'Arrow' Season 8 Episode 1 hints at Ray Palmer playing a crucial role in 'Crisis on Infinite Earths'
Earth-2 was erased from existence in a blood-red wave of anti-matter in 'Arrow' Season 8's first episode but luckily Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) was able to complete his mission for the Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) before he made his escape from the doomed world with John Diggle (David Ramsey) and Earth-2's Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy Rodgers).
Oliver was sent to Earth-2 to retrieve a set of dwarf star particles, which do exist on Earth-1 but according to the Monitor, there's something special about the particles that are found on Earth-2 that makes them crucial to defeating the Anti-Monitor (also LaMonica Garrett) in the upcoming 'Crisis on Infinite Earths.' Right now, we don't know what it is about Earth-2's dwarf star particles that make them so unique but we do know who might be able to find out.
Ray Palmer/Atom (Brandon Routh) is Earth-1's leading expert on dwarf star particles, having used his research on them to create the A.T.O.M exosuit that he uses in his superhero identity. Ray uses the particles to both power his suit and to create energy blasts and size-altering rays that allow him to both shrink to microscopic sizes and grow to gigantic proportions if need be.
Considering 'Crisis' is ending with an episode of 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow', the show on which Ray is a lead character, it looks like the superhero scientist's expertise may be essential to winning the coming war. The Monitor hasn't offered Oliver an explanation yet for why the particles are important but we might get a better idea of the cosmic entity's long-term plan once we find out what other missions he has in store for Oliver.
Whatever the Monitor's plan is, we know now that dwarf star particles are a key component and that makes Ray and the Legends very important pieces of the puzzle. Brandon Routh's Superman might be the character that people are most excited to see him play in 'Crisis' but his Ray Palmer might just be a lot more important to the survival of the Arrowverse.
'Arrow' Season 8 Episode 2 'Welcome to Hong Kong' will air on The CW October 22.