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Did You Catch All 3 Marvel References in The CW's DC 'Invasion!' Crossover?

While it can be argued that the Arrowverse would not exist today were it not for Marvel's success, it's still fairly surprising that DC might directly reference their competition.

By Alex HodgsonPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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The CW superhero crossover from this week has been a rousing success. All of the shows within the #Arrowverse took part in some way and a great number of the characters were given the chance to shine. The successful merger of four different shows has got fans talking, and whet the appetite for more team-ups.

There were many references to events in all of the shows within the crossover, as well as some fun nods to the fans. (Ray Palmer definitely won that one though!) However, despite the Arrowverse being a #DC property, there were also a couple of nods to their competition: #Marvel.

While it can be argued that the Arrowverse would not exist today were it not for Marvel Studios' unprecedented success, it's still fairly surprising that they might directly reference their competition. There may be some more, but here's the things I spotted.

Earth's Mightiest Heroes

After the DC heroes have defeated the Dominators and are honored by the president, they decide to celebrate. All of the heroes gather for a party before separating once more. During this scene, Oliver, Barry and Kara all step aside to have a conversation of their own. Kara asks the two men if they've ever saved the world before, which leads on to Kara explaining how on her world it's just her and her cousin; there isn't the sheer number of heroes that exist on Earth-1.

Barry then quips that together they are more powerful than anyone else in the room combined, to which Kara responds that that's not the point; collectively Team Arrow, Team Flash and the Legends are "Earth's Mightiest Heroes."

As we know, this is the title that Marvel's Avengers give themselves. It's safe to say that a certain goateed genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist might just have something to say about that one...

Spider-Man's MCU Entrance

During the #Arrow episode of the crossover, Team Arrow's tech support require a regulator in order to hack into some alien technology (as you do). They discover that said regulator is actually embedded in the arm of a lady who has technologically enhanced herself. As Oliver and Diggle are missing — living in a shared hallucination brought on by the Dominators — Felicity enlists the help of the Flash and Supergirl alongside the new recruits.

After refusing Barry's offer to super speed him to the warehouse, Wild Dog arrives on his bike. The Flash, Mr Terrific and Ragman are waiting and they both thank The Flash for his assistance. Mr Terrific tells Barry how awesome it was to travel at super speed before Barry responds, "Yeah, well, wait 'til you meet her".

Supergirl flies in and lands on the container the men are stood next to. With a classic superhero landing she looks up, waves and says, "Hey, everyone." Now, maybe I'm reading too much into this, but it certainly has some similarities to a certain arachnid-themed superhero's first appearance in the #MCU.

Captain America?

At the end of the previous episode of #LegendsofTomorrow, Ray Palmer presented Nate Heywood with a superhero costume of his own. We'd had a brief glimpse of it at the end of that episode, but the costume debuted properly in the crossover. In true Mick Rory style, he expressed his opinion that Steel looked like a "star-spangled idiot." Could this have been a light dig at Marvel's Captain America? The costume does look like a recolor of Cap's iconic blue suit.

Tenuous I admit, but it made me laugh.

However tenuous these links may be, it's safe to say that #HeroesVsAliens was a huge success. Arguably it has shown DC's film studios how to do superhero events. It's safe to say that #JusticeLeague has a lot to live up to after this!

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About the Creator

Alex Hodgson

I'm a massive superhero fan who loves to put my thoughts down in writing. Spider-Man is my favourite, but I'm also a lover of the Arrowverse. Follow me on twitter @AlexJHodgson

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