For the first time in the Arrowverse, we’ll be heading to Gotham City this December in the three-part ‘Elseworlds’ crossover between The Flash, Arrow and Supergirl, where – as we saw in today’s teaser trailer – it won’t be Batman serving as the city’s protector but rather Batwoman, played by Orange Is the New Black’s Ruby Rose.
Given that the crossover apparently sees Gotham facing a threat grave enough to bring The Flash, Green Arrow and Supergirl to the city, Batman is certainly conspicuous by his absence. But, as it turns out, the as-yet-unseen Arrowverse version of the Dark Knight has actually been missing from Gotham three years, during which the city has descended into chaos (or more chaos than usual).
“Our approach is: What does Gotham look like after the Batman has been gone for three years?” executive producer Caroline Dries tells EW. “So if you have the law and order, protector, and hope gone, what happens as a result? Some people are thriving in his absence because now they can start to do their own thing without the oversight. A lot of other people are suffering and they’re losing hope, and the city itself and infrastructure is falling apart. So it’s not a happy place. Our guys walk into a grimy, scary Gotham.”
“It’s a dead city,” added executive producer Marc Guggenheim. “The way I sort of described it to Stephen Amell is, it’s there but for the grace of God goes Star City. It’s the worst case scenario. The reason no one talks about Gotham is the city might as well be dead. It’s practically a ghost town.”
If this version Batman is missing, that certainly sets him up for a grand return at some point in the future, assuming The CW ever manages convince Warner Bros. to let them use the character. Can you see it happening? Or is Batman ultimately going to be the one that got away for the Arrowverse? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
‘Elseworlds’ begins with The Flash on December 9th, followed by Arrow on December 10th and Supergirl on December 11th. In addition to Grant Gustin (The Flash), Stephen Amell (Green Arrow), Melissa Benoist (Supergirl) and their fellow series regulars, the three-parter will feature guest appearances from Tyler Hoechlin (Superman), Ruby Rose (Batwoman), Elizabeth Tulloch (Lois Lane), John Wesley Shipp (Jay Garrick/The Flash), Cassandra Jean Amell (Nora Fries), LaMonica Garrett (The Monitor), Bob Frazer (Psycho-Pirate) and Jeremy Davies (Dr. John Deegan).
