The themes of 'Kingdom Come' are a perfect fit for 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' to adopt
The ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ calls on a history that goes back decades. From working off of the original comic to pulling in actors across multiple franchisees who have all contributed to the wealth of stories involving the DC Universe, TV’s biggest crossover event is a celebration of legacy. With the recent confirmation that Kevin Conroy’s Bruce Wayne will join Brandon Routh’s Superman as having come from the ‘Kingdom Come’ universe, and the CW couldn’t have picked a better arc with which to explore the concept of legacy.
‘Kingdom Come’ was a relatively short series at just 4 issues, but it dove into some very complicated themes for superhero comics, chief amongst them being the question of superhero ethics. The Arrowverse has come a long way from being about a man with a bow, with time-travel, magic, clones, and alternate universes being a regular part of the world - what place do normal humans have in the scheme of such things? In ‘Kingdom Come’, Superman came back after years of self-imposed exile to try and show a new generation of heroes how to serve humanity, instead of leaving it behind.
Superman also came back as if to judge the morality of the new generations of metahumans. Superman has always been a central character in DC’s crises, from ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ to ‘Infinite Crisis’ and all the way to ‘Final Crisis.’ Superman is the thematic heart of the DC Universe and is the moral standard by which a universe is judged. If you want to know what kind of universe a DC story is set in, look to its Superman, and how he behaves. Bringing in an older Superman, from a more old-fashioned time to interact with the CW heroes will either see them judged by a harsher Superman, or, as is more likely, will be a symbolic passing of the torch from one era of superhero stories to the current one.
The Batman and Superman of ‘Kingdom Come’ did not always see eye to eye, but the one thing they could both always agree on was the upholding of a code. We’ve already seen the Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) trying to get heroes to break that code, to be prepared for the coming of the Anti-Monitor, and some difficult choices will have to be made in the Crisis. It may be up to the older generation to inspire hope in the Arrowverse’s heroes, and keep them holding moral lines when all seems lost.
‘Kingdom Come’ represents a darker world, imagining what happens when superheroes lose heart and humanity loses all faith in them, but it ends on a hopeful note. ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ may be the darkest times of some heroes' lives - but hopefully, the guidance of DC’s proud history can guide them towards a happy ending.
'Crisis on Infinite Earths' begins September 8 on 'Supergirl', airing on the CW.