Legends will not appear in Gotham-centric Arrowverse crossover

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow will not appear in this year’s Arrowverse crossover event, which will introduce Batwoman and Gotham City.

For the first time since 2015, Legends of Tomorrow will not be included in the annual Arrowverse crossover, according to Entertainment Weekly. That 2015 crossover Heroes Join Forces between flagship series Arrow and The Flash served mostly as an introduction for Legends ahead of the series’ official start a month later.

Legends subsequently appeared in the 2016 crossover Invasion! as well as last year’s 4-part Crisis on Earth-X. The reason why they will not be participating this time around remains unclear, though it could be a variety of factors.

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First and foremost, Legends of Tomorrow is premised on the fact that the team travels through time quite frequently. It’s possible that they could be tied up in a different year, or even a different century, while the crossover is happening.

Another point to consider is the introduction of Batwoman, aka Kate Kane, and Gotham City. Batwoman’s appearance in the crossover was announced at the CW’s upfront back in May; and yesterday, the network revealed the reason behind it.

The CW is developing a Batwoman series that will presumably use the crossover as a backdoor pilot in the same way that Legends did. While Batwoman’s appearance does not offer an obvious reason why the Legends won’t be participating in the crossover, it may have come down to a numbers game.

Since the first annual crossover in 2014, Arrowverse producers have worked hard to make each event bigger than the last. However, they may have determined that including the entire Arrowverse and Batwoman would’ve marked a tipping point. After all, bigger does not always better, and trying to focus on too many characters can lead to shallow storylines.

It’s also important to note that just because the Legends won’t be participating in the winter crossover does not mean they won’t be appearing on Arrowverse shows. Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), for example, had a meaningful cameo in Arrow‘s sixth season finale.

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Sara met Black Siren (Katie Cassidy), her late sister’s doppelganger, for the first time as they both mourned her father’s (Paul Blackthorne) death. Given the pair’s connections, it’s certainly possible that Sara and Earth-2 Laurel will cross paths again.

What are your expectations for this year’s crossover? Are you disappointed the Legends won’t be participating? Let us know in the comments section below.