Warning: spoilers for last night's Legends of Tomorrow episode are ahead!
The big Invasion crossover across The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow had a lot to pack in, from introducing Supergirl to most of the Earth-1 heroes to celebrating Arrow's 100th episode. Even over three shows, not every idea for the huge event made the final cut. For instance, Lynda Carter almost appeared as her Supergirl character, President Olivia Marsdin. Well, her Earth-1 counterpart, that is.
Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim told EW that the original plan was to have the Earth-1 Olivia Marsden be the Vice President who inherited the Oval Office after her predecessor was killed by the Dominators, but she was left out over the concern that her appearance might confuse casual viewers. He explained:
Actually in the original draft of the Legends episode, she was the Vice President who became the President. The studio had what we all considered to be a very fair note, which is it was a bit too confusing. You get into the parallel earths of it all --- she's not the President on our Earth, she's the Vice President. In the midst of time travel and aliens, it just was --- as Oliver would put it --- one sci-fi problem too much. We thought, 'Okay, if the studio is getting thrown by it, and confused, the audience might be too,' so we took her out. Believe me, it was not for lack of wanting to; I was planning on being on set that day.
In case you need a refresher, during The Flash part of the Invasion crossover, the President of United States (played by Jerry Wasserman) was kidnapped by the Dominators, and although some of the heroes tried to rescue him, he was later killed. The Legends of Tomorrow conclusion introduced the new president, Susan Brayden (played by Lucia Walters), who congratulated the protagonists on defeating the Dominators. Had things gone differently, Lynda Carter would have been the one speaking behind the podium, but as Marc Guggenheim noted, with all the other sci-fi insanity being shown, having Marsdin's doppelgänger would have been a bit too much.
The very idea that Guggenheim and this creative team almost included Lynda Carter in the crossover could also have huge implications for the character on Supergirl. For those who don't know, at the end of "Welcome to Earth," it was revealed that Olivia Marsdin is actually an alien who's disguised as a human, like what Martian Manhunter does. Had her Earth-1 counterpart been introduced, that would mean one of two things. Either the Earth-1 Marsden is also a disguised alien or she's a legitimate human politician. If it's the latter, that means there's also a human Marsdin on Earth-38, a.k.a. Supergirl's world. If that's the case, then where is she? Did the being impersonating her and is now President of the United States do something to the real deal? That's something to consider.
Even though Lynda Carter didn't participate in the big crossover, her time with DC TV isn't finished. She'll return for more Supergirl episodes next year, but sadly, it doesn't sound like we'll ever see her cross over to Earth-1 for Arrow, The Flash or Legends of Tomorrow. Make sure to also click here to find out when the DC shows and more will return midseason.
