The big Arrow-verse crossover of 2018 is still months away, but news about what to expect from the event has been released in recent weeks to get fans pumped about what's to come in the latest superhero team-up. Although the Legends legends will be absent, the Arrow-verse is bringing in a number of other heroes, including the Man of Steel himself. Or, at least a Man of Steel. Arrow star Stephen Amell shared a pic of Tyler Hoechlin as Superman looking very different than we've seen him on Supergirl:
As we see in this photo of Grant Gustin, Tyler Hoechlin, and Stephen Amell (courtesy of Amell on Twitter), Superman will be wearing a black suit in the Arrow-verse crossover, called "Elseworlds," and that raises a whole bunch of questions. When Arrow-verse characters start wearing all black, it's often a sign that something evil is afoot. When Kara went temporarily dark due to the effects of Red Kryptonite, she wore all black. Is the black Superman suit a sign that crossover Superman is a bad guy?
Well, we can't rule that out, especially since the "Elseworlds" title may indicate that the crossover Superman isn't the kind and perky Superman we've come to know on Supergirl. Besides, Grant Gustin and Stephen Amell are wearing matching shoes, pants, and even chains on their pants, so this photo may show different versions of all three characters we've come to know. That, or this is a shot of a crossover boy band with Superman as the lead singer and Flash and Green Arrow as his backup vocalists/dancers.
More likely than the boy band theory is that the black suit in the crossover is a nod to the Death of Superman arc from DC Comics that saw Superman don a black suit after being resurrected. The purpose of the black suit was to allow Superman to absorb the yellow rays of Earth's sun as soon as possible to heal and regain his powers. Perhaps crossover Superman's black suit is making an appearance because he needs to heal.
We do know that Superman won't be alone in the crossover, as "Elseworlds" will officially introduce Lois Lane into the Arrow-verse. If he was injured somehow, perhaps that explains why the other heroes will need to pitch in. Theoretically, if something happened that knocked Superman so out of commission that he needed a healing suit, perhaps he'd want to bring in his equally super cousin with some super friends as backup.
Unfortunately, we can only speculate at this point. Superman is not likely to be the focal point of the crossover, as a great deal of buzz is already circulating around the introduction of Batwoman -- who may get her own CW series -- and Gotham City. Batman isn't likely to appear, but one of his most legendary villains might, and Arkham Asylum is definitely in play. Throw in the other hero (or villain) Stephen Amell may be playing thanks to a new mask, and "Elseworlds" should be a wild ride.
The inclusion of the black suit for Superman could be fun for fans of DC's movies. Justice League infamously left out the black suit for Superman that many assumed was going to be included, with the only appearance coming in a brief deleted scene. You can see the suit in all its dark glory when the crossover kicks off with The Flash on December 9, with the action continuing with Arrow on December 10 and Supergirl finishing things up on December 11. Legends of Tomorrow gets its own crossover.
