CW superheroes crossover revealed". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
5. ^ Abrams, Natalie (October 18, 2016). "Arrow boss teases 100th episode, crossover catalyst". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
6. Goldman, Eric (October 31, 2016). "THE FLASH: CANDICE PATTON TALKS CROSSOVERS AND IRIS AND BARRY'S "HEALTHY, NORMAL" RELATIONSHIP". IGN. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
7. Abrams, Natalie (November 14, 2016). "The Flash: Will Wally turn villain to get power?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
8. The CW Television Network (November 23, 2016). Supergirl | Heroes v Aliens: The Dominators | The CW. YouTube. Event occurs at 0:29. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
9. ^ Romano, Nick (November 10, 2016). "'Arrow,' 'Flash,' 'Supergirl,' and 'Legends' Casts Unite in New Crossover Images". Collider.com. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
10. ^ Gallaway, Lauren (September 23, 2016). "[SPOILER] IS RETURNING FOR ARROW'S 100TH EPISODE". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
11. ^ Damore, Meagan (November 23, 2016). "CW'S FOUR-SHOW DC CROSSOVER GETS A FULL-LENGTH TRAILER". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
12. ^ Abrams, Natalie (September 29, 2016). "Arrow: Susanna Thompson returning for 100th episode". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
13. ^ Abrams, Natalie (May 19, 2016). "The CW announces four-way crossover with Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
14. Nguyen, Hanh (January 11, 2015). "The CW Renews Supernatural and 7 More — But Where's Beauty and the Beast?". TV Guide. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
15. Schneider, Michael (September 9, 2016). "Greg Berlanti Interview: How TV's Superhero Guru is Managing Crossovers, 'Supergirl's Move and New Inspirations". Indiewire. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
16. Melrose, Kevin (September 29, 2016). "ARROW, FLASH, SUPERGIRL CW CROSSOVER VILLAINS REVEALED". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
17. Burlingame, Russ (October 23, 2016). "Marc Guggenheim Reveals the Title Of Arrow's 100th Episode". ComicBook.com. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
18. ^ "(#308) "Invasion!"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
19. Arrant, Chris (November 11, 2016). "SUPERGIRL, FLASH, ARROW, LEGENDS' 'Heroes v. Aliens' DC-CW Crossover Trailer". Newsarama. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
20. White, Brett (November 23, 2016). "RETRO-STYLE CW/DC CROSSOVER PROMO SEES DOMINATORS WAGE WAR". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
21. http://www.ctv.ca/TheFlash/Video/S3E8-Preview-Heroes-Unite-In-A-3-Night-Crossover-Event-Tuesday-At-87C-On-CTV-vid1002510. Retrieved 27 November 2016. Heroes Unite, the three night crossover event. The war begins on Flash. Tuesday at eight seven central on CTV. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |titles= ignored (help)

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